Enforcement of Health & Safety

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Within the UK the Health and Safety Executive and Local Authorities have the responsibility for enforcing health and safety legislation in workplaces.

Health and safety inspectors have various powers:

* to inspect premises
* to investigate accidents and complaints
* to take enforcement action

Local Authority Environmental Health Departments have the responsibility for enforcement. Local Authorities employ Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and Technical Officers to visit premises and investigate incidents and complaints.

EHOs have quite wide ranging powers although not unlimited.

For example:

* to enter premises at reasonable hours
* to make examinations and investigations
* to require persons to answer questions
* to require the production of documents and records

In addition they can serve various notices - improvement and prohibition and bring prosecutions where they discover that health and safety laws have been broken.

Prohibition Notices
An inspector may serve a prohibition notice to put a stop to an activity likely to involve a risk of serious personal injury. The notice takes effect immediately.

Improvement Notices
An inspector may serve a notice to improve the health and safety of a particular machine, premises, system or the management of heath and safety in general. The notice is only served where there are no immediate dangers.

Prosecutions
Where an inspector has found that an employer or any individual has broken health and safety legislation he may decide to take the matter to court in the form of a criminal prosecution.