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Health and Safety
Most people know that whilst you are at work your employer must provide a safe and healthy environment. In addition to their responsibility to employees businesses also have a duty to ensure that the safety of customers and visitors is protected.
Our approach to Health and Safety is similar to Food Safety and Hygiene. We visit workplaces to ensure that working conditions comply with the relevant standards. We again use a risk based inspection system and have a Statement of Enforcement Policy, a copy of which can be obtained on request.
Whilst we share the role of enforcement with the Health and Safety Executive if you are uncertain who you should be talking to we will act as the first point of contact on any Health and Safety issue. If you, a member of your family or a friend have concerns about their place of work or are injured at work then contact us. We will respect any concerns about confidentiality however if you have been injured we may have to discuss the specific instance. If as a customer you have been injured or you feel that your or others safety is at risk then please let us know. At the risk of repeating ourselves if we don't know we can't do anything to help.
We can provide advice and free leaflets on Health and Safety. There is also a wealth of helpful publications, which can be obtained from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Sunday Trading Act 1994
Requires the occupiers of large shops (shops which exceed a floor area of 220 sq.m.) to notify the Local Authority in which the area is situated that they propose to open and to specify the opening period which should not exceed 6 hours. For further information and clarification on the criteria relating to the legislation please submit an enquiry form
Home Safety
The HSE has issued a warning about the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Homeowners and landlords are being urged to ensure that their gas appliances are safe to use.
CO fumes cannot be seen, smelt or tasted leaving anyone exposed feeling unwell. In the worst situations, CO can kill without warning in just hours. Symptoms of CO poisoning can include tiredness, drowsiness, headaches and breathlessness.
In addition to getting appliances checked, it is also important to ensure they are used correctly. When used, appliances must have access to a good supply of fresh air: CO is produced when there is not enough air for complete burning of the fuel. Furthermore, a gas appliance should never be used if there is suspicion that it is not working properly. Signs to look out for on boilers, fires and cookers include the following:
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yellow or orange flames (except for fuel-effect fires which display this colour flame)
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soot or stains around the appliance
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a pilot light that frequently blows out.
Approved CO detectors are strongly recommended, although it is stressed that these must not be used as a substitute for regular checks and servicing by a Gas Safe-registered installer.
NETREGS
The netregs website is very useful for small and medium sized businesses requiring information or codes of practice etc.
Cooling Towers
Large office buildings, hospitals and schools typically use one or more cooling towers as part of their air conditioning systems. Cooling towers are also used to remove heat from the water loop system & reject it into the atmosphere. The primary use of large industrial cooling towers is to remove heat from the circulating cooling systems used in power plants, refineries etc or from various sources such as machinery or heated process material.
Under the Notification of 
Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensors Regulations 1992, any premises which contain a wet cooling tower or evaporative condensor (or both) are required to be registered (updated August 2012) with their Local Authority.
Last Updated on Monday, 25 February 2013 16:22
