Health and safety in workplaces

How the council works with businesses to improve safety, including reporting of accidents.

Our Food and Safety Group are responsible for health and safety in:

  • offices
  • shops
  • hotels
  • guest houses
  • catering services
  • care homes
  • warehouses 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for:

  • factories
  • farms
  • building sites
  • nursing

Our role

Our environmental health officers inspect workplaces to make sure they are obeying the law and aim to help employers understand the importance of health and safety. They investigate accidents and complaints. Enforcement is only necessary as a last resort.

Reporting serious accidents or incidents

Certain injuries, diseases and "dangerous occurrences" - events which do not cause injury but are potentially very serious - must be reported to the enforcing authority.

The Health and Safety Executive website has details of what is included in the various categories. But, to summarise, the following must be reported:

  • deaths (of employees or members of the public)
  • specified injuries to workers (such as fractures and amputations)
  • members of the public taken to hospital
  • accidents causing injury lasting more than 7 days
  • occupational diseases or medical conditions caused by work, such as occupational asthma
  • dangerous occurrences such as plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines.

RIDDOR on the Health and Safety Executive website has specific details on reporting injuries.

Contact us

Barrow: envhealth@barrowbc.gov.uk
Eden: env.health@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
South Lakeland: publicprotection@southlakeland.gov.uk