Health and Safety law is enforced by District Council Environmental Health Departments and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), depending on the business activity being carried on.

The table below gives a breakdown of enforcement responsibility:

Magherafelt District Council Environmental Health Officers will :

Provide Health and Safety information and advice to businesses and employees

The Health and Safety Pays Protect Your Profit Guide provides step-by-step advice for small businesses on how to manage health and safety, including information on risk assessment and writing a safety policy. You can also download business specific advisory leaflets in our resources section

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (NI) 2000 require that every employer and self- employed person shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of
(a) the risks to the health and safety of employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and
(b) the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking

To assist you in carrying out risk assessments you can download a blank risk assessment form

Carry out programmed inspections of premises
Click here to download a brief guide for businesses, employees and their representatives on what to expect when a Health and Safety Inspector calls

Respond to complaints relating to unsafe working conditions and practices
You can contact the Environmental Health Department during office hours 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm
By telephoning- 028 79397979
By e-mail- envhealth@magherafelt.gov.uk
By Fax- 028 79397980

Investigate accidents at work
Reporting accidents and ill health at work is a legal requirement. If there is an accident connected with work and

• Your employee, or a self-employed person working on your premises is killed or suffers a major injury or,
• A member of the public is killed or taken to hospital
  

• You must notify the enforcing authority without delay (e.g. telephone). Within ten days you must follow this up with a completed accident report form NI2508 .

See attached information on Schools Work Placement Presentation. A powerpoint version of this presentation is available by contacting Environmental Health Department.

Young people and work experience

Getting to meet the animals on a farm is exciting. But animals can carry germs, and some of these can make you sick. So you need to be careful. Remember the following tips to help keep those germs at bay.

Staying safe down on the farm

Advice to farmers (with teachers' supplement)

Woodworking Health and Safety Workshop to be held on Wednesday, 28 October 2009, 9.00am to 2.00pm at South Eastern Regional College, Lisburn

Invitation Leaflet

Additional information

HEALTHY WORKPLACES: GOOD FOR YOU, GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Healthy Workplaces is a two-year campaign which aims to promote a management approach to risk assessment.

The two-year campaign seeks to convey clearly that risk assessment is a step-by-step examination of all aspects of work undertaken.

Risk assessment need not necessarily be complicated, bureaucratic or a task only for experts.

Why Risk Assessment?

Every 3.5 minutes, somebody in the EU dies from work-related causes!

167,000deaths are caused each year as a result of either work-related accidents (7,500) or occupational diseases e.g. asbestosis (159,500).

Every 4.5 seconds, a worker in the EU is involved in an accident that forces him/her to stay at home for at least 3 working days ie more than 7 million accidents a year.

Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

These all come at huge costs:

• Human costs
• Business costs
• Costs for society

A prevention approach based on risk assessment aims to put measures in place to prevent such accidents and diseases.

What is a risk assessment?

Risk assessment is the process of evaluating health and safety risks arising form hazards in the workplace.

A hazard is anything that may cause harm e.g. chemicals, electricity, machinery and equipment, an open drawer, aspects of work organisation, etc.

The risk is the chance or probability, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these or other hazards.

A risk assessment is therefore a careful and systematic examination of all aspects of the work undertaken to consider what could cause injury or harm, whether the hazards could be eliminated and, if not, what preventive or protective measures are, or should be, in place to control the risks.

Employers' duties

Employers in each workplace have a moral duty and a legal responsibility to ensure the safety and health of workers. A risk assessment enables effective measures to be put in place to protect the safety and health of workers.

These include:

• Preventing occupational risks
• Providing information and training to workers
• Putting in place the organisation and means to implement the necessary measures.

A risk assessment will help employers and other people responsible to:

1. Identify the hazards in the workplace and those at risk
2. Evaluate the risks associated with those hazards
3. Determine what measures should be taken to protect the safety and health of employees and others
4. Put in place the preventive and protective measures
5. Monitor and review whether the measures in place are working

What is Magherafelt Council doing as part of the campaign?

The campaign has run throughout 2008 and 2009 and has featured two European Weeks of Safety and Health, in October 2008 and October 2009.

*Magherafelt Council has delivered a risk assessment workshop to local businesses to assist them in completing their own Risk assessments.*

*Magherafelt Council is also liaising with local secondary level schools and colleges to promote risk assessment by providing a quiz based lesson plan for children. This will help equip students with knowledge of risk assessment requirements, which they need to be aware of when they go on work placement or are employed as workers. For more information telephone 028 79397979.*

Who else can take part in the campaign?

The campaign is open to all organisations and individuals at local, national and European level, including:

• Employers
• Managers, supervisors and workers
• Trades unions and safety representatives
• Health and Safety professionals
• Education providers

How can you get involved?

On the campaign website at http://hw.osha.europa.eu you will find a wide variety of campaign material in 22 EU languages e.g. fact sheets, good practice case studies, cartoon videos, links to related sites.

The Health and Safety Executive website www.hse.gov.uk/risk also has lots of information on practical steps to protect people from risks. Example risk assessments for various workplaces are also available to download at www.hse.gov.uk/risk/casestudies .

The EU - Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) has put in place a number of channels and actions to give visibility to those who get involved in the Healthy Workplaces campaign.

· Participation: Everyone involved in the campaign can download a Certificate of Participation to print and display, along with an online flash banner for your website

If you have any further questions or need more information please contact the Environmental Health Service. Email envhealth@magherafelt.gov.uk or telephone 028 79397979.

Directory of Support Service to local Post Primary Schools

The directory informs local schools about Environmental Health Services and how schools can work in partnership with Council staff to enhance teaching and learning in areas such as personal health and well-being, healthy environments and sustainable living.

Click here to download directory

Bad Hand Day - Advice for Hairdressers on Dermatitis

Click here

• Health Promotion Agency

Are you doing enough to prevent back injury in your workplace? Download an information sheet .

One of the key strategies contained within HSC's Strategy for Workplace Health & Safety in Great Britain to 2010 and Beyond is to promote greater involvement of workers and stakeholders to increase their engagement and promote full participation in improving health and safety. Similarly within the HELANI Strategic Plan 2005-2008 the strategic theme dealing with partnership working and engaging stakeholders has specifically identified the need for district councils to improve contact with employee representatives during and following inspections, investigations and other interventions. The Strategic Plan further encourages district councils to encourage employers to undertake effective employee consultation on health and safety issues.

HSE research(1) has shown that where workers are encouraged to have a voice and are given the ability to influence health and safety they are safer and healthier than those who do not.

A Policy on Contact with Representatives and Employees during Visits and Disclosure of Information, was adopted by Magherafelt District Council. Health and Safety Officers within Environmental Health implemented the policy from April 2006.

(1) HSE Research Report 296 (2005) Obstacles preventing worker involvement in health and safety.

To view policy click here: Policy on Contact with Representaties with Employees During Visits and Disclosure of Information

Further Information

To view a copy of IND(G) 232 "Consulting Employees on Health and Safety a Guide to the Law " click here

Further information on the way health and safety legislation is enforced, and about health and safety legislation generally, can be found in the following free leaflets

What to expect when a District Council Health and Safety Inspector Calls: Click here

A brief guide for business, employees and their representatives.

Safety pays: Information for smaller businesses on Managing Health and Safety.

After Your Ears or Risk Losing the Music

Click here to download information on damage to hearing caused by Noise from Loud Music

Against a background of 67 fatal accidents at work and nearly 4000 major injuries in a 12 month period, environmental health officers from local councils across Northern Ireland currently are taking part in Province-wide campaign to reduce falls from heights in workplaces.

"Working at heights continues to be the single biggest cause of fatal accidents and one of the main causes of major injuries - and the main cause of all injuries from falls from heights is people falling from ladders," commented Mr Clifford Burrows, Director of Environmental Health, Magherafelt District Council.

The Work at Heights Regulations (NI) 2005 impose a new duty on employers to do all that is reasonably practical to prevent anyone falling whilst at work.

The current campaign, is aimed at improving the safety record of businesses undertaking activities which involve working at height.

"Falls from height also have been identified as a priority area for action in a joint strategic workplan produced between all 26 of Northern Ireland's district councils and the HSENI," added Mr Burrows.

In common with their colleagues across the rest of the Province, Environmental Health Officers in Magherafelt currently are inspecting premises across the Council area - and have warned that they will take appropriate enforcement action where serious risks are identified.

Businesses in the Magherafelt District Council area can obtain advice and information on the new Working at Height Regulations by contacting your local Environmental Health Department on 028 79397979 or e-mailing env.health@magherafelt.gov.uk

Enforcement Policy

The department operates according to an Enforcement Policy.

Click here to download Enforcement Policy

GAS SAFETY

Many work premises (including restaurants, takeaways, retail shops, wholesalers, residential homes and offices) as well as domestic premises throughout Northern Ireland use gas either (piped or tanked) for heating or cooking. When safely installed, regularly maintained and used properly, gas installations and appliances pose few risks. If gas is not managed properly, however, the risk of fire, an explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning is greatly increased. Each year in the UK around 14 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by faulty or poorly installed gas appliances (for up to date statistics visit the HSENI website http://www.hseni.gov.uk). Occasionally people are injured or killed in gas explosions and fires. By looking after your gas installations and appliances through regular maintenance they will be safe, last longer and run more efficiently.

Between 01 September 2005 and 31 December 2008, all district councils across Northern Ireland were involved in the Gas Wise Initiative. As part of the initiative district councils were asked to focus on gas safety during their health and safety inspections within business premises and to promote the following key messages:

A total of 1160 focused inspections were carried out during the course of the initiative, mainly in catering premises, both fixed and mobile.

The link below provides advice for those in the catering and hospitality industry on aspects of safety in installation, use and maintenance of gas cooking equipment.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cais23.pdf

From 1st April 2010, the Gas Safe Register will replace the Corgi gas registration system that has previously been operating in Northern Ireland. The register will focus exclusively on gas safety and promote the competence of registered engineers. Engineers will carry an ID card showing the type of work they are qualified to do.

The link below provides information on the gas safety register.

http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk

Since the Gas Wise campaign, a regional gas safety forum has been established with district councils, HSENI, Corgi, gas providers and others to promote and improve all aspects of gas safety.

The regional gas safety forum, have initiated a further campaign which commenced in October 2009 to address the issue of gas safety within the rented accommodation sector. District councils in partnership with the HSENI gas safety compliance team will be specifically targeting landlords and tenants to raise awareness of gas safety duties concerning safety checks and maintenance.

As part of this initiative, a leaflet has been produced to highlight and clarify the duties of landlords in ensuring that gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenantsÂ' are safe. Please see link below:

http://www.hseni.gov.uk/gas_safety_-_landlords__duties_-_2009.pdf

A poster and guidance is also available for students living in rented accommodation , called "Will you wake up?;"

Please see link below:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/student.htm

Members of the public who want advice on ensuring the safety of gas in the home environment can also access information using the links below:

http://www.hseni.gov.uk/domestic_gas.pdf

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/gas-cowboys.htm