Health and Safety Inspections

Health and safety inspections

Our environmental health service carries out periodic routine inspections of a number of premises in the Borough. They aim to ensure that employees are working within a safe and healthy environment. They are carried out in line with guidance from the Health and Safety Commission. We produce a risk assessment for each premises to determine the minimum frequency that it will be inspected each year.

• Priority programmes for health and safety inspections
• About the targeted inspection
• Further information

Priority programmes for health and safety inspections

The Government and Health and Safety Commission (HSC) have set national targets for improving the work environment over the next 10 years to:

• reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 30% by 2010
• reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injury incidents by 10% by 2010
• reduce the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2010

They have chosen four priority programmes for hazards where major improvements are needed. This has implications for everyone involved in health and safety at work as the areas selected are where injury or ill health rates are high and where it is thought we have the ability to bring about change and success. They are:

• falls from height
• workplace transport
• stress
• slips and trips

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities are being encouraged to target resources by focusing health and safety inspections on these five areas.

About the targeted inspection

We will continue to use a risk-based approach but will use the priority topics as a prime means of judging an employer's management of health and safety. We will also cover matters of concern and significant issues raised by management, employees or their representatives. During a visit they will judge the relevance of each priority to your operation and address all significant risks. At the end of the visit they will summarise:

• general conclusions about the management of risk
• any action needed on the priority topics
• any action needed on the matters of evident concern
• any action needed on issues raised by management, employees or their representatives.

More information

You can see more information can be found on the HSE website 

If you would like to discuss any of the information above, please contact us on ehs@gosport.gov.uk or 02392 545609.