Inspections

In a bid to reduce workplace accidents and ill-health, District Councils and Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE (NI) ) employ Enforcement Offices to conduct Health and Safety inspections within workplaces, to provide advice and information to the business community and members of the public.

The main piece of legislation which gives Authorised Offices powers to deal with safety in the workplace, is the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978. It covers all work premises and everyone at work.

It says, you must look after everyone working for you, or on your premises, and anyone who could be affected by what you do, including the public. A significant proportion of the legislation to implement all aspects of health and safety originates from European Directives. Copies of legislation can be viewed and downloaded from Her Majesty's Stationery Office website:www.hmso.gov.uk/

Who inspects what?

District Council and HSE (NI), both have enforcement roles in relation to health and safety but within different sectors. Examples of sectors and enforcement responsibility include.

All of the above premises for which the District Council are responsible for the enforcement of health and safety must be registered with the Environmental Health Department on an official Registration Form. H&S Registration Form

District Council	HSENI
Warehouses	Construction Industry
Wholesale Premises	Manufacturers
Offices	Agriculture
Catering Establishments	Governments
Hotels	Mines and Quarries
Places of Entertainment
Non Industrial Workplaces
eg. Hairdressers