Health and Safety

Health and Safety at work is aimed at ensuring the health, safety and welfare of persons at work, and other people that may be affected by work activities. The Council’s health and safety role covers advice, training, and enforcement.

To assist businesses in complying with the law, advice and information is offered on health and safety matters through:

• visiting businesses and discussing specific areas that are of interest to raise awareness
• providing guidance and information packs to assist in understanding and complying with the law
• running training workshops, where advice and guidance is given in a more detailed and structured way
• investigation of complaints/ accidents to ensure standards are being met and maintained.

Health and Safety inspections are carried out by an Environmental Health Officer from the Council. Officers will provide advice on how to comply with Health and Safety law and if required can take enforcement action to ensure businesses comply.  The enforcement action taken by an Officer will depend on the level of risk to people’s health and safety.

Managing Health and Safety

This guide provides all the essentials for employers to manage the Health and Safety within their business, including information on risk assessments, and developing a health and safety policy.  It should be read in conjunction with the information sheets below which give specific advice for different business types.

Further advice and guidance to assist you in complying wiht the law is available from this department at ehealth@nmandd.org. 

Reporting an Accident/Incident

It is a legal requirement to report certain types of accident, disease and dangerous occurrences to the relevant enforcing authority ie Health and Safety Executive (HSENI), or, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.  

The following must be reported:

• work related death or injury
• member of the public killed or taken to hospital from the work premises
• injuries to an employee or self-employed person resulting in being unable to do normal work for more than three days
• dangerous occurrence which do not result in a reportable injury but clearly could have
• notification from a doctor that an employee suffers from a specified work related disease.

Further information on reporting accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences can be found within the following booklet: RIDDOR Booklet

From April 2013 all reportable accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences can be reported directly to HSENI, regardless if they are the enforcing authority or not as HSENI will forward the relevant forms onto this Council if applicable.

All reportable incidents should be reported within 10 days with a NI2508 form link https://www.secure.hseni.gov.uk/forms/NI2508.aspx  

You can use online reporting forms available from the HSENI website

Alternatively you can download a hard copy. Once completed it can then be sent to:

HSENI
83 Ladas Drive
Belfast
BT6 9FR

or to the Council by post.

Sunbed Information

Sunbeds are commonly used in Northern Ireland and have become increasingly popular since the 1990s.  New legislation was introduced because of the growing evidence of the health risks associated with sunbed use, including skin cancer, with young people at particular risk.

The law means that it is illegal for a sunbed business:

• to allow a person under 18 to use a sunbed
• to sell or hire a sunbed to a person under 18
• to have an unmanned sunbed premises.

The business must also:

• provide customers on the risks associated with sunbeds
• display a public information notice on the risks associated with sunbed use
• not display information making health claims in relation to the use of sunbeds
• ensure that eye protection is provided to all customers.

A £250 fine may result if the above are not met.  If you are aware of a premises where persons under 18 are allowed to use a sunbed or where the risks or information notices are not provided to customers then contact us at ehealth@nmandd.org or by telephoning 0330 137 4024.

Making a Complaint about Unsafe and/or Unhealthy Work Activities

If you are concerned that a work activity may be endangering the health or safety of any person then you can contact this Department.

Any information that you give to us will be treated in confidence unless we are required to disclose it for legal reasons.

We would prefer if you contact us by telephone, so that we get a better understanding of your complaint and how best it might be handled especially if you work within the premises.

Contact us by email at ehealth@nmandd.org or on 0330 137 4024 to give us details of your complaint and a contact number so that an officer can contact you.

Safety Alert - Barrel/Egg Trains

Following an incident where eight people were injured when a barrel train overturned, the HSENI have issued a safety alert for barrel (egg) trains.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Health and Wellbeing Department would like to remind businesses who operate barrel (egg) trains at open farms and other similar leisure facilities, that the operator has a legal duty to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety of their employees and others, including members of the public riding in the train.

For further information and guidance on the health and safety requirements for barrel (egg) trains please visit: www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/topics/machinery/barrel-egg-trains.htm or contact the Health and Wellbeing Department on 0330 137 4024, Email: ehealth@nmandd.org.

Contact Details

ehealth@nmandd.org

Telephone: 0330 137 4024