We are here to help residents and businesses with advice about health and safety.
We register and inspect workplaces, deal with complaints, investigate accidents and deliver training. Businesses are covered by many regulations covering everything from first aid to manual handling – and we can help you through the forest of rules and regulations.
We have a range of leaflets on health and safety and are happy to give you some guidance or advice.
Contact us:
Health Protection Team
Environment Division
South Northamptonshire Council
Springfields
Towcester
NN12 6AE
Telephone: 01327 322281
Email: health.protection@southnorthants.gov.uk
You can also find useful infomation on the Health and Safety Executive website.
Confidential advice is available to business on the Health & Safety Info Line:
Telephone: 0845 345 0055.
All new workplaces such as shops, offices, hotels and care homes have to be registered with us. We carry out a planned programme of inspections, give advice on changes to the law and can take action if we find something is wrong.
To register, download a Health and Safety Executive form by clicking on OSR1 Registration Form and then fill it in and send it to us.
If you want to know our policy on taking action, click to download our Enforcement Policy.
If you are an employer, self-employed or in charge of work premises you have a legal duty to report some work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous incidents. We will sometimes investigate and find out how they happened.
The easiest way to report an accident is to use the RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) Incident Contact Centre.
RIDDOR Incident Contact Centre
Caerphilly Business park
Caerphilly CF83 3GG
Telephone: 0845 300 9923 (Local rate call)
Email: riddor@natbrit.com
Website: www.riddor.gov.uk
We will also investigate complaints and take action to stop accidents happening again.
If a doctor tells you that one of your employees suffers from a work-related disease you must tell the RIDDOR Incident Contact Centre.
If you're worried about radon gas in the area and how to deal with it, you can contact us for advice or go to the Health Protection Agency website - Radiation Protection Division.
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) is the UK’s leading authority for independent impartial advice on how to reduce radon levels in buildings. For the BRE radon advice helpline call 01923 664707 or go to the BRE website.
It is now illegal to smoke in enclosed workplaces, vehicles and enclosed public places in England, and we have the job of making sure businesses comply with the law in South Northamptonshire.
Businesses do not have to build shelters for smoking outside. But if you do, you need to make sure the shelter complies with the new law and think about planning permission, possible noise complaints,clearing up the cigarette ends and so on.
We have a dedicated Smokefree Officer to give advice and guidance to businesses.
Contact the Smokefree Officer on 01327 322284.
Under the new law, public transport is required to be smokefree. Work vehicles will need to be smokefree if more than one person, regardless of whether they are in the vehicle at the same time, uses them in the course of voluntary or paid employment, for example, delivery vans lorries, heavy goods vehicles and tractors all need to display the required signage.
The signage for vehicles is 70mm in size and shows the international red ‘no smoking’ symbol, it needs to be displayed in every compartment that can be used to transport people. In a lorry this may be on the dashboard or window screen, and in a taxi, both in the front and back of the vehicle would require signs.
When carrying persons, smokefree vehicles with a roof that can be stowed or removed will not be required to be smokefee when the roof is completely stowed or removed. Vehicles that are used primarily for private purposes will not be required to be smoke-free. Vehicles that are smokefree need to remain smokefree at all times.
Since 1 July 2007 England has been smoke-free, as a result all ‘enclosed’ or ‘substantially enclosed’ places that are used as a place of work by more than one person (even if persons who work there do so at different times, or only intermittently) or are open to members of the public (even by way of invitation or payment) are required to be smoke-free. All premises that fall into these categories are required to display smoke-free signage, even if they were smoke-free prior to July 1st. Premises that did not experience issues with smoking previously are still required to display signage. All premises which are defined by law as smokefree need to remain smokefree at all times, this includes before and after the premises opening hours to the public for example.
The minimum requirements of the law state that smoke-free signs need to be displayed in a prominent position at every entrance to smoke-free premises, these need to meet the following; ‘be a minimum of A5 in area (210mm x 148mm)’, ‘ display the international no-smoking symbol at least 70mm in diameter’, and carry the following words in characters that can be easily read: ‘ No smoking. It is against the law to smoke in these premises’. Alternatively, signage can be personalised, as long as it meets the minimum requirements as set out above. This may be a useful option for older or listed buildings such as village halls, churches or chapels where signage could be made more subtle, or in keeping with the premises. Wording can be changed from ‘these premises’ to refer to a specific name or type of premises. Signage needs to be displayed for consistency and public awareness.
There is nothing in the law to state that you need to provide a smoking shelter, and you are not obliged to do so. Providing a shelter on your premises comes down to personal preference, and may also depend upon individual premises and the viability of this after considering factors such as location and space. I would encourage anyone considering building a shelter on their premises to receive advice and/or planning permission before doing so to make sure that any plans comply with the law. By law, a smoking shelter would have to be at least 50% open.
There is nothing in the legislation that states a smoking shelter has to be a certain distance from the property itself, however, it should be ensured that such a facility is well-designed and sensitively sited. For example, factors such as the amenity of neighbouring residents, visual impact, and the possibility of noise disturbance and litter should be considered. The smokefree law has been put in place to protect employees and the public from the harmful effects of second hand smoke, so factors such as smoke infiltration into smokefree premises should be considered, as well as the ability for smoke to ventilate effectively from designated smoking areas without effecting the building it serves or other residential or commercial premises.
The nation-wide approach adopted by smokefree officers is to provide a pro-active, advisory and educational response to the implementation of the legislation in all businesses. Circumstances and issues can vary, if you have any specific enquiries please contact:
Harriet Smith or the Health Protection Team at South Northamptonshire Council
Telephone: 01327 322284
Email Harriet.Smith@southnorthants.gov.uk
or alternatively, information can be obtained from Smokefree England website.