Newark & Sherwood District Council

We make visits to businesses throughout Newark and Sherwood to help prevent accidents and ill-health in the workplace. We inspect premises which we are responsible for enforcement to ensure that risks from work are properly managed.

The visit may be part of a routine programme or due to a current health and safety priority. We may also visit to investigate a recent accident or in response to a complaint of poor working conditions.

Visits are usually unannounced and may involve discussions with the business owner, manager responsible for the premise, health and safety representatives and other employees.

Initially we may ask to check for health and safety related documents available on the premises such as health and safety policy or statement, risk assessments for the work activities, training records, maintenance records or schedules and the accident records. A physical inspection of the premises or the specific area or activity of concern usually follows.

Following a visit

We will inform the business of any health and safety contraventions and provide verbal or written advice on any actions required. We may also recommend additional measures to further improve the safety standards in relation to the premises or activity.

Should any contraventions be of an especially serious nature, we may consider taking enforcement action.

Our health and safety priorities

During our inspections, we will concentrate on a number of priority topics and what you are doing to identify, minimise and control the risks created by your work activities.

There are a number of current priority topics. These have been identified nationally as those causing the most work days lost due to work-related accidents and ill-health. Further information on these topics is available from the Health and Safety Executive website’s guidance pages:

• Slips, trips and falls
• Noise in the music entertainment industry
• Asbestos
• Asthma in small bakeries and catering businesses
• Violence at work
• Loading and unloading
• Construction
• Vulnerable workers
• Musculoskeletal disorders
• Stress at work
• Skin diseases

Health and Safety Executive