The council has responsibilities to deliver a number of services which are concerned with ensuring the health, safety and welfare of people in the Braintree District. In fact, there is a dedicated council Food and Health and Safety Team to fulfil these duties.

Much of the council's work in this area involves either giving advice to the public and businesses regarding the law, or enforcing it. We prefer to take the advisory role and are always happy to help those who want advice. Unfortunately there are some occasions when matters are so serious that we must enforce the law, our first aim is always to protect the public.  Braintree District Council is committed to carrying out its enforcement duties in accordance with guidelines issued by the Government.  We have an Enforcement policy specifically for health and safety enforcement.

Braintree District Council sends out a health and safety booklet to all of the premises that we are aware of that are ours for health and safety enforcement.  This booklet is updated every two years and contains a summary of the main provisions of the most commonly applicable health and safety regulations.   For the first time the  Health and Safety at Work Handbook is available electronically in pdf format.

Interventions

The Council operates a continuous programme of workplace interventions.  The type of intervention and the frequency is based on the health and safety risk - this is based on an officer's findings during a visit to a business.

The risk assessment is based on four factors:

- confidence in management

- safety performance

- health performance

- welfare standards

Type of Intervention and frequency

Your Health and Safety Law Poster

By law you must either display a health and safety Law Poster, or you must provide employees with the equivalent leaflet.  Posters and leaflets are available from HSE books, telephone 01787 881165. 

Braintree District Council are the enforcing authority in retailing, wholesale distribution, warehousing, hotel and catering premises, offices, and the consumer/leisure industries.  HSE enforce in premises such as factories, building sites, mines, farms, fairgrounds, quarries, railways, chemical plant, schools and hospitals.

For all businesses located in the Braintree District Area the Employment Medical Advisory Service is at Wren House, Hedgerows Business Park, Colchester Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 5PF, Telephone 01245 706200.

Further advice and information:-

If you have a health and safety query or require advice, please contact the health and safety inspectors;

By e-mail -  healthandsafety@braintree.gov.uk

By telephone 01376 551414 x 2211

By fax 01376 557767

Useful Health and Safety advice and information can be found on the following websites :-

- Health and Safety Executive

- Royal Society for the prevention of accidents