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Embargoed:
00.01 TUESDAY 7 OCTOBER 2003
Information
Note
New
Report shows Sharp Enforcement Differences between
Local Authorities
The
CCA has undertaken an analysis of how different local
authorities enforce health and safety law which shows
wide divergences in the levels of inspection and investigation
between the different local authorities. The report,
"Safety Lottery: How the Level of Enforcement
of Health and Safety Depends on Where you Work,"
is published by the public section union, UNISON,
and the CCA.
The
report is the first time that a comparative analyses
has been made of individual local authorities on a
number of different enforcement criteria. It identifies
the local authorities which:
• undertake the most and least inspections
and investigations;
• impose the most and least number of enforcement
notices;
• have the most and least number of inspectors"
To
see what UNISON says about the report contact their
press office (see below).
Local
authorities are responsible for enforcing the law
in more premises than the Health and Safety Executive.
They are responsible for offices, retail and wholesale
shops, warehouses, fuel and storage depots, residential
care homes and premises involved in catering, leisure,
cultural or consumer and other services.
A
Sample of key findings are as follows
| • |
Rossendale
District Council reported no visits of any kind
to its 1,540 registered premises, Kennet District
Council, with 1,226 premises undertook 1,515 visits |
| • |
Lambeth
reports no inspections of its 7,680 premises,
Mansfield District Council, with 1,640 made 1,109
inspections |
| • |
90
local authorities investigated every single reported
injury to a worker, 17 local authorities investigated
less than 10% of reported injuries |
| • |
Milton
Keynes investigated all of its 351 injuries (62
of which were major) Wigan MBC only investigated
3% of its 315 injuries (39 of which were major) |
| • |
While
Solihull MBC imposed 65 notices from its 422 visits
- one enforcement notice for every eight visits
- Ashford only imposed one notice in relation
to its 1,116 visits |
| • |
East
Dunbartonshire had 4 inspectors for its 1,105
premises, the London Borough of Islington reported
it had one part-time inspector for its 3,418 premises. |
Summary
of the Best and Worst
| Top
10 local authorities with the highest ratio of
visits to premises |
| • |
Kennet
D.C.; Mansfield D.C.; St Helens M.B.C.; Thanet
D.C.; Brignorth D.C.; Clackmannanshire U.A.; Test
Valley B.C.; Derwentside D.C.; South Norfolk D.C.;
Havering. |
| Bottom
10 - lowest ratio of visits to premises |
| • |
West
Oxfordshire D.C.; Blackburn U.A.; Isle of Wight
Council U.A.; North Devon D.C.; West Somerset
D.C.; Wycombe D.C.; Telford and Wrekin U.A.; Sandwell
M.B.C.; Redbridge; Rossendale D.C. |
| Top
10 local authorities with the highest ratio of
inspections to premises |
| • |
Mansfield
D.C.; Derwentside D.C.; St Helens M.B.C.; Inverclyde
U.A.; Brignorth D.C.; Clackmannanshire U.A.; Congleton
B.C.; South Norfolk D.C.; Orkney Islands Council;
Teesdale D.C. |
| Bottom
10 - with the lowest ratio of inspections to premises
|
| • |
Telford
and Wrekin U.A.; Lewisham L.B.C.; Sandwell M.B.C.;
West Somerset D.C.; Blackburn U.A.; North Devon
D.C.; Isle of Wight Council; Redbridge; Rochford
D.C.; Wycombe D.C.; Rossendale D.C.; Lambeth |
| Top
10 local authorities which investigated all of
its over 100 reported injuries suffered by workers |
| • |
Milton
Keynes U.A.; Northampton B.C.; Coventry City Council;
Bromley; Basingstoke Deane; Wolverhampton M.B.;
West Lothian U.A.; Rushmoor; East Riding of Yorkshire
U.A.; Preston Ribble Council |
| Bottom
10 lowest investigation levels into injuries suffered
by workers |
| • |
Hounslow
L.B.C.; Medway Towns U.A.; Rugby B.C.; Luton U.A.;
Rochford D.C.; Bexley L.B.C. Waltham Forest L.B.C.;
Leeds City Council; Wigan M.B.C.; Westminster. |
| Top
10 local authorities with highest number of inspectors/premises
ratios |
| • |
Orkney
Island Council; East Dunbartonshire U.A.; Mid
Devon D.C.; North Shropshire D.C.; East Renfrewshire
U.A.; Tonbridge and Malling B.C.; East Ayrshire
U.A.; South Ayrshire U.A.; Chester le Street D.C.;
Clackmannanshire U.A. |
| Bottom
10 with lowest number of inspectors/premises ratios |
| • |
West
Oxfordshire D.C.; Lambeth; St Albans D.C.; Crawley
B.C.; Christchurch D.C.; Horsham D.C; Lewisham;
Bath and N.E. Somerset U.A. Hillingdon L.B.C.;
Eastington D.C. |
For
media comment on report, contact UNISON on:
•
020 7383 0717 or
• 0845 3550845
CCA
contact details: 020 7 490 4494
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