Health And Safety Inspections Take To The Road

Inspectors from Dover District Council, the Health and Safety Executive, and Canterbury, Thanet and Shepway Councils will be making a series of health and safety inspections of premises involved in motor vehicle repairs later this month.

As part of the Kent-wide flexible warranting scheme, inspectors will be targeting motor vehicle repair premises such as tyre and exhaust fitters, and a range of businesses that carry out servicing and mechanical repairs. Inspections will take place in and around the Dover, Canterbury, Thanet and Folkestone areas.

Inspectors will be giving out advice and looking at how employers control risks to their own staff and others who may be affected. They will also be taking enforcement action if they find any serious and imminent risks to the health and safety of staff and members of the public who may use these premises.

In 2007/8 in the UK there were 229 work related deaths, over 136,000 reported work related injuries, and 6 million working days lost due to work related injuries. Many of these were attributable to manual handling accidents, slips, trips and falls from height, use of machinery and equipment, and electrical hazards and asbestos exposure. On this basis it is proposed to concentrate on these specific workplace hazards.

The flexible warranting scheme enables authorised and qualified officers from Kent and Medway Councils to work with the Health and Safety Executive and to inspect premises outside of their normal Council areas. The scheme will demonstrate the benefits of partnership working and enable a large number of officers to focus on a greater number of premises in a targeted and systematic inspection programme. The initiative will kick off in mid October with a view to taking it Kent-wide in the new year.