Health & safety regulation & inspection
The council carries out regular checks on local businesses and business premises to ensure that safe and healthy working conditions are provided for all employees and visitors.
Health and safety at work
Whether you are an employer or employee, find out how the council can help you improve your health and safety at work.
The council provides a health and safety service which carries out regular checks on offices, shops, warehouses, leisure centres, and other non-industrial premises.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – works with factories and other industrial operations to ensure that safe and healthy working conditions exist for all employees, whether they be self-employed or members of the public visiting these premises.
Inspections
Inspections are carried out on a routine basis, without prior notification and high risk premises are visited more frequently to insure maximum safety.
During an inspection, environmental health officers will need to be satisfied that any possible hazards to a worker’s health, safety and welfare, arising as a result of work has been identified and controlled.
The quality and performance of the structural and environmental conditions are regularly checked to ensure that the plant equipment is safe.
If work conditions do not meet required standards, every attempt will be made to resolve the matter informally. However, if the danger posed leads to serious personal injury, then the matter will resort to formal action.
This could involve either the service of a legal notice, prosecution, or in situations where serious personal injury could arise, a prohibition notice requiring immediate action.
Complaints
Complaints about working conditions are always looked into confidentiality. Matters are usually resolved by giving advice to the employer. As with accident investigation if formal action is needed then this will be taken.
The Environmental Health and Trading Standards Service can also investigate complaints about commercial businesses not being Covid-19 secure by failing to follow government guidance. This includes:
- not having measures in place to ensure social distancing
- not collecting customer details
- failing to display a QR code where required etc.
If you have concerns about a commercial premises not following government guidance please contact the team.
Health and safety accident investigation
The department also investigates dangerous occurrences and accidents at work. If a thorough breach of requirements is identified as the main reason for an accident, then formal action will be taken.
If, as a result of a work related accident, an employee wishes to pursue a compensation claim, their legal advisor may wish to obtain a factual statement from us.
Contact us
Licensing and Safety Team
Environmental Health and Trading Standards
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
160 Whitechapel Road
London
E1 1BJ
Opening hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
Tel: 020 7364 5008
Email: healthandsafety@towerhamlets.gov.uk