Health and safety complaints
Officers will investigate all complaints concerning
workplaces. Anonymous complaints will be investigated,
although it is better to leave a contact number so that the officer
can request further details and provide feedback at the end of the
investigation. All complainants' details are kept
confidential. Typical examples of complaints investigated by the
team include:
- lack of health and safety training
- poor welfare facilities
- lack of heating
- poor provision of personal protective equipment
- dangerous work equipment.
Reportable accidents and ill health at work
Certain accidents and ill health are reportable under the
'Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1995'. These reports will be sent to the health and
safety team via the incident contact
centre. The officers then send a standard letter to all
injured persons asking whether they believe an officer should
carry out an investigation into the incident. Officers always
investigate the most serious injuries, where they believe an
offence may have been commited and high priority topics.
The investigation
All investigations will vary depending upon the circumstances
but should include the following elements:
- Initial contact with injured person/complainant
- Contact with the person responsible for the workplace
- Site visit
- Discussion with employees and/or employee safety
representatives
- Collection of evidence (photos, measurements, witness
statements) etc
- Informal enforcement action where necessary
- Formal enforcement action where necessary
- Feedback to complainant/injured person
Accident reporting
If you have suffered ill health or an injury in a workplace the
details may have been reported to Peterborough City Council's
health and safety team under the RIDDOR legislation. Some accidents
of members of the public are also reportable if they occur in a
workplace which is open to the general public, such as a shop or
leisure facility, and the injured person is taken directly to
hospital from the scene of the accident. If you have suffered an
accident in a workplace that was not reported, and you believe that
the Health and Safety team should investigate, you may make a
complaint so that the cause of the accident is investigated.
Accidents that occur on the public highway, for
example paths and roads, are not dealt with by the Health and
Safety team.