Health & Safety Complaints
Mid Beds District Council Environmental Services receives numerous complaints each year concerning health and safety in the workplace or unsafe conditions, which affect public safety.
Many of the complaints are from employees who are experiencing health and safety problems in their workplace and are seeking advice on employers legal requirements and how the problem might be dealt with without them being identified.
- Common complaints from employees include:
- Workplace temperature - too hot or too cold
- Working hours and breaks for meals/refreshments
- Passive smoking
- Availability of protective clothing and equipment
- Lifting heavy or awkward objects
- Defective equipment
- Action not taken following an accident
You can read and download advice about these and many other workplace safety issues, from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website.
How Mid Beds DC Investigates Complaints
Complaints are investigated and action taken appropriate to the circumstances, in accordance with the Council’s Enforcement Policy and Complaint Procedure.
Many are settled by provision of advice and information. In some cases formal action may be considered.
The powers available to inspectors in pursuing a complaint are:
- Enter workplaces at any reasonable time
- Examine the workplace and its activities
- Ask questions and require written statements
- See documents
- Photocopy such documents or take them away
- Take samples
- Take photographs
- Issue Improvement Notices
- Remove equipment
- Seize substances or articles and destroy them or make them harmless
- Issue prohibition notices
- Prosecute
If you have a Health and Safety complaint, please call our Contact Centre on 08452-304040 or email them at customer.services@midbeds.gov.uk
Employees can get further detailed advice from the HSE Workers Web Page with information about what you should know, your responsibilities, your employer's responsibilities, and what to do if you are worried about health & safety in your workplace.
Further advice and guidance for employees about workplace health & safety is available from the TUC Worksmart website including free guides to your rights at work and keeping well at work.
In addition to the above the Citizens Advice Guide provides a wide range of advice and guidance about employments issues.
We have produced a Health and Safety (as a regulator) Service Plan, which provides a clear statement of enforcement policy and practice as well as detailing the Council's aims and objectives for the enforcement of health and safety. It also sets out arrangements for ensuring consistent good practice and for benchmarking performance against other local authorities. If you would like to view this document please click on the appropriate download on this page.
Needles, syringes and other drug related items are being increasingly discarded in the environment. There are a number of hazards associated with handling these items and if discovered you should contact us to have them safely removed and disposed of. W e advise members of the public not to pick up needles, unless it poses an immediate danger to you or other residents. You should contact us on 08452-304040 or email customer.services@midbeds.gov.uk.
Clicking on this link will enable you to make a complaint or request a service on-line
* Download Health and Safety Service Plan 2007-2008 (application/pdf; 221kb)
