Encouraging safety inspection results on County Durham industrial estates

Date:

8 March 2011

Release No:

NE/037/11

The majority of businesses on Industrial estates throughout Derwentside and Newton Aycliffe are doing what they should to protect their workers, according to the results of an inspection initiative.

Almost 150 businesses were visited by inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive and Durham County Council during an intensive week of inspections in February when advice and guidance was offered on how to improve health and safety standards.

Enforcement action was required on 23 occasions for such issues as a lack of effective segregation between pedestrians and vehicles, untrained fork lift truck operators and unguarded machinery. Advice was also given to all businesses on their duty to manage any asbestos in their premises.

HSE Inspector Cain Mitchell said:

"Preventing accidents and ill-health is much better than having to deal with the consequences and we were able to offer constructive, practical advice to many of the companies we visited.

"We're very pleased to see that the health and safety message is getting through in Derwentside and Newton Aycliffe and a good number of businesses are taking the necessary steps to ensure a safe and healthy environment for their employees."

John Benson, Safety and Occupational Health Manager at Durham County Council, said:

"We were delighted with the success of the initiative, which reinforced the strong working relationships already developed with our counterparts in HSE. It is very encouraging to see that health and safety risks were, in most cases, being properly managed."

Notes to editors

1. More details of how to manage asbestos and other workplace health and safety issues can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk.
2. HSE and local authority inspectors both enforce health and safety law in workplaces. Broadly, local authority inspectors have responsibility for those providing leisure services or retail while HSE inspectors enforce other areas such as manufacturing, agriculture, waste and recycling and major hazard industries.
3. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
4. Accidents involving transport at work are among the biggest causes of workplace fatalities. In 2009/10 a total of 41 workers died and more than 5,150 were injured across Great Britain as a result of being struck by a vehicle, falling from a vehicle, being hit by materials falling from a vehicle, being hit against a vehicle while travelling in it or as a result of a vehicle collapsing or overturning.

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