Policies & Procedures

Health and Safety Policy

DUNSTON PARISH COUNCIL Health and Safety Policy 2025

 

  • Dunston Parish Council has a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees and visitors to its premises.

 

  • This includes maintaining any places of work and the working environment (including equipment) safe and without risks to health.

 

  • Employees also have to avoid risks to themselves, colleagues and the public so there can be a shared responsibility. This could be relevant particularly where a Clerk works from home.

 

  • Risks need to be assessed, e.g. in children’s playgrounds and cemeteries.

 

  • In law, you must report certain workplace injuries, near-misses and cases of work-related disease to HSE. This duty is under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, known as RIDDOR.

Types of reportable injury (RIDDOR)

The death of any person - All deaths to workers and non-workers, with the exception of suicides, must be reported if they arise from a work-related accident, including an act of physical violence to a worker.

Specified injuries to workers - The list of 'specified injuries' in RIDDOR 2013 replaces the previous list of 'major injuries' in RIDDOR 1995. Specified injuries are (regulation 4):

  • fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
  • amputations
  • any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
  • any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
  • serious burns (including scalding) which:
    • covers more than 10% of the body
    • causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
  • any scalping requiring hospital treatment
  • any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
  • any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:
    • leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness
    • requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

For further guidance on specified injuries is available.

Over-seven-day incapacitation of a worker - Accidents must be reported where they result in an employee or self-employed person being away from work, or unable to perform their normal work duties, for more than seven consecutive days as the result of their injury. This seven day period does not include the day of the accident, but does include weekends and rest days. The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.

Over-three-day incapacitation - Accidents must be recorded, but not reported where they result in a worker being incapacitated for more than three consecutive days. If you are an employer, who must keep an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, that record will be enough.

Non fatal accidents to non-workers (eg members of the public) - Accidents to members of the public or others who are not at work must be reported if they result in an injury and the person is taken directly from the scene of the accident to hospital for treatment to that injury. Examinations and diagnostic tests do not constitute 'treatment' in such circumstances.

There is no need to report incidents where people are taken to hospital purely as a precaution when no injury is apparent.

 

Occupational diseases - Employers and self-employed people must report diagnoses of certain occupational diseases, where these are likely to have been caused or made worse by their work: These diseases include (regulations 8 and 9):

  • carpal tunnel syndrome;
  • severe cramp of the hand or forearm;
  • occupational dermatitis;
  • hand-arm vibration syndrome;
  • occupational asthma;
  • tendonitis or tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm;
  • any occupational cancer;
  • any disease attributed to an occupational exposure to a biological agent.

 

Online Go to www.hse.gov.uk/riddor  and complete the appropriate online report form.

The form will then be submitted directly to the RIDDOR database. You will receive a copy for your records.

Telephone All incidents can be reported online but a telephone service remains for reporting fatal and specified injuries only.

Call the Incident Contact Centre on 0845 300 9923 (opening hours Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm).

Reporting out of hours HSE has an out-of-hours duty officer.

Circumstances where HSE may need to respond out of hours include:

 ■ a work-related death or situation where there is a strong likelihood of death following an incident at, or connected with, work;

 ■ a serious accident at a workplace so that HSE can gather details of physical evidence that would be lost with time; and

■ following a major incident at a workplace where the severity of the incident, or the degree of public concern, requires an immediate public statement from either HSE or government ministers.

 If you want to report less serious incidents out of normal working hours, you should complete an online form at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/report.htm#online. You can find more information about contacting HSE out of hours at www.hse.gov.uk/contact/outofhours.htm

Further information

  • This guidance gives only basic information. More details guidance and advice is available from the district or unitary authority and from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Useful websites are: www.hse.gov.uk     www.disability.gov.uk   www.dwp.gov.uk