Annual Report 2008-2009

Safety and Hygiene

Scope of Environmental Safety and Hygiene Service

• Inspection of workplaces to ensure that they are both safe to work in and visit
• Regulation of standards within food premises to ensure that they are operating in a safe hygienic manner
• Investigation of workplace accidents, health & safety complaints, food complaints and food related illnesses
• Provision of Food Hygiene and Health & Safety Training
• Provision of 'Safer Food Better Business' workshops
• Monitoring of private water supplies
• Public Health
• Workplace Health Improvement
• Animal Health & Welfare

Main Achievements

• Inspected 762 food premises
• Inspected 828 workplaces
• Investigated 74 workplace accidents and 111 health & safety requests for service
• Investigated 276 food complaints
• All food complaints and other requests for service responded to within 3 days
• 275 food and water samples were submitted for examination/analysis.
• 15 Foundation level 2 Food Hygiene courses were held last year and it is intended that a similar number will be held during this year. The courses are held on or around the 20th of each month during 2008-2009.
• The Department organised the Curry Chef Competition again linked with the Food and Drinks Festival. The competition promoted Healthy eating and Lifestyles by inviting competitors to produce meals that were free from any artificial colour and flavours, be low in salt, sugar and fat content. Out of the 20 entries 12 finalists were selected representing 6 restaurants and 6 takeaways.
• Also linked with the Food and Drinks Festival we presented Food Safety Awards to three businesses. 93 businesses took part who had to demonstrate how their business ensures that their staff receive adequate training in food Safety and how their management system ensures the Health and Well-being of their customers.
• The Service also provided 12 Safer Food Better Business (SFBB) workshops to businesses in the catering industry. Recent changes in legislation has meant that food businesses must produce documented evidence of Food Safety & Hygiene for their premises and SFBB workshops have helped businesses to comply with legal requirements.
• Performance against Business Plan Objectives.
• The Better Regulation Executive has made funds available to the AGMA partnership including the Fire & Rescue Service to research and pilot new ways of working to reduce the burden of unnecessary inspections on broadly compliant businesses. A model to assess a business at a particular premises has been designed – the Business Compliance Model. Live testing of the model was completed in November. As part of the AGMA Partnership we contacted approx 150 premises in Tameside trialing the new approach that was developed jointly by regulators across Greater Manchester. The Business Compliance Model covers service areas including Environmental Health, Fire Safety, Health and Safety, Licensing and Trading Standards. The project involves businesses receiving a visit from one officer and trialing a new approach that could cut down the number of inspection visits to the majority of businesses who are broadly complying with the law. Alongside the trial of this new approach, we are developing better ways to support businesses through, for example, information, advice and training.
• We participated in the Greater Manchester Food Safety and Health & Safety Technical Groups. This involved us contributing towards the groups business plans.
• We participated in a number of initiatives, for example, a slips and trips seminar, and initiatives involving ladder exchange, noise at work and retail violence.
• We have continued to work with the Primary Care Trust to work with businesses to promote local health improvement initiatives to employees with the aim of reducing health inequalities and to improve the health of the local population.
• We have continued to enforce the smoke free legislation and have investigated all complaints received.
  

Other Key Issues

• We prosecuted a person who was operated as a self employed tatooist from unregistered premises. The tattooist was found to be operating in unhygienic conditions using unhygienic practices.
• We continue to circulate our own publication 'Get Protected' to businesses and to various locations within the Borough.
• We continued to work with Dieticians from the Primary Care Trust to encourage and award food premises that provide healthy options on their menus. Healthy Choice Awards were given to over 50 premises during the last year.
• We continued to work in partnership with DEFRA in accordance with the framework agreement to protect the health and welfare of farm animals.
• We have contributed towards the AGMA Business Compliance Project to research and pilot new ways of working to reduce the burden of unnecessary inspections on broadly compliant businesses. A model to assess a business at a particular premises was designed – the Business Compliance Model and a trial of the model was undertaken in September. The model included Health & Safety. The project involves businesses receiving a visit from one officer and trialing a new approach that could cut down the number of inspection visits to the majority of businesses who are broadly complying with the law. Alongside the trial of this new approach, the project is looking at developing better ways to support businesses through, for example, information, advice and training. It is also looking at trialing hand-held devices.
  

Key Priorities for 2009/10

• To produce a service plan for Health and Safety and Food Safety.
• To respond to all accident reports and requests for service within three days of receipt.
• To implement the smoke free legislation under the Health Act 2006, particularly with regard to ensuring smoke free workplaces and public areas.
• To ensure all premises due for an inspection are visited.
• To work with our partners on initiatives within the Borough.
• To deliver high quality training to businesses and individuals.
• To inspect all high risk farms within the Borough to ensure compliance with food safety and animal welfare legislation.
• To ensure all food businesses have a full and documented Food Safety Management system in place.
• To carry out joint Health & Safety visits with GM police to premises that have been repeat victims of commercial robbery.
• To increase awareness and implement the wellbeing at work programme with partners and workplaces in Tameside co-ordinated by a Workplace Health Improvement Officer.
• To work in partnership with the Health & Safety Executive and other Local Authorities on a satalite aerial project.

Contact Information
Send us a Message	Environmental Safety and Hygiene Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map
Office Hours 0161 342 8355 Out of Office 0161 342 2222
0161 342 2275