Posted By Lee Thompson Afternoon all, Today I recieved a phone call from a gentleman from one of our local football clubs, he was basically enquiring as to who is the H+S enforcing authority for the ground. As far as I could make out they were looking to install barriers etc and wished to know what requirements there were for the force/load the barriers would have to take. That in itself is not the question I pose, I work for a borough council and having spoken to our environmental health department they claimed the football club was not their "responsibility" (for want of a better word) and neither was it mine as an internal adviser (the ground is not council owned). He told me that he had first contacted the FA who informed him to speak to the police, they in turn informed him that he needed some form of certificate of inspection and that said he needed to contact the HSE. They suggested the Borough Council, and after deliberation I suggested the County Council, dont suppose it is but couldnt think of any one else! I did say I would try to find out for him, hence my question to the forum, does any one know who should carry out an inspection/be responsible for enforcing H+S at the ground. Thanks in advance Lee

Posted By Dave Westhead I think you have to ask the local authority do you need a safety certificate for the ground (depending on size/number of spectators etc.). This is a legal requirement, the safety certificate must be in place before you can open your turnstiles and is issued by the local authority. What is a bit concerning is how long has the club been running without a safety certificate if it needs one. Dave.

Posted By Jim Walker The worrying thing here is that the LA don't appear to be aware it is their job. I was reading a report on the TUC site about the appalling record of H&S enforcement (nil effectively) by some LAs. How are they allowed to ignore their statutory responsibilities?

Posted By Paul Murphy Hi Lee, Football Club safety certification is not a straightforward issue. Things vary greatly between designated and non designated grounds. This is something that is on the increase as the Govt together with LA's and the Football Licensing Authority attempt to raise the level of safe spectator accomodation at football grounds. Here are a couple of sites that will assist: www.fsoa.co.uk the site for the Football Safety Officers Association www.flaweb.org.uk the Football Licensing Authority site Enforcing Authority departments vary across the country's councils from Building Control to Trading Standards. If you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me directly. Regards Paul