Here's a thing that has puzzled me, and I wondered if anyone had an insight into it.

An organisation in England whose work activity means it falls under the HSE for enforcement.  Following an injury to a member of the public on its premises, a RIDDOR report was made online.  The options selected in the online form confirmed that this would be under HSE remit (should they have any wish to follow it up).

As usual these days for the less serious events, nothing back from the HSE.  However, a few weeks later, a letter from the local council acknowledging the RIDDOR report, stating they did not propose to investigate it (no one had imagined they would) and making some suggestions, relevant to the nature of the event, about what the organisation itself might wish to do as follow-up themselves.

Why and how would the local council have become involved?

Government Departments + Computer Systems = what could possibly go wrong?

I will refer my learned friend to the recent failure of "e-gates" at passport control where apparently HM gov failed to inform BT they were conducting a software update which resulted in travelller chaos.

As Xavier says the HSE and LA can transfer RIDDORS, as an ex inspector played ping pong with a few where HSE would try and find reason to make them LA - no idea why as never worthy of investigation. Also the HSE sometimes has a strange idea of "main use" so for any "Branded" garage they see the main use as retail sales not repair (even though some of them are lucky to sell 1 car a day).

Also reg 5 of enforcing authority regs give the HSE and LA the ability to "transphere enforcement responsibility" between themselves. Designed to try and prevent conflict of interest, but in my 30 years as an inspector it was pretty much a 1 way street from HSE to LA.

Hi Kate

Sometimes it can be quite difficult to detemine the "main activity" at premises which depends on a number of variables as indicated in the case of a car showroom where there might be much more going on behind the scenes in the workshop than in the sales area.

Imagine in contrast to that a "plant" bakery which makes those sliced loaves you see under various brands in the supermarket.

Might be 200 people in the office, but only a few on each shift in the production area, due to the level of automation, but the "main activity" would probably be considered to be manufacture. 

Each iteration of the "Enforcing Authority Regulations" has proved difficult to navigate! - hence the ping pongs that have been described, but which have probably increased in number as front line HSE resources have been depleted (though, of course, LA resources have depleted over the same period).

Reported Kate #8 ( Kate Bishop that is)

Edited by user 24 May 2024 07:36:53(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

AK, possibly it takes you to the British Indian Ocean Territory Times games site.

According to Google....

"Although there is no permanent civilian population on the islands, generally about 4,000 U.S. and British military and contract civilian personnel are stationed there"

....and so it would seem that at least two of those 4,000 are visiting these Forums. WOW!!

Either that or a return to Fun Friday postings.