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The potential costs to a business of poor health & safety or hygiene standards are significant. Poor practitioners risk higher insurance premiums, lost productivity (due to staff absence from injury/sickness), civil damages claims and even fines for breaking the law.

At the RSA we do understand that the burden of red tape can seem overwhelming at times, and there never seems to be enough hours in the day to comply with all this legislation. However, it is precisely for this reason that you run the risk of compromising yourselves. It is all too easy to ‘re-prioritise’ those jobs that seem least important at any given time. This may be understandable, but not advisable.Within the industry many retailers do worry about what the law specifically expects, and the potential consequences of a visit from an Environmental Health Officer. In reality, one’s legal responsibilities often simply come down to a certain level of common sense. It’s much less about rigid rules & regulations, and much more about demonstrating an understanding of the issues, and implementing some very basic systems for your own business that will help minimise risk.

Environmental Health Officers - Enforcers or Advisers?
The simple answer to this question is ‘both’. However, whilst a local authority has a legal duty to enforce the law, it would much rather help to ensure that enforcement is not required.

The objective of Environmental Health departments is to raise standards, particularly within businesses where food is handled. In theory, this should not be contrary to the aim of the retailer. We can all agree that higher standards of health & safety and hygiene are good for everyone - shop, staff and customers.

Of course, in practice it may not be so simple. Different parties may have conflicting agendas and differing views on the demands of businesses. However, it’s important that such differences are kept in perspective.

Role of the RSA
The RSA is committed to helping improve standards, and facilitating better communication and understanding between retailers and local authorities. This is done in a number of ways:-

> Food Safety and Health & Safety are both integral to the RSA’s Business Development Course (BDC). As such, at every course we run, a local EHO is invited to attend. This has proved to be hugely beneficial for all concerned in increasing understanding of the issues and constraints for both parties.

> At a national level the RSA continues to lobby the government on the role of EHOs – to be advisers first and enforcers last, and for a simpler system whereby one person could provide help and support on both environmental health and trading standards.