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What's New?There are already many environmental health departments who run 'scores on doors' schemes. These schemes provide information to the public on the hygiene standards of premises providing catering and hospitality services to the public an are based on environmental health inspections. The scoring is based on a combined assessment based on the business compliance with structural standards, food hygiene (to include implementation of systems based on HACCP and staff training) and overall confidence in management. Each business is supplied with a laminate copy of the rating certificate for display in the premises and ratings are also advertised in local papers and on council and national websites. Where these 'scores on the doors' systems have been introduced, businesses have found that there is a marketing and sales advantage to ensuring good ratings. We are able to provide pre-assessments against the standard to advise on areas for improvement to ensure that businesses get their best possible score. This service is an inexpensive way of ensuring that when the scheme goes for national launch (suggested national launch April, 2011), your business gets the best possible advantage. Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA Scheme) The British Retail Consortium (BRC) accredited standard for food processors has set a benchmark standard for external accreditation which is recognised within the industry and enables marketing of food products in the national food retail sectors. It has been recognised for some time that this standard is not appropriate for small, artisan food producers dealing with local markets. For this reason, the BRC has worked with the National Farmers' Union, Food and Drink Federation, and British Hospitality Association in developing a new standard, which has found favour with the Food Standards Agency, DEFRA and multiple retailers such as ASDA and Sainsburys. The scheme was launched in Februrary 2007 and many producers in the South West have achieved accreditation or working towards this standard. The total number of producers registered with the scheme in the UK is now almost 1,800. SALSA provides a low cost solution to expanding food supplier marketing base and Diplock Safety & Hygiene Ltd. are able to provide support in mentoring companies to the standard and are also an approved auditor for the scheme. We can provide a SALSA GAP Analysis to identify what work is needed to meet the requirement of the scheme and provide necessary support to fill any gaps. Dependant on company status and past grants, there may be grant support to assist this process. More details are available at SALSA. Recent Food Safety Legislation New food hygiene laws applied in the UK since 1 January 2006. These affect all food businesses, including caterers, primary producers (such as farmers), manufacturers, distributors and retailers. The new legislation maintains, and sets out more clearly, the duty of Food Business Operators to produce food safely. This is a requirement that is contained in current legislation and is underpinned in general food law. The general hygiene requirements for all food business operators are laid down in Regulation 852/2004. Regulation 853/2004 lays down specific requirements for food businesses dealing with foods of animal origin. The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 came into force on January 1 2006 and requires food businesses to have a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP. They are already required to produce food that is safe to eat, but the new regulations say that catering businesses must be able to show what they do to make food safely – and have this written down. The systems will need to be proportionate to the nature and size of the business. The Food Standards Agency have produced 'Safer Food Better Business' in order to help small caterers meet this requirement. This is based on good culinary techniques and provides a simple record-keeping system and implementation pack which is available as a free download from the Food Standards Agency website. A recent addition has been an adapted system for small food retailers - 'Safer Food Better Business for Retailers'. We can provide training for implementation combined with on site advice to support this initiative. It should be noted that the scheme is really only suitable for small businesses and we are happy to provide a more comprehensive system for more complex, larger businesses. Contact us for more details. back to top Contractors' Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) How does your company demonstrate a high level of compliance with health and safety requirements? Particularly important to those organisations who contract their services to national clients, CHAS has been designed to cut through lengthy pre-assessment processes undertaken when tendering contracts, where those who have the registration will be deemed to have met prerequisite criteria. Membership of CHAS will enable businesses to provide services to a wide range of clients and provide a marketing edge. We can provide a CHAS Gap Analysis to identify work needed to fulfill the scheme criteria. We can also help you to prepare and make application for CHAS and provide ongoing retained support as part of continued membership. Work-related Stress The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health of their employees at work, as far as is reasonably practicable. This will include ensuring that work-related stress is suitably managed and controlled as necessary. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to complete risk assessments where stress is identified as a hazard, and implement appropriate measures to prevent & control these. Seven broad categories have been identified by the HSE as stressors in the
workplace. These are: Contact us for support in assessment and management controls. back to top Legal Support Services Whether the issue is an accident claim, intervention by enforcement services (Environmental Health or the HSE), we may be able to provide support in getting things sorted. Many accident and personal injury claims are valid and mitigation may be the only way. In many cases, these may be spurious and exploiting minor deficiencies within the orgaisation. Support at an ealy stage may prove very effective in reducing costs in the long term or facing criminal or civil action. We have legal expertise and specialise in providing defence and mitigation services to defend civil and criminal liabilities in food safety and occupational health and safety. As an ex enforcement inspector, Jerry Diplock has credentials as an expert witness for such cases. Enforcement Priorities for 2010 Local Authorities are working in closer partnership with the Health and Safety Executive and have joint priority areas for enforcement activities for the coming year. The following list includes some of these areas:-
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Questions or problems regarding this web site
should be directed to [jerrynd@tiscali.co.uk]. Jerry Diplock, MSc. BSc.(Hons), CEHP, MCIEH, CMIOSH, MIFST (Managing Director). Last modified: 23rd August, 2010
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All rights reserved. Company Registration Number 5547713.