Promoting and enforcing health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for the Economy (DfE).
HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland.
HSENI's mission
"Working with others, to reduce work-related serious injury and ill health in Northern Ireland."
Five key mission objectives
The mission will focus on:
- preventing the most serious workplace health and safety issues;
- high risk industries and activities;
- sensible and proportionate risk management;
- effective regulation; and
- supporting businesses and the economy.
Values
HSENI has a set of agreed and shared values that spell out how we regard and treat our staff and how we want to be seen by stakeholders.
The values reflect both collective and individual responsibilities and are aimed at creating a workplace that fosters the worth of the individual and the health, safety and wellbeing of all.
- Integrity - Motivating People Accountability Commitment Teamwork is our cornerstone and will be evident through our honesty, objectivity and impartiality
- Motivating - Ourselves and others to make a difference
- People - Who are professional and passionate about what we do
- Accountability - For our own actions and holding others to account
- Commitment - To improve, to innovate and to achieve results
- Teamwork - Building trust, encouraging and valuing equality, diversity, opinion and contribution with our staff and our stakeholders
HSENI and local councils
Whilst HSENI is the lead body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of health and safety at work standards in Northern Ireland, it shares this responsibility with the 11 local councils.
Together, HSENI and the local councils cover all work situations in Northern Ireland that are subject to the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
HSENI's enforcement responsibilities
- factories
- building sites
- farms
- motor vehicle repairs
- mines and quarries
- chemical plants
- schools and universities
- leisure and entertainment facilities (owned by local councils)
- fairgrounds
- hospitals and nursing homes
- fire and police
- government departments
- railways
- any other workplace not listed under local councils
Local councils' enforcement responsibilities
- offices
- retail and wholesale shops
- tyre and exhaust fitters
- restaurants, take away food shops, mobile snack bars and catering services
- hotels, guest houses residential homes
- wholesale and retail warehouses
- leisure and entertainment facilities (privately owned)
- exhibitions
- religious activities
- undertakers
- the practice or presentation of the arts, sports, games, entertainment or other cultural or recreational activities
- therapeutic and beauty services
- animal care
Contact HSENI
Contact local councils
If you have a query about an area of employment for which local councils are responsible, you should contact the environmental health department of your local council.