Health and safety at work

Smoking and the workplace

Employers have legal responsibilities to prevent people from smoking in relevant premises at work, as well as in certain workplace vehicles. Employers can also help support employees to quit smoking.

Legal duties and your smoking policy

• Smoking at work - the law
• E-cigarettes in public places and workplaces - a 5-point guide to policy making

Support to quit smoking

• NHS smokefree - a website providing information on national support to quit smoking
• London Stop Smoking Portal - a website to make it as easy as possible for Londoners to find the best way of stopping for them
• Stoptober - a national, annual campaign to encourage smokers access support and give up smoking for October. Stop smoking for 28 days and you’re 5 times more likely to quit for good!

The Healthier Catering Commitment

The Healthier Catering Commitment is a voluntary scheme that supports London businesses to offer their customers healthier food options:

• Healthier food - healthier ingredients, methods and servings
• Cheaper ingredients - up to 20% cheaper for healthier food ingredients from JJ Food Services
• Less waste - less food waste, reduced disposal costs

Businesses that are signed up to this scheme should:

• use a monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oil containing less than 15 per cent saturated fat
• reduce the amount of salt used before and after cooking
• prominently display water and reduced sugar drinks
• advertise that smaller portions of some meals are available for adults and children
• ensure oil used for frying is correctly maintained

These standards aim to ensure that salt, saturated fat and sugar are reduced in the meals and snacks provided. The HCC scheme is backed by the Mayor of London and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. It is a London-wide initiative and Enfield is proud to be participating in the scheme.

For more information, visit Healthier Catering Commitment.

To find a business that is signed up near you, visit Healthier Catering Commitment Find a Business.

Health and safety

Health and safety at work encompasses a wide range of duties and responsibilities aimed at maintaining a safe working environment for employees.

General guidance

• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - General guidance for all work places - how to control risks at work
• NAPO films - cartoon films to provoke questions and stimulate debate on specific aspects of health and safety at work

Terrorism and major incidents

• Metropolitan Police - protecting your business from terrorism
• Protect UK
• citizenAID - free app to guide users on immediate actions and first aid for a stabbing, bomb incident or mass shooting
• NHS - coping with stress following a major incident

Safety of lone workers

• NHS Employers - Improving safety for lone workers

London healthy workplace charter

What is the London Healthy Workplace Charter?

The London Healthy Workplace Charter is a free framework for action and accreditation scheme that helps you to review and develop all that you do to create a health-enhancing, engaged and productive workplace.

Backed by the Mayor of London and endorsed by Public Health England, it is a great way for businesses to show that their employees’ health and well-being really matters to them. A wide range of employers across London are already benefiting.

Register your interest (PDF) in the London Healthy Workplace Charter today.

What are the benefits?

• Get the best out of your workforce
• Recognition as a top employer in London - to promote your brand and attract top talent
• Access to an exclusive network of leading employers - so you can learn from others

Key principles of the London Healthy Workplace Charter

• Commitment from the top
• Employee involvement - plans are more likely to be successful and staff often come up with the best ideas.
• Workplace health is prioritised in everything you do - are you making the healthy choice the easy choice?
• You don’t have to have a huge budget - national health awareness initiatives often have free resources associated with them, and your own employees may have lots of free and low-cost ideas to improve the workplace.
• Effective communication - how do employees know about support, policies and initiatives?

There are 3 London Healthy Workplace Charter accreditation levels:

• Commitment level
• Achievement level
• Excellence level

The standards and criteria build on the previous level, meaning that to gain Achievement accreditation, an employer must also satisfy the Commitment level criteria.

The Greater London Authority recommend that employers begin with either Commitment or Achievement level. Only in exceptional circumstances, after discussion with their healthy workplace business advisor, will employers be allowed to apply for Excellence accreditation without having already gained Commitment or Achievement level first.