Environmental Health Business advice
Our Business Support and Improvement team can provide a wide range of advice that will help you plan, establish and develop your business in a safe and protective manner.
From advice on starting up or expanding a food business, product safety regulations for those that import, manufacture or supply goods to consumers, to how to ensure your business meets the occupational health and safety standards and which premises are enforced by us or the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland.
We can advise you on how best to keep your customers safe, your employees safe and you safe.
Sale of food ¦ Non-food consumer products ¦ Health and safety in the workplace
Does your business involve the sale of food?
If you are planning to start a new business you must register your food business with your local Council at least 28 days before opening.
When you are starting up or expanding a food business there is lots of important information you need to consider from the outset.
This will help you manage your business correctly from the start.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Registering and managing a food business' page.
When you are trying to choose the right premises for your business, it is very important to make sure that they comply with the necessary regulations, are suitable for the purpose intended and will allow you to prepare food safely.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Hygiene requirements for your business' page.
| For one to one advice on Food Safety contact: Elaine Thompson Business Support & Improvement Team |
T: 028 2563 3130 |
Other useful links:
Managing Food Safely – Food Safety Management or HACCP is all about what you do to manage how food is produced in your business, to make sure it is safe to eat.
You might be asked to put together a “food safety management system” and keep up to date records relating to your procedures.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)' page.
When you produce food for sale you need to make sure that it will be safe to eat at the end of its allocated shelf life to prevent harmful food poisoning bacteria being present and causing any illness to the consumer.
For more information visit the GOV.UK website to download the Ready to eat foods: microbiological safety assessment guidelines.
It is a legal requirement to know what food allergens are present in the food you produce and sell.
This must be available to the consumer whether the food is sold loose or prepacked for sale.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Labelling and allergens' page.
Depending on the size of your business you may need to apply nutritional information to the packaging.
Similarly, if you are making any nutritional claims relating to your products you will need to provide nutritional information to support these claims.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Nutrition labelling' page.
If you are producing food for retail sale you will want to ensure you choose the right type of packaging for your products.
Products are required to be fully labelled with a number of details to ensure you meet your legal requirements.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Packaging and labelling' page.
Most foodstuffs are required to carry a date mark.
This may be a “Use by” or “Best Before” date.
To determine what type of date mark your food will require visit the Wrap website's 'Food date labelling and storage advice' section.
When you are producing food for sale you will be expected to know who you got your food supplies from and who you have sold these to.
This is known as traceability. In the event, of something going wrong with a product whilst out in the market it may be necessary to withdraw or recall the food.
For more information visit the Food Standards Agency's 'Food incidents' page.
Does your business involve the sale of non-food consumer products?
Product safety in the UK is governed by a wide regulatory framework consisting of both national and European-derived legislation.
The laws apply to any business involved in the import, manufacture and supply of goods to consumers.
Local councils have enforcement responsibilities for safety related issues with Consumer Goods.
General information on Consumer Protection Legislation visit our Product Safety section.
| For one to one advice on Product Safety contact: Shauna Lagan Business Support & Improvement Team. |
T: 028 2563 3128 |
Other useful links:
The role of Trading Standards is to promote and maintain fair trading, protect consumers and help reputable businesses to thrive in NI.
For information on Trading Standards issues visit the Northern Ireland Trading Standards Service website.
The Consumer Council provide free independent support and advice for all consumers and businesses in N.I.
They also have the powers to investigate complaints about energy, water, transport and postal services.
For General Consumer queries visit the Consumer Council website.
Do you require information on Health & Safety in the Workplace?
Environmental Health are responsible for securing occupational health and safety standards in certain workplaces within the Mid and East Antrim Borough area.
To find out who the relevant enforcing authority is for your workplace (i.e. Council or HSENI) go to our Health and safety page.
In general, health and safety laws apply to all businesses (employer and self-employed).
Health and safety laws are there to protect you, your employees and the public from workplace dangers.
Key legal duties placed on employers include the need to write a health and safety policy; carry out a risk assessment to control workplace risks; provide staff training and information; provide the right workplace facilities and consult with employees.
For information on these legal requirements to make health and safety work for your business visit the Health and Safety Executive NI's 'Small business advice' section.
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (NI) 1997 (RIDDOR) place a legal duty on employers, self-employed people and people in control of premises to report work related deaths; major injuries and over-three-day injuries; work related diseases and dangerous occurrences to their enforcing authority.
All employers can use the on-line centralised system in Northern Ireland to report an incident.
You can report an incident online using the HSENI's Report an Incident form on their website.
|
For one to one advice on Health & Safety contact: |
T: 028 2563 3131 |
Other useful links:
For further information on health and safety basics such as writing a health and safety policy and carrying out a risk assessment visit the NI Business Information website's 'Health and safety' page.
Do you require information on a Smoke Free Business?
Since 30 April 2007 all of Northern Ireland’s workplaces and public buildings have been smoke free.
The Smoking (NI) Order 2006 was introduced to protect workers and the public from exposure to second hand smoke and is enforced by Officers within the Business Support & Improvement Team.
For more information visit our Tobacco control page or visit the Space To Breathe website.
Gas safety in commercial catering premises
Businesses operating gas powered commercial catering equipment have a duty to ensure that their appliances are maintained in a safe condition.
Gas appliance safety is very important – a gas explosion or carbon monoxide from a faulty appliance may affect the public as well as you and your employees.
The Gas Safe Register’s website has a very handy Commercial Catering Fact Sheet.
Other Useful Links for starting a new business:
- The Amplify Mid and East Antrim website
- The NI Business Info website
- The GOV.UK's Set up a business advice section
Are you thinking of having a cosmetic treatment?
Cosmetic treatments are growing in popularity due to social media, celebrity endorsements and online influencers.
Treatments such as lip fillers, dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections are being widely offered in a variety of environments, including domestic homes and other temporary locations.
Be Aware!
Concern has grown in recent years at the ever-increasing popularity and range of non-surgical cosmetic treatments on offer and the inadequacy of the legislative framework in Northern Ireland to regulate these treatments.
Many of the treatments being offered involve injectables such as dermal fillers and lip fillers, with no legal requirement at present for businesses or practitioners offering these treatments to be registered or licensed by Councils and routinely checked by Environmental Health Officers.
Any treatment which involves the injection of a substance or insertion of needles into the skin or the placing of threads under the skin is a non-surgical cosmetic procedure and have the potential to cause serious injury or harm to members of the public who chose to undergo them.
The practitioners offering these treatments require a greater level of skill, understanding and experience to perform them.
They should only be carried out by someone trained and qualified to provide them.
Regulation of Cosmetic Treatments
In England plans for the introduction of a licensing scheme are underway which will require those carrying out non-surgical cosmetic procedures to be licensed by their local authority.
Since October 2021 it has been illegal in England to provide Botox or filler treatments to anyone under 18.
At present, no similar law exists in Northern Ireland.
In 2022 we, in conjunction with other Councils in Northern Ireland, wrote to the Health Minister to ask for better regulation of cosmetic treatments in Northern Ireland, along with the introduction of a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
In the absence of a licensing scheme, we would strongly advise that anyone thinking of having a cosmetic treatment considers the following advice.
Choose Carefully
You need to have confidence that your practitioner is safe to practice.
When choosing your practitioner follow these simple steps:
- Check they are registered with a regulatory body like the GMC (General Medical Council), NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council), GDC (General Dental Council), GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) or on an accredited register such as Save Face
- Ask to see their qualification and training certificates
- Confirm they have insurance and the products and equipment they use are licensed and genuine
- Check that if something goes wrong, your practitioner will be able to provide an emergency response and look after you
- Check if they can treat complications should they occur
Be Safe
- Take the necessary time to make your decisions.
Do not be pressurised into having a treatment by your friends or social media contacts - Do not be hurried into the treatment - ask for information in writing to take away
- Do not proceed with treatment if you do not feel comfortable with the practitioner or the environment
- Do not have treatment in your home, at ‘parties’ or in environments that are clearly not clean or appropriate
- Read any documents you are asked to sign and ask questions if you don’t understand
Further advice is available by contacting us at E: mea.envhealth@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.
Alternatively Save Face (an accreditation body for practitioners) have a Be Safe Checklist available on their Save Face website which contains useful information to consider before having a treatment.