Bassett's Environmental Health Procedures

Bill Bassett authored the first seven editions of Environmental Health Procedures, the first of which appeared in 1983. His dedication to navigating and clarifying the relevant regulations and laws in this book has aided countless environmental health practitioners in the UK and beyond. Bill passed the baton to Tim Deveaux in 2013, but remained on hand to help both the new author and the publisher throughout. The ninth edition continues in the spirit of Bill’s classic book, and is the second to be named after him. Bill sadly died in 2017 and his legacy remains a testament to a leading, visionary and dedicated environmental health practitioner. Tim Deveaux is an independent environmental health practitioner with 36 years of public sector experience in a wide range of areas in environmental health and sustainability. His experience includes housing, drainage, food safety, health and safety, air pollution and noise, infectious disease control, developing and implementing strategies to change behaviour, and protecting the environment and human health, particularly in planning for, and implementing, climate change and sustainability solutions.

CONTENTS

Preface

Extract from the preface to the first edition

Acknowledgements

Part 1: Current Environmental Health legal structure, process and policies

How the book is structured

Chapter 1 Enforcement and Compliance Framework

The Framework for Local Authority Enforcement, Operational and Health Improvement Policies

Options for Obtaining Compliance and Environmental Health Interventions

Primary Authorities

Chapter 2 Common Provisions in Legislation

Enforcing authorities

Authorisation

Delegation

Powers of Entry

Service of Notices

Information Regarding Ownerships Etc.

Recording Decisions

Chapter 3 Professional Practice

Chapter 4 Legal Proceedings

Preparing a case

Court procedure

Appendices

Part 2: Environmental Protection

Chapter 1 Air Quality

Height of chimneys serving furnaces

Height of chimneys not serving furnaces

Control of grit and dust from furnaces

Measurement of grit and dust from furnaces

Prohibition of dark smoke etc. from chimneys

Prohibition of dark smoke etc. from industrial and trade premises

Smoke control areas

Burning of crop residues

Cable burning

Obtaining information about atmospheric pollution

Local authority reviews of air quality

Air Quality Management Areas

Chapter 2 Environmental Damage and Contaminated Land

Environmental damage

Contaminated Land

Chapter 3 Pollution Prevention

Environmental permitting

Permitting of activities by Local Authorities

Chapter 4 Noise

Noise nuisances, Noisy parties and Noise in the Street

Consents for the use of loudspeakers in streets

Noise from construction sites

Noise from certain premises at night

Seizure of equipment used to make noise unlawfully

Audible alarms notification areas

Part 3: Food Safety and Food Standards

Food control and hygiene legislation

Registration of food business establishments

Approval of product-specific establishments

Registration and Approval of Animal By Products Plants

Hygiene improvement notices

Hygiene prohibition orders

Hygiene emergency prohibition notices and orders

Remedial action notices and detention notices

Detention and seizure of food

Imported food

Sampling of food for analysis and examination

Closure notices on mollusc harvesting areas

Food Standards

Part 4: Health and Safety

General procedural provisions

Improvement and prohibition notices

Reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences

Notification of cooling towers and evaporative condensers

Seizure of dangerous articles or substances

Part 5: Housing and Health

Chapter 1

Structure of the law dealing with housing standards and their enforcement

General procedural provisions

Housing standards: the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS)

Housing standards for accommodation of the homeless

Fitness for Human Habitation

Energy Efficiency

Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Chapter 2 Enforcement options

Enforcement

General approach to enforcement

Fixed Penalty Notices

Improvement

Renewal Areas

Improvement notices

Prohibition orders

Hazard awareness notices

Notice of emergency remedial action

Emergency prohibition orders

Means of escape from certain high buildings

Defective premises

Overcrowding notices for non-HMOs

Restoration or Continuation of Supply of Water, Gas or Electricity

Disabled Facilities Grants

Empty properties

Dangerous buildings

Protection of buildings

Empty dwelling management orders

Demolition

Ruinous and dilapidated buildings

Demolition orders

Demolition of buildings

Clearance areas

Compulsory purchase

Chapter 3 Housing licensing

Selective licensing of residential accommodation

Private landlords’ accreditation schemes

Chapter 4 Houses in multiple occupation

Houses in multiple occupation - Definitions

Houses in multiple occupation declarations

Licensing of houses in multiple occupation

Designation of areas by local authorities for the additional licensing of HMOs

Interim management orders

Final management orders

Temporary exemption notices for HMOs

Overcrowding notices for HMOs

Chapter 5 Rogue Landlords

Rogue Landlords Banning Orders

Rogue Landlords Database

Rent repayment orders

Protection from Eviction

Preventing Retaliatory Eviction

Chapter 6 Temporary accommodation

Mobile Homes and Caravan sites

Licensing of camping sites

Part 6: Anti Social Behaviour

Anti-Social Behaviour: Landlords' Policies and Possession Procedures

Closure of Premises Associated with Nuisance or Disorder Etc

Community Protection Notices

Public Spaces Protection Orders

Part 7: Public Health

Chapter 1 Animal welfare

Animal Welfare

Animal boarding establishments

Dangerous wild animals

Pet shops

Riding establishments

Chapter 2 Disease control

Infectious diseases control: Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

Notification of diseases

Local authority powers to prevent spread of infection

Power to order health measures in relation to persons, things and premises

Disinfection or decontamination of things and premises

Cleansing of filthy or verminous premises, articles and persons

Skin piercing and other special treatments

Chapter 3Dog and horse control

Control of horses

Seizure of stray dogs

Chapter 4 Exhumations

Exhumations

Chapter 5 Hoarding

Chapter 6 Removal of unauthorised campers

Chapter 7 Pest control

Control of rats and mice

Chpater 8 Port health

Infectious diseases control – aircraft

Infectious diseases control – trains

Infectious diseases control – ships

Chapter 9 Public Health Funerals

Chapter 10 Sanitation and drainage

General procedural provisions: Public Health Act 1936 and 1961

General procedural provisions: Building Act 1984

Defective sanitary conveniences

Sanitary conveniences: provision/replacement

Sanitary conveniences at places of entertainment etc.

Conversion of earth closets etc. to water closets

Blocked private sewers

Stopped-up drains, private sewers, etc.

Defective drainage to existing buildings

Repair of drains, private sewers, etc. by local authorities

Paving of yards and passages

Overflowing and leaking cesspools

Chapter 11 Statutory nuisances

Statutory nuisances

Chapter 12 Waste

Waste on land

Litter

Litter offences

Littering From Vehicles

Litter abatement orders

Accumulations of rubbish

Removal and disposal of abandoned refuse

Removal of controlled waste on land

Removal of noxious matter

Abandoned trolleys

Abandoned vehicles

Receptacles for commercial and industrial waste

Receptacles for household waste

Scrap metal dealers

Chapter 13 Water supply

General procedural provisions: Water Industry Act 1991

Control over public water supplies

Control over private water supplies

Water supply for new houses

Closure or restriction of polluted water supply

Part 8: Public Safety

Controls over trading on Sundays at large shops

Street trading

Street collections

Sex establishment licences

Pleasure boat licensing

INDEXES

List of flow charts

Subject index of procedures