CIEH EHN February 2023

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WHAT’S IN STORE FOR EH? CIEH’s Year Ahead conference

THE MAGAZINE FOR CIEH MEMBERS

www.cieh.org February 2023 Volume 37 Issue 9

FEARS OVER WORKERS’ RIGHTS Spotlight on Retained EU Law Bill

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CREEPING KILLER HOW COLD, DAMP AND MOULD ARE CREATING A WINTER HOUSING CRISIS

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The views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of CIEH. All information is correct at the time of going to press.

Articles published in the magazine may be reproduced only with the permission of CIEH and with acknowledgement to EHN. CIEH does not accept responsibility for the accuracy of statements made by contributors or advertisers. The contents of this magazine are the copyright of CIEH. Ideas and letters to the editor are welcome.

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THREE BIG CHALLENGES

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FACING EHPS THIS YEAR

HOW A HOBBY TURNED INTO A PEST CONTROL BUSINESS

04 UPDAT E

EV E RY I S SU E

News ‘Leaky walls’ costing households; number of wild swimmers getting ill doubles; report shows value of lone trees; could gene-edited hens be coming to UK farms?

19 LEGAL BRIEFING Implications of the Retained EU Law Bill

FEATU R E S 08 YEAR AHEAD CONFERENCE EH professionals tackle the challenges facing the profession around workforce, regulation and the FSA at CIEH’s Year Ahead conference

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14 DYING TO STAY WARM EHN gathers EH and housing experts for a roundtable on the ramifications of the Awaab Ishak case, and the opportunity to push for policy, regulatory and structural change

20 PROSECUTIONS Meat trader to pay back ill-gotten gains, and illegal puppy farm duo ordered to pay £150k 23 YOUR CAREER CIEH marks two decades of chartered status 32 TALES FROM THE FRONT LINE How Matt O’Donnell went from local authority EHP to running his own pest control business

G O ON L I N E Find your next job at www.ehn-jobs.com, and see how to further your career at www.cieh.org FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 1

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FEBRUARY 2023 VERSION

WELCOME

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The impact of fuel poverty is just one of the challenges facing EH practitioners in the coming year

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New year – new challenges ahead HOPE IT’S NOT YET

too late to wish you all a happy New Year. For many EH practitioners, however, the professional resolutions we often make at this time of year – to carve out more ‘me’ time, to think more strategically, to focus on our development and so on – will probably already have gone the way of the fitness and healthy eating pledges we also optimistically tend to make.

As CIEH vice president Janet Russell made clear in our Year Ahead conference in December (reviewed from page 8) EH faces an array of challenges in 2023, many of them – such as skills and capacity shortages – grimly familiar. The progress (or not) of the UK government’s Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill is also looking like it will be a key battleground this year.

Looking into the future, the profession will need to begin scoping out the likely ramifications for the profession of a possible change of government, should we have a general election next year.

I

ALAMY

W HO’S I NS I DE

GRAEME MITCHELL “How do we become more visible? How do we get the public to know and appreciate what we’re doing?”

DR HENRY DAWSON “When tenants are struggling with their heating bills we are going to see more cases like Awaab Ishak.”

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More immediately, the health and environmental health consequences of what, for many, will have been a brutal winter in unheated houses is likely to be – and needs to be – an important talking point for EH professionals in the coming months.

As our expert panel unpicks the implications of Awaab Ishak case on page 14, it becomes clear that although his case pre-dated the current energy crisis, the fact that millions are struggling with heating bills this winter, shivering in cold, damp conditions – and possibly cutting corners on food too – could bring with it significant challenges for EH down the line.

One way or another, the burden on EH, in both the public and private sector, looks set to continue during 2023. Professionally and personally, CIEH will be there to support you all the way.

ROSS MATTHEWMAN Head of policy and campaigns

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NEWS YOU CAN USE FEBRUARY 2023 Follow us on Twitter

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Poorly insulated homes cost around £350 more to heat per year, leaving an estimated one in three households in fuel poverty this winter

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Nine million homes in England have ‘leaky walls’, representing a major barrier to the net-zero transition

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to a report by the Resolution Foundation, 40% of England’s housing stock has walls rated poor or very poor.

The problem is worse in large cities like London, where 46% of homes have poor-quality walls, and in the 9,000 energy crisis hotspots identified by Friends of the Earth (FoE) research.

Homes in these communities, where energy usage is high and income is below average, lack basic insulation and these families are most at risk of falling into financial hardship because of unaffordable energy costs.

A third of England’s homes pre-date 1946 and typically

have no cavity between the inner and outer walls, making them expensive to insulate.

Poorly insulated homes cost around £350 more to heat, but with improvements costing roughly £8,000, there’s no financial incentive for homeowners or landlords.

Previous approaches, such as cheap loans, failed to deliver, so the Resolution Foundation has proposed a more radical stance.

This is to improve energy efficiency by combining targeted financial support for those unable to afford home

“Mandating that all homes must be energy efficient by 2035 can spur homeowners and landlords into action”

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improvements, with a hard deadline for all homes to be EPC C-rated by 2035.

“A new carrot-and-stick approach is needed to ensure England’s nine million leaky homes are upgraded,” said Jonny Marshall, senior economist at the foundation.

“Mandating that all homes must be energy efficient by 2035 can spur homeowners and landlords into action, while a new means test could help around half of households with at least some of the costs of the upgrades,

and all of the costs for those with the lowest means,” he added.

FoE echoed the foundation’s proposal last August, urging the government to commit £15bn to a programme of free insulation that could save households £490-£720 annually.

The government’s £1bn ECO+ scheme, launched in November, offers grants for low-cost measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation to in-need households, and builds on the current ECO scheme, targeting those in social housing, on a low-income or in fuel poverty.

But National Energy Action (NEA) has estimated that one in three households could be in fuel poverty this winter.

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‘Leaky walls’ costing households and hampering net zero

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INEFFICIENT HOUSING – THE FACTS

45%

Estimated percentage of privately rented homes in England with no cavity walls, making insulation difficult and costly, according to the National Residential Landlords Association.

59%

Percentage of homes in England that are energy inefficient (EPC rated D or below), according to the Resolution Foundation.

Wales is even worse (at 65%), followed by Scotland (55%) and Northern Ireland (51%).

20%

Percentage of housing stock in England with an inefficient roof.

£8,000 Average cost of wall insulation (but it can take 18 years to recoup upfront costs).

Number of swimmers becoming ill doubles

Survey reveals growing concerns about the UK’s marine environment

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half of people who have tried wild swimming or water sports in the UK have experienced sickness afterwards, according to the latest water quality report from charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).

Swimming in contaminated water has been found to increase the risk of gastroenteritis as well as sinus infections, skin rashes and conjunctivitis. SAS data IMPACTING LLUTION IS WATER PO shows that in the year to 30 HEALTH September 2022, 720 water SWIMMERS’ users reported getting ill after entering the water – more than value” the general public places double the reports it received on our marine environment. in 2020/21.

“As a government we The SAS report follows are determined to continue a survey of 12,000 people, to build on the protective in which more than half measures we already have in expressed concern about our place in our Marine Protected marine environment. This was Areas, alongside introducing published in November 2022 further restrictions on

by Defra in collaboration with single-use plastic,” he said. the Ocean Conservation Trust, Nicola Bridge, head of the Scottish Government and advocacy and engagement at Natural Resources Wales. the Ocean Conservation Trust, Lord Benyon, minister agreed the survey results would for biosecurity, marine and be an “important tool” in rural affairs, said the survey shaping public engagement and highlighted the “immense education programmes. “It is a

great baseline for us to work from,” she said.

However, Amy Slack, head of campaigns and policy at SAS, was underwhelmed by the rhetoric. “The UK public has made clear its disgust at what’s happening to our rivers and seas, and yet water companies continue to pollute at will,” she said.

“It’s time the government took real action to curb the destructive and selfish behaviour of the water companies responsible for this literal shit storm,” Slack added.

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES RAPID REVIEW OF LANDLORD GUIDANCE

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New guidance on the health risks of unheated homes is due to be published this summer Ministers have announced a rapid review of guidance to landlords about the health risks from damp and mould, following the death of two-yearold Awaab Ishak. The guidance will be published by summer.

Mark Hope, CIEH senior policy and public affairs executive, said while CIEH welcomed the review, issues relating to poor

WWW.CIEH.ORG

housing conditions cannot just be addressed through more legislation and guidance.

“This tragic case illustrates the need for more awareness and better resourcing of the crucial role played by EH professionals in tackling poor housing Awaab Ishak

conditions in all types of tenure, and thereby saving lives.”

Separately, with many millions in unheated – and possibly damp and mouldy – houses this winter, research from Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute has highlighted the links

between indoor temperatures and health complications. While 18-21°C is the ideal, a drop to 12-16°C brings a heightened risk of respiratory diseases, 9-12°C a risk of strokes and heart attacks, and under 9°C a risk of hypothermia, it warned. l See page 14 for more on fuel poverty and poor housing

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Could gene-edited hens be coming to UK farms?

Scientists’ work with gene-edited hens marks an important development for animal welfare

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in Israel are pioneering the use of gene editing that results in hens laying eggs from which only female chicks hatch – an advance that could be used in UK chicken farming.

The move would mean the egg-producing industry would no longer need to cull as many as seven billion healthy male chicks shortly after hatching.

Researchers from the Agricultural Research Organization at the Volcani Center in Rishon LeZion, Israel, developed the new gene

editing approach. The researchers used a process called CRISPR – genetic ‘scissors’ that remove specific sections of DNA to create a female with a gene-edited Z chromosome (WZ*).

Female chicks contain W and Z chromosomes (WZ), while males contain two Z (ZZ). The Z* chromosome prevents male embryos from developing when blue light is shone on a female’s fertilised eggs. Female embryos are unaffected by this.

UK-based animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming collaborated

on the work and said the breakthrough potentially represents an important development for animal welfare.

The next step is to see if the hens and their offspring lay eggs suitable for human consumption, and proceed through the commercial life cycle without any unexpected welfare issues.

Gene editing, also called ‘precision breeding’, is not currently permitted in the UK. However, the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill passing through Parliament would ease

regulations. It would allow its use in commercial farming, where genetic changes might occur naturally or through traditional breeding methods.

Critics argue gene editing could worsen the negative effects of industrial farming.

Jo Lewis, policy director at the Soil Association, said the bill suggests the government is “casting about for silver bullets” and prioritising unpopular technologies rather than focusing on real issues, such as lack of crop diversity and the decline in beneficial insects who eliminate pests.

EMPOWERING THE VULNERABLE TO BE INDEPENDENT A campaign has been launched to help thousands of people with additional needs to live independently and safely in their own homes.

The ‘We Are vulnerAble’ campaign is being supported by a range of bodies, including the National Residential Landlords Association and

Launch of We Are vulnerAble

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estate agents’ body Propertymark, among others.

At the heart of the We Are vulnerAble campaign is an accessible, online hub where information, checklists and personal stories have been brought together to inspire and enable independent living at home for more people.

The hub also has access to the Priority Services Register (PSR). PSR offers free help to those with additional needs if something goes wrong with their utility services. l EHPs can find out more about the campaign at weareable.uk

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Report shows value of lone trees in improving EH Research has highlighted the value of individual trees in tackling air quality, climate change and noise pollution

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Lone trees add ‘extraordinary financial value’

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value of the UK’s individual trees – £3.8bn – has been calculated in a new report from Forest Research, the research agency of the Forestry Commission, and Defra.

The figure has taken into account the role of trees outside woodlands in tackling air quality, helping to mitigate climate change, slowing the flow of rainwater and damping down noise.

If combined, the UK’s lone trees would cover a total of 750,000 hectares and together they make up a fifth of all the nation’s trees, the study has calculated.

Kieron Doick, head of the Urban Forest Research Group within Forest Research, said: “These trees are all around us: in our gardens, along our roads, in parks and green spaces. Understanding their value can help make sure councils and landowners invest in the planting of more trees.”

Adam Cormack at the Woodland Trust added that

“By quantifying the value of trees, this research will help to incentivise planting in our communities” the research showed the “extraordinary financial value” of these trees, which should be worthy of the highest level of protection. “Yet, we know this isn’t the case,” he also warned.

“For example, eastern England has lost 50% of its large trees in the past 150 years.”

Environmental journalist Tim Smedley, author of

Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution, agreed the report added “helpful numbers to what we all intuitively know”.

He said: “A previous report found that a single tree reduces the PM2.5 concentrations behind it by 15%. So, it’s fascinating to see what that looks like at scale, removing

billions of tonnes – and billions of pounds sterling – of not just PM2.5, but other combustion pollutants, including NOx and SO2.”

Daniel Baker, an acoustics expert and director of Broodbakker Acoustic Consultants, said the presence of trees and foliage had multiple acoustic benefits for environmental health.

“Even small tree belts and/or foliage between residential gardens and industrial/commercial premises may provide indirect benefits such as visual screening, even where the measurable acoustic benefit (attenuation) using a sound-level meter may be negligible.

“A 1dB noise reduction would not be perceptible to anyone, but it forms part of a wider positive state of affairs and benefit to the community,” he added.

Forestry minister Trudy Harrison highlighted that the government is committed to trebling tree planting rates in England by 2024. “By quantifying the significant value of trees, this research will help to incentivise planting in our communities across our country,” she added.

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CIEH LAUNCHES CLIMATE CHANGE ‘HUB’ With EH professionals increasingly recognised as having a vital role in tackling the effects of climate change within local communities, CIEH has developed a new climate change resource ‘hub’.

The hub brings together the institute’s campaigning and policy work, blogs and resources

WWW.CIEH.ORG

into a single online space.

CIEH also intends to use the hub to help promote how the profession can best channel its expertise to advocate for change and address the climate emergency.

In CIEH’s recent climate change survey, more than three-quarters (77%) of

Climate change is exacerbating extreme flooding

respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the current climate emergency is one of the most significant environmental health challenges of our time. l Find out more by visiting www.cieh.org/policy/ campaigns/climate-change

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through to Covid-19 and now the fallout from the cost of living crisis, working within environmental health can feel like being in a permanent emergency planning exercise – one where every time you think you’ve finally got on top of things, another crisis suddenly comes along.

So argued Janet Russell, CIEH vice president, as she opened CIEH’s Year Ahead conference in December. “Last year we were probably looking forward to

coming out of Covid completely and getting back to normal. But sadly, ‘normal’ doesn’t seem to appear,” she said.

The two-day virtual conference, held in partnership with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), included discussions on protecting communities from product-related harm, the government’s Renters Reform Bill, health inequalities and levelling up, and an update on the new post-EU exit Target Operating Model for ports, among other presentations.

As we show over the next four pages, it also tackled some of the future challenges facing the profession around workforce,

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LOOKING AHEAD

regulation, and the role and impact of the Food Standards Agency.

Russell highlighted how, with a general election likely (if not certain) in 2024, the profession will need to prepare itself for a possible change of government. More widely, EHPs will need to consider how global warming and climate change is and will be affecting EH in the future.

“Now is the time when professional bodies can start getting under the skin of political parties and civil servants to inform and shape their policies going forward, and I think there is real scope here, but capacity could be an issue,” she said.

EH professionals tackled the challenges facing the profession at CIEH’s Year Ahead conference WORDS BY NIC PATON

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here is no ‘silver bullet’ to “If we can become more visible, if we can resolving EH’s workforce crisis raise ourselves up the consciousness of the – but getting better at targeting public, then that ties in to getting more and attracting three key cohorts of people people interested in our profession, which will help the profession, a leading then will result in more people applying for academic told the conference. university or training courses, or applying Graeme Mitchell, programme lead for for jobs. That’s the key,” Mitchell said.

Liverpool John Moores University’s BSc in Within this, he identified three key environmental health, conceded that a groups of people the profession needed to combination of funding cuts, austerity and become more successful at attracting: an ageing workforce, had led to “a critical career changers, and what he termed time” for the profession. ‘fallers in’ and ‘first choicers’.

“Visibility is the core we need Career changers are those keen to address for all our professions. to switch to a new career. For How do we become more visible? example, people who have How do we get the public to worked in catering are often keen know and appreciate what we’re to move over to EH because their doing? We’re really good at what skills and knowledge can overlap, GRAEME MITCHELL we do. We’re all problem-solvers; yet the hours, intensity and we get on with the job and we’ve done that physicality can be less, and the pay more. for generations,” he said.

‘Fallers in’, as the name suggests, are “But we need to be better at people who don’t originally choose to go giving that message to the public, to into EH but end up within, or potentially councillors and to other organisations about interested in, the profession. If, at that how important we are and the good we do,” point of career inflection, EH could ensure Mitchell argued. It is also important it was more visible, that could help fill the to recognise that the responsibility for pool of vacant posts. increasing visibility lies with the whole ‘First choicers’ are school leavers who profession – CIEH, universities, employers decide on EH straight away, either as a and EHPs on the ground – he emphasised. university choice or an apprenticeship.

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“Increasing visibility not only improves the profession but gives us the wider opportunity of inclusion” WWW.CIEH.ORG

“This is the big area for us to expand upon. This is the long-term goal; to make our profession the first choice for people coming out of school,” said Mitchell.

However, he added: “There is no silver bullet. There isn’t a pool of EHOs/trading standards officers out there who we can draw upon and get 10,000 people suddenly appearing. It is a long-term thing.

“To talk about the profession, we have to get into schools. Not just when people are making [career] choices. If we want people to be picking our profession as a first choice, we need to get in as early as we can and keep reinforcing that message.

“Increasing visibility not only improves the profession but gives us the wider opportunity of inclusion. And if we can get more people reflecting their communities going into EH, trading standards and licensing, that’s the way forward,” Mitchell added in conclusion.

©

WORKFORCE NO ‘SILVER BULLET’ TO SHORTAGES

N E E D TO K NOW l The profession needs to be better at attracting, and retaining, career changers, ‘fallers in’ and ‘first choicers’. l EH needs to be more visible and get better at showing what it does. l There are no easy answers to the workforce crisis, but targeting schools and widening inclusion would also help.

FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 9

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Year Ahead conference, 1

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The British Lion was introduced following the scare over Salmonella in eggs in 1988, to restore consumer confidence and eradicate Salmonella from the UK egg supply chain. It has the highest standards of food safety and it consolidates the latest, best scientific, veterinary and food safety advice. In my experience it is the UK's most successful food safety scheme. Since it was launched in 1998, more than 200bn British Lion eggs have been sold; and more than 90% of UK eggs are now produced under the scheme.

The Food Standards Agency have said British Lion eggs can be eaten runny by vulnerable groups, who include pregnant women, infants and the elderly. In 2014, the European Food Safety Authority published a report on UK egg production, covered by the British Lion scheme, commenting that it is among the safest in the world.

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standards. It covers more than 700 different audit points across the whole egg supply chain. It is not just laying farms; it includes hatcheries, breeding flocks, rearing flocks and the packing centres where the eggs are graded, as well as supporting areas such as the feed mills.

The Code guarantees all eggs are British and that the hens are vaccinated against Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium. It also has a registration passport system ensuring complete traceability, increased hygiene controls including Salmonella swabbing on the farm, cool chain from farm to packing centre to retailer, best-before-date and Lion on each egg. It is backed up by a consumer awareness campaign.

There is a separate Lion Code for egg products, such as liquid egg, which must be made from Lion eggs. With egg products there is a misassumption that because they are pasteurised they must be safe. While pasteurisation kills Salmonella it doesn't work for everything, for example feed contamination. There is a significant risk with processed egg whites, in particular, which need to be treated at lower temperatures to maintain functionality.

As a past retailer and food manufacturer I always insisted on British Lion eggs to give me the confidence that my organisation and customers were looking for. When carrying out inspections, like many fellow EHPs, I include the use of the Lion mark in my risk assessment. If the eggs are not covered by the Code of Practice then I will look into the HACCPsystem to see how the chemical (there have been recent safety incidents in Europe, including Fipronil) and microbiological hazards are being controlled. Incidents of Salmonella are still seen in Europe, which has just had its largest outbreak from eggs. At the time of

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Specifying that only Lion eggs can be used in a food business's food safety management system can also support a good food hygiene rating, giving consumers an additional reason to purchase. Consumer awareness of the Lion is more than 80%.

We've recently seen egg shortages.

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Losses due to avian flu have compounded the supply situation. As a result we ended up importing shell eggs and egg products that are not produced to the same standards as British Lion. A joint report from the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland last year backed this up, highlighting "significant" food quality risks from the import of certain foods products, including eggs and that current import controls were not sufficient.

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nspection followed by enforcement is unlikely to disappear as a regulatory model for environmental health, but Professor Chris Hodges, emeritus professor of justice systems at Oxford University, argued we could be moving into an era of more collaborative regulatory approaches.

Professor Hodges, who is also chair of the government’s Regulatory Horizons Council, highlighted how researchers are making the case for more ‘open’ enforcement approaches – ones that look at behavioural and social psychology, and organisational and cultural factors alongside the role of deterrents, fines and individual responsibility.

“There is now a very considerable body of academic research into the science of how people behave. Organisations involve human behaviour; regulation involves been behaving differently, relying on human behaviour,” he pointed out. cooperative culture.

“What is emerging in a whole sequence “Of course, you need to make rules. Of of policy papers over the past year or so is course you need to inspect and identify a new buzzword. We have talked about breaches – or someone does. But maybe ‘better regulation’, ‘smart regulation’ and one can do this better with a collaborative ‘agile regulation’. We’re now talking about approach and with IT approaches? Of ‘outcome-based regulation’,” he said. course, there need to be consequences.

This is an approach that has become But is it ‘sanctions’ in the traditional common within the airline industry, enforcement approach?”

Professor Hodges highlighted, and one If what you’re doing in EH is protecting based around a greater focus on the result society from criminals, then the you want from any regulation, short answer is probably ‘yes’, rather than simply prescribing a Professor Hodges pointed out. specific process or action that But in other scenarios or contexts must be followed. other approaches or models Combine this with more could also work. collaborative working models, “If one is dealing with especially between, for example, CHRIS HODGES businesses where one needs to local government and healthcare, improve their performance, then different and you can emerge with a model of what approaches work. So, it becomes more Professor Hodges described as “outcomecomplex and one needs more tools in the based cooperative regulation”. box. “The simple idea, therefore, behind He added: “The key point here, perhaps outcome-based cooperative regulation is conceptually, is that the legal model of that humans always achieve more when regulation – making rules, inspecting and we cooperate,” he said. identifying breaches, imposing sanctions, “The basis of the model is we need to but then assuming sanctions will deter and work out what we are trying to do – in achieve compliance – is usually not reliable. other words agree all the purposes and “Some highly effective regulators, outcomes. Are we producing harm or good such as aviation and nuclear safety, have

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outcomes? Let’s measure that. Usually, regulators and enforcers measure outputs, in other words numbers of inspections, guidance documents produced, fines imposed, prosecutions and so on. Those aren’t outcomes.

“A lot of the words, a lot of the language, a lot of the concepts, a lot of the ways we work I think are changing quite considerably. And it is not just with high-tech, innovative stuff; I believe this is coming to streets near you, now.

“It is exciting because the point is it improves how we operate, it improves the outcomes we get either as regulators or in terms of helping businesses to do better, and that’s what we need as a country just at the moment,” argued Professor Hodges.

N E E D TO K NOW l Regulation and enforcement based around deterrents and fines may not be the only way for EH. l More collaborative, behavioural-based approaches may also have merit in some circumstances. l An ‘outcomes-based cooperative regulation’ model could be one way forward.

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“The simple idea behind outcome-based cooperative regulation is that humans always achieve more when we cooperate”

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Year Ahead conference, 2

Year Ahead

,,,.. (j Ulster University

The Environmental

Health team at Ulster University offers the

PRACTICAL FOODINSPECTION COURSE AND CIEHPRACTICAL FOODEXAMINATION This course explores food inspection skills including: identification of foodstuff, hazards associated with specific foodstuff and their controls, judgment offitness for human consumption of specimens, intervention (including legislative tools) to safeguard public health and consumer protection.

This is a practical hands-on course covering a wide range of foodstuff including red meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, nuts, pulses, fruit and vegetables. Successful completion provides evidence that you are suitably qualified to inspect, seize and detain food and awards the CIEH accredited Practical Food Examination.

It is intended for career progression of environmental health practitioners working within the food industry, food enforcement or for environmental health students embarking in a career in this field.

Dates in June 2023 at Ulster University Belfast Campus Contact us at m.vaganaymiller@ulster.ac.uk For more information check: www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202223 practical-food-inspection-33846 Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EUSettlements Status Fees:The cost of the coursefor NI residents - £385.80. Thecost of the coursefor GB residents - £770.80.

Fees are correct at the time of publishing - www.ulster.ac. uklftnancelstudentl tuition-fees-rates Accredited by CIEH (exam only)

Chartered Instituteof

Environmental Health

'

Contact Finders for further details or to refer a case, quoting the reference:

EHN2023

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FSA WORK TO BE DONE ON ‘SUNSETTING’ BILL ood Standards Agency chief N E E D TO K NOW executive Emily Miles told the Year Ahead conference that she l EH remains under ‘significant’ pressure, fully recognised that EHPs and trading the FSA has recognised. standards officers in the public sector l There is still work to do on the food continue to experience “significant” safety implications of the Retained EU pressure, stress and even hostility.

Law (Reform and Revocation) Bill.

For those working in the private sector, l 2023 is the 10th anniversary of the “ever-more volatile” supply chains are a 2013 horsemeat crisis, and the growing issue, she pointed out. complexity of global supply chains Miles also noted ongoing concerns means there’s no guarantee a crisis about the government’s Retained EU Law like it won’t happen again.

(Reform and Revocation) Bill, including warnings by FSA chair Susan Jebb that simply ‘sunsetting’ laws for which the FSA nations of the UK,” she cautioned. Looking is responsible could risk a decline in food back at 2022, Miles highlighted the launch standards and impact public health. last March of the FSA’s five-year strategy “The FSA needs to work through and the publication in June, with Food more than 150 pieces of retained Standards Scotland, of the first EU law very quickly and advise annual report on food standards. ministers what rules need to be Despite the challenges posed incorporated within our domestic by the UK’s departure from the legislation. As well as public European Union, the pandemic health considerations, we need and now the war in Ukraine, “the to consider the impact on report found that food standards international trade and from in the UK have largely been EMILY MILES potential divergence of regulation maintained”, she said. across the UK,” Miles said.

Miles also highlighted that this year will “We also see opportunities to reform be the 10th anniversary of the 2013 current legislation and certainly have ideas horsemeat crisis. “The cost was not just on where we can make improvements. But financial but reputational. An obvious they must be done with time to consult question is whether today we are more or stakeholders, those who have to operate less susceptible to another similar food the laws like yourselves, and the food authenticity crisis or food fraud issue? industry – and to work across the four “Given the scale of the food industry

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and the complexity of its global supply chains you’re all having to deal with, unfortunately you can’t rule out another incident similar to the horsemeat crisis happening again. But thanks to the lessons learned from the incident we have more lines of defence in place now, both across the food industry and in the FSA,” she said.

These lines of defence include the National Food Crime Unit, which now has a team of 86 people, and more investment in sampling, she pointed out.

Finally, Miles highlighted how the FSA’s Achieving Business Compliance programme has completed and evaluated pilots in England and Northern Ireland.

These have tested a new risk-based model for food standards, targeting interventions at the key parts of the supply chain where they can have the greatest impact.

“We’ve also worked with the UK’s 10 largest retailers to test regulating at business level, and at enterprise level, and are developing our understanding of assurance for online food sales. Those are works in progress and I am pleased we are progressing them,” she added.

FIND OUT MORE Both days of the CIEH Year Ahead conference are available to view on the CTSI’s YouTube channel.

Scan the QR

FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 13

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Year Ahead conference, 3

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DYING TO STAY WARM

In the wake of the Awaab Ishak case, EHN got experts round the table to assess its ramifications for EH, especially as millions freeze this winter in unheated, mouldy homes WORDS BY NIC PATON 14 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS / FEBRUARY 2023

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I

N THE DECEMBER

edition of EHN, Torben Wood, environmental health officer with East Suffolk Council, said that EHPs need to “up our game” in the wake of the tragic case of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

Coroner Joanne Kearsley ruled in November 2022 that Awaab had died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s housing association flat. This was despite numerous complaints by the family to their housing association, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

The case is already generating change, with ministers last month announcing that guidance to landlords in England over mould and damp health risks will now be reviewed by the summer (as we report on our Update pages).

With Torben Wood’s call ringing in our ears, however, EHN in December (before the government response) brought together an expert panel to consider some of the wider ramifications of the case for environmental health.

Our panel comprised Dr Henry Dawson, senior lecturer in housing and health at Cardiff Metropolitan University; Dr Jill Stewart, senior lecturer in environmental health and housing at Middlesex University London; and Ellis Turner, senior lecturer in environmental health at the University of the West of England. All are members of CIEH’s Housing Advisory Panel.

For Turner, the Awaab Ishak case was another tragedy in a continuum stretching back to the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017 and subsequent inquiry, and the case of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah, whose death in 2013 was ruled by a coroner in 2020 to have been caused by air pollution.

“This inquest is the third in 12 to 18 months where a preventable death of a child of ethnicity occurred, where a child

NEED TO KNOW l Environmental health was conspicuous by its absence in the tragic case of Awaab Ishak (below). l The intense capacity and resourcing pressures the profession is under means things are only likely to get worse. l The fact millions are shivering in cold and damp houses during this winter’s cost of living crisis is potentially storing up huge EH and public health problems for the future.

died by hazard, and where we had a sphere of influence within environmental health.

It makes me really sad,” he said.

SYSTEMIC FAILURES

It wasn’t just about failings by housing associations, Turner emphasised. It was also about systemic failures around our housing stock and its management, local and national government policy, enforcement and regulation, and even more broadly, the UK’s structural ethnic, health and socio-economic inequalities.

“It is hard to have a discussion about conditions without talking about supply,” Turner pointed out. “Fundamentally, there is a housing supply issue here. We have lots of old and cold housing – much of it not built for cold weather.”

“These things are being repeatedly brought to light,” agreed Dr Dawson. “One of the things I did find startling reading about the case was the lack of a role for environmental health – it was all between the tenant and the housing association.

From what I can see, environmental health was never even notified.

“That, to me, spoke volumes of the awareness of the legislation by tenants.

Tenants are confused by the law, and very often unaware of the legislation that protects them. For example, had they spoken to their local environmental health department, who would have had powers to intervene through the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), then an end date would have been placed on resolving the problem, and Awaab Ishak would still be with us today,” he said.

Nevertheless, high-profile cases can provide the profession with an opportunity to push for policy, regulatory and structural change, Dr Dawson argued.

For example, the value of perhaps moving to a pay-per-inspection approach.

“If we wanteed to take an interest and inspect a dwelling, we could charge the landlord for the cost of that inspection, providing a regulatory approach that doesn’t rely on the public body – the public, the taxpayers – to fund the regulation. It relies on the people being regulated to fund their own regulation,” Dr Dawson pointed out.

FRAGMENTATION OF HOUSING

Another issue this case highlighted is how the long-term fragmentation of the private rented sector has made regulation and enforcement much more challenging for over-stretched and hard-pressed EHPs, Dr Stewart argued.

“Many of these households would traditionally have been in social housing and would therefore have had a housing manager. It wasn’t always perfect, but at least they had someone to go to,” she said.

“In EH we need to show we understand about the whole social determinants of health, not just about an individual house and the response. In the past, EH used to be a lot more feisty; now it feels that it is almost neutral as a profession.

“We have some amazing colleagues but also some disheartened

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9.02 million 4.75 million 3 million Estimated number of adults with pre-existing serious health conditions who spent Christmas in cold and damp homes, according to the Warm this Winter campaign.

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Number who felt their health conditions were being made worse by cold and damp, yet were also unable to afford to heat their homes to a safe standard.

Number of households that the UK Health Security Agency estimated were unable to heat their homes, even during December’s big freeze.

8,500

Number of people who died during the winter of 2019-2020 because they were living in cold homes, according to the charity National Energy Action.

30%

Percentage increase in complaints year on year to the Housing Ombudsman about damp, mould and leaks in social housing, according to Sky News.

FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 15

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Cold houses roundtable, 1

Housing roundtable

Advertising Feature

BALANCING ACT

Civica’s Luke Norfolk examines how local authorities can navigate tough times more effectively with accurate, smart and modern tech solutions

W

ITH VARYING INFLATION,

a fragile economy, and a government battling with the cost-of-living crisis, 2023 looks set to be another difficult year for local authorities across the UK. ‘Doing more with less’ will, once again be the mantra. However, this is going to be harder and riskier than it sounds.

‘Heating versus eating’ is placing a huge strain on families and individuals, many of whom are facing financial difficulties and having to seek help for the first time.

For local authorities, this means stretching already tight (or non-existent) budgets and using the limited resources at their disposal in the most efficient way possible. This is where smart cloud technology, better automation and improved data management can make a real difference. The right tools to leverage this data will also be critical.

HEATING HOMES SAFELY AND AFFORDABLY THIS WINTER With energy bills skyrocketing, more people are looking for alternatives to heat their homes. The national charity Electrical Safety First found that around eight per cent of the population ( 4.3 million) are shunning central heating in favour of electrical heaters. Councils must safeguard citizens, so they know how to use electric heaters and other alternative forms of heating safely and ensure that they only buy from reputable sellers.

Appliance safety is just one of the challenges facing local community safety officers this winter; they will of course face many more. Armed with high-quality 18 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS / FEBRUARY 2023

data, supported by the right digital tools, Chief Sustainability Officers can make the best decisions in the interests of thousands of people. Here, cloud technology has a crucial role to play. The software can save vital time and resources by automating and simplifying processes, accelerating response times and, crucially, detecting similar cases ensuring that officers can proactively intervene.

STAYING AHEAD OF CRIMINALS Cybercrime is an increasingly serious threat for virtually every business, public body and private citizen. Online fraud, data breaches and hacking are an almost daily feature in our national press. With rising costs, citizens must be ever more vigilant of scams. During the FIFA World Cup, Trading Standards warned citizens to keep an eye out for postal and online lottery scams incorrectly associated with the event. These scams are often part of international organised crime, aiming to trick people into sending money.

So, Councils have their work cut out.

They need to be able to tackle unfair trading practices from anywhere, at any time. Smart tech can help by setting up alerts to prompt precaution and get an automated overview of records associated with each case to take timely action – and keep citizens safe. St Helens Borough Council has experienced this first hand and has been able to reduce reliance on its in-house IT to support more agile working. “Ultimately, it will allow our customers to interact with us in the easiest way possible, with the quickest resolution to queries – and help us to

focus on those areas which are most important to local people”.

At Civica we continue to take advantage of advances in cyber-security to develop cutting-edge, sophisticated document checks and services that allow councils to assure citizens that trustworthy security controls are in place – guaranteeing the protection needed.

Public service organisations now need to focus on supporting those most vulnerable, while also combating their own rising costs and reducing budgets. Of course, we know it’s not sustainable or possible to continuously do more with less, so greater adaptability and more technology-enabled innovation will be essential to ‘survive’.

More can be done with what is available, whether through better use of assistive technologies or modernising existing applications. Our local authorities will need to increase self-service, reduce red tape, and improve data sharing and interoperability to drive better insight and faster actions. There’s no doubt that we’re not out of these challenging times but with the right tools we can make smarter, data driven decisions to protect citizens both today and tomorrow.

Luke Norfolk is the Managing Director of Regulatory Services at Civica.

Contact: cpenquiries@ civica.co.uk WWW.CIEH.ORG

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colleagues. We’ve seen some councils reduce their staff from big teams to small numbers in some areas, and there are problems finding suitably qualified and experienced practitioners to recruit. It has been years and years and years of neglect, of so many areas, although more training options have become available,” she added.

“We have become quite benign as a profession and there is now an emphasis on the informal first, which has made local authorities feel reluctant about taking hard legal action,” agreed Dr Dawson.

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Black mould thrives in damp, dark places and is often caused by lack of ventilation

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While it is vital not to fall into the trap of blaming tenants or lifestyles for housing failures, EH could play a greater role in the ‘sensitisation’ of tenants to common problems and potential risks to health from a property, Dr Dawson advised. For example, mould – while a tragic outcome in this case – is in fact one of the lowerrisk hazards, he pointed out.

Fire safety, falls, excess heat (as seen last summer) and excess cold all tend to be bigger killers, with the latter looming especially this winter. Cold houses bring with them a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, breathing problems, flu, depression and, again, falls – especially if someone is already vulnerable. Other risks can include carbon monoxide poisoning from badly maintained or poorly ventilated boilers, cooking and heating appliances.

The charity National Energy Action calculated that, even before the current crisis, 8,500 people died during the winter of 2019-2020 alone because of living in cold houses. By this April as many as 8.4 million households will be living in fuel poverty, it has predicted.

“We have had hundreds of thousands of people over the decades suffering from

“We are going to see a lot more tenants living in Awaab Ishakstyle situations” excess winter deaths due to temperatures within their housing, and that was before the current fuel crisis,” Dr Dawson said.

“If you’re in a cold house, your inclination is to have the fewest draughts possible, so you are going to reduce ventilation, not increase it. When tenants are struggling with their heating bills, we are going to see more cases like Awaab Ishak because we’ll see more accumulation of damp and mould growth.

“We are going to see a lot more tenants living in Awaab Ishak-style situations where we have them finding it very difficult to heat their homes adequately to drive off the moisture and to feel happy about ventilating,” he warned.

What, then, is the answer, the panel was asked – for the profession, for government and for CIEH? Ellis Turner argued that it is critical EH gets more boots on the ground

NEW HOUSING PUBLICATION

Jill Stewart has co-edited, with Russell Moffatt, a new book on the rented housing market.

Regulating the Privately Rented Housing Sector is published by Routledge and is part of its wider series, ‘Focus on Environmental Health’.

The book brings together academics and experts (including contributions from both

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Ellis Turner and Henry Dawson) to explore the rapid growth and changing nature of the sector and regulatory options.

Routledge is offering a 25% discount to CIEH members.

IT IS AVAILABLE BY SCANNING THE QR CODE:

and more capacity in place at local level.

A coherent national workforce strategy for the profession is therefore long overdue.

“That is one ask I would have of CIEH. To encourage all parties to work together better to create a workforce strategy. I’d like to see CIEH doing more to promote a national strategy,” he said.

“We need to argue our case, otherwise we’ll be here next year and the year after, saying exactly the same thing,” agreed Dr Stewart. “We need to have good-quality teams in place who are well trained and know what they’re doing.”

Selective licensing schemes are an effective tool within the enforcement box, highlighted Dr Dawson – but both the awareness and visibility of EH needs to become much greater across the board.

“One of the key take-homes from this case for me is the awareness of environment health and the fact that we do have – although poorly funded, although cash poor, although really struggling – a cadre of professionals, thousands of us up and down the country, who tenants can call on. There is legislation there to protect them; there are enforcement officers available,” he said.

“Yet, we were not even called in this case – and have not been talked about in the discussions afterwards. For me, the policy window is wide open to make some changes,” Dr Dawson concluded.

THE PANEL l Dr Henry Dawson, senior lecturer in housing and health at Cardiff Metropolitan University. l Dr Jill Stewart, senior lecturer in environmental health and housing at Middlesex University London. l Ellis Turner, senior lecturer in environmental health at the University of the West of England.

FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 17

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Cold houses roundtable, 2

Housing roundtable

~

Chartered Institute of EnvironmentalHealth~

Bookyour 2023 conferences Our sell-out headline conferences return this year, along with a selection of new conferences tailored to the needs of environmental health professionals.

Book now to gain insight from experts working across the profession: government ministers, experienced environmental health professionals, business owners and leading academics.

HOUSING AND HEALTH CONFERENCE Our 15th Housing and Health Conference will gather local authority environmental health officers and private rented sector professionals. Topics will include the latest developments from DLUHC, the cost-of-living crisis, damp and mould, and HHSRSupdates .

•

HEALTH AND SAFETY CONFERENCE Health and safety professionals will discuss key challenges, guidance updates, and opportunities to make a difference to workplace safety. There will be sessions on workforce wellbeing, the HSE 10-Year Strategy, and high-profile investigations .

• AIR QUALITY CONFERENCE Expert speakers will delve into issues surrounding air quality, targets in the Environment Act, links between health issues and poor air quality as a result of damp and mould. Shirley Rodrigues, London Deputy Mayor, will discuss the expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

•

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Opposition MPs, business groups and unions have called for the government to rethink plans to rewrite 4,000 laws

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The Retained EU Law Bill will scrap 4,000 laws, including those that protect workers’ rights

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BY BEN HARRISON director, The Work Foundation

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EU law ‘sunsetting’ fears OWEVER POLITICS

pan out over the next few months, it is already clear the government’s Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is set to become a defining moment of the remainder of this parliament.

We’ve seen Labour working to force Commons votes on the controversial bill, calls from politicians from across the political spectrum for it to be rethought, similar calls from business groups and unions, and concerns that, at the very least, it is going to lead to a massive cost burden, both in time and money, for civil servants and legislators.

SERIOUS CONCERNS The Food Standards Agency’s Emily Miles has warned about the work that will be required to ‘sunset’ EU laws. CIEH, too, in December expressed its ‘serious

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concerns’ about the ramifications of the bill for health and safety and environmental regulation.

Quite apart from the potential disappearance of specific EU-derived health and safetyrelated regulations, an analysis

by The Work Foundation has illustrated just how wide an impact this bill could have on workers’ terms and conditions, should it continue in its current form.

Workers on part-time, fixedterm or agency contracts will, in particular, potentially be affected, with working time directives and entitlement to paid holiday among the regulations that could be weakened as a result of the bill.

The bill could dilute or do away with a wide range of workers’ rights

Our analysis has shown that, for example, scrapping the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 will lead to this large workforce being treated differently to their peers when it comes to pay and leave, pension opportunities and benefits, training and career development and redundancy.

LOSS OF RIGHTS More widely, the bill could dilute or do away with a wide range of fundamental workers’ rights currently embedded in UK legislation. These include: l Holiday pay. l Protection of pregnant workers and the rights to parental leave. l Rights relating to working time, including rights to daily and weekly rest, maximum weekly working time and paid annual leave.

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l Protection of part-time and fixed-term workers. l Agency workers’ rights. l Data protection rights. l Protections of terms and conditions for workers whose employment is transferred to another employer. l Consultation with workers’ representatives when redundancies are proposed. l Protection of workers’ rights on the insolvency of their employer. l Rights to a written statement of terms and conditions.

If workers’ rights and the working environment become more precarious, this can have a knock-on impact on health and safety, and environmental health.

Workers who are less secure in their work are likely to be less well-paid and/or trained, and less supported by their organisation. They are more likely to be working in an environment more focused on cost-cutting and, potentially, corner-cutting.

If working conditions become more exploitative, that can heighten the risk of long-hours working, work-related accidents and illness. There is likely to be less support, and incentive, for whistle-blowing or raising of health and safety or EH concerns.

All this could have an impact on already hardpressed EHOs trying to do their best to protect communities, businesses and employees.

With the government (at the moment at least) seemingly intent on pushing through with the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill come what may, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the stakes for health and safety – and within that, environmental health – have rarely been higher.

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PRO S ECUT IONS This month’s selection of interesting cases and the lessons learned

Meat was found on the floor of the property

Meat trader, who operated from filthy car washes, to pay back ill-gotten gains AUTHORITY: Wiltshire Council DEFENDANT: Gent Jakupi, Devizes OUTCOME: Ten months custody, plus POCA confiscation order for £154,342.62, to pay £3,500 within three months or serve a further three months in custody. Food business operator was prohibited OFFENCES UNDER: Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Regulation 178/2002, Regulation 852/2004 and Regulation 853/2005

THE STORY In May 2020, a resident made a complaint to Wiltshire Council in regard to an unregistered and unapproved meat-cutting operation at Devizes Hand Car Wash, owned by Gent Jakupi.

Jenny Thomson, the council’s public protection manager (food and safety), said: “We made initial enquiries with Wiltshire Police and the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit to see if the activity was linked to livestock thefts or illegal slaughter, but there was no intel or evidence to substantiate this. Then one evening I drove past the car wash and saw a van parked outside, and meat carcasses being carried in.”

HOW IT PLAYED OUT Senior EHO Sarah Grubb, who led the investigation, said: “We didn’t immediately raid the premises as we needed to gather intelligence first.”

Investigations found Jakupi was buying meat from approved slaughter houses, but butchering it himself to add value. Grubb said:

“The raid had to be well-planned as we had to have everything in place.

We were accompanied by armed police and also had to organise refrigerated transport and storage for the meat that was seized.

“The premises was filthy. Meat was on the floor close to car repair equipment. There was dog faeces and a dog roaming around. There was no hot water either.”

An emergency hygiene prohibition notice was served, and 2.7 tonnes of meat was seized. A customer list revealed Jakupi was selling meat on to individuals and businesses across the UK. Surveillance then found Jakupi had moved his operation to Ludgershall Hand Car Wash. In November, a raid found this premises to be dirty, rat-infested and with no hot water. A further 2.4 tonnes of meat was seized.

In December 2021, Jakupi pleaded guilty to 39 food hygiene offences at Swindon Crown Court and was sentenced to 10 months custody.

LESSONS LEARNED A key lesson was the importance of the hours of planning to ensure the success of the operation. Thomson and Grubb said: “The cooperation of agencies and other (council) departments was also vital.”

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AUTHORITY: Dorset Council DEFENDANTS: Rebecca Heath, Three Legged Cross Derrick Perriton, Three Legged Cross OUTCOME: Heath: 200 hours community service, £34,840 confiscation order to pay within three months or nine months custody, £4,500 costs, £85 victim surcharge.

Perriton: 200 hours community service, £115,000 confiscation order to pay within three months or 18 months custody, £4,500 costs, £85 victim surcharge OFFENCES UNDER: Animal Welfare Act 2006 S4(1), S9(1), S13(1) Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018

THE STORY In March 2020, officers from Dorset Council executed a search warrant at a premises in Three Legged Cross, following concerns that William Derrick Perriton and Rebecca Heath were running a dog breeding and selling business without a licence.

They discovered a number of dogs living in appalling conditions, and the animals’ basic needs, including housing, bedding, medical attention, as well as adequate water and ventilation, were not being met.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT An investigation was undertaken led by Michelle Jones, team leader animal welfare and dog control team, and Jane Williams, team leader environmental protection, in partnership with the police and Trading Standards.

In January 2022, Perriton and Heath appeared at Bournemouth

Prosecution a reminder burning materials that emit dark smoke is unacceptable AUTHORITY: Harrogate Borough Council DEFENDANT: Vincent Davies OUTCOME: £146 fine, £200 costs, £34 victim surcharge OFFENCES UNDER: Section 2(1) of the Clean Air Act 1993

HAD A SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION? Please tell us about it: email editor@cieh.org

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THE STORY In April 2022, North Yorkshire Fire Service notified Harrogate Borough Council that they had just attended a large fire at a caravan park in Ripon, which had been emitting dark smoke.

Technical officer James Clayson, from the environmental protection team, attended the site to investigate the contents of the fire.

Remnants of items known to release toxins when burnt, including composite decking, treated wood and plastic drainage pipe, were discovered in the remains of the fire.

HOW IT PLAYED OUT Vincent Davies, who was manager of the caravan park at the time, admitted to lighting the fire and not checking the contents.

Dogs and puppies were found in a pitiful condition

Crown Court, and pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, failing to take steps to ensure the needs of animals were met, and carrying out a dog-breeding and selling business for 14 months without a licence.

In October 2022, the convicted illegal puppy-selling duo were each sentenced to 200 hours of community service. A month later, the judge confirmed the confiscation orders, and warned Perriton and Heath they faced prison for default.

Clayson said: “Employees from the neighbouring commercial units had posted videos of the fire as it was happening. The footage and witness statements from the employees were used as evidence to demonstrate to the court the severity of the fire.”

In November 2022, Davies appeared at York Magistrates Court and, following mitigation, was fined £146.

LESSONS LEARNED Clayson said: “This investigation was a good example of different parties working together to get a positive result. If we hadn’t been notified of the incident by the North Yorkshire Fire Service we would not

LESSONS LEARNED Jones and Williams said team-working was key.

“The Trading Standards team’s financial investigator was able to work with the EHOs investigating the case to ensure proceeds of crime action could follow.”

They found body-cam evidence taken from the site investigation was extremely useful.

Being prepared to interpret messages on electronic devices was also found to be vital.

Fire at the Ripon caravan park

have been able to get out on site so promptly to witness the remnants of the fire, and speak with Mr Davies there and then.

“Although the fine Mr Davies received was not the largest, we are grateful the case got to court, as we are able to use it as an example to others that burning material that gives rise to dark smoke is not acceptable,” he added.

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Prosecutions, 1

Illegal puppy farm duo ordered to pay £150k in three months or face prison

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LOVE THEIR NEIGHBOUR

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OISE NUISANCE complaints have been seen to be increasing across the board over the past two years.

According to an article published by Direct Line Group in October 2022, the last financial year saw nearly 450,000 noise complaints to councils across the UK, which equates to 1,229 every day, or one every 70 seconds.

The real number of noise complaints may be even higher than these official figures, as research conducted by Opinium in June last year showed that only a third of Brits have acted in response to a noise dispute with their neighbour.

Although local councils and housing associations are doing their best to keep up with the demand, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to manage Keyfeaturesof the TrojanNoise NuisanceRecorderinclude: • • • •

• •

Secureand lockablecaseto prevent tampering Fixedmicrophonecableto avoidmisuse Securetripod mount for the microphoneto preventdamage Wirelessremote controlto start/stop recordingsto makeit easyfor residents to use High-qualityaudiorecordingsprovide a more in-depthview Removablehandheldsoundlevelmeter for on-the-spotmeasurements

22 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS/ FEBRUARY 2023

and prioritise caseloads, with stretched resources and no sign of things getting any easier.

MAKE IT EASIERTO MANAGE YOUR CASELOAD!

At Cirrus Research, we understand that noise changes lives, affects residents' health and well-being and lowers their quality of life. Whether it's nuisance noise from a barking dog or a factory across the road, we can work together to support residents noise complaints by providing accurate and objective noise data that will help you make the right decision.

The Trojan Noise Nuisance Recorder from Cirrus Research was designed in conjunction with local authorities, environmental health officers and housing associations to allow you to measure, monitor and record noise nuisance quickly, easily and effectively.

The whole system, from the recorder through to the software, is simple to use for both you and the end users so that you can be sure that the information you get is actionable and reliable.

As a Trojan customer, you also gain exclusive access to our NoiseAid App, which has been designed to help you gather data before deploying the Trojan, saving you time and making your resources more effective. This app gives your complainants the ability to instantly

log disturbances via a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. Any data logged here is directly fed to a secure portal for your viewing.

As well as the NoiseAid app, you will benefit from the NoiseToolssoftware, which makes it easier than ever before to download and analyse noise data. This software is free from ANYinstallation or licensing restrictions, and can be downloaded onto as many PCs as needed, at no additional cost.

At Cirrus Research we also offer an industry-leading 15-year warranty and ongoing UK-based training and support.

Takethe first step to allowingyour residents to lovetheir neighbourtoday by speakingto our noiseexperts: T: +441723 891655

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Findout moretoday: https://hello.cirrusresearch.com/ love-thy-neighbour

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~ Research

pie

WWW.CIEH.ORG

Your career, 1

YOUR VERSION

CAREER

REPRO OP

-

SUBS ART PRODUCTION

CIEH marks two decades of chartered status for EHPs and looks ahead to how it will evolve in the 2020s

0I Written by NIC PATON

SHUTTERSTOCK, LISA MALTBY

CLIENT

‘Chartered status counts’ T WAS 20 YEARS

ago today… Well, last month, technically.

January 2003 saw CIEH take the then bold (and, as we shall see, for some controversial) step to launch chartered status for environmental health practitioners.

Two decades on, chartered status continues to evolve, as evidenced

by CIEH’s latest review (see panel at the end for more on this).

Nevertheless, with the most recent cohorts of chartered practitioner graduates completing their programmes in May and October respectively (as we also show overleaf), now is as good a time as any to reflect on how chartered status came about and what it has meant for the profession.

WWW.CIEH.ORG

BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN

As Paul Robinson, CIEH director of education and professional standards at the time, recalls: “At that point, environmental health was not very high up in the ranks of local government.

CIEH had a working party in place from the mid-1980s, looking at ways to professionalise the profession, which included a number of things, including chartered status.

“We moved to all-degree entry – initially honours degrees, then master’s programmes. We moved the accreditation of universities to a more professional way of doing it, and generated a core curriculum. We launched the research journal and brought in the CPD scheme. So there was a whole swathe of activity,” Robinson tells EHN.

FEARS AND WORRIES But it was not without opposition, as Jon Buttolph, associate director of membership and professional development, makes clear. “I remember Paul making me go up and down the country to talk about chartered status at various branches. Mostly it was OK, but there were certainly a few where I was in a room being shouted at by people.

“There were some who were quite apprehensive about chartered status existing. There was a feeling it might lead to what they were calling a two-tier profession, a profession where those with chartered status would be rewarded for that and others wouldn’t.

For better or worse, that never happened and FEBRUARY 2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 23

91CEHFEB23111.pgs 03.02.2023 16:02

VERSION REPRO OP SUBS ART PRODUCTION CLIENT

chartered status is much more about individual development. Nevertheless, there was quite a lot of passion about.

Now, everybody thinks chartered status is a long-established thing, but at the time it could easily have ended up being kicked into the long grass,” Buttolph adds.

So, two decades on, what has chartered status achieved?

The answer to this, unfortunately, needs to be seen in the context of the wider erosion of local government – first by austerity, then by the pandemic and now by the cost of living and energy crisis – and the impact this has had on the resourcing and capacity of environmental health more broadly, whether chartered practitioners or not.

“Chartered status counts when you’re dealing with other people, when you’re dealing with other

©

“One thing chartered status did was enable our voice to be heard more” professions – when you’re talking to people in public health or the NHS or the police or in court, or whatever it is. That’s when it really matters. It absolutely helps with that,” enthuses Buttolph.

“For me, however, the big thing that has happened over the last 10 years is austerity and the hollowing out of local government. That has been a much, much larger force in terms of having an impact, sadly negative, on EH,” he adds Nevertheless, Paul Robinson argues it is an achievement to be valued; a statement of development and professionalism that practitioners need to protect.

Well done, too, to the latest new chartered EHPs at City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

“Our trainees were challenged, put under pressure, had to work bizarre hours but always did so with a smile on their faces and the determination to succeed. There were times their work attitude kept this seasoned mentor and their fellow EHOs going,” says senior EHO Jane Bradbury.

“Now they are all qualified chartered EHOs, Bradford MDC and the senior mentors would like to send a huge congratulations on their success. We wish them a very bright future in exciting careers,” she adds.

Pictured are Charlie Williams, Robert Winn, Lauren Margrove, Francesca Hutchinson, Jason Coen, Daniel Parrish, Lynne Oxley, Guy Waddington and Bethany Petch.

C HA RT ER E D CONSULTATION CIEH is currently carrying out a review of chartered status, including what a chartered EHP should ‘be’ in the 2020s.

To that end, a consultation of members was held over the autumn, which generated 991 responses. Threequarters (76%) felt people must be registered EHPs (with EHRB or CIEH) before they could become chartered EHPs. More than 90% agreed chartered status should only be available to those who had completed a period

of relevant postgraduate work experience.

Most respondents felt chartered status should be available four to six years after becoming an EHP (with one to three years being the second highest answer).

More than 80% agreed chartered status should be maintained through CPD. Additional professional credibility was seen as the main value of being a chartered EHP, followed by peer recognition. However,

additional ‘employability’ also generated a high response rate (circa 45%).

CIEH’s Chartered Status Review Working Group will now consider this data, as well as feedback from online meetings with members. It will use this to develop a new draft pathway to chartered status.

Members and other stakeholders will be asked to comment on these proposals. The aim is to relaunch chartered status in the second half of 2023.

“One thing chartered status did was enable our voice to be heard more within government departments and NGOs. Because we had that level of chartered status, I noticed in my dealing with government departments – the FSA, HSE or whoever – that they took more notice, they listened more,” he says.

“I am proud of it as an achievement. It was great to have been involved in the build-up. It was a far-sighted, far-thinking change. It helped move the profession from being an ‘also’ service in local authorities to something more prestigious.

“A number of chartered EHPs went on to become directors of big departments. I don’t think that would have happened if it hadn’t been for chartered status,” Robinson adds.

W E L L D ON E The following EHPs successfully completed CIEH’s Chartered Practitioner Programme in May and October 2022.

MAY 22 TWO-YEAR PRACTITIONERS Ali Abu Qurain , Oliver Benson, Christina Brown, Chloe Chapman, Julia Bull, Megan Chick, Ian Costello, Dean Crook, Nisha Didar, Amy Flynn, Niamh Gartland, Craig Gilder, Victoria Green, Mark Grose, Jonathan Hampson, Sarah Harper, Gemma Hilton, Carla Howard, David Howes, Theelaivan Jagabrun, Thomas Keating, Wayne Kerr, Paul King, Sarah Lutaaya, Lisa Maskell, Tamuka Maswera, Aimee McComack, Robert Nartey, Thomas Nicol, Adeola Ogunade, Gemma Poppleton, Katherine Rallings, Mark Richardson, Laura Rosten, Surrya Sadiq, Christopher Sibanda, Christopher Smith, Samantha Smith, Matthieu Symons, Lisa Tillett, Luke Tudor, Ellie Tyers, Joanne Watson, Alun Whitaker, Charlie Williams, Robert Winn ONE-YEAR PRACTITIONERS Emma Crawford, Koulla Dipli, Mohammad Islam, Adrian Manion, Wai-Tung Ng, Alice Osborn, Tony Paul, Renu Sherchan OCTOBER 2022 TWO-YEAR PRACTITIONERS Stephanie Appiah-Anderson, Sara Ashton, Samuel Babatola, Alix Baker, Sarah Belwood, Dennis Bollers, Paul Bowen, Stephanie Brown, Jonathan Cadwell, Alexander Coates, Jason Coen, Anna Czerska, Laura Drury, Martin Fatchu, Elizabeth Hawkins, Rachel Hearson, Lindsay Howe, Francesca Hutchinson, Elaina Knibb, Wendy McCleary, Lauren Margrove, Malvern Muteta, Lynne Oxley, Daniel Parrish, Bethany Petch, Isaac Rowland, Gemma Shaw, Matthew Soffe, Nicholas Taylor, Iwona Typek-Ryszka, Guy Waddington, Emily Whittaker, James Woodley, Eric Yeboah ONE-YEAR PRACTITIONERS Ruth Briggs, Matthew Pawson Hannah Ken nedy, Marta Klimcyzk, Helen Tokaiqali, Deborah Vincent

24 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS / FEBRUARY 2023

BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN

91CEHFEB23112.pgs 03.02.2023 15:58

Your career, 2

Your career

Chartered Institute of

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You'll inform and educate restaurant, bar, foodservice and grocery store owners about specific standards while continuing to learn more about those industries and grow your skills.

This is a great opportunity for newly qualified Environmental Health Professionals, or those with a minimum Level 4 Food Safety & Level 4 Health & Safety qualification looking to break into the audit service delivery environment.

Currently we are looking for safety advisors across the UK in the current locations: Peterborough/Cambridge, Nottingham, North West, North East, Scotland. *We are also looking for self-employed contractors across all UK regions

What you will be doing: • Conducting food safety inspections/audits.

• Coaching/training at client's sites • Summarising and evaluating inspection/audit findings.

• Communicating findings/results of inspections/ audits with client site management or appropriate client representatives.

• Collecting food, product or environmental samples from client sites and have the samples sent to appropriate laboratories for testing.

• Developing effective work plans for the completion of assigned inspections/audits within a determined timeframe.

• Establishing and maintain effective communication with key team members including audit delivery and client teams.

Closing date: 17 Feb 2023 For more information and to apply go to www.ehn-jobs.com/job/338863/

WWW.CIEH.ORG

FEBRUARY2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 27

Recruitment

QSoferFoodScores TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHCONSULTANTS Full and part-time positionsworking in the private sector -food safety and health and safety.

Permanent PAVEand sub-contractingpositionsavailable.

Newha London Newham is an exciting. vibrant inner-city borough that is committed to putting people at the heart of everything we do.

It has one of the largest private rented sectors in England. Its Private Sector Housing Service is at the forefront of the regulation of this private sector through its pioneering borough wide property licensing schemes. Our schemes have protected tenants and landlords by creating a genuine and tangible deterrent for criminal landlords.

If you enjoy working in a challenging, fast-paced environment and have a passion to tackle some of the worst properties, we have the following vacancies:

Salary: £35 to £55K.

Environmental Environmental

Due to rapid growth, Safer Food Scores is currently recruiting

£43,815-£46,857(Grade P04) pa (plus £1000 Recruitment & Retention package) Our Private Sector Housing Standards team are looking for talented Environmental Health Officers/Practitioners to work within private sector housing. The role includes carrying out multi-agency inspections of unlicensed properties and licence condition checks and inspecting properties in disrepair.

another Technical Director and several environmental health consultants.

You will be based at our head office in the beautiful market town

Health Officer/ Health Practitioner

of Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, with some home working as well

Private Sector Housing Officer

as travel to client sites mainly in London and the South-East.

£43.815-£46.857(Grade P04) pa (plus £1000 Recruitment & Retention package) You will be responsible for carrying out high standard regulatory work within the private rented sector. In doing so you will be protecting tenants and making the private rented sector a fairer place to operate. You can expect a mix of casework and project work, supporting tenants, as well as working pro-actively to address both common and highly complex problems.

Consultants will be supporting our clients to achieve the highest standards of food hygiene, allergen management and health and safety by providing expert advice.

If you would like to work for a dynamic and exciting food hygiene and health and safety company with a wide range of interesting clients and consultancy services,we would love to hear from you!

Closing date: 20th February 2023

There will be opportunities to develop your professional skills further with training opportunities and CPD.For more information and to apply please go to

www.ehn-jobs.com/employer/301130/

Please send any queries and your CV to hello@saferfoodscores.co.uk Rushcliffe

BoroughCouncil

Are you ready to be challenged?

Primary Authority Officer Areyou an experiencedenvironmentalhealth professionalwho wantsto work with someof the globe's

largestbrandsto ensuretheycomplywithall theirobligations?

We're lookingfor you! Comeandjoin usto adviseinternationalhouseholdname businesses on key operationaland legalrequirementsto ensurethey remainat the top of their gamein their field.

Thisisthe perfectopportunityfor someonelookingfor a new challengeto think differentlyabout how to improvecompliancefor a rangeof brands.Naturally,it comeswith flexibilityto workfrom anywhere in the UKyet still makea significantdifferencelocallyto businesses basedin the EastMidlands.

Environmental Health Officer

We are seekingan enthusiastic,confident,and self-motivatedEnvironmentalHealthOfficerto join our busyEnvironmentalProtection& Housingteam. We havea diverserangeof housingissuesacrossa mixedurbanand ruraldistrictin the heartof Nottinghamshire.

Thisisan excitingopportunityand the successful candidatewill havethe chanceto lead on all aspects of privatesectorhousingenforcementwork.

Closingdate for both roles:12 March2023 Interviews:w/c 20 March2023

Get in touch

Forfurther detailsseewww.rushcliffe.gov.uk/jobs Foran informaldiscussionre the HousingEHOpleasecontactGaryPickeringon Oll5 914 8276 Orf or the PrimaryAuthorityrolecontactPhilScotneyon Oll5 9148242

About us RushcliffeBoroughCouncilisa modernforward-thinkingauthority providinghighqualityservicesto over 119,000peopleacrossSouth Nottinghamshire and morewidelyacrossthe UKthroughour Primary Authorityoffer.

Thereare all the benefitsyou wouldexpectfromworkingfor a local authoritymatchedwith fantasticon-siteleisurecentrefacilitieswith half pricediscountand a contemporaryforwardthinkingcommercial environment.

RUSHCLIFFE • GREAT PLACE • GREAT LIFESTYLE• GREAT SPORT

28 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS/ FEBRUARY 2023

WWW.CIEH.ORG

TO ADVERTISE CONTACT PAUL PRIOR. TEL: 020 7827 9929. EMAIL: P.PRIOR@CIEH.ORG

Environmental Health Officer Grade: Grade 6 (£37,261to £40,478)

DISTRICT OF HARBOROUGH

Full time I 37 per week Essential car user

Harborough District Council's vision is to work with communities in a vibrant, safe and prosperous district and to bring the best opportunities to all.

Harborough District Council is looking for a highly motivated individual, to work within Regulatory Services as an Environmental Health Officer. In this role you will be working within the Environment Team that is responsible for enforcing Pollution Control and Private Sector Housing. You will be required to offer support to the Team Leader and undertake inspections and investigations in relation to statutory nuisance, anti-social behaviour, private sector housing enforcement, air pollution, permitted processes, licensed premises (including caravan site licensing) and public health (including private water supplies), in accordance with legislative requirements and council policy.

You will be expected to take the lead on certain aspects of the team's work, that may include private sector housing, pollution prevention

Grade B • £32,909 to £37,262 per year 37 hours per week• Permanent contract• Full time

We are looking for a positive and enthusiastic professional to join our busy Environmental Protection Team within the Public Protection Service Area.

Your primary function will be to act as the Councils lead officer for Environmental Permitting. Your role will be to ensure decisions are made on sound technical grounds, within the required timeframes and ensuring appropriate standards and requirements are met. You will also support and mentor other team members in relation to this work area.

You will need to have a good working knowledge of the Environmental Permitting Sector, good customer care skills and the ability to communicate effectively with businesses and members of the public to influence behaviour and outcomes.

We are an ambitious service area, with a commitment to supporting our staff development and career progression.

This role is an exciting opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of North Lincolnshire's residents and in doing so meet the council's outcomes of being safe and well across the varied rural and urban landscape of North Lincolnshire.

customer service skills.

We are a progressive employer with flexible and agile working arrangements.

You will need to have a full and valid driving licence. This post is 37 hours per week, however, all applications will be considered. For further details or an informal discussion please contact Annie Ward, Environmental Protection Team Leader on 01724 297611.

To apply please go to www.ehn-jobs.com/job/338859/

Closing Date: Sunday, DBJanuary 2023

control, planning consultations and private water supplies. You will have experience of communicating confidently with a range of people in a customer facing role and will be able to demonstrate excellent

To apply please go to www.ehn-jobs.com/job/338883/

Part Time

Graduate

Environmental

Health

Officer/

Environmental

Health

Office

(Environmental

Protection)

18.5hours per week - Temporary Contract up to two years Grade 7 (Graduate EH0)-£34,723 to £37,261(Pro rata) Grade 8 (EHO)- £38,296 to £41,496 (Pro rata)

Uttlesford is a thriving predominantly rural District in north-west Essex,16 miles south of Cambridge. We are seeking an enthusiastic, highly motivated Officer to work within the Environmental Health (Protection) Service.

As a member of our small multi-disciplinary team you will be involved in a wide variety of environmental health functions, including, air quality, environmental permitting, noise monitoring, private water supplies, contaminated land, licensing, planning consultations and some private sector housing regulation.

Our closely bonded team is committed to provide an excellent service to our residents, the business community, and our partners. We are seeking a candidate with excellent skills in communication, prioritisation, and planning.

It is essential you have a ·can do' attitude, be self-motivated and be willing to get involved in different work streams. You must be able to take responsibility for a varied caseload and be committed to team working.

For an informal discussionplease contact Marcus Watts, Environmental Health Manager (Protection) on 01799 510510.

Closing date for completed applications is Sunday,19 February 2023.

It is intended that interviews will be held Monday, 27 February 2023.

Pleaseapply online via our recruitment link

www.uttlesford.gov.uk/jobs-careers

Graduate Environmental Health Practitioner/ Environmental Health Officer

~:\-

HALTON BOROUGHCOUNCIL

£31,099 - £37,261 • Permanent • Full Time Halton Council are providing an exciting opportunity

for an

Environmental Health Graduate to launch their career in Environmental Health and become a fully qualified Environmental Health Professional with the ability to conduct FSA official controls.

Applications will also be considered from candidates who are fully qualified and registered EHP's.

Candidates must possess an accredited degree in Environmental Health.

As a graduate environmental Health Practitioner (HBC7) candidates will be funded and supported to complete the CIEH EHP Portfolio whilst working within the Food and Health & Safety team. The role will also provide an opportunity

to work across the Environmental Health Division

to complete all elements of the EHP.Candidates will be expected to complete the EHP within 2 years but will be provided with full work based support.

Applications will be considered from accredited degree students who are due to qualify this year, but any offer of employment will be conditional on obtaining an accredited degree.

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Stephen Burrows on 01515117544.

Interviews will be held on week beginning 13th March 2023 Closing Date: 27/02/2023 at 23:59 To apply please go to www.ehn-jobs.com/job/339093/

WWW.CIEH.ORG

FEBRUARY2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 29

Recruitment

Latest opportunities in Environmental Health

Borough Council of

•

King's Lynn &

Environmental Health Manager

West Norfolk

£47,397- £57,105

[I

Health and Safety Manager

NORWICH City Council

iti1SL1NGTON

= For a more equal future

£47,573- £51.153

v/akefieldcouncil SeniorEnvironmentalHealthOfficer wo>i:i~fonrv £38,296-£41.496

Unit ManagerPrivateRentedSector

mQO.~

& EHO(CommercialPremises) £37,261-£46.549

SeniorEnvironmentalHealthOfficer £40.503- £48.747

:-:.:,~mptonshire Council

•

-~ Hart DISTRl'{ijOUNCIL

EnvironmentalHealth Practitioner(FoodHygieneand CommercialPremises) £35,958- £39,123

Housing Enforcement Officer £37,177

*

rnyof SeniorEnvironmentalHealthOfficers !!,~P.,~Q~!2£38,296- £44,539

Go to www.ehn-jobs.com to find out more

oyster •

Oyster Partnership is a well-established recruitment agency that specialises in the contract recruitment of Environmental Health Professionals.With over 10 years of experience in the recruitment industry, we aim to find the right opportunities for the right people.

We pride ourselves on providing expert, honest and clear career advice and will relentlessly work to find the right opportunities for you!

➔ We are currently recruiting for the following positions: EnvironmentalHealth Officer Cumbria,€40-€42 ph umbrella (f72k pa equivalent) PrivateSectorHousing Officer North West,€33-€40 ph PrivateSectorHousingOfficer West Midlands,€35-€40 ph DOE PestControlOfficer London,€30 ph

EnvironmentalProtectionOfficer Sussex,€40+ ph PrivateSectorHousingOfficer Kent,€40+ ph PrivateSectorHousingOfficer Oxfordshire,€40-€50 ph FoodSafety Officer - OutsideIR35 West Sussex,€45+ ph PestControlOfficer London,€22 ph

If any of these roles look like something you would be interested in, contact me directly at caolan.dundon@ oysterpartnership.com or on 020 7766 9000.

If any of these roles aren't quite what you are looking for, but you are in search for a new position across Environmental Health, please feel free to contact me for a private and confidential discussion about our other career opportunities.

30 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS/ FEBRUARY 2023

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FEBRUARY2023 / ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS 31

Front line, 1

Front line L EAR N I NG POI N T S

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TALES FROM T THE FJV T L I N E TA L E S FROM H E FRON

CLIENT

Getting a buzz from pest control

Matt O’Donnell has gone from local authority chartered EHP to running his own pest control business, specialising in live honeybee removal

0 I

RECOGNISE YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS The skills and knowledge I gained as an EHP are of direct benefit to running a business. For example, I learned a lot from seeing small enterprises struggle with regulatory compliance.

1

’VE NEVER BEEN ONE

to stand still. Early in my career I worked in catering, including running corporate hospitality events, and then my own pub/ restaurant. But I wanted a change, so went to university as a mature student to qualify in environmental health.

I worked in local government for around 15 years. I was a chartered EHP and health protection team leader at North Northamptonshire Council until June last year, and before that did the same role at Wellingborough Borough Council. I’ve also been an assessor/ interviewer for CIEH since 2012.

In 2017 I decided to start my own business, iX5 Pest Control, initially alongside my local authority roles, until last year turning it into my full-time job.

Having the security of a salary from paid employment meant establishing the

32 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS / FEBRUARY 2023

BLACK YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN

business was relatively easy; I was able to start it with minimal outlay and allow it to grow slowly. One of the challenges of doing it this way, of course, is that you need to be careful you are not stretching yourself too thinly. The demands of the business always had to be balanced against delivering in my local authority role. Fortunately, flexitime was a great benefit.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

One spur to going full-time was that I’d started keeping bees and noticed a gap in the market for live honeybee removals from buildings.

Honeybee colonies naturally swarm at least once each year, usually between April and June. A colony normally splits, with half remaining where they are and the other half leaving to look for a new home.

This can be anything from a hollow tree to a chimney, a roof void or a wall cavity.

JUST GO FOR IT I’d encourage anyone considering setting up any considl business business to do so. It’s easy to stay in zone. But I love in our our comfort com con being in control being of my own time, while seeing seeing my r, plans evolve. while

2

MAKE TIME AND HEAD SPACE TO PLAN AHEAD However busy you are day to day, it is important to have a clear plan.

I have a vision of where I want the business to be in five to seven years’ time. I am confident 2023 is going to be an exciting year.

3

Live honeybee removal is necessary as, ethically, killing bees isn’t a sustainable approach. Moreover, from a pest control perspective, there are no professional-use insecticides specifically approved for use on honeybees in the UK any longer.

There are also significant risks from putting insecticide into a colony. These include reoccupation down the line; contaminated comb; and robber bees stealing the honey and returning to their hives, posing a risk to the food chain and that colony’s survival. Honeybee combs can also attract ants, wasps, wax moths or even rodents if left in situ.

There are many safety considerations fellow EHPs will be very aware of, both for people in the vicinity of a live honeybee colony (think anaphylaxis) and for the structural works required to access it. Honeybee removal can involve the use of scaffolding, for example, and the need to cut into the building to gain access, along with reinstatement works.

Deciding to run your own business can be scary, but I’m so glad I made the change. As EHPs we see where businesses are going wrong (and right), and you can learn a lot from that.

l Matt O’Donnell is a chartered EHP and director of iX5 Pest Control

SHUTETRSTOCK

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Live honeybee honeybee Live removals removals involve involve aa number of of EH EHsafety safety number considerations considerations

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