Permits for Dry Cleaners and the role of Public Protection Partnership
The Public Protection Partnership covers many day to day elements of our lives that we’re most likely not even aware of. There are the highly visible aspects of our role, such as dealing with food hygiene in food outlets and prosecuting rogue traders and highlighting current scams. But are you aware of the checks we might be making on your local dry cleaners?
Our Environmental Quality officers have recently been carrying out routine inspections of premises which have a ‘permit for pollution prevent and control’, which includes dry cleaners, vehicle resprayers, and cement batchers.
The photo is of a dry cleaning machine which uses PERC* to clean clothes which can be harmful to health and to the environment if not managed properly.
Our officers check that the conditions on the permits are adhered to and ensure the business is operating within the relevant legislation. The officer’s visit also includes checks that the permit holder is complying with their permit conditions. The conditions include such things as requirements for training, maintenance, daily checks and emergency procedures.
For more information on permits under the Pollution Prevention and Control legislation visit our website here.
https://publicprotectionpartnership.org.uk/environmental-health/industrial-pollution/
*Perchloroethylene (“perc”) has long been recognized as an effective dry cleaning solvent and is by far the most commonly used solvent in dry cleaning shops. However, as a volatile organic solvent, perc can pose serious health hazards if exposure is not properly controlled.
