Pests Corner...
Odorous House Ant
Tapinoma Sessile
- Appearance: Dark reddish brown to black, 1/10" long; antennae have 12 segments.
- Habits: Nests found in a great variety of situations; in the home, often found nesting in the walls or beneath the floor; most likely to invade homes during rainy weather; travel in trails; forage day and night.
- Diet: Honeydew melons in the wild; inside the home,they prefer sweet items.
- Reproduction: Each female in the nest lays one egg a day; young reach adulthood in an average of 24 days; workers and females live for several years.
- Other Information: When crushed, give off very unpleasant odor;colonies are very large, but can be driven away by invading Argentine ants.
QuicKil Pest Control Services :: Health & The Law
The following major pieces of legislation affect businesses in the United Kingdom whether they handle food or not:
- Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949;
- Health & Safety at Work Act 1974;
- The Food Hygiene (General) Regulations 1970;
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988;
- The Food Safety Act 1990;
- The EEC Food Hygiene Directive 1993.
Enforcement
The above legislation is enforced by the Environmental Health Departments of Local Authorities and the Health & Safety Executive who can invoke penalties including:
- Fines up to £20,000 per offence;
- Unlimited fines in Crown Courts;
- 6 months to 2 years imprisonment;
- Closure of premises;
- 2 years disqualification from catering.
Food Businesses
All the above legislation applies to food or food related businesses which are required to ensure that:
- Food rooms must be free from infestation;
- Preventative measures must be taken to ensure that food is not contaminated.
For example:
- Fly screens;
- Removal of waste & rubbish;
- Pest Control.
Non Food Businesses
Pests can cause a hazard to the health, safety and welfare of your staff or to visitors (Health & Safety at Work (etc.) Act 1994).
For example:
- Risk of fire from rodents chewing power cables;
- Risk of disease from bacteria, etc, carried by rodents and insects;
- Risk of bites from fleas, etc;
- Risk of accidents caused by bird droppings.
Employers are required under COSHH Regulations to assess and define the above types of risk and take reasonable measures to minimise them this is referred to as "due diligence".
Important
QuicKil must comply with stringent EC and UK legislation centred around the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations whilst storing and using poisonous chemicals.
