To consider the adequacy of the Council’s health and safety arrangements.

14.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Interim Environmental and Housing Services Group Manager, circulated at Pages No. 84-108, which attached, at Appendix 1, a summary of the activities carried out to secure health and safety compliance during 2015/16.  Members were asked to consider the contents of the report and to agree that an annual report on health, safety and welfare-related matters be presented to the Audit Committee at its meeting following the end of the financial year.

14.2           Members received a presentation during which the following key points were raised

·           Health and Safety Executive – “Organisations need to manage health and safety with the same degree of expertise and to the same standards as other core business activities, if they are effectively to control risks and prevent harm to people”.

·           HSG65 “Managing Health and Safety” – A best-seller for the Health and Safety Executive; provides sound guidance on good practice in health and safety management; advocates action beyond what is strictly required by legislation e.g. audit or tool box talks.

·           Plan [make policy and arrangements] – Effective health and safety policies set a clear direction for the organisation to follow: they contribute to all aspects of business performance as part of a demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement; responsibilities to people and the environment are met; stakeholders expectations in the activity are satisfied; there are cost-effective approaches to preserving and developing physical and human resources, which reduce financial losses and liabilities.

·           Do (1) [take plans, objectives and make them happen] – An effective management structure and arrangements are in place for delivering the policy: all staff are motivated and empowered to work safely and to protect their long-term health, not simply to avoid accidents; there is a shared common understanding of the organisation’s vision, values and beliefs; a positive health and safety culture is fostered by the visible and active leadership of senior managers.

·           Do (2) – There is a planned and systematic approach to implementing the health and safety policy through an effective health and safety management system: the aim is to minimise risks; risk assessment methods are used to prioritise; risks are eliminated through selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes; if risks cannot be eliminated, they are minimised; performance standards are established and used for measuring achievement; specific actions to promote a positive health and safety culture are identified.

·           Check [measure performance, monitor, investigate] – Performance is measured against agreed standards to reveal when and where improvement is needed: active self-monitoring reveals how effectively the health and safety management system is functioning; look at both hardware (premises, plant and substances) and software (people, procedures and systems); if control fails, reactive monitoring discovers why by investigating accidents, ill-health or incidents which could cause harm or loss; the objectives of active and reactive monitoring were to determine the immediate causes of sub-standard performance and to identify the underlying causes and implications for the design and operation of the health and safety management system; longer-term objectives are also monitored.

·           Act [review findings from observation of practice] – The organisation learns from all relevant experience and applies the lessons: there is a systematic review of performance based on data from monitoring and from independent audits of the whole health and safety management system; strong commitment to continuous improvement involving the constant development of policies, systems and techniques of risk control; performance is also often recorded in annual reports.

14.3           A Member drew attention to Page No. 92 of Appendix 1 to the report, which stated that the health, safety and welfare policy was updated ‘regularly’ and he sought clarification as to how often that actually was.  The Environmental Health Manager advised that the policy was updated annually and was currently going through minor revisions to amend job titles etc.  Any substantial changes would be taken to the ‘Keep Safe, Stay Healthy’ Group.  A Member questioned how the Council proved that it was compliant with HSG65 and was informed that the Health and Safety Executive provided a lot of online documentation including a checklist which was used by the Council to assess its performance.  The Council was currently approximately 80% complaint against the self-assessment.  A Member drew attention to Page No. 100 of Appendix 1 to the report which still referred to there being three partners in Ubico.  The Borough Solicitor confirmed that the number of partners had increased from three to six as of 1 April 2016 which was outside of the period covered by the report.

14.4           It was

RESOLVED          1. That the contents of the Health and Safety Annual Report 2016 be NOTED.

2. That an annual report on health, safety and welfare-related matters be presented to the Audit Committee at the meeting following the end of the financial year.