Agenda item

The Committee gave consideration to the report and appendices (at pages 80 - 96) as delivered and summarised by the Interim Chief Finance Officer (Section 151 Officer) which should be read together with these minutes as a composite document.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer added that the outcome of this report was reflected in the Internal Audit Progress Report 2016/17 (at Agenda Item7 and Minute Ref. 80) in respect of all recommendations in relation to Health and Safety (H&S) having since been implemented.

With reference to ‘Table 1: Staff Accidents via Location’ and ‘Table 2: Public Accidents via Location’ (at Appendix 1 at pages 84 - 85), Councillor G A Boulter stated that information did reflect well in the data breakdown depicted most notably in respect of the locations marked ‘Elsewhere’ and ‘Brocks Hill’, respectively.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer advised that the ‘Elsewhere’ marker incorporated manual-trade employees (viz. refuse collectors, sweepers) working on the Borough’s streets and the ‘Brocks Hill’ marker incorporated public visitors (viz. minor injuries to children) but excluded volunteers.

Councillor J W Boyce requested that the Annual Health and Safety Plan (2016/17) (“the Plan”) should include some examples of investigated and signed-off accidents for the Council’s own learning processes.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer advised that the Senior Management Team (SMT) was to work in close partnership with the H&S Staff Group so to better inform Members of the H&S situation at the Council as of when it develops.

Councillor L A Bentley stated that it should be the Council’s aspiration to have zero accidents. He further requested that “near-hit” reporting be incorporated into the Plan and the Health and Safety Policy (“the Policy”) as a valuable assessment tool and the responsibility of all employees to report, accordingly.

The Interim Chief Finance Officer advised that “near-hit” reporting was to feature as part of operational implementation of the Policy via risk assessments undertaken.

Councillor K J Loydall welcomed the report and the extensive work undertaken by Officers, however raised a number of concerns and recommendations for subsequent inclusion into the Plan and, or, Policy, amongst other things namely:

(a)       A “high-to-low” risk-ranking system (to be systematically worked through) so to give effect to this Committee’s governance role in ensuring progression, highlighting defined structures as to the exact designations of responsibility and operating standards and the importance of a duty to investigate accidents ;

(b)       A more meaningful breakdown and exposition of how accidents are categorised and recorded, why the accidents have occurred (viz. training issues), and the outcomes, progress made and lessons learned;

Councillor J W Boyce moved:

(i)     That the Annual Heath and Safety Plan (at Appendix 1) be noted, subject to further inclusions and improvements being made at a later date and the Plan being reviewed at a subsequent meeting of the Committee; and

(ii)    The recommendation as set out at paragraph 2.2 of the report (at page 73).

The Chair seconded the recommendations (as amended).

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED THAT:

(i)     The Annual Heath and Safety Plan (at Appendix 1) be noted, subject to further inclusions and improvements being made at a later date and the Plan being reviewed at a subsequent meeting of the Committee; and

(ii)    The Health and Safety Policy (at Appendix 2) be approved.