Agenda item

This report provides clarification on the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) guidance paper entitled ‘Think about health and safety – what elected members of local authorities need to know’ following a Member’s training session on 28 November 2012.

Discussion:

The Assistant Director Organisational Services introduced the report, which had been requested by the committee following a training session held on
28 November 2012. 

The committee was advised that there were two clear roles for health and safety within a Local Authority with Members carrying out a strategic role and officers holding monitoring and auditing responsibilities. The council had a team of competent, qualified health and safety advisors and there was a strict regime of health and safety committees, which included the trades unions in their membership at directorate and corporate levels. The council held many training sessions, as this was very important as a responsible employer and service provider. Health and Safety was a mandatory part of training for managers. The council had a risk assessment approach to its health and safety responsibilities, which involved audits and spot checks focussed, in particular, on high risk areas such as leisure centres. Annual audits were held and if a pattern was seen in the statistics, there would be an investigation.

The Assistant Director also advised that following areas of particular concern raised at the Member’s training session, she could confirm that all construction contractors employed by the council were CHAS (Constructors Health and Safety Scheme) accredited. Another issue raised was enforcement and she informed Members that very little enforcement had been required in the last five years with one legal claim decided by a court where the council was ordered to pay a fine to an employee.

The committee discussed the report and asked officers for further information on areas where health and safety was relevant before it became an issue of professional standards, as there seemed to be a fine line between these two practices. A Member also asked whether there had been any health and safety interventions in feedback from Care First (confidential counselling service for staff) particularly during the current difficult time of service restructures and economic downturn.

Officers responded that in the areas of work where there was a professional body that laid down standards of work, this would take responsibility for professional standards of the employee. However, if the standards failed, this could become a health and safety matter. The Care First service provided anonymised statistics in order to evaluate what people used the service for. Stress and anxiety was the highest reason the service was used but two-thirds were for non-work related issues. Occupational health statistics used a similar process and, on occasion, might pick up a pattern of issues.

The Assistant Director also advised that with regard to the matter of corporate manslaughter and a councillor’s individual responsibilities, it was important for the council to show what it had done about a specific issue and as long as it could demonstrate that it had appropriate systems in place, there was no problem for councillors.

Decision:

The committee agreed to:

(a)   note the report;

(b)   request a Briefing Note giving examples of where health and safety and professionals’ standards apply, together with details of councillor’s responsibilities with regard to health and safety;

(c)   request that health and safety is included in the induction programme for all new Councillors following local or by-elections.