Issue - meetings

This report details the progress made on the delivery of the Health and Safety governance arrangements for BCP Council and highlights:

·        The implementation of the Governance Framework continues to be embedded and is working effectively.

·        The framework includes the Health and Safety and Fire Safety Board and other meetings at the agreed frequency with generally good attendance.

The Health and Safety Manager presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'E' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report detailed the progress made on the delivery of the Health and Safety governance arrangements for BCP Council. Implementation of the governance framework continued to be embedded and was working effectively. Health and Safety and Fire Safety Board and other meetings were held at the agreed frequency with generally good attendance. The Committee was advised of corporate work undertaken since the last committee meeting, including a further two inspections of maintained schools, with very high standards found. The report provided an update on a number of corporate systems and highlighted where some policies and procedures had been reviewed. The report also gave a summary of work-related accident notifications submitted to the Health and Safety Executive over the last 12 months.

The Health and Safety Manager responded to questions about the report. A point was raised about accident frequency rates and the collection of data, whether this could be provided from top level downwards (from fatalities and serious incidents to near misses) and how the data compared to other councils. It was noted that the majority of incidents were attributed to ‘trips and slips’. It was agreed that Cllr M Tarling, who raised the issue, liaise with the Health and Safety Manager on how the suggested pyramid approach to accident data could be incorporated into the next report.

The Health and Safety Manager was asked about the type of circumstances where a member of the public was taken to hospital from the scene of the accident and confirmed that this would apply to any area of Council land.

RESOLVED that:

(a)  the Audit and Governance Committee notes the continued progress in implementing the Health and Safety governance arrangements and operational updates;

(b)  Health and Safety ongoing governance arrangements updates continue to be reported annually to the Audit and Governance Committee.

Voting: Agreed with no dissent