Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and HR is attached.

Councillor Tahir Rafiq, Cabinet Member for Corporate Affairs and HR, presented the report which set out key health and safety activity over the 2022/23 financial year alongside a summary of reported health and safety incidents, and proposed a set of Health and Safety Priorities for the 2023/24 financial year. He also advised that, as part of the annual reporting process, the Council’s Health and Safety Policy had also been reviewed in-line with HSE Best Practice and was recommended for approval. Both the Annual Report and the Policy had been considered by the Health and Safety Joint Consultative Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

In response to Members’ questions, Councillor Rafiq confirmed his confidence that learning from incidents was being disseminated effectively, and that an external review of Health and Safety practices had been carried out, the results of which would serve to strengthen this learning. Members thanked officers for the reports and agreed that a health and safety culture was being developed to ensure officers remained empowered to report incidents and near misses.

Decision:

Cabinet approved the 2022/23 Annual Health and Safety Report and revised Health and Safety Policy.

Reasons for the decision:

As an employer the Council has statutory responsibilities to carry out our undertaking (all activities) so far as is practicable in a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, contractors and partners. In addition, as an Authority we have a duty under s 18 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to make adequate provision for health and safety regulations in our area.

Other options considered and rejected:

None.