Agenda item

(To receive a report from Fraser Shooter, Health and Safety Team Leader, which provides an overview of key achievements, activities and statistics across all Directorates related to Lincolnshire County Council's  compliance and implementation of Health and Safety legislation and its statutory duties)

Consideration was given to a report by the Health and Safety Team Leader which invited the Board to consider an update of key achievements, activities and statistics across all Directorates related to Lincolnshire County Council's (LCC) compliance and implementation of Health and Safety legislation and its statutory duties.

The Board was advised that the work of the Health and Safety Team  over the period had been heavily focussed on the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the production of guidance to colleagues and a number of audits conducted to gain assurance that the correct processes were in place to maintain a safe environment for employees to work in, as well as ensuring that the Council was compliant with government guidance. 

There had been a small increase in the accidents and incidents reported within the Children's Services directorate, which was partly due to the challenges faced by children with complex needs as a result in a change of routine due to the pandemic.

The Board was advised that the 'Managing Safely in Lincolnshire' training would be transformed into a hybrid learning experience using digital tools, interactive systems and face to face training.

The Board welcomed the update and as part of the Board's consideration of the report, the following points were noted:

·         Mental health support including resilience workshops and investments in staff developments were welcomed.

·         The information collected to indicate the success and effectiveness of mental health support given to colleagues could be considered subjective. However officers analysed the levels of interactions for existing support as well as mental health related sickness levels to analyse the effectiveness of the support offer.

·         Members supported the introduction of mental health first aiders and were encouraged by the number of people who had signed up to offer their support. It was confirmed that mental health first aiders had been chosen from a number of services areas spread evenly across the Council.

·         There was a strong commitment to supporting mental health across the Council. Officers planned to collect feedback on the mental health first aiders in due course and would assess whether there was adequate resource to meet demands. 

·         At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, senior officers had engaged with the Unions and the Council's HR department to refine and improve the wellbeing support offer and were proud of the current offer that was available to colleagues.  Additional support had been provided to colleagues throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

·         It was agreed that the Chief Executive share the link to a video in which employees discussed their positive experiences about accessing wellbeing support.

·         Feedback had suggested that the health and wellbeing support offered by the Council was valuable. Officers would continue to promote the offer across the Council to ensure that everybody was aware of the support available.

·         The Board recognised that home working could be isolating for some employees and could have a negative impact on their mental wellbeing. Members were reassured that during the lockdown stages of the pandemic, where advice was to stay at home, all managers had been advised that some members of staff were permitted to work from the office for health and wellbeing reasons. Each case was risk assessed by managers on a regular basis. Additional support had been provided to those who needed it.

·         It was suggested that the term 'wind down Friday' was not considered the best use of language for the Council who provided a public service.

·         Many of the incidents which led to a 63% increase in slips, trips and falls were related to Fire and Rescue services, who had continued to work throughout the pandemic. Fire and Rescue colleagues had also been encouraged to increase their reporting of minor incidents, which had led to a slight increase in the number of incidents reported. Officers would continue to assess ways to support the risks presented, however the Board was reassured that despite the increase, 70% of incidents had resulted in no injury or accident.

·         The Board welcomed the introduction of a centralised supplier list for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from an early stage in the pandemic. Despite initial shortages, the market for PPE had settled but was still a volatile market. It was confirmed that the list of suppliers for PPE was regularly reviewed and it was agreed that the Executive Director – Commercial provide further information on the locality of suppliers and whether they were local to Lincolnshire.

·         It was confirmed that when purchasing PPE, the Council considered the supply, cost and quality of the products available.

·         The Board was reassured that although there were a significant amount of incidents reported within Children's Services, many were low risk to no injury. An introduction of a new reporting system within Children's Services had meant that more 'near miss' incidents had been recorded, accounting for a slight increase in numbers. However, officers continued to monitor the situation.

·         The Council had a legal obligation to gain assurance that contractors were competent in terms of health and safety, and the Council had a duty as a client to ensure that the contractors continued to abide by good health and safety practices throughout the duration of their contract with the Council.  For larger contracts, such as Highways contracts, health and safety performance was managed throughout the period of the contracts.

·         The Council did not keep a record of individual accident and incident reporting for their contractors. It was agreed that a briefing paper which would identify the health and safety systems in place for the Council's contractors be circulated.

·         It was clarified that the 11% increase in incidents in Children's Residential Homes was the result of incidents involving low level contact, usually with children with complex needs. It was acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in increased challenges and frustrations for those with complex needs. Members were reassured that this would be monitored through the Council's reporting system.

RESOLVED:

            That the Board be assured of the Council’s compliance and implementation of Health and Safety legislation and its statutory duties, and the comments on the Annual Report for 2020-21 be noted.