Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Waste and Emergency Planning held on 7^th October, 2013, were considered.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

The following report was submitted:-

Health, Welfare and Safety Panel

18th October, 2013

Present:-  Councillor R. S. Russell (in the Chair); Councillors Swift and Wootton; Mrs. J. Adams (NUT), Mrs. S. Brook NASUWT), Mr. P. Harris (GMB), Mr. K. Stoddart (ATL), Mrs. K. Hall-Garritt (UNISON) and Mr. J. Ogle (UNISON).

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ali, Dodson, G. A. Russell, P. A. Russell, Sharman and Whelbourn.

7.                     HEALTH, WELFARE AND SAFETY PANEL – ROLE AND FUNCTION

Members received a presentation from the Principal Health and Safety Officer describing the role, function and purpose of the Council’s Health, Welfare and Safety Panel, including the protocols used for the Panel’s regular visits of inspection.  Issues discussed were:-

: trades union representation on the Panel;

: the attendance of workplace trades union representatives at site visits of inspection by the Panel;

: visits of inspection to Academies (schools), in order to provide advice on health, welfare and safety issues; service level agreements are in place between the Borough Council and most of the Academies in the Rotherham area, in respect of the provision of such advice;

: provision of copies of the Panel’s Constitution to Panel Members.

8.                     Minutes of the previous meeting held on 12th July, 2013

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Health, Welfare and Safety Panel, held on 12th July, 2013, be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

9.                     MATTERS ARISING

(a) With regard to Minute No. 4 (Annual Health and Safety Report 2012), reference was made to the reporting of statistics in relation to incidents of violence to staff in schools.

(b) With regard to Minute No. 5 (Visits of Inspection held on 21^st June, 2013):-

(i)   up-to-date information was provided as a consequence of Health and Safety Officers’ subsequent inspections of the Hellaby Depot; and

(ii)  information was provided about the regulations affecting the provision of signs at highway repair and construction sites and also about the wearing of protective clothing and use of equipment on such sites.

10.                  HEALTH AND SAFETY BULLETIN

Consideration was given to the Health and Safety Bulletin, containing recent articles and reports of legal cases relating to health and safety.

The following items were highlighted:-

- matters of interest from the Health and Safety Executive, including changes to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995;

- the corporate manslaughter charge affecting the Sterecycle (Rotherham) company and the subsequent hearings in Court;

- safety myths (dog training classes; risk assessments; boiling kettles and employees walking around with open-topped cups of hot drinks in offices; school pupils wearing hair clips and jewellery during PE lessons);

- recent Court Cases, with one incident involving a resident falling and being injured at one of Doncaster Council’s care homes.

Resolved:- That the Principal Health and Safety Officer distribute copies of the bulletin throughout the Authority and also publish  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by the Performance Officer, summarising highlights from an analysis of the most recent Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) Performance Networks reports for this Council’s Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection services.         

The APSE Performance report for 2011/12 reveals that this Council’s Street Cleansing service is being provided at a comparatively low cost.  This factor suggests good value for money when taking into consideration the level of service in relation to reactive targets and performance times, services standards and handling of customer contacts and complaints.  However, evidence suggests a correlation between budget reductions, relatively low performance outcomes and a decline in quality assurance and customer insight which may have longer term performance implications.  Members were informed that it was the levels of detritus, rather than of litter, which were exerting the most negative influence on this Council’s performance in respect of street cleaning. 

It was noted that the data for 2011/12 indicates that this Council’s Refuse Collection service is also being provided at a comparatively low cost and is delivering value for money through high levels of customer service and diverting waste from landfill through a combination of energy recovery and recycling    

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That a review be undertaken of the arrangements for dealing with detritus on the public highway and a report on the outcome of the review be submitted to a future meeting of the Cabinet Member and Advisers for Waste and Emergency Planning.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by the Performance Officer, stating that the reductions to Street Cleansing resources, in recent financial years, have prompted a review of current Street Cleansing response times, as there are concerns that existing targets in specific areas of reactive work are no longer sustainable.  The submitted report outlined the impact of resource reductions on performance and also included proposals for revised targets. The geographical scope of the report was the whole of the Rotherham Borough area, apart from the Rotherham town centre, which is to be the subject of a separate report.

Members noted that a bench-marking exercise was completed, to gauge the extent to which this Council’s current and proposed targets compare with the Council’s ‘family group’ of local authorities and also the extent to which the current financial challenges are prompting similar reviews elsewhere.  Details of the proposed changes to the Council’s Street Cleansing targets, the rationale for these changes and the results of the benchmarking exercise were detailed within the submitted report. 

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the proposed revised service standard response times for Street Cleansing, as set out in the submitted report, be approved.

(3) That a further report detailing proposed changes to Street Cleansing operations in the Rotherham town centre be submitted to a joint meeting of the Cabinet Members and Advisers for Waste and Emergency Planning and Regeneration and Development Services in three months’ time, early in 2014.

Consideration was given to the update provided by the Emergency and Safety Manager.  The update included:-

(a) Business Continuity

• Practical sessions are planned over the next few weeks with colleagues in Legal Services and Housing Services on enhancing business continuity arrangements and migrating information into BCMShared.
  
  
• Delivery of the seasonal flu vaccination programme to health and social care staff has begun.

• Draft copies of the Corporate Pandemic Influenza and Severe Winter Weather Plans have been circulated for comment and the final documents will be published during November 2013. This coincides with the launch of the national ‘Get Ready for Winter’ campaign, the potential for Cold Weather Alerts and the start of the highway Winter maintenance (salting/gritting) season.

• Work continues with Zurich Insurance to develop accommodation resilience measures within Sheffield City Council; any learning points from this process will be transferred and embedded within Rotherham Council.
  
  
• Liaison continues with both the Sheffield and Rotherham Council’s emergency care network and partner groups to ensure that Winter planning measures are integrated and complimentary.

(b) Emergency Planning

• Work on the Emergency Mortuary Plan continues and a draft document will be available for consultation during December 2013;

• Exercise Rutland (reservoir exercise) has been re-arranged for 4^th February 2014.

• A Corporate Emergency Planning Exercise is being scheduled to take place during May 2014.

(c) Health and Safety

• Members of the Health and Safety Team delivered training on lone working to a group of trainee social workers and also offered health and safety advice to community members organising an outdoor event (an estimated 4,000 people attended the event).

• The development of procedures for lone workers and risk categories is continuing.

• The Health and Safety Team has advised Housing Services in respect of a problem Council tenancy and have also conducted two audit inspections of waste management operations relating to street sweeper and fly tipping activities; no issues were identified.

• Site visits have been undertaken of the Council housing re-roofing project at Canklow and also of a primary school concerning repairs to a classroom.

Resolved:- That the update be noted and the Emergency and Safety Manager be thanked for his contribution.

Consideration was given to the update provided by the Waste Manager, Environment and Development Services.  The update included:-

(a) arrangements are now in place for the delivery of waste to Nottinghamshire Recycling;

(b) reference to the continuing discussions about the Waste Treatment and Disposal Contract for the 2014/15 financial year;

(c) calendars for the Christmas and New Year 2013/14 waste collection arrangements have been delivered to households;

(d) the invitation to tender for the dry recyclables contract is currently being finalised;

(e) The Waste Manager is visiting North Kesteven District Council to view that Authority’s electric bin lifts in operation and discuss the cost and benefit analysis.

Resolved:- That the update be noted and the Waste Manager be thanked for his contribution.