Agenda item

Emergency Planning Update and Health and Safety Issues

Minutes:

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

 

(a) Business Continuity

 

  • Attendance at a South Yorkshire Business Continuity leads Pandemic Flu exercise to table individual agency plans; lessons identified have been incorporated into this Council’s planning arrangements;
  • Discussions continue with this Council’s and Sheffield City Council’s Public Health colleagues in terms of a health response and how best to integrate the planning arrangements;
  • Consultation comments on the council’s draft recovery plan have been incorporated;
  • Sheffield City Council recovery awareness raising sessions organised for February and March 2014;
  • Attendance at a number of departmental management teams to promote BCMShared and update Business Continuity Plans within departments.
  • This Council’s Seasonal Flu Vaccinations have been organised and the programme completed for frontline Health and Social Care staff.
  • The Severe Weather Plan has been published for consultation.
  • The Flu plan has been disseminated for consultation and an interim version published.

 

(b) Emergency Planning

 

  • The Sheffield City Council Major Incident Plan has been revised and circulated.

 

  •  Work to upgrade the electronic management information system (EPIMS) is on target and a recent review clearly demonstrates a number of improvements.

 

·         After the visit to the Reservoir Conference, organised by the Government Department for Communities and Local Government and Exercise Rutland is being staged on 4 February 2014 to validate the Sheffield Reservoir Emergency Offsite Plan.

 

  • The emergency mortuary workshop produced a number of actions and a visit to potential sites.

 

  • All Sheffield City Council Directors have received basic training in Emergency Planning and their role in the response to an emergency.

 

Planning for forthcoming exercises in 2014:-

 

  • Exercise Rutland – Tuesday 4 February 2014

- table top exercise tackling a Reservoir Emergency

 

  • Owlerton Stadium, Hillsborough – Wednesday 12 March 2014 -

Multi-agency Rest centre exercise involving the voluntary sector

 

§  Exercise Flux – Wednesday 19 March 2014 – live Reception Centre by

      Sheffield City Council Communities Portfolio at Sheffield Town Hall

 

·           COMAH exercise at Victrex, Greasbrough – Tuesday 8 April 2014.

           Live multi-agency response to an incident

     

  • Exercise Polaski – Wednesday 9 April 2014 - Wildfire Exercise

 

§  Exercise Jelly – Wednesday 30 April 2014

      Sheffield’s Children’s Services and Communities’ internal exercise

 

§  RMBC Corporate Exercise – Thursday 15 May 2014

           

§  COMAH exercise – Outukumpo, Sheffield - Thursday 15 May 2014.

 

(c) Health and Safety

 

·         Members of the Health and Safety Team attended a free “Fire Safety Awareness” conference in Doncaster organised by KIA Fire Safety Ltd. The conference provided advice and guidance around Fire Safety within residential care homes.

 

·         Advice and guidance to staff working in Riverside House on display screen equipment and carried out workstation assessments.

 

·         A ‘toolbox talk’ delivered by the WYG Group; WYG are contracted to carry out asbestos surveys of Council properties requiring refurbishment. The training was aimed at staff working for Morrisons and WYG outlined how they carry out the surveys and addressed any concerns from Morrisons’ staff.

 

·         Visit to a foster care residential property in Dinnington as part of a programme of refurbishment works where extensions are being built to foster homes, so that they can accommodate the needs of the individuals being fostered and their families.

 

·         Delivery of training on Fire Safety, General Health and Safety and COSHH to staff working at Netherfield Court; the training was well received and of particular importance given the vulnerable nature of the clients in the facility.

 

Resolved:- That the update be noted and the Emergency and Safety Manager and the Principal Health and Safety Officer be thanked for their contribution.