Issue - meetings

Report of Assistant Director of Human Resources

Purpose of report

To provide the Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee with the Council’s Health and Safety performance over the 2023-24 year and its plan for the current year.

Recommendations

The Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee resolves:

1.1           To review the content of the report

1.2     To provide feedback if any further detail or additional information is required in future reports which will be submitted quarterly.

Resolved

(1)        That the content of the Annual Health and Safety Report 2023-24 be noted.

(2)        That officers be requested to provide more context to the data in the reports.

The Assistant Director of Human Resources submitted a report to provide the Committee with the Council’s Health and Safety performance over the 2023-24 financial year and its plan for the current year.

In introducing the report, the Portfolio Holder for Corporate Services advised that the majority of incidents recorded involved Environmental Health, which was viewed as the highest risk area within the council due to the nature of the work undertaken by the department. The Committee was advised that the Annual Health and Safety report for 2024-25 would be submitted to the May Committee meeting and thereafter reports would be submitted on a quarterly basis.

In response to a question regarding the reporting of near misses, the Committee was advised that the aim was to quantify these incidents going forward so that they were reported in a similar way to accidents.

In response to a question regarding the relationship between the number of accidents and the number of days lost, the Committee was advised that not all incidents resulted in time off work. It was dependent on the nature of the injury and any proposed return to work would only take place after discussions between the employee and their manager.

The Committee was advised the proactive health surveillance programme had been developed in consultation with the Council’s Occupational Health Advisor and was tailored to the employee’s role. This was currently under review to ensure that the suitable screening was taking place.

The Committee suggested that future reports include context to reflect the increase in the number of properties that had been built in the Cherwell district and the impact this may have had on the number of reported accidents.

Resolved

(1)        That the content of the Annual Health and Safety Report 2023-24 be noted.

(2)        That officers be requested to provide more context to the data in the reports.