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 for Quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year.

Recommendations

The Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee resolves:

1.1     To review and note the content of the report

Resolved

(1)      That the Health and Safety Report performance for Quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year be noted.

The Assistant Director Human Resources submitted a report that provided the Committee with the Council’s Health and Safety performance for Quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year.

In introducing the report, the Health and Safety Manager explained that the majority of accidents and incidents recorded, involved Environmental Services as this was the highest risk service area for the Council as it operated in locations where there was not complete control over the working environment.

The Assistant Director, Environmental Services outlined the measures taken to reduce the number of incidents including the use of four-way cameras on all vehicles to assist in reversing manoeuvres. The Committee was advised that there was a correlation between the number of accidents and the experience of drivers. Over 50% of accidents involved drivers who had worked for the council for less than two years. To mitigate the high level of incidents, various measures had been implemented including an increase in the number of inspections alongside more regular team briefings. The Committee requested that year-on-year comparative data be included in future reports.

In response to a request for an update on the outstanding actions from the Veritau audit of Environmental Services, the Assistant Director, Environmental Services confirmed that the main outstanding items related to how the online iHasco training staff were required to complete, could be adapted to meet the requirements of Environmental Services and a solution to enable staff to access training material electronically. It was anticipated that both issues would be resolved imminently.

Resolved

(1)        That the Health and Safety Report performance for Quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year be noted.