To consider any apologies for absence.

Apologies received from Councillors Dave Hanratty, Gill Wood, Terry Byron and Mr Anthony Boyle.

To consider any Member declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that there were no declarations of interest received in relation to any item.

To consider minutes of the last meeting held on 25^th April 2023.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the last meeting held on 25^th April 2023 were approved as an accurate record.

To consider the Annual Health, Safety and Welfare Report (CFO/043/23).

Group Manager, Craig Whitfield presented the Health, Safety & Welfare Annual Report 2022/23 providing an overview of workplace accidents, sickness and road traffic collisions.

Members were advised that the Authority had been working on enforcing a positive reporting culture, which had resulted in an increase in incidents reported. This enabled the Authority to ensure its equipment and PPE were working correctly and any faults could be quickly identified.

With regards to injuries during routine operational activities, it was noted that 14 of the 17 recorded were for staff over the age of 30. Councillor Moloney asked if there was a trend in injuries for staff over 30 and he was advised that nothing stood out in the data to suggest that.

It was reported that in previous years, there had been a decline in near miss reporting and as such, the Authority had made this a focus as there was a direct correlation between near miss reporting, culture and accidents. There had been a steady increase of 61% since the previous year and it was agreed that this was a positive step forward.

The Chair asked for more information about the reporting process and Members were informed that it was very robust. For example if someone were to slip outside, they would report that to their Line Manager or another Senior Officer and that would be logged and registered with Fire Control.  The line manger would consider if a cordon of the area or cleaning was needed and then this would be relayed to the Health and Safety Team. The person’s welfare would be the focus and if they needed to attend hospital then a Station Manager or supervisor would escort them.  The OSHENS Health and Safety Management System would be utilised to record the incident and the level of investigation would be determined. Witness statements would be collected if necessary  and the incident would be reviewed by the Work Place Review Group to identify remedial action to mitigate against repeat incidents.

Members enquired as to how well understood this process was across the organisation and it was explained that the Health and Safety Team frequently published safety flashes to educate staff. The system was designed so that an incident could be reported in just two clicks to make it easy for people to report and so it could be monitored more accurately. 

(Councillor Doreen Knight entered the meeting at 13.16)

The report also focused on road traffic collisions, property fires and injuries during routine activities. Members were provided with a review of incidents pre and post Covid.

Councillor Moloney asked if there had been any injuries or accidents resulting from failing PPE or equipment. Group Manager Whitfield confirmed there had not been any to his knowledge and there were robust procedures in place for PPE and equipment to ensure any concerns were investigated thoroughly.

The Members welcomed the report, noting how easy it was to read and Councillor Maloney asked how many light vehicles the service had in operation. It  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider the Scrutiny Forward Work Plan for 2023-2025 (CFO/50/23).

Monitoring Officer, Ria Groves presented Scrutiny Forward Work Plan for 2023-2025 which incorporated topics for scrutiny from the Members and from previous Work Plans. 

Members attention was drawn to Pathway to Net Zero which was a significant piece of work for the Committee given the scope of the topic. It was explained that this would be broken down and spread out over two years with a deep dive on elements like wildfires, floods and alternative fuels.

The proposal was for the document to be flexible so that it could be added to if Members wanted to explore more topics. It was recommended that the work plan be shared with the full Authority on the 12^th October for approval with a report going back to Authority at the end of the year with a review of what Scrutiny has covered and any recommendations  they may have.

The Chair requested that culture and inclusivity be broadened to include behaviour and he asked why it was not being discussed until next municipal year. It was explained that this was a result of timetabling the topics in rather than for a specific reason.

Councillor Maloney requested that previous areas of Scrutiny be called back to identify any changes or improvements.

RESOLVED that

a)                  the proposed Scrutiny Forward Work Plan 2023-2025 be reviewed;

b)                  the Scrutiny Forward Work Plan in appendix  A was submitted to Authority and approved.

Date of the Next Meeting

The next meeting will take place on 25^th January 2024.