SAFETY, HEALTH & WELFARE
Carlow Local Authorities are committed to safeguarding, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of all employees while at work. In line with this commitment, and having regard to requirements of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, a strategic review of health & safety was carried out within the Council in 2005/6. The new Act places a strong emphasis on the management of health and safety and, indeed, the outcome of the strategic review was to identify the need to implement a safety management system within the Council so as to ensure compliance with this requirement. The safety management system will allow the organisation to undertake the following in a more structured manner:
- Identify situations where accidents and ill-health are likely to occur and the controls that are required to prevent occurrence
- Identify potential emergencies and have plans in place to prevent accidents and ill-health in the event of such emergencies
- Consult with employees on health & safety matters generally, and when identifying where accidents and ill-health are likely to happen
- Train and make employees aware of situations where accidents and ill-health are likely to occur and of safeguards in place
- Report and investigate where accidents/incidents/ill-health have occurred or are likely to occur so as to prevent occurrence or recurrence
- Check by inspection/auditing that arrangements to prevent accidents and ill-health are implemented and effective
- Review success in preventing accidents and ill-health having regard to the number of accidents, audit and inspection results and status of corrective actions.
HEALTH & SAFETY ADVISOR
Carlow Local Authorities appointed Ms. Zena Keane to the position of Health & Safety Advisor in August 2006. This is a new position within the Council and the responsibilities include the implementation and maintenance of the safety management system within the council and the provision of advice to the Council on health and safety legislative requirements generally.
PARENT SAFETY STATEMENT
The Parent Safety Statement was revised and updated in October 2006. The document outlines the structure for health and safety management and the roles and responsibilities of responsible persons within the local authority. It also includes procedures in relation to accident reporting, welfare, first aid and fire and emergency planning.
HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEES
Following from the revision of the Parent Safety Statement, two committees were set up in September 2006 to progress the ongoing implementation of health and safety:
1) The Safety Management Committee, which consists of Director of Services Housing, Director of Services Infrastructure, Water Services & Environment, Senior Executive Officer, Human Resources, Chief Fire Officer, Head of Finance, Senior Engineer, Roads, Senior Engineer, Water Services, Town Clerk, a Safety Representative and the Health & Safety Advisor. This committee meets on a bi-monthly basis. The role of the committee is to control and monitor health and safety within the local authority.
2) The Safety Consultative Committee, which consists of 11 Safety Representatives from the different departments within the local authority, Health & Safety Advisor, a member of the Safety Management Committee and the Partnership Facilitator. This committee also meets on a bi-monthly basis prior to the Safety Management Committee meeting. The function of the committee is to keep under review the measures taken to ensure the health and safety of all persons at the workplace and to foster co-operation between management and staff to keep health and safety considerations active, to provide a means of communication and to promote development of ideas for the betterment of health and safety at work.
INSPECTIONS
In order to identify areas that require attention in relation safety, health and welfare a
number of workplaces managed by the Local Authority were inspected.
These included:
1. Sanitary Services – Pumping Stations, Treatment Plants, Reservoirs, Water Meter installation work.
2. Environment – Landfill, Recycling Centres.
3. County Buildings, County Museum, Community Centre.
ACTIONS
From the various inspections many areas were highlighted and prioritised as requiring
attention. The following is a list of projects which were commenced in 2006:
1. Security Fencing at Treatment Plants (ongoing)
2. Replacement of defective manhole covers and ladder access and installation of new hand railings at pumping stations/treatment plants (ongoing)
3. Fire Safety & Emergency Plan for County Buildings
4. Induction Programme (ongoing)
5. Road Safety Management System
6. Electronic Procurement and Assessment procedures for contractors/consultants
7. Health and Safety training – Safe Pass, CSCS, Confined Space, Personal Security – Cash Handling, Awareness training for all employees, Legal briefing to Management.