WCBC HSE Enforcement
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Posts
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Just noticed these on the HSE Notice Area maybe Wrexham.Com can ask what happened?
SBJ141215/1 Failure to conduct suitable & sufficient risk assessment of waste collection routes, to identify risks to employees & agency workers engaged in roadside collection for the council. SBJ141215/2 Failure to conduct suitable & sufficient risk assessment of side loading recycling waste vehicles coming into contact with overhead power lines while emptying into main hopper. SBJ141215/3 Designated reversing assistants have not been provided with periodic refresher training on their role, so as to ensure that they follow your safe system of work during reversing movements of waste collection vehicle.
3 breaches, 2 of the Health & Safety at Work Act and 1 of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations. They would have had warnings before this notice too. Is the Chief Executive going to be dragged into court? Any chance Wrexham.Com can get some answers. I love my job because I enjoy looking after my employees. Obviously WCBC couldn’t care less.
Just a thought. Are the workers in a union? If so, they could speak to a union H and S official. That is what they are for. If they are not in a union and they are concerned about working conditions/safety, maybe they should consider joining one and bringing up the matter.
The Unions will not jump on this if their members were actually not carrying out their work to the standards and procedures laid down by Council Management. If the procedures could not be carried out then I would hope that the Unions are all over this particularly if it has been as a result of cuts in the work force.
Perhaps if there is proven negligence then both Senior Management and relevant Lead Member and Council Leader should be brought to account. Another item to be buried due to Purdah
My understanding looking at the enforcement notice it is WCBC that have failed their employees. Responsibility cannot be off loaded to their employees. It is WCBC who are to ensure adequate and relevant risk assessments are carried out, that are regularly reviewed to remain current. If WCBC fail to adequately manage, audit their own staff they are culpable.
So who manages Health & Safety within WCBC….maybe a freedom of information request could shed some light on who failed to do their jobs. Ultimately the CEO is responsible.
Interested. I 100% agree it is the legal responsibility of the employer or employer’s agent to be responsible for health and safety. However a trained union H and S rep can have a huge say in raising issues with manegement. They have legal protection and can in certain instances “stop the job” if they consider a practice to be too dangerous.
Ideally a union rep should have TUC accreditation. I speak as somebody who has been a union official for many years. Some of that time, I spent as an H and S rep. My experience is that management can often delay looking at issues as they have other things on their mind, but if an accredited and trained rep makes a written report of a possible dangerous practice, things are often looked at quicker.
Thanks for the reply Mike.
Totally agree…a Union Safety Rep suitably accredited would certainly assist not only the employees but also the organisation. But….ultimately it’s not all about the Union. WCBC should have..or look to install their own employee safety reps…don’t need to be Union affiliated although Unions do offer training.
I am passionate about safety…everybody should be able to go to work and go home safely regardless of what job they do. Too many accidents happen because employers fail in their duties.
Fundamental to H & S is carrying out risk assessments. Learning lessons from near misses is also key.
[quote quote=129900]Thanks for the reply Mike.
Totally agree…a Union Safety Rep suitably accredited would certainly assist not only the employees but also the organisation. But….ultimately it’s not all about the Union. WCBC should have..or look to install their own employee safety reps…don’t need to be Union affiliated although Unions do offer training.
I am passionate about safety…everybody should be able to go to work and go home safely regardless of what job they do. Too many accidents happen because employers fail in their duties.
Fundamental to H & S is carrying out risk assessments. Learning lessons from near misses is also key.
[/quote]
I feel it is necessary to have both. Company/management appointed H&S reps and union appointed H&S reps. They frequently work together but have a different “master” as it were and answerable to different people. Some companies are very proactive in encouraging their workforce to participate. A dozen or so years ago, I attended a TUC H&S training course at Deeside college. It was 1 day a week for 10 weeks. I had to arrange time off from work etc. I was interested to find that there were 3 people also on the course who worked for Kellogg’s factory in Wrexham. They were encouraged to attend and had full pay and expenses to attend. That is the sign of a company that cares for the welfare of its employees.
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