HR Health and Safety team - overview
Note for Kent Headteachers
This guide has been devised to assist Kent managers to understand their responsibilities for health and safety, and also to see how they might get support from KCC’s Health and Safety team in dealing with these issues.
The guide has been published on KELSI as an additional support tool for Kent Headteachers, as you have many of the same responsibilities. Some services are free and some chargeable through Edukent, but please contact us on the Advice Line in the first instance and we will do what we can to help.
Advice Line: 03000 418456
Health and Safety team
The health and safety team provides expert andproportionate advice to KCC staff, in all aspects of health and safety management, through its team of advisers. As part of human resources they contribute to KCC’s aim to develop a flexible, adaptable workforce that has the capability and resilience to deliver an efficient service.
The team members areskilled professionals who are able to adjust with the changing needs of the organisation. They are competent in a wide range of specialisms that support the organisation’s strategic and service delivery objectives.
The team works in partnership with the Directorates with an expectation that adequate staff time and resources are provided by units to implement health and safety activity locally. Each unit has a dedicated link adviser from the team whose job it is to advise, monitor and promote safety activity with their teams and contacts, making best use of the wider health and safety team skills and knowledge base through a project approach where appropriate.
The team provides assistance to managers in respect of accident and incident investigation, and provides support to managers and KCC when the Health and Safety Executive is involved with us.
What we offer
The health and safety team provides a complete support service for health and safety management including
Creative solutions to health and safety management challenges
Health and safety Risk Profiling
Advice and update services for legislation and policy
Advice and assistance on risk assessment
Training and instruction for health and safety management
Full back up and support following health and safety incidents
Pressure management and change management staff support tools
Audit services to check compliance and support developments
Return to Work and other health assessments.
Assistance with tender evaluation for commissioned services
Advice on health and safety standards in Procurement
Health and Safety advisory services
Thehealth and safety team provides advice which can facilitate day to day operations as well as change management projects through tailored and localised project work.
- Risk profiling
- New Ways of Working
- Commissioning and Procurement
- Pressure management
- H&S management support
- Legal advice
- Interface with Enforcing Authority
- Policy development
- Auditing
- Inspections
- Risk assessment
- Safe systems of work
- Incident management
- Workstation assessment
- Individual assessment
- Wellbeing
- Information and training
For more detailed information on what your responsibilities are and how we can help, please see the following pages in this document.
Contact HR Health and Safety Team
For general health and safety queries, telephone the Advice Line:
03000418456
Or email us at:
You can also discuss issues with the following managers:
Flavio Walker- Head of Health and SafetyCarol Cassin -Health and Safety Business Operations Manager
Tony Carty - Health and Safety Business Operations Manager
Risk Profiling
Kent County Council maintains a centralised risk profile register using a template document. Each business unit should have its own risk profile with supporting documentation that identifies a tailored summary of risk, legal requirements, control measures and guidance for each risk topic. This profile register acts as the local H&S reference point.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamIdentify all significant risks associated with the work that staff are undertaking. / Provide advice, guidance and support to manager when risk profiling is carried out.
Prioritise risks and identify control measures required to reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable. / Ensure that all controls meet legislative requirements,that they are appropriateand that they reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
Ensure that suitable and sufficient control measures are in place and are reviewed and monitored regularly. / Audit to ensure compliance against risk profiling document to ensure that managed or minimum risk level is maintained.
Identify any remedial actions required and ensure that they are incorporated into the H&S action plan for future projects. / Assess suitability of remedial actions and suggest additions or amendments as appropriate.
Review performance and act on findings. / Provide assurance to CMT that the risks associated with the organisation’s undertakings are properly managed and controlled. Ensuring that high risk areas are identified and monitored appropriately.
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New ways of working
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamConsult with their teams and their union/employee representatives on the impact of New Ways of Working before major changes take place. / Can attend team meetings at an early stage to discuss H&S issues and how these can be dealt with.
Establish what the team needs to function adequately and feed this information into the process. / Provide advice on working from home, working in other premises, hot desking and other work environment issues.
Help their staff understand the change in culture and attitude required, and facilitate this. / Attend NWW project meetings to provide knowledge and expertise regarding H&S statutory requirements.
Identify staff who have or require reasonable adjustments to their workstations, job design or equipment. / Advise on the specialist requirements of staff with health problems, such as chairs, keyboards, voice recognition software, etc..
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Commissioning and Procurement
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamUnderstand the legal responsibility for H&Sthat KCC has in the procurement chain. / Promote the understanding of legal responsibility for H&S in the procurement process.
Identify which services being commissioned have H&S elements that need evaluation. / Assist with devising suitable evaluation criteria to assess H&S competence.
Enable the inclusion of health and safety advisers in the evaluation process. / Contribute to the evaluation of tenders and contractors, using our specialist expertise.
Monitor contracts for key H&S performance indicators, such as accidents/incidents, training, policy, inspections. / Advise managers regarding ongoing risks in the contract, and on methods of monitoring performance.
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Pressure Management
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamIdentify teams and individuals needing additional control measures to reduce the risks from stress. / Engage with teams and promote the need to control the risks from stress, especially during periods of change.
Make use of the pressure management tools on KNet with teams and individuals / Assist teams with the use of the pressure management tools on KNet.
Take measures to maintain the morale and resilience of the team during the council’s change programmes. / Contribute to the facilities available for staff to use, such as the e-learning module on Personal Resilience.
Monitor sickness absence and seek advice from HR Advisory Team in relation to persistent short and long term absence due to stress. / Advise manager on various approaches to building resilience in individuals and teams, managing absence including health referrals, risk assessments, reasonable adjustments, and engaging external organisations for support to employee.
Undertake referral to Staff Care Services and/or carry out risk assessment. / Assist teams in carrying out management standards risk assessments.
Review the advice from Staff Care Services and determine informal/formal action in conjunction with HR Advisory Team. / Provide advice to managers and individuals affected following Staff Care Services referrals.
Consider offering support services such as Supportline, coaching and mentoring. / Check that this has been considered.
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Health and Safety Management Support
Good safety management requires strong and active leadership from the management team.
Key to this is visible, pro-active commitment to health and safety, and the establishment of
effective ‘downward’ communication systems and management structures that facilitate return communicationfrom the team members.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamIntegrate good H & S management into business decisions. / Develop and implement strategic H&S policies, procedures and safe systems of work including updating of policies with new or updated legislation.
Set the direction for effective H&S management andensure H & S arrangements are adequately resourced. Identifying and managing H&S risks. Accessing (and following) competent advice. Monitoring, reporting and reviewing performance. / Provide specialist advice on all aspects of H&S management required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and associated legislation.
Have procurement standards for
goods, equipment and services to helpprevent the introduction of expensiveH&S hazards.
The HS arrangements of
partners, key suppliers and contractorsshould be assessed as their performancecould adversely affect the organisation. / Pro-actively support management ensuring compliance with legislation and codes of practice. Provide systems to measure H&S performance which informs on the progress and current status of the strategies, processes and activities used by the organisation to control risks to health.
Assess risks to employees, customers, partners and any other people who could be affected by their activities;
Arrange for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of preventive and protective measures. Inform employees about their risks at work and current preventive and protective measures.
‘Plan – Do – Check - Act’ / Provide detailed reports on accident/incident data and ensure trends are fully investigated. Provide management support through auditing and risk profiling, highlighting trends and new risks for the organisation.
Ensure that they obtain competent H&S advice. / Ensure managershave access to H&S advice by maintaining the quality and currency of SafetyNet, the electronic manual of guidance. This supports manager self-sufficiency.
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Legal Advice
In addition to the matters dealt with by Legal Services and Insurance; there are health and safety requirements that KCC are subject to by law. Compliance with Health and Safety legislation by KCC is monitored and enforced by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamEnsure that workplace and working practices comply with relevant HS legislation. / Provide guidance and support on general duties of managers, and specific duties relevant to services, via a team of professionally qualified and accredited staff.
Respond to visits/requests for information from the HSE. / Provide support and advice with regard to Notice compliance, accident/incident investigation and response to requests for information.
Co-ordination of response where issues at one site have relevance across services or the authority as a whole.
Ensure that plant and equipment meet relevant statutory requirements. / Provide guidance and support regarding compliance with specific regulations (e.g. statutory requirements relating to lifts or lifting equipment).
Ensure that certain accidents/incidents are reported to the HSE. / Provide advice and assistance relating to the requirements of RIDDOR 2013.
Provide support for staff involved in formal accident investigations by HSE.
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Interface with Enforcing Authorities
In extreme circumstances an incident may lead to formal action being taken by Enforcing Authorities. These include the Health and Safety Executive, Kent Fire and Rescue Service or the Environment Agency as well as, in the case of fatalities, the Police. These matters will automatically involve liaison with Legal Services and Insurance, with the Health and safety team providing support to managers in coordination and organisation ofinformation and evidence.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamMake appropriate arrangements for the investigation of serious incidents. / Provide guidance and support in correctly undertaking investigations by working alongside managers and team members.
Recognise responsibility and accountability for themselves and teams if a Notification of Contravention is served in any form. / Provide support and assistance in gathering evidence and presenting it as an evidence portfolio.
Be prepared to provide evidence on behalf of Kent County Council as part of an investigation, whether on a voluntary basis or under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) / Provide support to managers and work with Legal Services and Insurance to ensure good preparation for interviews.
Court appearances as witness in the case of civil or criminal cases against Kent County Council, or in the Coroners’ Court. / Provide support and guidance in the preparation and use of evidence in witness statements.
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Policy Development
The KCC General Statement of Policy on Health,Safety and Welfareat Work needs to be backed up by locally tailored policy statements which are owned by business units. These support the overarching policystatement.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamKeep a H&S policy register as part of risk profile. / Assist in devising an appropriate register.
Update policies at regular intervals. / Inform and advise on legal and procedural issues to be included in policies.
Ensure key policy issues are communicated to staff. / Support information sessions or methods to communicate policy items.
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Auditing
Employers are required to have effective arrangements in place for managing health and safety, and this includes review of the preventative and protective measures to control risks. Auditing provides a comprehensive overview of the management arrangements and enables managers to check their level of compliance with the law as well as operational standards.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamMonitor own work areas for unsafe conditions and hazards. / Implement county-wide programme as part of KCC’s monitoring arrangements.
Carry out formal audits where this is part of the Directorate policy. / Carry out specific audits on request from managers.
Co-operate with the H&S advisory team in carrying out audit programmes. / Manage and implement corporate H&S audit programmes within client business units.
Implement recommendations from audits. / Provide action plans to follow on from the audit process and guidance on how best to implement action plan recommendations.
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Inspections
All workplaces, including offices, workshops and large or small operations, should have regular inspections carried out by managers. These inspections should be recorded.
A health and safety inspection is a formal examination of a workplace that aims to identify and correct deficiencies relating to physical conditions and working practices that create unacceptable risks to health and safety.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamEnsure workplaces are regularly inspected for risks to HS to staff and third parties. / Provide guidance to managers regarding frequency and content of inspections.
Appoint and train staff to carry out the inspections and decide on necessary frequency. / Provide assistance with briefing of staff.
Record the outcomes of the inspections. / Assist in development of template inspection pro forma tailored to service needs.
Monitor the outcomes and take action as necessary to rectify issues arising. / Provide technical advice on remedial measures for issues identified.
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Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are legally required under the Management of Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1999 and other more specific regulations. They are the responsibility of managers who best understand the work activity and associated risks.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamTo have an understanding of the risks to staff and others, from the activities they are responsible for. / To have a strategic overview of the HS risks to KCC staff and others affected by our activities.
To carry out risk assessments and implement control measures. / To assist managers in compiling a risk profile for their service.
To review risk assessments, check that control measures are working, and update as necessary. / To carry out risk assessments where additional technical HS support is required.
To undergo appropriate training in risk assessment. / To devise generic risk assessments and guidance in order to support managers in their role.
To seek advice and support as necessary, in order to adequately control risks. / To provide senior managers with regular updates on KCC’s risk profile.
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Safe Systems of Work
Safe systems of work (SSW) represent the methodology for tasks and operations, bringing together procedural notes with outcomes from risk assessments. In most environments safe systems of work are recommended as standard operating systems to ensure correct practice has been applied to complete a task. A good example of this in KCC is lone working.
Manager Responsibility / H&S Advisory TeamFully identify and document hazards, safety precautions and safe working practices associated with all activities performed by their employees. / Provide expert advice and guidance.
Ensure that safe systems of work are communicated properly, understood by employees and applied correctly. / Ensure that safe systems of work comply with current legislation and best practice.
Ensure that the staff carrying out work activities are fully involved in the production of the safe systems of work.
Ensure that appropriate information and training is provided to all employees. / Produce examples of best practice for services to utilise.
Ensure appropriate control measures identified are put in place and implemented and maintained. / Assist with monitoring and reviewing safe systems of work.
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Incident Management
Accidents and incidents are recorded and investigated in order to implement actions and controls to prevent further injury. Appropriate records are kept in order to meet requirements for statutory reporting, and to assist with investigation and follow up.