The Sub-Committee received a verbal report
from the Service Manager (Health and Safety) on health and safety
corporate updates and wellbeing as follows:
1)
The Health and Safety team was now fully operational.
2)
All audits and fire risk assessments were up to date.
3)
Health and safety priorities: Whilst
continuing to promote a health and safety culture across the
organisation, in the next 6 to 9 months the health and safety team
would be looking at:
·
Risk assessments
·
Safe Systems of Work (SSoW), and
whether they were being adhered to.
·
Hand and Arm Vibration (HAV) monitoring and distribution of
equipment.
·
Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER).
4)
Health and wellbeing: The council
was committed to the wellbeing of
staff and had a number of initiatives in place to raise awareness,
signpost or provide practical tools so employees could manage their
own wellbeing or recognise signs that others might need
help. Since the last meeting the
council had held:
·
Staff awards: a celebration and
recognition.
·
Flu vouchers
·
Understanding the new normal
sessions
·
A disability group meeting
·
Manager’s peer support group
meeting
·
Alcohol awareness session
·
Dementia information and supporting older
people
·
Working on menopause guidance
·
Men’s health and women’s
health webinars
·
Christmas walk and talk
5)
Wellbeing plans/activities to be held over the
coming months:
·
Wellbeing calendar for 2022 focusing on a different
health and wellbeing topic each month.
·
Wellbeing webinar available to all staff, developed
by Westfield Health, to take place before the end of March –
topics yet to be determined.
·
Continue with the ‘understanding our new
normal life” – staff group sessions on a monthly
basis.
·
Introducing new Menopause and Domestic Abuse
policies.
·
Engaging with occupational health regarding health
checks for staff such as cholesterol and blood pressure
checks.
·
Support embedding the Domestic Abuse champions in
the organisation.
·
Continue to engage and support the wellbeing
champions and mental health first aiders.
·
Continue with the manager’s peer support
group.
In response to a question raised regarding
buildings being disability friendly, the Service Manager (Health
and Safety) advised the Sub-Committee that the Disability Forum was
an outside agency which was involved in the building of the
Mildenhall Hub. The issue highlighted
about having sheltered covers as standard for wheelchair users
would be picked up under the Western Way Development.
There being no decision required, the
Sub-Committee noted the verbal update.