Proposed procurement exercise for an independent professional audit of health and safety management in the MPA and MPS

Report: 14
Date: 7 December 2007
By: the Chief Executive

Summary

At its meeting on 22 March 2007, the Corporate Governance Committee agreed a proposal that an independent professional audit of MPA/MPS Health and Safety Management should be carried out every 3-4 years. This report proposes a procurement exercise to enable this process to be implemented.

A. Recommendation

That the Committee agree an independent professional audit of MPA/MPS Health and Safety Management should be carried out in 2008-09.

B. Supporting information

1. At its meeting on 22 March, the Corporate Governance Committee discussed the Authority’s responsibilities for MPA/MPS Health and Safety At Work and, in particular, its strategic oversight mechanisms. One of the proposals in that report was that the Authority and the Commissioner should jointly commission an independent professional audit of MPA/MPS Safety Management every three or four years. It is proposed that the audit includes:

1. a top-level audit of the Safety Management System, including the implementation of the Corporate MPA/MPS Health and Safety Policy and associated processes against Health and Safety Executive Guidance HS(G)65 (Successful Health and Safety Management);
2. the resource and competence of the management structure inclusive of supporting professional advisors;
3. related procedures e.g. procurement, finance, infra-structure, plant and equipment;
4. A review of information range and quality relating to HASW, with an independent view of key trends and emerging issues, and a critical review of the methodology for benchmarking and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); and
5. a review of MPS policies and processes for health and safety risk assessment, including the effectiveness of implementation of measures to secure safe working systems.

2. It is proposed that the MPA and MPS representatives should agree the audit process and commission work to define detailed terms of Reference (TOR) with a view to the work being undertaken 2008-09.

3. Members of this Committee, including Richard Stephenson (Director, Group Health, Safety and Environment, Transport for London), will be provided with a draft of the audit TOR for MPA endorsement.

C. Race and equality impact

There are no direct race or equality implications in this report.

D. Financial implications

The estimated cost is £30k and will be met from MPS HR budgets.

E. Background papers

• MPA responsibilities for health and safety at work in the MPS – strategic oversight mechanisms (22 March 2007).

F. Contact details

Report author: Alan Johnson, Policy Officer, Human Resources, MPA

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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