Health and safety specific reports

Report: 6
Date: 16 February 2004
By: Commissioner Clerk

Summary

This report updates the Metropolitan Police Authority in respect of matters of particular health and safety interest.

A. Recommendations

That the report be noted.

B. Supporting information

1. This report seeks to outline recent specific MPS health and safety reports, investigated incidents and proactive initiatives. Appendix 1 covers the main initiatives. Update on these and any other matters will be given orally at the meeting.

C. Equality and diversity implications

There are no direct implications on equalities and diversity arising from this report.

D. Financial implications

There are no immediate financial implications beyond the Branch budget arising from this report. Any future financial implications that arise will subject to a separate business case.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Louis Backwell, Head of Health and Safety, MPS.

For more information contact:

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

Appendix 1

Improvement notices

1. The serving of the six Improvement Notices on the Commissioner by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 1 June 2001 (arising from the death of PC Sidhu in October 1999) generated major streams of work. In particular:

• New training requirements covering all police officer ranks and operational and non-operational police staff.
• Implementation of health and safety management systems.
• Implementation of health and safety monitoring and analysis systems.

2. All the specific requirements of these Improvement Notices have been met. In the case of training, the MPS actually exceeded the terms of the Notice, with over 20,000 officers and staff having attended the training courses.

HSE contact

3. The Branch continues to develop better working relations with the HSE. The Branch held a meeting with the HSE on 16 January 2004, to develop a schedule for the HSE ‘health check’ inspections of ‘fast roads policing’, compliance with the Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) management. It is planned that the PCSO and ‘fast roads’ health checks will commence in March 2004. The inspection of the CDM Regulations will follow later in the year.

CBRN Operation Guardian Working Group

4. The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Operation Guardian Working Group has examined the requirement for a Joint Safety Advisory Cell (JSAC), which at this stage is based on the Joint Health Advisory Centre (JHAC) concept and will link the heads of health and safety for each London emergency blue light service to share best practice. The Working Group agreed that the JSAC should review CBRN procedures from a health and safety point of view and quality assure the blue light services risk assessments. The Operation Guardian main forum has been requested to review the need for JSAC to convene in the event of a major CBRN incident and to provide Gold Commanders with relevant safety advice.

Home Office Crash Rescue Hazards Working Group

5. The Branch continues to participate and contribute to the Home Office Crash Rescue Hazards Working Group. The Working Group is currently producing an aide-memoire on the hazards from airbags, supplementary restraint systems, seat belt pre-tensioner systems and roll over protection systems. The Branch plans to issue this aide-memoire as MPS policy.

Demonstrations at height

6. The Branch was consulted on a number of demonstrations at height, including the Terminal 5 and Tower Bridge crane occupations. Operational risk assessments were reviewed, and the Branch is now actively involved in the post-incident review, including the development of procedures to deal with these types of demonstrations safely.

Health and safety training

7. The Branch is leading a review of all MPS health and safety training to clarify existing training being delivered, assess and analyse future training needs, and develop a future strategy.

8. Pending completion of this MPS-wide review, the Strategic Health and Safety Committee has endorsed the continuation of the HR-sponsored health and safety training that was primarily introduced to meet the requirements of the 2001 HSE improvement notices.

Borough H&S inspections

9. The final inspection has now been completed. The inspection results will be uploaded on to a new health and safety audit software tool. An analysis of findings will be presented to the next Strategic Health and Safety Committee and circulated to borough commanders.

Diversity – health and safety

10. Recently, a study undertaken by the HSE has identified that some employers may be using health and safety, either not to employ, or to continue employing disabled, injured, or ill health employees on inappropriate tasks. The Branch is now in discussion with the Diversity Directorate to ensure that appropriate control measures are employed to ensure that staff only undertakes suitable work tasks.

Display screen equipment (DSE)

11. The number of DSE used by the MPS has increased to such an extent that most police officers and police staff now uses them on a regular basis. The Branch is currently investigating the possible use of a computer based DSE training and DSE assessment management system.

Police officers and police staff deployment overseas

12. International requests for assistance in combating serious and organised crime, engaging in joint international policing ventures are being made on a more frequent basis. Health and Safety Branch is currently collaborating with the Corporate Risk Management Group (CRMG), Occupational Health, Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD) and Specialist Operations (SO). The aim is to produce a revised policy document for overseas deployment and aide-memoire for deploying officers (including a hazard checklist).

HSE/police service and MPS - Managing at work road risk project

13. A key recommendation of the Dykes Committee Report was the development of closer co-operation between the statutory and enforcing bodies, particularly the HSE and the police in managing road safety. As a result, a direct liaison was established between the MPS Health and Safety Branch and the HSE Policy Unit based at Rose Court with a particular interest in developing the management of occupational road safety. HSE guidance has now defined the road as a workplace, a fundamental change from previous policy. There are two main implications for the police service:

• The police service will have to assist the HSE in successfully carrying forward joint investigations of accidents and collaborative road safety campaigns.
• Police driving activity will have to be subject properly to health and safety management.

14. A Joint HSE and MPS Pilot study dealing with both issues is scheduled for this year at two London Boroughs and three support Operational Command Units.

Joint incident investigations

15. The Branch is working with the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) to produce a memorandum of understanding to ensure close co-operation in investigations that have both a professional standards and a health and safety angle.

Health and safety audit tool

16. The Branch is currently developing a new health and safety audit question set with guidance. This new audit protocol is being developed within a software tool that will facilitate analysis of results, action tracking of recommendations and future benchmarking.

MetAIR analysis

17. The Branch is now producing a review of the first year performance of MetAir and an analysis of the first year of data collected. A rudimentary analysis of these MetAir figures appears to indicate a nominal downward trend in more than three day injuries over the year, all injury data shows no change, major injuries show a very slight reduction but these are susceptible to significant skew by very small occurrences. The results of the detailed first year MetAir review and data analysis will be submitted to the Strategic Health and Safety Committee in March 2003 and then to the MPA Sub-Committee.

18. MetAir assault injury data is to be utilised for training purposes by Recruit and Probationary trainers.

Health and safety web sites

19. A new Health and Safety website was launched on AWARE in December 2003.

20. The new corporate risk assessment site was launched on AWARE in January 2004.

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