JERSEY COUNCIL FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK: REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1ST JULY 2000 TO 30TH JUNE 2001

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Presented to the States on 4th December 2001

by the Employment and Social Security Committee

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STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

150 2001 R.C.37

Price code: B

REPORT TO 30TH JUNE 2001

Annual Report 2001

This year’s Annual Report looks back over a year in which Council has spent most of its time looking forward! As mentioned in last year’s report, Council was then poised to begin a consultation exercise in an attempt to identify its WAY FORWARD in the twenty-first century. It recognises that it is important to provide for the needs of the Island’s major industries, even if that necessitates major changes to the way in which Council operates. As a result of the consultation exercise, Council has been reviewing its activities and areas of work. Some changes to the way in which Council works have already been implemented whilst other ideas are still being explored.

Council has been in existence since 1973 and has done much in that time to raise awareness of health and safety issues as well as providing many training opportunities. It is important to stress that Council will still provide seminars and training, but there is likely to be a shift in emphasis. In looking at how it may develop further, Council has become very aware of the need to communicate information as quickly as possible. It is likely that the priority will be to provide some sort of easily accessible professional advice service to which people can turn with specific problems and obtain the information that they need at that particular time. A report and proposition setting out Council’s vision for the future and its strategic and operational objectives is currently being finalised and will hopefully be presented to the Employment and Social Security Committee before the end of the year.

All change!

In the meantime it has been business as usual, or almost as usual, as the year has seen a number of significant changes. Council’s chairman of the last twelve years, Mr. Noel Martin, decided that on retiring from full-time employment he should also retire as Chairman of Council. Members were sad to bid him farewell as Noel had brought his own special brand of leadership to the position and much had been achieved during his time as Chairman. However, his successor, Mr. Bob Staddon, was already well-known to Members as he had served as a Council Member for a number of years and this made for a smooth transition.

Severing our links and saying farewell to Kays Medical was another big step for Council. Council’s Annual Report in 1999 opened with these words, “The Council was set up in 1973 by the States of Jersey on the recommendation of the Social Security Committee. It was charged with “raising awareness of health and safety issues in the working community”. Council has always regarded “raising awareness” as its primary role. However, once awareness is raised then, inevitably, questions are asked about how objectives can be achieved. The answer, more often than not, boils down to education and training. Hence the reason that in recent years Council has increasingly taken on the role of training provider and has built up good relationships with a number of trainers and organisations who, when invited to the Island, bring a degree of excellence to the courses provided by Council.”

It has to be said that the relationship with Kays Medical was, and remains, one of the best and the training provided had been second to none. Since they first began coming to Jersey on Council’s behalf in November 1991 Kays instructors had trained just under 3,000 First Aiders on either four-day First Aid at Work courses, two-day Re-qualification courses or one-day Emergency First Aid courses. However, over the last couple of years, Council had been approached by the local branch of St. John Ambulance, which now felt able to undertake more First Aid at Work training. Council had gradually cut down on the number of courses it offered and referred enquirers to St. John Ambulance. Having finally established in the autumn of 2000 that St. John were then in a position to provide sufficient courses, it was agreed that after the end of 2000 Council would no longer provide First Aid training. Whilst it was painful for us to cut our links with Kays Medical and relinquish our role as a First Aid training provider, from Council’s point of view this is a real success story. Not only have we raised awareness of the need to have trained first aiders in the workplace, but we have also demonstrated that there is a real need for locally based training providers, and we’re delighted that that need has also been recognised. Council can now devote its energies and resources to other areas of work that need its attention.

On the administrative front, Council has had a change of auditor. Council wishes to record its thanks to Ernst and Young and particularly to Mr. Richard Powell, who retired during the year. Ernst and Young had acted as auditors for Council on an honorary basis for many years. Council has recently appointed Baker Homyard as auditors.

Training

As stated in last year’s Annual Report, responsibility for the accreditation of Sea Survival courses had passed from the Department of Transport to the Marine Coastguard Agency (MCA). A new set of guidelines had been drawn up and a considerable amount of preparatory work had been necessary in order for Council to meet the new criteria and gain accreditation as a training provider.

A Personal Survival Techniques Course was organised in November 2000 and was approved by the visiting representative of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and a formal MCA Certificate of Course Approval was awarded. Council now intends to run the course on an annual basis and more frequently if there is sufficient demand.

“Turn your back on back pain” was the theme of last year’s European Week for Safety and Health which took place in October 2000, coinciding with Back Care Week. Back pain is the single greatest reason why people take time off work for sickness. It is estimated that a person with back pain will take an average 13 days off work in one year. One in ten major back injuries occurs whilst a person is handling, lifting or carrying. The cost is high to both employee and employer.

Council took part in the Week and was lucky enough to secure the services of Ray Petit, who had spent part of the summer demonstrating and giving advice about safe lifting techniques on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive in the United Kingdom. Ray is no stranger to Jersey, having run many Manual Handling (Lifting and Shifting!) courses here over the years. A total of sixty-one trainees attended one or other of the various training courses offered during the week and there was excellent feedback.

During the course of the year, thirty-five people have gained the nationally recognised IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) Managing Safely Certificate on Council organised courses. This is a four-day course, which culminates with an examination, and so attendance represents a significant commitment by both employers and employees. Council is also aware of other local organisations that have successfully run this course during the year and is greatly encouraged that employers are recognising the need for and benefits of such training.

Council was pleased to lend its logo to the publicity for the “Jersey Construction Week” organised by the Jersey Builders and Allied Trades Employers’ Federation. We are aware that the major players in the industry are beginning to pay more attention to health and safety and, in some cases, are employing their own health and safety consultants and trainers; but there is still a great deal of work to do and Council continues to provide training when appropriate. Convincing the smaller businesses to address health and safety remains a challenge, and even arranging training following consultation with them does not always guarantee that courses will fill.

A full list of courses provided by Council during the year can be found in Appendix 1.

Publications and Video Library

Wording for the planned Health and Safety Poster was agreed. However, following discussions with the Health and Safety Inspectors, it was decided that it would be more appropriate for the Inspectorate to take responsibility for producing and publishing the poster giving information about the Health and Safety at Work (Jersey) Law 1989.

Council is currently working on revising and updating its popular leaflet “Guidance on the Safe Use of Ladders”, which it makes available free of charge.

A newsletter giving information about Council’s activities is produced and circulated several times each year to all the organisations on Council’s mailing list.

Council now has a presence on the World Wide Web. The site includes information about our history and the courses currently on offer. There is an inquiry page from which direct contact can be made with Council and there is a link to the United Kingdom’s Health and Safety Executive site. We look forward to being able to include a link to Employment and Social Security’s site once that is up and running. The present Website is very basic, but this is something we hope to develop further over the next few years.

Training videos continue to be made available to bona fide companies and organisations on free loan. Council is currently exploring ways of making these, and a series of information leaflets, more widely available and more easily accessible.

Accessing information

The Internet is becoming an increasingly useful tool in accessing information and finding people with appropriate skills to offer training on Council’s behalf.

A visit by the Secretary to the Health and Safety Congress and Exhibition held at the NEC in May also proved useful.

We are very pleased that Jersey Telecom has agreed to our request to include a ‘Health and Safety’ section in the yellow pages of the next telephone directory. With a growing number of companies offering health and safety services, this should prove useful for companies wanting to source trainers or consultants.

Thanks

Thanks are due as always to many people who help in a multitude of ways. A special thank you this year to the States of Jersey Ambulance Service, who were always so supportive during the nine years that Council offered First Aid training. The Ambulance Service provided or arranged for appropriately qualified people to act as examiners at the end of each course. This was always done quietly and without fuss and we are indebted to them for the role they played throughout those years. Their presence was of special significance to the trainees as they knew that, on occasion, their duties as First Aiders were likely to bring them into contact with staff of the Ambulance Service.

Council continues to work in partnership with the States of Jersey Fire Service in the provision of Fire Safety Awareness courses. We are grateful to all those staff who deliver the training or help in other ways.

As always we are grateful to the T.A. for allowing us the use of their excellent facilities for many of our courses.

We look forward to another year and the challenges that it will bring.

APPENDIX 1

Courses/seminars organised by Council between 1st July 2000 and 30th June 2001

Date	Course	Duration	Delegates
2000
2nd August	Fire Safety Awareness	half-day	13
2nd August	Fire Safety Awareness (Garage Forecourts)	half-day	8
7th-8th September	First Aid Re-qualification	two days	11
11th September	Emergency First Aid	one day	14
12th-15th September	First Aid at Work	four days	13
12th, 13th, 18th and 19th September	IOSH Managing Safely	four days	9
14th, 15th, 20th and 21st September	IOSH Managing Safely	four days	10
18th-21st September	First Aid at Work	four days	12
22nd September	Emergency First Aid	one day	15
5th October	Fire Safety x 2	two half-days	27
16th-18th October	Manual Handling Assessor/Instructor	three days	4
17th October	Manual Handling Techniques - In-house	two hours	12
18th October	Manual Handling Instructor - Update	two hours	17
19th October	Manual Handling Techniques	one day	13
20th October	Manual Handling Techniques	one day	15
7th-8th November	Safety Representatives Development	two days	11
9th-10th November	Safety Representatives Development	two days	14
14th November	Sea Survival (Personal Survival Techniques)	one day	20

Date	Course	Duration	Delegates
2000 cont’d
16th-17th November	First Aid Re-qualification	two days	7
20th November	Emergency First Aid	one day	13
21st-24th November	First Aid at Work	four days	14
27th-30th November	First Aid at Work	four days	13
1st December	Emergency First Aid	one day	15
4th December	Fire Safety x 2	two half-days	22
2001
22nd January	Fire Safety x 2	two half-days	33
12th-15th February	Manual Handling	four days	64
6th March	Fire Safety x 2	two half-days	34
16th May	Fire Safety x 2	two half-days	37
4th-5th June	Scaffold Appreciation	two half-days	42
6th June	Construction Site Safety	one day	11
14th, 15th, 25th and 26th June	IOSH Managing Safely	four days	16
27th June	Managing Safety - Part 1	one day	12
28th June	Managing Safety - Part 2	one day	11

APPENDIX 2

THE JERSEY COUNCIL FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK

Council Mr. R. Staddon (Chairman)

Mr. D.M. Baylem

Mr. N. Laugeard

Mr. C.P. Lister

Mr. R. Coppell (ex officio)

Secretary/Treasurer Mrs. J. Corbin

Address Ravenscroft

La Route de Noirmont

St. Brelade

JERSEY

JE3 8AJ

Channel Islands

Auditors BAKER HOMYARD

1st Floor

Huguenot House

28 La Motte Street

St. Helier

JE2 4SY

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

FOR THE PERIOD 1ST JULY 2000 TO 30TH JUNE 2001

	Note	2001	2000
INCOME		£	£
Grant - Employment and Social Security	1	25,000	25,000
Training courses and conference fees	2	49,989	69,942
Bank interest		1,898	1,524
Miscellaneous		58	70
		76,945	96,536
EXPENDITURE
Training courses/conferences/seminars		49,166	57,474
Administration		23,888	22,744