Delivering the goods

26 August 2010

Steven Sumner OBE, National Health and Safety Policy Adviser for Local Government Employers, discusses the role of local authorities in health and safety

Local authorities (LAs) have numerous roles to play in helping to ensure health, safety and well-being. As well as being co-regulators with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), LAs have multiple responsibilities – as employers, as procurers of public services, and to service users and clients.

Delivering central government health and safety strategies is a challenge in the current uncertain economic environment. At Local Government Employers, we provide the strategic support LAs need to achieve those goals.

LGE is committed to supporting and promoting sensible risk management. We believe that people should be risk-aware, and that any measures taken should be proportional to the risks. We’re promoting this message to councils in numerous ways.

The Local Government group is actively supporting the GB strategy, ‘The health and safety of Great Britain: be part of the solution’, which was launched in June 2009. At the launch event Sir Steve Bullock, the Mayor of Lewisham and chair of the Local Government Association HR panel and LGE board, signed the strategy pledge on behalf of local government. We urge all LAs to sign the pledge.

Recently we also worked with HSE on the ‘Sign-up to sensible risk’ campaign, which encouraged LAs to sign up to support and promote the ‘sensible risk’ message. And we’re currently working with HSE to develop a delivery framework to assist LAs to contribute towards delivering the GB strategy goals.

It’s also important to spread the ‘sensible risk’ message into schools. Raising risk awareness will benefit pupils in the world outside school. That’s why we support out-of-classroom learning experiences such as school trips, which enable pupils to experience risky environments and activities in a controlled way.

LAs must not forget their own staff. Musculoskeletal disorders and common mental health problems are key issues in LA sickness absence. We need to adopt a proactive approach to occupational health so we can encourage prompt return to work, using flexible arrangements such as phased returns and part-time working. It’s also crucial to ensure that staff are not made ill by the work they’re required to undertake.

We’re encouraging LAs to use the procurement chain to promote improved health and safety performance among suppliers of goods and services. For example, waste and recycling is a major health and safety priority for LAs, both as procurers and deliverers of waste and recycling services. LGE worked closely with HSE to develop and launch its waste and recycling procurement guidance earlier this year.

Sharing best practice and updates is crucial to the work we do. This year’s National Safety Symposium (NSS), organised by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, will include updates and discussions on HSE strategy and local government. NSS 2010 takes place at the Nottingham Belfry Hotel on 5-7 September.