Agenda of Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee

09 June 2023

A picture containing text, screenshot, newspaper, printing

Description automatically generated

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee - Terms of Reference Ngā Ārahina Mahinga

Chair	Councillor Scandrett
Deputy Chair	Councillor Barber
Membership	Councillor Peters Councillor Coker 2 External Members (both currently vacant)
Quorum	Half of the members if the number of members (including vacancies) is even, or a majority of members if the number of members (including vacancies) is odd.
Meeting Cycle	Quarterly
Reports To	Council

Purpose:

Maintain and continually improve Health, Safety & Wellbeing by promoting consultation, co-operation and coordination between Management and Council. Ensuring active engagement in the ongoing development of a health, safety and wellbeing programmes.

Objective:

The role of the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee of Council (Committee) is to assist Council to provide leadership in discharging its health and safety management responsibilities within the organisation.

Secretarial and Meetings:

· The committee may have in attendance such members of management, including the Chief Executive and such other persons as it considers necessary to provide appropriate information and explanations.

· Meetings shall be held at least quarterly. Further meetings will be arranged on an as-needed basis.

· The Chair of the Committee will report all recommendations, key issues and findings to the Council.

Responsibilities:

· To assist the Council in discharging its due diligence responsibilities as a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), by taking reasonably practicable steps to understand the health and safety risks, and ensure that they are managed so that the organisation meets its legal obligations. Review and monitor the robustness of the organisation’s health, safety and wellbeing risk management framework.

· Review and monitor the robustness of the organisation’s health, safety and wellbeing risk management framework.

· Seek assurance that the organisation is effectively structured to manage health and safety risks.

· Review progress with completion of organisational Health and Safety Plan objectives.

· Monitor compliance with policies and relevant legislation.

· Seek assurance that systems used to identify and manage health and safety hazards and risk are fit for purpose, effectively implemented, regularly reviewed and continuously improved.

· Ensure that the Council is properly and regularly informed and updated on matters relating to health and safety risks.

· Enquire as to the steps management have taken to embed a proactive culture through engagement with workers and provide reasonable opportunities for workers to participate in health, safety & wellbeing.

· Seek assurance that Council are working in partnership so far as reasonably practical with other PCBU’s as a primary duty of care to ensure the health and safety of workers.

· Seek advice periodically from internal and external auditors regarding the effectiveness and completeness of the health and safety systems.

· Ensure management are keeping the Committee fully appraised of all independent sources of assurance, via the health and safety framework including any internal or external audits undertaken.

· Consider whether appropriate actions are being taken by management to mitigate Council’s significant health and safety risks.

· Ensure that management is kept appraised of the Council’s governance body’s views on health and safety issues.

· Any other duties and responsibilities that have been assigned to it from time to time by the Council.

Appointment Process for External Members:

Principles:

The following principles guide the appointment process for External Members of the Committee:

· The Head of Human Resources will provide candidates to the Chief Executive and GM Strategy & Transformation Office for consideration.

· The Chair of the Committee and Chief Executive will endorse the nominations, if appropriate.

Candidates will be contacted at the appropriate time to confirm their willingness to serve for the term for which External Members are appointed as set out below. If they are willing to serve, independence and confidentiality requirements and a background check will be conducted. They will also be informed of Council policies.

The Chair of the Committee and the Health and Safety Manager or Head of Human Resources will review the candidates to develop a shortlist by assessing the following:

o Professional credentials and relevant experience

o Their understanding of current Health and Safety legislative requirements

o Experience with prevention, and response to compliance risks; education, auditing and monitoring concepts

o Experience overseeing or assessing the performance of organisations with respect to their health and safety compliance or risk function

o Understanding implications for compliance and culture in a changing regulatory environment

o Potential conflicts for the candidate

o Affiliations or connections with the Council and its related entities

o Reference and background check reports

The results of the review of the candidates will be reported to the Committee’s External Members Appointments Panel, who will select from the shortlist which External Members are appointed to the Committee.

Term:

· External Members of the Committee will be appointed for a term of three years (subject to the terms their contract and the Council failing to resolve anything that would by implication necessarily shorten that term). The term for External Members shall, unless the Chief Executive specifies otherwise, begin on 1 April following the Triennial elections and end on 31 March three years later to provide continuity for the Committee over the initial months of a new Council.

· External Members are eligible for re-appointment by the Committee’s External Members Appointments Panel for one further term. However, the Council may approve the re-appointment of External Members for any number of subsequent terms to ensure continuity of knowledge.

Delegations

External Members Appointments Panel:

· The Committee delegates to its External Members Appointments Panel (Panel) the authority to consider shortlisted candidates for appointment as the External Members of the Committee and to appoint 2 External Members.

· The Chair of the Panel shall be the Chair of the Committee, and the further members of the Panel shall be the elected members of the Committee.

· The quorum of the Panel shall be half of the members if the number of members (including vacancies) is even, or a majority of members if the number of members (including vacancies) is odd.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee

09 June 2023

Unconfirmed

A black text on a white background

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee

Open Minutes

Date: Friday 3 March 2023

Time: 9.31 am

Venue: Committee Room 1, Level 2, Civic Offices,
53 Hereford Street, Christchurch

Present

Chairperson

Deputy Chairperson

Members

Councillor Tim Scandrett

Councillor Kelly Barber

Councillor Andrei Moore – via audio/visual link

Councillor Mark Peters

Mr Bevan Killick

Principal Advisor

Leah Scales

General Manager - Resources / CFO

Tel: 941 8999

Cathy Harlow

Committee & Hearings Advisor

941 5662

Cathy.Harlow@ccc.govt.nz

www.ccc.govt.nz

Part A Matters Requiring a Council Decision

Part B Reports for Information

Part C Decisions Under Delegation

The agenda was dealt with in the following order.

1. Apologies Ngā Whakapāha

Part C

Committee Decision

There were no apologies received.

2. Declarations of Interest Ngā Whakapuaki Aronga

Part B

There were no declarations of interest recorded.

3. Public Forum Te Huinga Whānui

Part B

There were no public forum presentations.

4. Deputations by Appointment Ngā Huinga Whakaritenga

Part B

There were no deputations by appointment.

5. Presentation of Petitions Ngā Pākikitanga

Part B

There was no presentation of petitions.

6. Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report

Committee Resolved HSCM/2023/00001

Officer Recommendation accepted without change

Part C

That the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee:

1. Receive the information in the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Report

Councillor Scandrett/Councillor Barber Carried

The Committee noted the following:

1.1 The Chair acknowledged the resignation of Paul Coleman from the Committee and noted the process to fill the vacancy would commence.

1.2 The Committee requested that an explanation of the contractor procurement process be included in the next agenda.

Meeting concluded at 10.14am.

CONFIRMED THIS 9^TH DAY OF JUNE 2023

Councillor Tim Scandrett

Chairperson

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee

09 June 2023

7. Health, Safety & Wellbeing Update
Reference / Te Tohutoro:	23/817854
Report of / Te Pou Matua:	John Walters, Health, Safety & Wellbeing Manager (john.walters@ccc.govt.nz)
Senior Manager / Pouwhakarae:	Leah Scales, General Manager Resources/Chief Financial Officer (Leah.Scales@ccc.govt.nz)

1. Nature of Information Update and Report Origin

1.1 This is an operational report focussed on Health, Safety and Wellbeing.

1.2 Council Risk and Assurance Unit, Health, Safety & Wellbeing team.

2. Officer Recommendations Ngā Tūtohu

That the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee:

1. Receive the information in the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Update Report

3. Overview

3.1 The Health, Safety & Wellbeing report format has been modified to become aligned to the key focus areas of the ISO45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management system, and will provide standard headings throughout the report of:

· Leadership & Engagement

· Planning

· Operation

· Performance Evaluation

· Continuous Improvement

3.1.2 Each section of the report shows the Context of the subject, the Action currently being undertaken, and any Recommendations associated with the subject.

4. Leadership & Engagement

4.1 Officer Due Diligence (Health & Safety at Work Act 2015 - HSWA)

4.1.1 Context

· The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) is focused on the term “Person conducting a business or undertaking” (PCBU), which effectively means ‘The Business/Organisation/Company’. Additionally, HSWA places six obligations on Officers working within a PCBU. Officers are, in general terms, defined (paraphrased) as:

(i) Directors, CEO, CFO and GM’s

(ii) Any other person occupying a position in relation to the business that allows the person to exercise significant influence over the management of the business. (This could, depending on the circumstances, encompass Heads of Service)

4.1.2 Activity

· Development and delivery of Information/training sessions designed to ensure key obligations, as part of the HSWA are fully understood by all Officers, and potential officers.

· Officer Due Diligence training will be developed and delivered by a third party for each Business Group. Each session encompassing GM and Head of Service, and relevant staff as required. CEO and selected Councillors be included within one of the four planned sessions.

a) It is proposed that CCC hold 2 yearly refresher training going forward.

b) Additionally, Health, Safety & Wellbeing training framework be developed to encompass all people leaders across the organisation.

4.2 Visible Safety Leadership – Site Visits

4.2.1 Context

· Visible Safety Leadership sessions are currently held on a monthly basis, with these being attended by CEO and Chair of HSW Committee of Council.

· Additional activities completed by various leadership teams are not currently being recorded, with mixed levels of interactions by Head’s of Service.

4.2.2 Activity

· The July – December programme of Site Visits is currently under development. The programme will ensure coverage of key areas of risk across the Organisation.

· The programme will also expand on the current CEO site visit programme to include all GM’s, with one session being held each week, attended by one ELT member each session, this will increase the amount of structured site visits without significantly impacting the ELT workload.

· Two recent site visits have resulted in positive outcomes with items identified at the time of the visit.

· New Brighton Library – A significant roof leak noted as an ongoing issue, while in the planning phase at the time of the visit, is now in the process of physical remedial works.

· South Library – Heating and cooling issues have been discussed at the site visit with Facilities and Library team leaders discussing the issues and work already completed. The outcome is a period of monitoring of the library environment and the agreement/development of a short-term plan B, incorporating temporary industrial air conditioning units.

5. Planning

5.1 The Better Governance Project

5.1.1 Context

· The Business Leaders Health & Safety Forum is leading a project focused on the flat-lining H&S performance across New Zealand. A summary/introduction document released by the “Better Governance Project” is attached to this report for your information. The project has three phases.

· Phase one, now completed, has identified a number of recommended actions, focused on:

· Learning & Development

· Anticipate & Understanding

· Plan & Resource

· Trust & Verify

· Monitor & Respond

· Phase two will focus on the implementation of the phase one recommendations.

· Phase three will drive the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of actions. Currently there are no indicative times associated with phases two or three.

5.1.2 Activity

· As noted within Section 8.1 (ISO45001) of this report with the development of a full Safety Management System the recommendations of the Better Governance project will be integrated into the ISO45001 project.

5.2 HSW Objectives and Annual Planning

5.2.1 Context

· HSW team are currently reviewing several of the organisations Health, Safety and Wellbeing results year to date. This review will assist in the development of the FY24 Objectives and Business Unit Annual Safety Plans.

5.2.2 Activity

· Development of a template Annual HSW plan is in progress. The plan will provide key areas of focus on the foundations of Health, Safety & Wellbeing Management across each Unit. This annual plan will link to HSW Objectives for FY24 based on the year end results for FY23.

· The FY24 HSW objectives will be integrated into the wider organisations’ objectives to ensure HSW is part of BAU.

6. Operations

6.1 General HSW Update

6.1.1 Context

· The HSW team have been involved in various projects across the organisation.

6.1.2 Activity

· The team continue to support the Rec & Sport area of the business while the recruitment process begins again for their Senior HSW Senior Advisor.

· A Lone Worker procedure is in development to ensure there are processes to support our staff that are required to work alone. The process will focus on pre-planning for lone work, training, and emergency procedures.

7. Performance Evaluation

7.1 Health, Safety & Wellbeing Dashboard

7.1.1 Context

· The April Health, Safety & Wellbeing Dashboard is attached to this report.

7.1.2 Activity (Report Highlights)

· HSR Training – This continues to improve with two recent training sessions held within the main Civic Office. The HSW team are currently validating the quantity of recorded HSR’s by Business Group to ensure the council is meeting its obligations. However, the team are mindful that, given the size of the Civic Office, a risk-based approach should be applied to the HSR numbers for some support function areas.

· Open Events – the HSW team are working with their respective Business Groups/Units to ensure events are closed in a timely manner. A new report is in development to provide GM’s with a monthly Open Event status by Business Unit to assist in driving the numbers down month on month. The current 30-day close-out target should be reduced to 14 days.

· Total Injury Management Costs – While the graphs measure the cumulative costs month by month of Medical Fees and Weekly Compensation, additional costs are incurred monthly as part of injury management, such as the Early Intervention Programme and monthly administration costs from Well NZ. For FY24 all injury related costs will be included; additionally, the FY22 & FY23 results will be aligned to ensure a direct comparison can be made.

8. Continuous Improvement

8.1 ISO45001

8.1.1 Context

· A dedicated HSW resource has been allocated to this project. Additionally, one of the new Internal Auditors within the Risk & Assurance Team is a certified ISO45001 Auditor.

· The project will develop a suite of overarching processes, to provide direction for the organisation. The processes will support the organisation without being highly prescriptive, allowing all Units and individual facilities to adopt each process depending on its structure and size.

· The documentation will deliver a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS) and will have a single format structured to align to the key headings noted in Section 3.1 of this report.

· To achieve certification to ISO45001, an external Auditor will review the SMS and assess the consistency of the implementation across the whole organisation.

· To achieve certification, all business units must follow a single documented HSW Safety Management System, to ensure consistency across the organisation. The HSW team will provide support and assistance with the implementation at a Business Unit level.

8.1.2 Activity

· A previous internal review of ISO45001 is being used as a Gap Analysis.

· A review of the documents currently in place across the organisation will integrate the current processes with a broader SMS supporting the whole organisation. This SMS will form the foundations for improved safety outcomes.

8.2 HSW Related Expenditure

8.2.1 Context

· The HSW team provide a series of services, many that are provided by third party service providers. These include:

· Injury Management & Medical Fees payments

· Physio

· Flu Vaccines

· Pre-Employment Medicals

· Counselling Service & Workplace Support

· Optometry support

· Health monitoring/Skin checks

· The majority of these costs are assigned directly to Cost Centres across the organisation.

8.2.2 Activity

· HSW are currently working with the Finance team to establish a total spend for each of the above services.

· A review of costs and contracts by service is in progress with the aim to develop a panel of key providers to ensure ROI is achieved.

9. Engagement with WorkSafe NZ

9.1 While there are currently no Notices, a WorkSafe NZ investigation is ongoing following the Hagley Park incident on 22 May 2023.

Attachments Ngā Tāpirihanga

No.	Title	Reference	Page
a ⇩	Health, Safety & Wellbeing Dashboard April 2023	23/817855	17
b ⇩	Introduction to the Better Governance Project	23/817857	31

In addition to the attached documents, the following background information is available:

Document Name – Location / File Link

Not applicable

Confirmation of Statutory Compliance Te Whakatūturutanga ā-Ture

Compliance with Statutory Decision-making Requirements (ss 76 - 81 Local Government Act 2002).

(a) This report contains:

(i) sufficient information about all reasonably practicable options identified and assessed in terms of their advantages and disadvantages; and

(ii) adequate consideration of the views and preferences of affected and interested persons bearing in mind any proposed or previous community engagement.

(b) The information reflects the level of significance of the matters covered by the report, as determined in accordance with the Council's significance and engagement policy.

Signatories Ngā Kaiwaitohu

Authors

Nicholas Hill - Head of Risk & Assurance

John Walters - Manager Health, Safety & Wellbeing

Approved By

Leah Scales - General Manager Resources/Chief Financial Officer

ITEM NO.	GENERAL SUBJECT OF EACH MATTER TO BE CONSIDERED	SECTION	SUBCLAUSE AND REASON UNDER THE ACT	PLAIN ENGLISH REASON	WHEN REPORTS CAN BE RELEASED
9.	Public Excluded Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee Minutes - 3 March 2023			Refer to the previous public excluded reason in the agendas for these meetings.
10.	Incident Update	s7(2)(a), s7(2)(g)	Protection of Privacy of Natural Persons, Maintain Legal Professional Privilege	To protect indivduals and the organisation whilst investigations are underway	Due to the nature of the incident it is unlikely that this report will be released unless legally required to protect the individuals involved. Will not be released with approval of Head of Legal and CEO.