Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Personnel Committee

Item

18 December 2002

SDO Safety & Risk Management

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Contact: J Bonney Deputy Chief Fire Officer 02380 644000 Ext 207

1

Introduction

1.1

As part of the Service restructuring it has been appropriate to consider the SDO post previously designated as SDO Fire Safety (FS) and re-evaluate this role particularly in light of the regulatory reform of Fire Safety and recent Health and Safety developments.

2

Background

2.1

The first phase of the Service restructuring removed the Community Fire Safety responsibility from the SDO (FS) and placed this within the Operations function. At the same time as this, the wide span of control for line management held by the Personnel Manager was reviewed. The Personnel function comprises a number of teams: Resourcing and HR Planning; Employee Relations/Professional Standards; Payroll; Research and Policy; Diversity and Equality; Information Systems (Personnel) and finally Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare. The opportunity was also taken to replace two vacant senior management posts in Personnel with a Deputy Personnel Manager and a Resourcing Manager to reflect the change in emphasis of the skills and expertise being demanded from the Personnel function.

2.2

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service operates a fairly innovative structural approach to health and safety by including within that function the occupational health and welfare provision. As a result of this arrangement, our approach to health, safety and welfare has been innovative and rapidly developed. Consequently it is not desirable to separate Occupational Health and Welfare from the rest of the Health & Safety function.

2.3

The Health & Safety Team, however, has a wider role than a purely clinical dimension. Increasingly the risk assessments, and subsequent control measures we develop, need specialist skills. In many ways, the future approach to fire safety enforcement will be predicated on the same methodology of risk assessment and validation.

2.4

In terms of the skills required, the health and safety and technical fire safety fields are converging, and whilst the former focuses mainly on internal organisational safety the latter has a more external perspective. Both areas, however, form part of an integrated risk management and advisory service.

2.5

For that reason, and the previously mentioned shifts of responsibility for the SDO (FS), an opportunity is created to adjust reporting lines. Thus Occupational Health (OH), will now no longer be managed by the Personnel Manager, (although it will continue to provide the majority of its service to this function) but will become part of the function of a newly created SDO (Safety & Risk Management). Key benefits of the change of reporting line whilst retaining the Unit intact, are that it will remain an integrated element of the Service's health in the workplace strategy and will continue to provide an advisory service to the Personnel function.

2.6

An additional advantage of this arrangement is to create a 'client/contractor' relationship, where the professional views of the OH team are sought by the Personnel function to assist them in their corporate role of advising senior managers on matters relating to the health and wellbeing of employees in an occupational capacity relating to their employment.

2.7

None of these changes alters the Principal Officer reference for Health Safety and Welfare, which remains with DCFO (TFS/P/T).

2.8

There are no financial implications to this structural adjustment.

3

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

3.1

The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. This legislation will have an ongoing contribution in the development of this policy.

Recommendation

That the Authority notes the redesignation of SDO (FS) to SDO (Safety & Risk Management), together with the adjustment of responsibility for the Occupational Health, Safety & Welfare function from the Personnel Manager to SDO (Safety & Risk Management). This will commence on 1 October 2002.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report.

None

NB The list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

File name: HFRA Personnel 18 Dec 02 - SDO Safety & Risk Management