OFFICIAL. Date 27 November 2018 Rutherglen Town Hall, Rutherglen

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1 Agenda Item 18 Meeting Date Location Rutherglen Town Hall, Rutherglen Title of Paper Reference B /89 Presented By DCC Fiona Taylor, Police Scotland Recommendation to Members For Discussion Appendix Attached No Purpose The purpose of this report is to provide a strategic overview in relation to Health & Safety within the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland. The Chief Constable and Chair of the SPA have joint responsibility as duty holders in many areas and this responsibility is then discharged through the Police Scotland National Health and Safety Board. Matters are currently escalated via Executive Members to the SPA Board. This paper is presented in line with SPA Corporate Governance Framework and is submitted for discussion. 1

2 1. BACKGROUND 1.1 The Health & Safety Team currently comprises a Health & Safety Manager, 8 Safety Advisors and 2 Safety Assistants who are based across the country and operate in support of the command structure within the North, East and West. Team members have references covering all areas of policing including all specialist areas. Decisions in relation to Health & Safety are made through a network of local Health & Safety committees within the SPA and Police Scotland, with national decisions made at the Health & Safety Board, which is held quarterly. The team also work closely with Wellbeing colleagues. 1.2 The Health & Safety Manager is the legally competent person for Police Scotland and the SPA, providing a joined up approach to all aspects of Health & Safety. 1.3 It is important to note that significant progress has been made in terms of Health & Safety however, we do recognise that many years of work are required in what is a very large and relatively new organisation. The Health & Safety Manager also represents the organisation at a UK national level with both the Association of Police Safety Advisors and the Health & Safety Group of the National Police Chiefs Council. These groups allow for the sharing of best practice across the country. 1.4 Please note that the Health & Safety Action Log will be updated and circulated to Board members on a quarterly basis. 2

3 2. PERFORMANCE REPORT 2.1 The purpose of this section of the report is to give Board Members information on the number of accidents and injuries sustained by Police Officers, Police Staff and 3 rd parties within both the SPA and Police Scotland. 2.2 Overview - Police Scotland only Q2 July Sep 2018 ACCIDENT TYPE Due to Assault During Arrest Manual Handling Slips, Trips and Falls Training Accidents RTC Injuries 2017/18 Q2 2018/19 Q2 RAG COMMENTS Reduced by 90 (20%) Increased by 11 (7%) Increased by 4 (36%) Low numbers overall, hence the red RAG Reduced by 28 (42%) Reduced by 3 (15%) Reduced by 7 (19%) Others Increased by 20 (18%) Near Miss Reports Increased by 32 (11%) Total Reduced by 61 (5%) RAG KEY Equal to or less than previous year Increase of <10% Increase of >10% 3

4 2017/18 Q2 NUMBER RIDDORS 2018/19 Q2 RAG COMMENTS Reduced by 18 (31%) 2.3 Police Scotland quarterly statistical narrative The total number of accident/incident reports, for Police Scotland only, for Q2 2018/19 was 1049, a reduction of 61 (5%) compared with Q2 of the previous year. The 3 highest accident types were injured due to assault, near miss and injury during arrest. This Health & Safety Performance Report includes narrative in relation to areas with a RED RAG Status (indicating an increase of greater than 10%). When compared with Q2 of 2017/18, increases of greater than 10% are evident for Manual Handling (36%), Others (18%) and Near Misses (11%). Manual Handling the reason for the red RAG for manual handling is the very low number of reports which means that small increases are more likely to result in changes in excess of 10%. Others this category includes any report of injury that is not captured by the main categories. This can include reports for needle stick injuries, animal bites, cross contamination following Pava deployment, etc. No identifiable trends are apparent. Examples from Q2 include: Officer was struggling with accused and attempted to remove pills from their hand and in doing so dislocated her own right hand. A flare was ignited next to a Police Officer causing a very large bang affecting his hearing. The officer attended his GP who confirmed he had a small tear in his ear drum. person has neck and shoulder injuries after climbing up and jumping from a 6 ft. wall. person was carrying out a method of entry when the enforcer (equipment used to open door) pierced the door and trapped the officer s hand between enforcer and the door. At the time the injured person was wearing gauntlets, as per training, but there was slight bruising to hand. 4

5 Near Miss for Police Scotland a large proportion of near misses are attempted assaults. A great deal of work has been carried out to increase awareness around the importance of reporting near misses and attempted assaults over the last year. This has resulted in an increase in reporting within this category. 2.4 Police Scotland YTD figures (Q1 + Q2 2017/18 & 2018/19) ACCIDENT TYPE Due to Assault During Arrest Manual Handling 2017/18 YTD 2018/19 YTD RAG COMMENTS Reduced by 87 (10%) Increased by 12 (4%) Increased by 6 (25%) (very low numbers hence the red RAG) Slips, Trips and Falls Reduced by 31 (25%) Training Accidents Reduced by 11 (23%) RTC Injuries Increased by 11 (21%) Others Increased by 42 (17% Increased by 20 (4%) Near Miss Reports Total Reduced by 38 (2%) RIDDORS 2017/18 YTD NUMBER /19 YTD RAG COMMENTS Reduced by 22 (22%) 5

6 2.5 Police Scotland Q2 YTD narrative The total number of accident/incident reports, for Police Scotland only, for Q2 2018/19 YTD was 2136, a reduction of 38 (2%) compared with Q2 YTD of the previous year. The 3 highest accident types for Q2 YTD were injured due to assault, near miss and injured during arrest. When compared with Q2 YTD of 2017/18, increases of greater than 10% are evident for Manual Handling (25%), RTC s (21%) and Others (17%). As detailed in the table, percentage calculations using low numbers result in greater percentage increases. RTCs have been reviewed with no identifiable trends evident. 2.6 SPA Overview Corporate & Forensic Services Q2 July Sep 2018 ACCIDENT TYPE Due to Assault During Arrest Manual Handling Slips, Trips and Falls Training Accidents RTC Injuries 2017/ /19 Q2 Q RAG COMMENTS Others 7 15 Increased by 8 (114%) Near Miss Reports 9 16 Increased by 7 (78%) Total Increased by 11 (48%) 6

7 RAG KEY Equal to or less than previous year Increase of <10% Increase of >10% 2017/18 Q2 NUMBER 0 1 RIDDORS 2018/19 Q2 RAG COMMENTS 2.7 SPA quarterly statistical narrative For SPA only, 34 reports were submitted during Q2 2018/19. This shows an increase of 11 (48%) when compared to Q2 of the previous year. The highest categories are Near Misses (no injury sustained) and others. Increases of greater than 10% are evident for Near Misses (78%), others (114%) and total reports (48%). Forensic Services management have been raising awareness amongst staff to report accidents, incidents and near misses. These increases were therefore anticipated. Trend analysis is difficult on small data sets however examples of near miss reports are included as follows: Water ingress from boiler room via ceiling & walls. Electrical sockets/cables & instrument PC could have been affected. Potential exposure to asbestos containing materials whilst attending fire scene. Cut gloves on broken spout of glass beaker whilst washing. As detailed above, the Others category includes any report that does not fit into the remaining categories. Examples include: Caught hand between seat latch & frame; fractured thumb (RIDDOR reportable due to over 7 day absence). Cut finger with scalpel whilst cutting open car air bag. 7

8 Whilst attending cannabis cultivation scene took allergic reaction to unknown substance. 1 RIDDOR reportable accident occurred in Q2 of 2018/19 compared to none the previous year. 2.8 SPA YTD figures Corporate & Forensic Services (Q1 + Q2 2017/18 & 2018/19) ACCIDENT TYPE Due to Assault During Arrest Manual Handling Slips, Trips and Falls Training Accidents RTC Injuries 2017/ /19 YTD YTD RAG COMMENTS 6 1 Reduced by 5 (83%) Reduced by 2 (40%) Others Increased by 1 (5%) Near Miss Reports Reduced by 33 (53%) Total Reduced by 40 (42%) RIDDORS 2017/ /19 YTD YTD NUMBER 0 1 RAG COMMENTS 8

9 2.9 SPA Q2 YTD narrative For SPA Q2 YTD 2018/19, 55 reports were submitted. This shows a reduction of 40 (42%) when compared to Q2 YTD of the previous year. The highest categories are Near Misses (no injury sustained) and others. No increases of greater than 10% are evident for Q2 YTD data. None of the SPA incidents relate to SPA Corporate and instead involve Forensic Services staff. The Health & Safety Team continue to pay close attention to statistics and will continue to develop their approach to accident reduction. 3. FURTHER INFORMATION 3.1 Operation Moonbeam Safety Advisors assisted with Operation Moonbeam which was set up to address issues on and around bonfire night. In 2017, there were a number of incidents where the Police, Scottish Fire and Rescue and the Scottish Ambulance Service were deliberately targeted by groups of youths at unauthorised bonfires and elsewhere. Fireworks were thrown or aimed at officers resulting in a Police Sergeant in Edinburgh sustaining serious injuries, which will leave permanent scarring. The analysis carried out also showed there to be notable volume of anti-social behaviour related activity and criminality in G, K and E Divisions, which is also reflected in the prevalence of significant crimes such as police assault. Given the prevalence of police assaults and associated directed attacks on other emergency services, the threat, risk and harm during this period appeared to have escalated greatly in As a consequence of the specific incident when the officer was seriously injured, a full Health and Safety investigation was undertaken and a new approach was developed for There were numerous official Bonfire/Firework events planned across Scotland which were subject to the Event Notification and Classification SOP. It is acknowledged that these events are generally very well run and the vast majority of those people attending pose no risk to public safety. 9

10 A very detailed overarching risk assessment was written for Operation Moonbeam, with Safety Advisors providing advice and guidance down to a local level including assistance with local risk assessments. 3.2 Formal Inspection of Police Premises The Health & Safety Manager has established a 2 year rolling programme of Formal Inspections to look at every police premise that we currently have in our Estate. These build on the regular 6 monthly inspections from local safety representatives within the offices and are carried out in conjunction with Representative Bodies. Some legacy premises had never had a visit from a Safety Advisor and the introduction of these safety inspections reduces the risk to both Police Scotland and to the SPA Board. Inspections have already flagged some significant issues allowing immediate action to be taken. A piece of work of this size and scale has never been undertaken before and it will provide a degree of assurance to Board Members around the safety of our sites. Progress to date: North Command: 114 complete (140 Total) East Command: 76 complete (91 Total) West Command: 110 complete (134 Total) All inspections are scheduled to be complete by the end of March Vehicle Stops Following some significant injuries to Police Officers in 2017 the Health & Safety Manager issued a Safety Alert to highlight the risks when carrying out a vehicle stop while on foot or having left a police vehicle. This guidance has proved to be very successful and the numbers of such incidents immediately reduced. The key point of the guidance is that no one should ever lean into a vehicle when the ignition is running or when the keys are in the ignition. Similarly, no one should stand in the crease of a vehicle door while the ignition is running or when the keys are in the ignition. 10

11 A couple of minor incidents were noted recently and this guidance has now been re-issued nationally with no further re-occurrence but this does demonstrate some of the very basic challenges around policing safely which impacts on the safety of officers. 3.4 Accessing the Railway Line Working with Network Rail From time to time Police Officers and operational staff such as Forensic Services, Scene Examiners require to access the railway line to deal with incidents or to retrieve evidence. This may be because Police Scotland officers are in attendance prior to British Transport Police (BTP) or because the incident has started away from the railway network but has then moved much closer. Police Scotland works closely with both BTP and Network Rail and the Health & Safety Manager is continually working to develop relationships and to look at ways to reduce risk. Police Scotland has an agreed SOP with Network Rail which outlines the occasions when Police Officers can access the railway network and how to do that safely while balancing risk with the safety of the public given that often officers may be trying to save an individual who is on or near the line. The Health & Safety Manager has issued a Safety Alert to all staff which reinforces the correct procedure for being on or near the railway line including the cess area which is the area adjacent to the track and can be just as dangerous as the track itself especially when dealing with high speed trains. Specific guidance has also been passed to staff within Police Scotland Control Rooms in order that they can help operational officers to identify the risk and alert Network Rail. We also now have a small group of specialists from Network Rail, train operating companies and BTP who come together with the Health & Safety Manager to review any incidents and to identify any subsequent learning. 3.5 Armed Policing Health & Safety Course A new Health & Safety Course has been written and delivered for the first time to Police Officers on the Armed Policing Course. The course was developed by Safety Advisors and lasts for 3 days of the 9 weeks that officers are on the course. 11

12 The first course was very well received with all officers passing a written examination at the end. Very positive comments were received from the end of course evaluation forms. While this course was designed to give Armed Policing Officers a greater understanding of Health & Safety it may be possible to use the base course for other departments in the future. 3.6 Recent Activity Memo issued by DCC Taylor to request that risk assessments are reviewed. Memo issued by DCC Taylor to remind Senior Managers of the Health & Safety Training offered within Police Scotland and the importance of nominating staff. Memo issued by DCC Taylor to remind ALL Police Scotland and SPA staff that they are required to undertake Fire Safety Awareness training via the Moodle e-learning platform. Safety Alerts Vehicle Stops & Accessing the Railway Network reissued. 4. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 4.1 There are no current financial implications at this time other than the on-going Estates works for Fire Safety. 5. PERSONNEL IMPLICATIONS 5.1 There are no current personnel implications. 6. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 6.1 There are legal implications associated with this paper. Police Scotland requires to be compliant with the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Fire (Scotland) Act Failure to ensure compliance both in terms of our Estates and working practices may lead to enforcement action against SPA/Police Scotland by the Health & Safety Executive and/or the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. The Health & Safety Executive also charge a fee for intervention on an hourly basis should they have to come into the organisation to investigate a breach. 7. REPUTATIONAL IMPLICATIONS 7.1 There are reputational implications associated with this paper. The potential for enforcement action by the Health & Safety Executive 12

13 and/or the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service due to unsafe working practices and/or breaches of legislation leaves SPA/Police Scotland exposed to reputational harm. In particular the Health & Safety Executive have the power to issue publicity orders to highlight any breaches found. 8. SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS 8.1 There are no currently no social implications. 9. COMMUNITY IMPACT 9.1 There are no current implications for community impact. 10. EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS 10.1 There are no current implications for equalities. 11. ENVIRONMENT IMPLICATIONS 11.1 There are no current implications for environmental impact. RECOMMENDATIONS Members are requested to note the information contained within this report. 13