H&S Reps
New advice for Napo Members:
H&S Reps are encouraged to advise members unable to get work completed due to IT failure to follow the procedure in the link, which records the problem and is aimed at rasing awareness of the true cost of IT problems: HS22 2011 Advice to Members Notification of inability to complete task due to IT systems failure Nov 2011 doc
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Health and Safety Handbook for Napo Safety representatives and Napo Members
H&S Handbook: Click here for Napo's basic outline guide to H&S topics. The booklet was commissioned from the London Hazards Centre to help safety reps tackle problems. A wide range of office hazards are covered and advice given on how to use the law, standards and policy to negotiate improvements. Safety Reps will find the booklet very useful on workplace inspections, being able to make reference to HSE and other authority advice in their reports or in discussion with managers. Members can check the conditions of their own offices against the standards in the booklet and raise issues directly with managers or with their safety rep.
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Health & Safety Information from the Employers
Are you from CAFCASS? - Napo's Family Court Section? The organisation's H&S policies and info are available from the CAFCASS Intranet and if you are on an external computer, you will find the main basic H&S info on the CAFCASS website, at http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/recruitment/resources_for_cafcass_staff/policies.aspx, in a subsection called 'Policies and Guidance for External Practitioners' - the main H&S ones available are: http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/pdf/Cafcass_-_SP06_Accident reporting[2].pdf, (This document has much more than just accident reporting), http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/pdf/Cafcass_-_SP09_Lone_working[1].pdf, and http://www.cafcass.gov.uk/pdf/Cafcass_-_SP10_The_control_of_violence_and_aggression.pdf
Napo Family Court Section representatives meet regularly with CAFCASS at the national Health & Safety Steering Group (HSSG) to update policy and procedures. Advice & support for H&S Reps or info about H&S queries can be accessed via the Family Court convenors for the region in which you work.
Are you from Probation? - All H&S-related info is centralised in the national Health & Safety Policy Manual National H&S Manual and the local Boards/Trusts should follow these procedures or, if they have continued to use local procedures, these should be equivalent to, or better than, those in the National Manual. Napo worked closely in a partnership arrangement with the HSE and the NPD (National Probation Directorate, just before it became NOMS) to develop the Manual and this work continues via the national Health & Safety Forum which meets quarterly and works to keep the Manual updated.
In Napo's Probation branches, H&S Reps usually have elected convenor roles on local Branch Executives plus one or more general H&S Reps, so that the workplaces within a Probation Area are covered.
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Health & Safety Reps' Resources from the TUC
The TUC has now published a resource pack for health and safety representatives - follow this link: http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-18484-f0.cfm This includes three new publications: an introduction to being a health & safety representative; a guide to reporting, and information on what to expect if an inspector visits. The last document includes a link to the actions that inspectors are recommended to take when they enounter breaches of the various regulations on consultation. Unions are welcome to customise this as they wish.
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Upcoming Training:
Napo H&S Training 7th December 2011, London: "How to be an Effective Safety Rep"
The day will cover:
v What do you know?
v Introduction to rights & entitlements
v The Brown Book
v Policies & procedures
v Stress issues
v Accidents & Incidents
v Workloads
v Training available and other resources
for details/application please email mpearce@napo.org.uk
TUC Stage 1 H&S Training for H&S Reps 2011
All Napo H&S Reps are encouraged to try & do the TUC's Stage 1 H&S Training. The sessions run at many local adult & further education colleges round the country -usually one day a week for 12 weeks or 4 sets of 3 days. Details of the course outline and 2011 starting dates are on: http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/courses/index.cfm/search/1/term/health/
TUC Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety: Are you an experienced safety rep who wants to find out more about health and safety law and organise around health and safety? Then apply now for the TUC Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety. Find out more at www.unionlearn.org.uk/DipOHSonline.
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Health and Safety Aspects of IT
In May 2010 a successful training event in Birmingham for H&S Reps featured a useful document from the days of the NPS: the 'Guide to the Health and Safety Aspects of IT Management for the NPS', which provides a good basis for monitoring and addressing risks associated with unsatisfactory IT - both harware and software. Warning! At over 200 pages, you wouldn't want to casually print it off but there are many valuable "checklist" pages: it is well worth a browse. Health & Safety Aspects of IT - NPS Manual
The Training event also had useful info specifically on Assistive Technology (AT) for disabled staff. Reference was made to Access to Work support in terms of training on, and provision of, AT software - notably JAWS and Dragon. Information on the Access to Work programme can be found at www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
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Latest Leaflets
Simple Napo 1-sided Leaflet on Home Visiting and Lone Working can be printed off via this link:Safety for home visits & lone working
2-sided Napo Leaflet on being a H&S Rep can be printed off via this link: Being a Napo H&S Rep1319474138827
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Fire Risk Assessments and Office Inspections - Checklists
Arising from a recent Napo H&S Training Day, here are some useful NPS and CAFCASS checklists:
Fire Risk Assessment - currently called "Fire Protection" - NPS H&S Manual - HS 11
CAFCASS Fire Risk Assessment - SP12 - Risk Assessment and CAFCASS Fire Risk Assessment SP12 Appendix B with Assessment Form
Workplace Inspection - CAFCASS and Workplace Inspection - NPS (from H&S Manual section on Measuring and Reviewing Performance
The current Probation Fire Risk Assessment section of the NPS H&S Policy Manual is under review. A new draft assessment has been produced, consisting of FRA Guidance, FRA Emergency Action Plan, FRA Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and FRA Guidance on the HSE's '5-Steps' approach. Even though it has yet to be finally signed off, it is worthy of dissemination in its current draft form, being a substantial improvement on the existing arrangement.
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Are you sitting comfortably? - HSE guidance on IT setups
Attention to good IT setups at work and at home can help prevent problems with wrists, backs, necks, eyesight and work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD’s). The HSE (Health & Safety Executive)http://www.hse.gov.uk has useful advice, photographs of correct setups, and free leaflets, via http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg36.pdf and http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/guidance.htm
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