This year the library will be subject to an external Health and Safety assessment this year. This has been set for Tuesday 30th of October.
The format will be different from previous years and will follow the plan outlined by Paul Coleman at the meeting on Monday 30th April where he outlined the “Safe+” assessment tool.
Helen and Tim have met with Paul (and other LR managers) to have a more detailed talk about what will be required. Paul is planning to conduct interviews with staff beginning with library management and including some selected members of all teams. The meeting with “grassroots” staff will take the form of a focus group. This could include a member of the late team as well as LAC staff and CS team members. The purpose of conducting an assessment by talking to a wide variety of staff is to assess just how far Health and Safety has become part of our culture.
Six weeks prior to the assessment the Library Health and Safety Committee will be requested to provide information about how we manage three of the risks that Paul has identified out of our RMSS hazard register. We will compile the information and submit it three weeks prior to the assessment date. Based on that Paul will then announce the themes that he will discuss at the assessment meetings. Part of the assessment day will include a walk around to see how Health and Safety works in practice in the library.
Some of the things that Paul will definitely want to see are our Hazard register, Training register, examples of how we have reduced risk, Induction documents, records of meetings and examples of recent purchases that help to reduce risk.
The review will conclude with a “close-out” meeting where Paul will have suggestions for improvement.
There is information about the Safe+ assessment process available online: https://worksafe.govt.nz/about-us/who-we-are/our-priorities/safeplus/resources-guidance/
Information available on this webpage includes the following documents which outline the sort of questions and analysis that we can expect in our assessment.
For managers: https://worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/2566-questions-for-senior-managers-safeplus-performance-requirements
Supervisors: https://worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/2569-questions-for-line-managers-and-supervisors-safeplus-performance-requirements
Front line staff: https://worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/2575-questions-for-frontline-workers-safeplus-performance-requirements
Helen has agreed to be the immediate contact for the assessment (in the pending absence of Joan). Work involved in meeting the assessment requirements will be delegated as the need arises.
Tim O’Sullivan
