Health, Safety and Compliance - we talk to Andrew and Christine
This week marks National Housing Social Housing Safety and Compliance Week 2021; we’re proud to be taking part and our team have been asked to present later this week showcasing our innovative work involving tenants in all things health, safety and compliance.
Each day this week there is a different focus, and today we look at what organisations, particularly Board members and Executive Management teams, need to consider and think about when leading around health, safety and compliance.
We talk to Andew, an active member of our Board and Chair of our Audit and Risk Committee and Christine, Director of Operations about what it means to them, what they must know and what they need to consider.
Andrew, Board Member and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee at Connexus
When it comes to H&S in a well functioning organisation like Connexus, the role of the Board is crucial. This is recognised, by the Regulator for Social Housing and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The Board is expected to take a leadership role. This role has a number of elements, the first of which is to ensure that there is an appropriate policy. This is expected to cover the commitment to managing health and safety, what Connexus wants to achieve and how this will be achieved by setting out responsibilities and the more detailed arrangements.
Our responsibility as Board members doesn't stop with a plan, we are also active in ensuring that:
- We've adequate resources invested in health and safety. With pressure on resources and competing demands, the Connexus Board ensures that its commitment to keeping its customers, staff, contractors safe, remains the highest priority.
- We obtain competent health and safety advice. With the range of risks involved and the technical nature of the areas Connexus manages, it’s essential we take advice to make sure we are doing everything we can.
- Connexus invests in training and is fully competent in its health and safety responsibilities. This includes all staff trained specifically within their role. To support this training, the Board must lead a culture within the organisation that prioritises health safety and wellbeing.
- We have systems in place that ensure risks are assessed, and that sensible control measures are established and maintained. Though the Board leads this process, the approach needs to be embedded all the way through the organisation.
- We actively involve colleagues, customers and stakeholders in decisions that affect their health and safety and we take ownership of this within the organisation. We also encourage innovation which enables effective solutions to be identified and put into place.
The Connexus Board also has a checking role, this is achieved by:
- Taking steps to gain assurance that it knows what is happening on the ground. This might be through internal inquiry, but supplemented through use of independent and external sources. An often overlooked resource is our residents and staff, who can provide a wealth of information around the safety of their homes and workplace.
- Receiving appropriate performance information about the fulfilment of its obligations and where there are breaches or injuries. The Board encourages complete openness and transparency to drive continuous improvement and learn from any accidents or near misses. To ensure these matters get the necessary scrutiny, the Connexus Board uses its Audit and Risk Committee to take the lead in gaining the necessary assurance. This includes that the reports are founded on accurate data, represent the true position presented in a clear and understandable way.
- Comparing ourselves with our peers to ensure our performance is reflecting the best performers, enabling us to learn from others.
- Ensuring that where changes are planned in arrangements for residents and staff, the Board are fully appraised about how these might impact of health and safety.
In line with good practice and the expectations of the HSE, the Connexus Board will take the time to review its arrangements to ensure not only that it remains compliant, but health and safety remains a high a priority and improvement continues.
Christine, Director of Operations
We all have elements of responsibility that can keep us awake at night. Landlord health and safety compliance (or lack of it) is usually the culprit for most operational housing sector executives. Making sure that our customers are safe in their homes is the number one priority for any landlord and with a higher proportion of vulnerable customers in the social housing rented sector, this responsibility becomes even more pressing.
At Connexus we have worked hard to ensure that we’ve got robust compliance data and reporting systems, a well-planned out programme of works using our internal workforce supported by trusted contractors and importantly we involve customers in continually improving our approach, particularly around accessing homes where the customer doesn’t understand the importance of compliance work.
No organisation is perfect, but at Connexus we’ve embedded a compliance culture that is keeping our customers safely sleeping in their beds at least – and us too.