Chelmsford City Council

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Chelmsford City Council employ over 1100 people, 600 of whom are office based. As a borough council, the labour force is directed in three major areas; refuse, recycling and parks, with a large number of staff also working within the leisure service.

Particular health and safety concerns at CBC were in Operational areas. This included highways maintenance, street cleaning and recycling depots, as well as Parks Services.

In 2001, RoSPA QSA was the only choice for Chelmsford Borough Council Parks Service and this was primarily due to its flexibility and high standard.

"There was no hiding from the auditor's gaze, it was very thorough and re-enforced the importance of appropriate resources, effectively deployed in dealing with Health and Safety Matters."
Paul Van-Damme, Parks and Grounds Operations Manager

The Findings – During the audit

Few formal procedures in force
Difficulty with regards to the control of contractors
More action needed to prevent access to danger areas for employees
Some weakness in occupational health management

The Success – Following the audit

Since the audit, the Parks Service have achieved Green Flag awards in even more of their park areas
The Parks Service is now the only service within the council to have achieved this high standard in health and safety
Health and Safety performance indicators are now in force and are driven by senior management to ensure all employees understand the importance of health and safety
As part of a range of new procedures, an accident procedure has been adopted and is regularly in use. Prior to the audit, most services would avoid reporting accidents.