Napo Pushes for Action on Safety After Preston Assault

The dreadful assault on staff at Preston Probation Office in the Summer laid bare some serious shortcomings on Health and Safety at that location, and Napo members everywhere will join us in sending our best wishes to the staff directly involved as they continue their journey towards recovery.

Following this incident, Napo has been working closely with our members at Preston Probation and across the wider Cumbria and Lancashire Branch to monitor the progress of the subsequent internal investigation and we await more news on when the full range of recommendations from that will be fully implemented. We are also waiting to hear from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who are considering the report that the employer was obliged to send to them under the RIDDOR regulations . This may result in the HSE deciding to order their own investigation of the incident.

In addition to the staff briefing that took place at Preston, where the results of the investigation were shared, Napo has maintained its position that the trade unions should have access to the full report under Health and Safety legislation. We have also received further feedback from local members in response to the recommendations which we are currently considering.

Some movement expected nationally on Health and Safety

Our work with senior HMPPS management nationally is led by Napo’s Health and Safety Leads: Ian Lawrence (General Secretary) and National Vice-Chair Tony Perkins. They continue to press senior HMPPS management to deliver a package of Health and Safety measures that will be rolled out across the wider Probation Estate. This dialogue has taken place via meetings of the National Health, Safety, Fire and Legal Committee and at the last two meetings of the Probation Joint National Committee (JNC).

At yesterday’s JNC we reported back to management that our contact with our members across England and Wales demonstrates that there is a palpable fear by many Probation staff about their safety in and outside of the workplace, and that it is vitally important that their employer is seen to respond quickly and effectively to their concerns.

We were therefore pleased to hear that the considerable work that we know has been going on across various Probation Directorates is gaining traction, and that, subject to approval by Ministers it is intended that a roll out of a National Health and Safety Action Plan for Probation should be appearing by the end of this month. It is understood that this will be the subject of an all-staff presentation and will be required to be discussed at meetings between Regional Directors and joint trade unions prior to its roll out. We have also just received a new template for the carrying out of General Risk Assessments (GRA’s) which we will now seek to agree centrally at the earliest opportunity.

Health and Safety is also an individual issue

While it’s important for Napo to make progress nationally, this work is supplemented by your local and regional Napo representatives who engage with management at all levels including Regional JNC’s. They continue to stress the need for health and safety to be treated as a priority and the need for parties to work collaboratively to ensure that safe working practices are regularly reviewed. Your nominated representatives also attend at meetings of Napo’s Health and Safety Forum where we receive valuable information which helps to inform our approach.

Individual members are also asked to ensure that where incidents or ‘near misses’ occur, that these must be reported through the ‘Sphera’ system so that we can monitor the bigger picture across the Probation community.

Napo working for you

Whilst we are not yet able to provide more specific detail as we would have liked in this particular update, we felt it is important to confirm that Napo has been doing everything it can to ensure that practical steps are going to be taken by the employer to improve safety standards and afford better protection for our members at the workplace.

More news will follow as soon as possible, but meanwhile please contact National Vice-Chair Tony Perkins: aperkins@napo.org.uk or: Ian Lawrence (General Secretary) ilawrence@napo.org.uk  if you have any queries on the above.