Health and Safety
The health, safety and security team continued collaboration with the infection prevention control team to maintain a COVID secure environment for colleagues and visitors. An external audit was commissioned which identified some key areas for improvement and action plans were set in place.
Team activities over the past year included:
- provision of generic risk assessments that may be adapted for use in all buildings and working environments.
- continuing the use of COVID-19 marshalls who undertake regular audits of our sites against COVID-19 working safely guidance.
- monitoring of the accredited fit testers, ensuring consistency in fit testing and levels of compliance with fit testing.
- health and safety training continued to be delivered to improve awareness of health and safety issues to support a safe culture across EEAST.
- introduction of an assurance programme that continued to visit and monitor premises and working practices. The 27 sites deemed to present the greatest risk to the Trust were visited between 1 January 2022 and 31 March 2022.
- EEAST is part of a national trail for body worn cameras.
The number of Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) incidents reported increased compared to the previous two years. Last year covered a period of unusually high levels of activity in the Trust.