Resident Questions for Housing Area Panel

Reference: C3.3

Question Title	Refuse Collection at Sylvan Hall
Date question raised	19/12/2022
Week of Area Panel	13/2/2023
Area in city	Central
Star rating applied by residents	3 stars – city wide
Deadline for officer response	9am on 19^th January
Name of officer responding	Melissa Francis
Officer job title	Head of CityClean

Resident Question

Issue:	The refuse collection service for the whole of Sylvan Hall was closed down for several weeks because of a health and safety concern which just affected one block. A private company was then brought in to partially restore the service.
Background:	None supplied.
Action requested:	Raise the following questions at Area Panel: a. Why was the service stopped for the whole estate when only one block was affected? b. What constitutes a health and safety issue and who decides this? c. Why were private firms able to collect rubbish but not CityClean?

Officer Response

Officer contact details:	Melissa.Francis@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Officer Response:	Thank you for your query regarding Sylvan Hall. Q. Why was the service stopped for the whole estate when only one block was affected? A. Following the incident where a staff member sustained an injury collecting bins, an initial assessment was undertaken and as a result bin stores were closed where it was identified there was a health and safety risk.  Collections continued from bin stores where it was determined safe to continue collecting. Q. What constitutes a health and safety issue and who decides this. A. If there is an incident or near miss, a review of the task is completed, and a risk assessment is undertaken.  The employer (Brighton & Hove City Council) has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees.  Therefore, the Council makes the decision on what constitutes a health and safety issue to protect staff and not expose them to risks.  Q. Why were private firms able to collect rubbish but not CityClean? A. Private firms are responsible for the health and safety of their employees, and we cannot comment on their health and safety practices.  The Council has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of its employees.
Action:	N/A
Start date:	N/A
End date:	N/A