About the Scottish Parliament

Health and Safety at work is a priority for the SPCB.

Our health and safety arrangements aim to ensure that:

• our SPS staff:
• other colleagues who work in the building, including Members and their staff, contractors and Ministerial staff, and
• visitors to the Parliament

are all, so far as is reasonably practicable, kept safe and not exposed to risks to their health and safety.

There are clear personal and business benefits from good health and safety management, through the avoidance of injury, ill health, loss, damage and potential associated liabilities.

We recognise that accidents and ill health can potentially stem from organisational failings, and we are therefore committed to ensure health and safety in our overall business objectives, taking full management responsibility for controlling risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.

To this end we will:

• maintain a safe, healthy and secure place to work and visit.
• provide safe plant, equipment and systems of work.
• provide the right welfare facilities and arrangements.
• control workplace hazards by assessing risk and establishing control measures and ensuring those are understood.
• ensure effective communication of health and safety information.
• provide high-quality information, instruction, training and supervision.
• promote co-operation between management, staff, on-site employers and other stakeholders.
• consult staff and staff representatives on health and safety measures through the Health and Safety Committee.
• monitor demands and adapt resources, plans and priorities as necessary.
• support and develop our staff, building the resilience of our staff and the organisation.
• audit health and safety arrangements to ensure they are implemented appropriately and remain effective.
• pursue continuous improvement in our approach to health and safety.
• consult and work in partnership with trade unions and health and safety representatives.

The SPCB has a statutory duty under the Scotland Act 1998 to provide the Scottish Parliament with the property, staff and other resources required for its purposes. In doing so, it must comply with the various legal duties placed upon it, including as an employer and as a controller of the premises under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and subordinate legislation. This policy helps the SPCB ensure that it is complying with its statutory duty.

Members, as independent employers have health and safety duties to their employees, and when sharing a workplace, a duty to co-operate with other employers and co-ordinate safety measures. As part of its statutory duty under the Scotland Act 1998, SPCB will provide information and guidance on health and safety responsibilities to Members and MSP staff, and further will take proportionate steps to encourage the adoption of core employment standards, including health and safety compliance, minimum terms and conditions and completion of essential training.

To enable its health and safety duties to be carried out, the SPCB has delegated operational responsibility for health and safety management to me as Clerk/Chief Executive. In line with the SPCB’s overall responsibility and oversight function, I am required to keep the SPCB informed, or seek its guidance at an early stage, on matters which are novel, contentious or potentially politically sensitive.

Under the Scotland Act I am permitted to authorise any member of the Parliament staff to exercise functions on my behalf. The Senior Executive Team (SET) has a collective responsibility to:

• Visibly demonstrate commitment to ensuring health and safety.
• Be actively involved in improving health and safety.
• Take steps to engage other employers to co-operate and co-ordinate efforts to comply with legal requirements and bring about health and safety improvements.
• Allocate or re-distribute financial and human resources as necessary to ensure that health and safety priorities are met.
• Periodically review the Health and Safety Policy Statement.
• Review the performance and implementation of health and safety arrangements periodically and set targets for improvement.
• Keep the SPCB appraised of our health and safety performance and implementation of arrangements.

The health and safety arrangements set out in the policy provide a clear explanation of the authorisations to staff across the organisation and have the full support of the SPCB, SET and Parliament’s senior managers. They are also dependent on the support and compliance of all stakeholders to ensure their success.

I would ask that you please take some time to familiarise yourself with this Policy, responsibilities and arrangements for health and safety.

David McGill, Clerk/Chief Executive