Minutes:
Documents Considered:
· None
Issues Discussed:
· Since pandemic, work being undertaken with Welsh Government and CSS Waste Wales Working Group to co-ordinate responses. Plan was to open sites up once clear guidance was available. Traffic management plans have been put in place, risk assessments on the site, and much work done on communications with the public. The use of a booking system was considered but based on the experience of other Councils it did not appear to be essential to have a booking system in place.
· When the centres were opened there were some queues, but the Council kept its information channels up to date advising the public of the current situation.
· Issues at Lower Cwmtwrch led to an adjustment to the traffic management plan which overcame the issue. Consideration is being given to allowing access to vans and permit holders on an ongoing basis.
· Questions:
Planning has worked as well as communications. Can we continue the communications especially about weekly waste collections and the ability to collect more from the kerbside. |
Powys has collected more from the kerbside during the pandemic and the recycling rate has increased. |
Need to thank the public for their co-operation and collecting more at the kerbside should continue rather than people taking it to the HWRCs. |
Communications will continue with the public and the response from the public has been positive. |
Risk assessments at the HWRCs were high, but the mitigation is disinfecting hand rails etc is done hourly. What assurance does the Council have that this is taking place. |
Regular meetings being undertaken with the contractor, Powys staff are on site. It is Potters' risk assessment and they have their own Health and Safety Manager who ensures this is happening. This is being monitored closely and staff are aware of the requirements. |
Is there any reporting framework to the Council from Potters to assure us that this is being done as its not only a risk to staff but also the Powys population. |
Potters do report back to the Council and we do have staff on site, but there is no guarantee that this is happening. |
The high risk is mitigated to medium based on the control measures. It does not seem that there are any guarantees that this is being done. There is no reporting framework. Why has this not been put in place. |
It is the responsible contractor's role to put these measures in place. The Committees concerns will be raised with the contractor. |
We were assured that this is the case, but this is not in place and not written into the agreement. It would be expected that the Council would have put a system in place so that there are regular reports to the Council to ensure this is being done. |
The Corporate Director – Environment and Economy suggested that the Senior Manager - Waste & Recycling Services discuss with the contractor at the forthcoming meeting whether a system of recording and feeding back to the Council can be put in place. |
Were security personnel deployed on site at HWRCs and what impact did that have |
A security company was employed. There have been no particular issues. |
Infection spread on the site, should individuals have to wear gloves and a mask and should these be provided to the public. |
As part of the risk assessment, not deemed necessary for the public to wear masks as they have to maintain social distancing. Site staff have masks and visors. 2 metre distance outside the site is easy to maintain. This is why it was deemed not necessary for the public to wear masks and gloves. |
What is the rationale for not wearing gloves. |
Cleansing is happening on the site and the public are responsible for washing their own hands after visiting the site. |
How will sites be managed with staff vacancies, if trace, track and protect identifies staff who have to self isolate. Is there any risk to service delivery and what are the contingency plans. |
Staffing is an issue for the contractor. Trace, track and protect could have an issue. Agency staff would be used and they would have a bank of agency staff as would other employers. |
Outcomes:
Action |
Action By / Completion Date |
Committee to receive an update on whether the Council is receiving cleanliness reports from the contractor on HWRCs |
NB |
Supporting documents: