The Kent Resource Partnership (KRP) comprises the 13 Kent councils and has a ‘KRP Health & Safety Project Group’. This Group is designed to assist the councils with the health and safety responsibilities including joint training and development opportunities where this is appropriate. The KRP views health and safety as a high priority in the delivery of local services.
CIWM worked closely with the KRP to deliver bespoke health and safety workshops to update officers’ knowledge on health and safety legislation, hierarchy of controls and identifying risks and hazards. A wide variety of recycling waste operational officers were brought together at these workshops including client managers, street cleansing managers and direct service organisation managers. The training was tailored specifically to these officers’ needs.
The partnership between the CIWM and the KRP was seen as one of the fundamental factors that delivered a successful series of workshops that met delegates’ needs. The KRP was also keen to develop a cohort of officers across the 13 councils who enhanced their skills together, whether during or after the workshops.
Benefits of the in-company training
The ability to deliver this training in-house provided a great opportunity for KRP to bring together health and safety colleagues from across Kent to share best practice, break down existing boundaries and encourage ongoing partnership working and knowledge sharing. The insight gained from these workshops is already being used to develop individual action plans by those who attended.