Vol 31 - Number 4 Winter 2019

IN THIS ISSUE

The President’s View

Cooking Skills Courses for the Visually Impaired

Professional Development

Environmental Health Update

Protecting the Environment -A Personal View

EnvironmentalHealthThe Journal of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland

Scotland

E n v i r o n m e n t a l H e a l t h S c o t l a n d

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19 Torphichen Street,Edinburgh, EH3 8HX

Tel: 0131 229 2968

Fax: 0131 228 2926

Website: www.rehis.com

President: Lisa McCann Senior Vice-President: Louise CunninghamPast President: David DuffyNorthern Centre Chair: John MurrayNorthern Centre Secretary: Alan YatesHonorary Treasurer: Martin Henry

Junior Vice-President: Evonne BauerPast President: Lorrainne MacGillivraySouthern Centre Chair: Lynn Crothers Southern Centre Secretary: Lindsey-Anne McNeilCourses Co-ordinator: Martin Keeley

Chief Executive: Tom BellDirector of Professional Development: Karen Keeley Training Adviser: Dr Jane Bunting

Director of Training: Jackie McCabeTraining Adviser: Raymond Hubbocks

Emeritus Professor Kofi AidooWendy BarriePaul BradleyGordon BrownCatherine BussonAndrew Campbell

Bernard ForteathChristine FraserSusan GeddesPat HoeyGail McElroyJan Miller

Sheena RedmondHazel StevensonColin Wallace

George GeorgallasKenneth Gibson MSPKenneth Macintosh MSP

Stewart Maxwell Dr Tracy MorseAnn Marie Part

John Scott MSP Dr Jim Smith

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The RoyalEnvironmentalHealth Instituteof Scotland

Officers of the Institute

Members of the Council

Honorary Vice-Presidents

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Environmental Health Scotland

The Journal of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland

Volume 31, Number 4 Winter 2019

ISSN 0950-3277

Environmental Health Scotland is published by the Council of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.

Editor: Tom Bell

The views expressed in this Journal are not necessarily those of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland, the publisher or the editor. Articles, news items or letters are welcomed for publication but the publisher reserves the right to edit contributions as the editor sees fit. At the editor’s discretion, items submitted for publication will be peer reviewed. All material is submitted at owner’s risk. The publisher cannot be held responsible for loss or damage, however caused.

Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

CONTENTSThe President’s View 4

John Stirling - an appreciation 5

Cooking skills courses for people who are visually impaired - sensory centre 6

HSE Local Authority Unit News 8

Double success for Inverclyde Candidates 9

Health and Safety Matters 10

Professional Development 11

Environmental Health Update 12

Protecting the Environment - A Personal View! 14

Southern Centre Update 16

Health and Safety Law and Practice Training Event 18

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THE PRESIDENT’S VIEW

As I sit and write this on a typical cold and dreich Scottish winter’s day ahead of the first meeting of the 2019/20 Council, I am reflecting not only on the past year, but the fact that it is now over twenty years since I decided that Environmental Health was the career for me. I joined The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (the Institute) while at university, and at that time never imagined being in the position to write this article. To be elected as President of the Institute at its Annual General Meeting on 15 November 2019 by our membership is the greatest honour and privilege of my career to date.

I have been very fortunate to have worked with several Council Members, including Past Presidents during my career, and all have been incredibly supportive. I have found and continue to see this as one of the strengths of not just the Institute, but a characteristic found throughout the whole of the Environmental Health Community, public, private, and third sectors, along with our network of Approved Training Centres. It underpins the vast amount of partnership working that helps promote and protect Environmental Health in Scotland. A reminder that Environmental health is that area of Public Health activity which strives to improve, protect and maintain health and well being through action on the physical environment and on life circumstances, (Old Report, 2006).

It was a Past President who introduced me to the Institute’s Southern Centre and to its Management Committee. From there my interest in our profession grew and took me to deciding to put myself forward to become a member of the Institute’s Council. In turn

I have encouraged others to join the Management Committees of our Northern and Southern Centres. I am pleased I am now starting to see some of those I encouraged doing the same for others. This is something I would like to see continue long into the future.

I want to thank David Duffy for his Stewardship of the Institute over the past year and his excellent work promoting and representing the Institute. I offer congratulations to Louise Cunningham and Evonne Bauer who were elected as Senior and Junior-Vice President respectively at the AGM in November. It is exciting to lead the first all-female Presidential Team. I look forward to working with them both. I also want to thank all the Council Members, Staff and Tom Bell our Chief Executive, for their support and hard work.

A special mention for the Council Members who stood down at this year’s AGM, Drew Hall, Gwyneth Heaney and Christine Morrison, along with Karen Keeley who stood down earlier in 2019 to take up the Director of Professional Development post. I thank you all for your efforts and contribution to the Institute over your years of service. Following on from this, I would like to wish a warm welcome to the new Council members Evonne Bauer, Catherine Busson, Lynn Crothers, Gail McElroy, Lindsey-Anne McNeil, Hazel Stevenson and Alan Yates. I look forward to working with you all over the coming year.

“Interesting times” is one of the phrases most often used when speaking to Environmental Health colleagues throughout the past year. We all know this is the positive spin on the various challenges the Environmental

Lisa McCann.

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Health Service is facing. The big-ticket items of Brexit and recruitment difficulties look to continue into 2020. However, the Environmental Health Service is fighting back and taking collective/partnership approaches: from the joint Workforce Strategy Group chaired by the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland, to the Brexit preparations led through SFELC, its working groups and Society, supported by CoSLA and the Scottish Government. The tripartite approach is being looked at to promote and increase the training places for prospective Environmental Health Officers. A partnership approach from relevant bodies is also being looked at for the academic requirements and opportunities for those wishing to become a Food Safety Officer.

Work also continues apace with the Institute’s Community Training activities, a significant area of work for the Institute overseen by our Director of Training. There are currently 28 REHIS Community Training courses covering a wide range of headings including Food Hygiene, HACCP, Health and Safety, Control of

Infection, Food and Health, and First Aid. The courses are undertaken and delivered by our vast number of Approved Training Centres. We cannot underestimate the impact that training and improving a person’s skills and knowledge can have. New courses are always being devised. Current developments include a Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holder Course and refresher course, along with an Elementary level course in Infection Prevention and Control for Skin Piercing and Tattooing Practitioners. The latter has the support of the Institute’s Skin Piercing and Tattooing Working Group.

It can be seen from the above that partnership is vital to successful delivery of Environmental Health in our communities. 2020 will see a new partner in our network, Public Health Scotland which is due to vest on 1 April. It is my wish to continue to promote and support both existing and new partnerships.

Finally, I wish you all the very best for 2020 and I look forward to meeting and working with as many of you as I can.

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John R. Stirling, 1944 – 2019

The Institute acknowledges with sadness the death of John Stirling, a Fellow, an Honorary Member and a past President of the Institute.

John died peacefully after a short illness on 16 December 2019 at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

To do justice to John’s hugely successful career in, and huge contribution to, the Environmental Health Profession and Service in this brief appreciation would be impossible – a few of the many highlights follow.

John’s career in Environmental Health began and ended in Edinburgh. His training as a Trainee Sanitary Inspector commenced in 1965 and he gained his Royal Sanitary Association of Scotland Diploma in Sanitary Science, the then equivalent of the Institute’s Diploma in Environmental Health, in 1969. By the end of his career in 1996 he had risen to the position of Senior Depute Director of Environmental Services within the City of Edinburgh District Council.

A man dedicated to his profession, John held many posts within the Institute and its predecessor organisation the Scottish Institute of Environmental Health (SIEH). He was elected President of SIEH and was elected President of the Institute in 1990 and again in 2005. He also held the posts on Honorary Editor of the International Federation of Environmental Health’s Magazine and of the Institute’s Journal for many years.

John was a mentor to many of today’s Environmental Health Officers and the following words from one of the Student Environmental Health Officers who came under his supervision sums up the relationship he had with these young professionals - I well remember John from my student EHO days in Edinburgh, always approachable, supportive and a source of humour despite being in senior management. John’s enthusiasm and energy for the profession made quite an impression on me.

Graham Walker, who trained with John, remembers him as a valued friend and colleague, he started in the Department a few months before me in 1965. He was given the job of looking after a small town boy from the Borders and his kindness and support, with lots of laughs, at this time helped me to settle into the job and deal with living and working in a big city environment. This kindness and support continued during our time at Napier College, throughout our careers in the Department, as members of the Institute and more especially as a friend.

John’s many friends and ex-colleagues will miss his enthusiasm, his zest for life, his warm hearted spirit, his commitment to the cause and his sense of humour.

A dutiful and dedicated family man, John will be hugely missed by his wife Linda, his daughter Lara, his son Euan, his brother Tom and his grandchildren Max and Libby.

JOHN STIRLING - AN APPRECIATION

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COOKING SKILLS COURSES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE VISUALLY IMPAIRED – SENSORY CENTRE

Taken from CFHS e-bulletin with kind permission from Community Food and Health Scotland and Forth Valley Sensory Centre

The Forth Valley Sensory Centre in Falkirk has been running popular cooking courses for people with visual loss. The classes began last year, led by the Centre’s Café Cook, David Black, who is blind himself. This case study looks at what he achieved and what challenges he had to overcome.

Background on the Forth Valley Sensory Centre and the cooking courses

Forth Valley Sensory Centre has been helping people with a visual or hearing loss in Forth Valley live as independently as possible for over 12 years. There are a wide range of partner organisations within the Centre, including RNIB Scotland, Blind Veterans UK and Living Well Falkirk. As well as supporting people with sensory loss, the Centre also provides support and advice to carers and family members as needed.

A wide range of groups and classes are on offer each day. The Centre has a community cafe, which carries the healthyliving award certification, a sensory garden and a sensory room. HRH The Princess Royal also recently opened a new Kitchen Garden, designed to help children understand more about their senses as well as promoting healthy eating. Much of the organic produce from the garden is used in the cafe.

David has been working in the café for over 12 years. He began as a volunteer, making sandwiches but quickly progressed to soups and now makes a soup and ‘special’ each day from scratch.

Keen to use his skills and experience to teach other people with visual or other sensory loss how to develop their cooking skills, he worked with, and was supported by NHS Forth Valley community food workers to become the first blind person to deliver the REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills course. David ran his first course in 2017.

About the REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills courses

Who attends the courses?

The Sensory Centre encouraged existing service users to sign up for courses and asked partners such as Falkirk Council Sensory Services team to promote these or refer people. Now, with word of mouth too, the courses are so successful there is a waiting list to take part.

A range of people have completed the courses so far, but the majority were visually impaired, others included people with hearing loss, autism, learning disabilities or mental health issues. Some of the course participants had lost their sight in later life and hoped to regain their confidence to safely cook again.

How the course is run

Each course lasts for five, two-hour sessions. The class covers the REHIS Elementary Cooking Skills course requirements to be able to make a starter, main dish and a dessert. David also includes a fifth session where course participants can make a meal of their choice, or revisit something they had learnt on the course. Several have chosen to share their creations with family and David hopes to have a sit down dinner event at the Centre in the near future.

Only two participants at a time attend each course so that David can support each person safely. David also has a sighted volunteer to assist, making sure that everyone stays safe, but ultimately he has responsibility for instructing the class.

David begins by demonstrating how to navigate the kitchen using a clock reference system – e.g. ‘the oven is at noon, you are standing at 1 o’clock’. He also asks participants about their kitchen experience and assesses their skills, particularly to make sure they know how to use a knife and other equipment safely.

David with HRH The Princess Royal.

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Chopping skills are taught using the ‘claw’ and ‘bridge’ techniques. David uses hand-over-hand to both teach and assess people’s knife skills. Each course is adapted to the needs of each individual throughout each session.

Typical recipes include making tomato soup and then learning how to use the soup base for a bolognese sauce, followed by a fruit crumble recipe for dessert. David teaches recipes that meet the healthyliving award criteria. Sometimes participants suggest recipes they would like to make, so David adapts these to make them ‘healthier’ if needed.

Course participants learn about nutrition informally by discussing the health benefits of different ingredients and David provides tips, such as how to drain off the fat in a mince dish. Other topics include ideas about food budgeting and using ingredients that make more than one meal in order to save time, money and reduce food waste. At the end of each session, each person takes their food home with them. The Centre makes recipes available in braille or large print so participants can take them away and practise at home.

Challenges

A blind person teaching other people who are blind or with visual loss to develop cooking skills has its challenges. However, David’s ethos is to get people to think ‘can do’ rather than ‘cannie do’ and support people to be as independent as possible.

Key to being safe is to have a very tidy and organised kitchen and know where everything is. Being able to orientate around the kitchen is essential. Using bowls to place food waste in or to catch drips from pots of liquid being moved is not just used to promote ‘clean as you go’ but also reduces the risk of accidents.

Course participants are introduced to a few useful pieces of equipment or techniques depending on their needs. For example, cut resistant gloves allow the user to hold food in place with a gloved hand, whilst using the knife in the ungloved hand. Other useful equipment includes speaking scales and measuring jugs. However, sometimes it may be simpler (and cheaper) to use cups or spoons for measuring (although ensuring these provide accurate measurement for each recipe can be difficult). If people have smart phones, they are shown apps that can read labels.

David provides some challenges for participants so they can practise these in the safe environment of a supervised kitchen. For example, this might involve teaching a recipe that uses dry frying or grilling, so that people develop their confidence and awareness of how to do this safely and ensure adequate ventilation.

Achievements and learning

The Sensory Centre asks people for feedback from the courses so they can continue to improve these and find out their impact. All attendees so far have reported: increased confidence; knowledge of healthy eating and how to reduce food waste.

Course participants particularly enjoyed receiving the REHIS certificate – for some people, this might be the first qualification they have received and can be a real boost to confidence. As people who attended the cooking course often attend other activities or services at the Centre (and might be transported by families and friends) there are opportunities to ask participants and their families for their feedback and stories:

‘One lady shocked her husband when he came home to find her in the kitchen happily cutting up carrots for the first time in over a decade. He was initially very concerned but realised that David had shown a safe way to cut and use a knife. One of the key reasons for not cooking was a lack of confidence following recipes because of their sight loss. This lady got her confidence in the kitchen back and went from not cooking at all to making meals once a week.’

Another participant (registered blind) commented: “It’s given me more confidence, realising how easy it is putting meals together and working from scratch.”

Funding and what’s next?

The course has minimal costs: David and his helper run the course on a voluntary basis and there is no venue hire costs as these are covered by Forth Valley Sensory Centre. The main costs are ingredients, REHIS packs and any specialist equipment that is needed. The courses were initially funded by the CFHS development fund and the Centre will apply for the small amount of ongoing funding required elsewhere. They hope to continue the courses on a no-fee basis, as many of the people that attend are managing on low incomes because of their disabilities. Any charge might discourage attendance.

For anyone interested in finding out more about cooking without sight, there is a video of David working in the kitchen as part of his main role as Centre Cook. He is shown with one of his assistants, Peter, and the videos are available online here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-38987118/the-cafe-where-the-food-is-made-by-a-blind-cook-and-his-autistic-helper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DADYvfZ-94M#action=share.

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HSE LOCAL AUTHORITY UNIT

by Tara Burgess, Local Authority Unit, Health and Safety Executive

HSE’s latest annual statistics were recently published. Compiled from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other sources, the statistics illustrate that in Great Britain in the 2018/2019 period there were:

• 147 fatal injuries at work;

• 1.4 million working people suffering from a work-related illness;

• 364 cases were prosecuted and resulted in a conviction; fines from convictions totalled £54.5 million; and

• 28.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.

For 2018/19 the highest rates of fatal injuries were in Scotland, 1.07 cases per 100,000 workers, which is higher than it has been in recent years. The rates of ill health in Scotland, 3,280 cases per 100,000 workers, were statistically significantly lower than the Great Britain rate, 4,050 cases per 100,000 workers over the period 2016/17 to 2018/19.

You can read the full statistics on the HSE website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/.

Sole director jailed after employee killed by excavator

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was recently involved in a tragic case where a young man died following the failure of a sole director of a company based in Blantyre to assess the risks his employees were exposed to whilst at work.

The untrained Director was operating an excavator and instructed his employee to enter the excavation to remove mortar from the bucket. Sadly, the employee was pinned against the wall by the excavator bucket and died as a result of his injuries. The Director pleaded guilty to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 and was given a 10-month custodial sentence.

Unfortunately, this incident is not isolated, and highlights the importance of undertaking risk assessment, and demonstrates the potentially devastating consequences of not implementing a safe system of work. As the inspector who investigated this accident said afterwards, “If a suitable safe system of work had been in place prior to the incident, the death of this worker could have been prevented.”

You can read more about the incident here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-50073001.

Hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure calculator and publication updated

You may remember an article in the Spring edition of the Journal in relation to hand-arm vibration (HAV) for greenkeepers at golf courses, in the Fife area due to the high number of local golf courses.

HAV is a hazard for employees in many industries and occupations. It comes from the use of hand-held power tools and is the cause of significant ill health (painful and disabling disorders of the blood vessels, nerves and joints). Regular and frequent exposure to HAV can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

With this in mind, I thought it was worthwhile drawing your attention to HSE’s recently updated hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure calculator. The calculator can help estimate and record workers’ exposures to HAV. Alongside this, the HSE guidance book L140, Hand-arm vibration, has been revised and can be found on the HSE website.

For more information visit:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/vibrationcalc.htm.

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DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR INVERCLYDE CANDIDATES

by Raymond Hubbocks, Training Adviser

On 3 October I had the privilege of presenting certificates to four Inverclyde Community based candidates at Youth Connections, Greenock.

The successful candidates, Francesca McPherson, Nicola Smith, Alison Haughey and Pauline Folan achieved both the Elementary Cooking Skills and Elementary Food Hygiene certificates by attending a pilot programme. The courses were delivered simultaneously by Susannah Gallacher and Joan Clarke from Inverclyde Council Community Learning and Development Team.

Since gaining their certificates, all four participants continue to be active in their communities, being willing volunteers in schools and other community

based ventures. Also, as a result of their success each one has been able to move forward in their personal development. Francesca now attends the local college undertaking a Childhood Practice course, Nicola is fostering children, Alison is a resident cook at various community clubs and Pauline now supports her development worker colleagues with practical tasks at events within the community.

Owing to the success of this pilot, Susannah and Joan are continuing to deliver the courses within the community and are looking to introduce some other courses in the future, all designed to improve the confidence, skill base and potential employability prospects of candidates.

Successful course participants (from left to right) Alison Haughey, Francesca McPherson, Pauline Folan and Nicola Smith displaying their REHIS Certificates with Raymond Hubbocks, Susannah Gallacher and Joan Clarke.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS

by Lisa McCann, Member of the REHIS Council with responsibility for Occupational Health and Safety Matters

REHIS Health and Safety Update

Delighted to receive positive delegate feedback from the successful running of this year’s Health and Safety Update event, held in Edinburgh on 17 September 2019.

Delegates heard from a varied panel of speakers including: the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Alex Tsavalos and Frances Kelly who provided updates on Go Home Healthy, other Regulatory Priorities and Local Authority Enforced Sectors; An update on the Scottish Government’s Health and Work Review was given by Roddy Duncan; Robert Atkinson presented delegates with an overview of the LOcHER project (Learning Occupational Health by Experiencing Risk), with Andy Cathro highlighting the experiences of students at Dundee & Angus College who have benefited from the project; Brian Auld shared his experience of health and safety in churches and historical buildings; Ian Tasker spoke about his work at Scottish Hazards, a charity committed to improving workplace health and safety; and Jon Ruddock of ADIPS (Amusement Device Inspection Procedure Scheme) provided delegates with a range of information including hints and tips on what to look out for in relation to fairground rides.

Southern Centre Health and Safety Event

The Institute’s Southern Centre hosted a Health and Safety Law and Practice Refresher Training event in Dunfermline on 3 December 2019. Interest has been high and the course was fully subscribed.

HSE Local Authority Update Events

At the time of writing HSE’s Local Authority and Safety Unit has sent out information via the Helex system on how delegates can register for the 2020 Local Authority Update Events. Dunfermline is the location for the 2020 Scottish event on 21 January.

Annual Injury and Ill Health Statistics

The HSE published the annual injury and ill health statistics at the end of October 2019. Key figures for Great Britain from 2018/19:

• 1.4 million working people suffering from a work-related illness;

• 2,526 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2017);

• 147 workers killed at work;

• 581,000 working people sustaining an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey;

• 69,208 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR;

• 28.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury; and

• £15 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2017/18).

For further information visit:

www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm.

Statement of commitment between Local Authority and HSE Regulatory Services

The Statement of Commitment (SoC) was discussed, developed and agreed in March 2019 by the HSE and Local Authority (LA) representative bodies across Great Britain including HELA and the Practitioners Forum (PF). The SoC sets out the shared vision for an ongoing LA/HSE co-regulatory partnership, ensuring LAs and HSE work together as effective, modern and professional regulators.

The SoC has been endorsed by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health in Scotland (SoCOEHS). The Statement of Commitment has been discussed at the Scottish Health and Safety Co-ordinating Group (HASCOG), and LAs are being encouraged to publicly commit to the SoC and embed its principles within their service plans.

For further information visit:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/statement.htm.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

by Karen Keeley, Director of Professional Development

By the time of publication, I will have celebrated 7 months in the DPD role, gosh how time flies! Over that time we have presented a Witness Familiarisation Course, the annual Food Update and Health and Safety Update, the October diet of Professional Examination and the Environmental Health Update which preceded the Annual General Meeting. All events and speakers have been well received with positive feedback from delegates.

The Professional Examination saw eight newly qualified Environmental Health Officers gaining their Diploma. Diplomas will be awarded at the Annual Environmental Health Forum in April and all recipients will have the opportunity to bring family to be a part of the occasion of receiving their Diploma. Friends and colleagues are also encouraged to attend the event to observe the new EHOs receiving their award.

As Environmental Health Officers will know, the practical training, submission of portfolio and the oral examination process is a rigorous one and all those succeeding are to be congratulated. It is only through maintaining these high standards that we can ensure we maintain a profession of competent Officers, able to tackle the variety of interesting and challenging tasks they will encounter as they progress through their careers.

REHIS Accredited University Courses

The two accredited university degree courses, the BSc (Hons) Environmental Health at the University of the West of Scotland and the MSc Environmental Health at the University of Derby (by distance learning) have both been subject to an extension of their accreditation status by one year. This is due to both courses proposing a change and the full accreditation process being considered more appropriate once these changes have progressed. The University of Derby is changing some of the module structure and contents and once module descriptors are available these will be reviewed to ensure the Institute’s core curriculum is still covered within the course. The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has proposed a more significant change to the course, to incorporate practical training in third and fourth years. The principle of a revised proposal has been agreed through the Examinations and Professional Standards Committee and Council and further work will take place between the UWS and the Institute to establish the detail of the change. This will involve liaison with the Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health

in Scotland (SoCOEHS) to engage local authorities in the practical training element of the course. Again, once progressed the revised modules and structure of the course will be subject to full review and accreditation and will require approval through the Examinations and Professional Standards Committee and Council.

The Institute is keen to ensure the change, while offering a fantastic opportunity for undergraduate students to achieve their practical training as part of the University course, does not remove the option of individuals progressing through the post graduate route. We are also keen to ensure the current high standards of graduates is maintained through avoiding a reduction in academic standard. UWS have worked hard to achieve the proposed programme, while meeting the University Regulations and the revised proposal addresses concerns previously raised by members of the Examinations and Professional Standards Committee.

Members will also be interested to know that the UWS course has relocated to be based from the new Lanarkshire campus of the University, with 1st year students from this year being based at the new campus. This is a new, purpose built campus with a variety of modern rooms and labs for use during the course.

Professional Status

Members will be interested to know that the other UK Competent Authority for the Profession of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, (CIEH) is changing the membership options, categories and its route to Chartered status. The details of the new options are available on their website but REHIS has established that individuals holding positions which have the title Environmental Health Officer or Environmental Health Practitioner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland no longer necessarily hold a professional qualification, beyond the university degree, and individuals awarded Chartered status by the CIEH may not have had their professional competence assessed across all subject areas of environmental health. At the point of qualification those professionals achieving the REHIS Diploma are deemed competent across the range of environmental health subjects. As members will know, in Scotland, Environmental Health Officers have a specific function under the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008 and are listed as core public health professionals in all Scottish Government Public Health Reform publications, and, along with

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food safety officers, hold the qualification which deems them competent to carry out food law activities under the Food Standards Scotland Food Law Code of Practice. For this reason, the Institute wish to maintain the professional standard and would intend continuing with the current examination process in relation to award of the Diploma in Environmental Health. We would take this opportunity to advise all managers employing new officers to check that an appropriate professional qualification is held, which allows them to practise as an Environmental Health Officer in Scotland, either the REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health, the CIEH EHRB (formerly EHORB) Certificate of Registration, or the BSc Environmental Health degree from Technological University Dublin (formerly Dublin Institute of Technology) issued by the Department of Health in Ireland which includes a professional practice assessment component.

Professional Courses/Centre Events

At some recent events, there have been requests for

specific training courses and we are currently reviewing how these should be run, with Centres or the Institute office planning the event. So if you have requested a specific course, please be assured it is progressing. The Institute is responsible for running ‘Professional Courses’, namely those suitable for all membership and non-members with an interest in environmental health matters, and most commonly the ‘big picture’ type of event such as Food Safety/Standards, Health and Safety, and Environmental Health Updates, Witness Familiarisation and Crime Investigation. The Northern and Southern Centres are responsible for running Centre Events to meet the specific needs/requests of the members of the relevant Centre. Such events are more likely to be on a single topic or subject matter. Both Centres have had a recent change of Chair and Secretary and any suggestions for training can be directed to the new office bearers, or via the Director of Professional Development.

If there are any queries on any aspect of the above please contact me at kk@rehis.com.

* * *ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH UPDATE

The annual Environmental Health Update was held at the Holiday Inn, Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh on Friday 15 November on the morning of the same day as the AGM. This year the Institute took the opportunity to arrange for the Council members, who hold responsibility in specific areas to give an update on the work in that area. There is an immense amount of work undertaken by the ‘Council Reps’, much of which is in addition to their own day jobs. This will include responding to requests through the Institute, for information in their subject area, providing feedback to consultations relevant to their subject, participation in working groups or events, representing the Institute and/or the profession. Each representative gave a great overview of the subject area which was well received by delegates at the event.

The Environmental Health Update provides updates on environmental health matters that may not routinely fall within the scope of other professional courses, but are still fully integral to the work of the Institute.

Given the on-going development of Public Health Reform in Scotland it would have been remiss not to have an update on this and Kate Harley of Health Protection, National Services Scotland kicked off

the event with a presentation on the current status and showed the importance of environmental health activities in this work.

In addition to the informative update presentations from Council Reps we also welcomed Dominic Mellor, Consultant in Veterinary Public Health at Health Protection Scotland, to talk about the risks from tick bites and in particular Lyme Disease, with the key message being, after having any outdoor activity, to check for, and remove, ticks at the earliest opportunity. Adam Lowe from Public Health England provided an informative overview of environmental health implications of radiation exposure in the public domain, reminding all delegates that, while there are real and/or perceived risks from various forms of radiation, Radon remains the biggest contributor to radiation exposure to the public.

Overall the event received positive feedback and if any members wish to make suggestions for presentations at future events please contact the REHIS office (contact@rehis.com or kk@rehis.com).

All presentations will be made available on the members only section of the Institute’s website.

by Karen Keeley, Director of Professional Development

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REHIS ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FORUM 2020

THE CARNEGIE CONFERENCE CENTRE, DUNFERMLINE

SAVE THE DATE - 29/30 APRIL 2020

The Carnegie Conference Centre, Halbeath Road, Dunfermline will be the venue for the next REHIS Annual Environmental Health Forum.

Further details will be made available in the coming weeks and the programme will be published in late January/early February.

The Conference Centre is ideally located for delegates travelling from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and all over Scotland. It is just off Junction 3 of the M90 motorway, only 20 minutes from Edinburgh Airport with excellent public transport links. Queen Margaret Rail Halt is a 10 minute walk away, Inverkeithing train station is a 5 minute taxi ride away and Dunfermline Town Centre train station is a 10 minute taxi ride away. There is free onsite parking with 140 spaces available for Forum delegates.

The 82 room Holiday Inn Express Dunfermline is on the same site as the Carnegie Conference Centre and preferential rates for overnight accommodation will be available.

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PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT: A PERSONAL VIEW!

by John Crawford, FREHIS

The papers for our Nineteenth AGM arrived in the same week as the Scottish Government announced it would press on with introducing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for beverage containers, and not long after having to postpone its plans to ban the landfilling of untreated municipal waste in 2021 for at least four years. We also had the media reports of commuters finally losing patience with Extinction Rebellion protesters resulting in one individual being hauled off a train and thumped.

Anybody who knows me won’t be surprised that I didn’t have a problem with the protester being duffed up a bit (particularly as if reports are correct, he didn’t require hospital treatment): there’s a limit to how much the public will endure due to this bunch disrupting their daily lives. My attitude is that if you are so determined to ‘save the planet’ you shouldn’t have a mobile phone, tablet or PC; if you need transport you should be setting an example by using the most environmentally-friendly mode; and if you have young kids, they should be wearing ‘real’ nappies. So the protesters need to practise a bit more of what they preach if they want my support.

Having said that, I have enough time on my hands nowadays to ponder on the impact of many of the environmental protection initiatives that were introduced over the years when I had a real job. The introduction of ‘best by’ and ‘sell by’ dates on food and other household consumables was a great step forward but has created some unexpected consequences. We now see TV programmes about ‘scavengers’ who sort through rubbish bins for ‘out of date’ food then proclaim it to be ‘perfectly edible’. It may well be, but it’s a consequence of the food manufacturers erring on the safe side when they date-stamp their products, using statistical data: rather than evidence of their trying to con customers. I often wonder if any of these clowns are ever sick after eating ‘scavenged’ food: it would be great TV if they were filmed puking up!

When public concerns about our increased dependence on plastic were raised in the early 2000s, some supermarket chains reduced the gauge on their free carrier bags, only to discover that customers were now double-bagging the carriers to make them strong enough to hold their messages. And when one of the nation’s ‘best-loved stores’ unilaterally introduced a 5p charge on plastic carriers (that at the time was worth an extra £6 million to them on the bottom line) many of their customers simply went over to the premises of their nearby competitors and tooled up on the free bags on offer there before returning to shop.

Last November it was reported that the Quango WRAP who collate the official statistics on plastic carrier consumption had been well off the mark by regularly claiming that consumption was now far lower than before the 5p charge was introduced, when the actual numbers bought were much higher. It’s not clear if this was deliberate, or simply due to incompetence but as WRAP is also a UK registered charity (and therefore can accept ‘donations’ from the larger traders who charge the 5p) the jury is out on that one. In any event WRAP haven’t been counting all the plastic bags that people now have to buy in economy stores to bag their household waste instead of re-using a 5p carrier. Plastic carriers were once the most re-used item in the household waste stream (and ‘re-use’ is at the top of the waste hierarchy!). There’s even concern about the hessian bags being promoted to replace single-use carriers, the main issues being biodegradability and food hygiene (perhaps some bright final year EHO student could devote their thesis to swabbing hessian bags and ‘bags for life’ to establish their bacteriological quality). One supermarket chain is now promoting a small ‘re-usable bag’ for fruit and vegetables (sold for 30p) that they advise should be laundered after each shopping trip. So many of their customers now pick up loose fruit and veg, ignore the re-usable bag and then go to the bakery section where there are free paper bags (okay, that might be part of the strategy). But what about the laundry consequences? Should the bag(s) simply be chucked in next time the family wash is being done or washed separately? And as many of the newer (EU-compliant) washers can take up to an hour or more for a 40O cycle, is it possible we could be consuming more energy (and water) than if we’d just been given a flimsy plastic bag as before? And will everybody faithfully launder these bags after every shopping trip?

The research mentioned above (about WRAP’s data) also suggests that ‘bags for life’ are actually being replaced on a weekly-fortnightly basis, with calls for there to be a minimum charge of 70p to discourage shoppers from this habit. Some of the excuses offered include people forgetting to take these bags with them when they go to the shops, or the current charge (around 25p) not being high enough to deter the more affluent in the community, but when a weekly shop for many families is over £100, the financial impact of buying a few ‘bags for life’ every other week isn’t all that significant.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is probably the

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most interesting issue on the go just now. To make it work a DRS scheme needs to have >85% participation. The last Scottish scheme operated by A.G. Barr Ltd was abandoned a few years ago when less than 50% of the population were interested in it. When I was a schoolboy, the 3d deposit (just over 1p in today’s decimal money) was a welcome boost to my pocket money (and there weren’t all that many Barr’s Irn Bru bottles to be had lying around in those days) so there was an incentive for us to collect empties and take these to the nearest café or grocers. Is the 20p proposed by Scottish Government for its DRS scheme high enough to make it work? Who knows? Bizarrely, recent research suggests that the 20p deposit could actually result in increased consumption of plastic bottles. The sums mean that a pack of 12 cans of beverage will carry a £2.40 deposit, while four large plastic bottles (holding the equivalent volume) will only carry 80p. As the deposit can only be redeemed at authorised outlets, it’s also thought the less well-off in the community will be disadvantaged if they don’t have access to transport to get them to the nearest outlet. And if they have access to a kerbside recyclate collection service, the tendency might simply be to use that instead of redeeming their deposit. And although that would mean the container was still recycled, the retailer would keep the 20p deposit.

A lot of the thinking behind the DRS scheme is based on ‘what happens on the continent’ but that’s not really a valid comparison given the wide gap in their attitudes to the environment and ours. The continentals have been using energy from waste plants to dispose of their waste and generate heat and power for decades, whereas any attempt to build these plants in the UK is invariably met with staunch opposition. And of course our attitude to litter here is far below that found on the continent.

I’m reminded that when we first introduced bottle banks in Scotland, the point was made that if you had to drive more than a couple of miles to deposit bottles, you’d consume far more energy than would ever be saved by recycling the glass. So the guidance was to put the banks near supermarkets where the car trip was primarily for shopping, and dropping off the bottles was a bonus. Maybe today’s ‘experts’ need to return to that line of logic if they really want to protect the environment.

Editor’s Note:

John Crawford was a member of the Institute’s first Executive Council, edited the Journal from 1985-90 and was President in 1991-92. The views here are his alone.

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MEMBERSHIP

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALSREHIS exists to improve and protect public health in Scotland through education, training and qualifications in Environmental Health.

REHIS is a UK/EU Competent Authority and the awarding body for the professional titles ‘Environmental Health Officer’ and ‘Chartered Environmental Health Officer’, and has members across the UK and further afield.

NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME

www.rehis.com

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SOUTHERN CENTRE UPDATE

by Pat Hoey, Member of the Council and former Chair of the Southern Centre

The Southern Centre held another successful event on 6 September prior to its AGM in the City of Glasgow College at the Riverside Campus. Building on the success of previous seminars, the event was a continuation of the theme of ‘The Wider Public Health Agenda’. The event was an opportunity for environmental health professionals to gain an insight into the contributions made by other professions and organisations in improving public health as well as academics at the forefront of policy development. There was also an example of ‘regulatory interventions in action’ outlining a case study which used the powers of the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008.

The opening presentation was provided by Emma Kennedy representing CoSLA. She provided an update on the Public Health Review and the latest on the formation of Public Health Scotland (PHS). Emma is currently on secondment to CoSLA from NHS Health Scotland leading on public health reform and public health policy. Since the meeting, a new Chief Executive, Angela Leitch, formerly Chief Executive of East Lothian Council, was appointed and the organisation is very much a work in progress. The purpose of PHS will be to improve and protect Scotland’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It will also support health and social care by focusing their efforts on prevention in order to reduce unsustainable pressures on the system.

Emma Kennedy was followed by Craig McLaren who is the Director of Scotland and Ireland for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). He discussed how Public

Health has been embedded into the new Planning Bill, and outlined how place-making can play a more preventative role in creating healthier communities. He advised that quality place-making is evidenced to promote healthy behaviours, environmental health, mental and physical wellbeing, and achieve greater equity in health. He said planning is fundamental to delivering healthier places in the long-term, and emphasised the importance of reconnecting public health and planning and the opportunity to do this via the new Public Health Scotland organisation. Craig was well aware of the input Planning Departments receive from their Environmental Health colleagues and is keen to work jointly with the Institute and RTPI so that members of both disciplines can improve public health in a more effective way with a mutual appreciation of each other’s roles and influences. There was an invitation for a joint event that the Institute should explore, but there is certainly an opportunity to expand on this within any future such seminars arranged by the Southern Centre.

Our next speaker was Sarah Hamill. Sarah is a Contaminated Land Officer with West Dunbartonshire Council and discussed the problems in dealing with ground gas issues at last year’s seminar during which she highlighted the importance of validation. The media interest in sites such as Gorebridge and more recently the North Lanarkshire Schools has highlighted the importance of validation which is unfortunately the stage that is missed from many developments. This year,

Emma Kennedy, CoSLA Public Health Reform Team.

Craig McLaren, Director of Scotland and Ireland for the Royal Town Planning Institute.

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Sarah’s presentation provided examples of a variety of recent developments where validation reports have been rejected due to incomplete or inaccurate work and highlighted the importance of this stage, which is too often neglected by developers, and forgotten by Planners. Certainly it sparked interest from Craig McLaren and an appreciation that this is an area where improvements can be made.

Jill Muirie, who is a Public Health Programme Manager at the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, currently working on the Sustainable Inclusive Places Programme spoke about a broader public health approach to food. Jill is involved in a range of public health projects relating to sustainable food, transport, regeneration, community engagement and empowerment, and all with focus on health inequalities. Jill described the difficulties facing low income families, where there is good information on healthy diets but food choice is restricted by other factors, including global food companies having the largest share of the market to the detriment of local suppliers who can provide nutritious food in a more sustainable way.

Christine Downie, an EHO, has worked in various roles in environmental health, sustainability and now city energy, where she is currently working on a European smart city project called RUGGEDISED. Christine described the project which aims to improve the quality of life of the citizens, to reduce the environmental impacts of activities and to create a stimulating environment for sustainable economic development. She described some innovative ideas for providing cheaper energy to citizens to enable public sector buildings in Glasgow to sell excess-heat from/to one another and for private industry to sell heat to local customers, which in this case includes local housing, either directly or via an intermediary. A project district has been selected and proposes adding value to a programme of LED (light-emitting diode) street light installations in the city of Glasgow, by identifying those columns and integrating innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure into the street lighting column - thus minimising the amount of street furniture on Glasgow’s streets whilst improving access to EV charging and improving civic space in the city.

In addition, the wireless communications network that is being installed as part of the LED lighting project will be used to transmit data from the EV chargers, as well as the LED lights, to explore their use as demand response measures. They are hoping to include air quality monitors to these street lights to provide additional data in an area that is a Low Emission Zone and hopefully demonstrate the effectiveness of control measures in that area.

After lunch, Emma Walker from NHS Ayrshire and Arran gave a presentation entitled “Public Health Issues within the Underserved Population”. Emma has a degree in Environmental Health and started working for the health improvement team in the Public Health Department within NHS Ayrshire & Arran. She is now Programme Manager for Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses. Latterly, this work has also encompassed Tuberculosis as there is a recognised cross-over in the population groups affected by all of these illnesses, now referred to as the ‘Underserved Population’. Emma gave a passionate presentation with some harrowing statistics on the spread of blood-borne diseases, particularly Hepatitis C. Emma advised in an age when medical science has produced life long effective treatments for HIV and Hep C and the cost of treatment has reduced considerably, it is important that we educate the public on prevention of infection and adequately support the ”underserved population” who find themselves trapped in a vicious downward spiral.

Rebecca McHugh is a PhD student working jointly with Glasgow and Strathclyde University on Aurodox, a compound which has been identified as a novel ‘anti-virulence’ drug for the treatment of E. coli O157. They found that Aurodox, a compound first discovered in 1973 but found to be poorly active as a true antibiotic, was able to successfully block E.coli O157 infections by preventing the E.coli bacteria binding to human cells and effectively act as a potent disease-blocking compound. Rebecca described the difficulties facing research institutions taking new products from the lab to a final approved product, and although there is some way to go with Aurodox, the signs so far are positive.

Our final speaker was David Brewster from West Lothian Council. He described a case where they served notice in terms of Section 76 of the Public Health (Scotland)

Christine Downie of Glasgow City Council.

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Act 2008. The case involved the collapse of a communal stair ceiling due to the weight of guano caused by many years of building neglect where pigeons had unrestricted access to the roof void. The stairs in the building became not only contaminated but physically dangerous to use. A multi agency approach was used to engage the services of a cleaning contractor, building control to make the building safe and additional works to secure the roof to the building. It was clear that a group of owners who were incapable of organising routine maintenance of the building they shared would not have had the capability to organise what was a

major clean up and repair, so the formal notice route was justified in this instance.

Our thanks go to all the speakers who gave up their time to provide a stimulating day and allowed Environmental Health Officers and the wider membership of the Institute to see how other professionals are working towards improving public health and wellbeing. We look forward to repeating the “Wider Public Health Agenda” event next year and hope we can maintain this standard of discourse.

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REHIS WELCOMES THE SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES FOR

PUBLICATION IN

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCOTLAND

Follow REHIS

@rehisscotland

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HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW AND PRACTICE TRAINING EVENT

The Southern Centre held an engaging and well attended event on 3 December 2019 at Dunfermline’s City Chambers. The event aimed to increase officer confidence in the practice of investigating serious incidents, and also provided a valuable opportunity for officers to exercise the practical skills involved in interviewing witnesses and gathering documentary evidence.

Our highly successful course was presented by Eric Pirie, a recently retired HSE Inspector. He is well known for his expertise in the field of legal and technical health and safety standards.

The course provided delegates with the confidence to respond to serious incidents, refreshing their knowledge of witness statement taking. In particular, understanding the law surrounding documentary evidence stored on computer systems and the use of docquets.

The theory session delivered in the morning was followed by a practical workshop session in the afternoon, where delegates were confronted with a scenario relating to a serious incident, and were given the opportunity to put into practice what they’d learned through a role-play exercise. This was followed by an overview of the Enforcement Management Model (EMM) and how this can aid in consistent enforcement decisions. The course came to a close with a ‘Question and Answer’ session to ensure delegates had the opportunity to consolidate their learning from throughout the day, as well as receive invaluable answers from Eric to any other questions.

Delegates provided excellent feedback, commending Eric on his knowledge and skills. It is therefore anticipated the Southern Centre will repeat this course to satisfy participant demand.

by Diane Ward, Chartered Environmental Health Officer, Fife Council

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THE ROYAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTHINSTITUTE OF SCOTLAND

The Institute was incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee on 16th February 1983, to give effect to the amalgamation of The Royal Sanitary Association of Scotland and The Scottish Institute of Environmental Health.The Institute was Incorporated by Royal Charter on 8th March 2001, following which the Company was wound up.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity, Number SC009406.

The objects for which the Institute is established, contained in Article 3 of the Charter, are for the benefit of the community to promote the advancement of Environmental Health by:a. stimulating general interest in and disseminating knowledge concerning Environmental Health;b. promoting education and training in matters relating to Environmental Health; andc. maintaining, by examination or otherwise, high standards of professional practice and conduct on the part of Environmental Health

Officers in Scotland.

The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is an independent and self-financing organisation. It neither seeks nor receives grant aid. The Institute’s charitable activities are funded significantly by the subscriptions received from its members.

The Institute’s affairs are managed by a Council which is elected by members. The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland is a founding member of the International Federation of Environmental Health.

The Institute frequently uses the acronym: REHIS®.

REHIS and the Crest device are registered trademarks of The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland.

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