PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Slaughterhouses: Inspections (23 November 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department takes to protect Food Standards Agency inspectors against abuse, intimidation and assault during inspection of slaughterhouse premises.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

Like all employers, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has an obligation to ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) the health, safety and welfare at work of all our employees and contractors under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The promotion of a good and harmonious work environment, the maintenance of bullying and harassment incident data (as reported by FSA employees and contractors), the Agency’s zero tolerance approach and the proportionate action we take in response to reported bullying and harassment incidents are all essential elements that the Agency will continue to uphold. This is to ensure that the Agency delivers our duty of care to our employees and contractors under health and safety legislation.

Following consultation with industry through the Help Shape our Policy Pages of food.gov in England and Wales available at:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/help-shape-our-policies/proposed-policy-unacceptable-fbo-behaviour

Following several presentations within Partnership Working Group arrangement (an Industry and Food Standards Agency joint working party) a new Policy (Dealing with Unacceptable Behaviour by Food Business Operators - Withdrawal of Veterinary and Inspection Services) was formally launched in July 2017. This new policy contains a clear process to enable the Agency to manage reported incidents of bullying and harassment consistently and proportionately.

Where the FSA considers that unacceptable behaviour by a Food Business Operator, their management, employees or representatives may present a serious risk to the health and safety of FSA staff or contractors action will be taken to remove our staff or contractors from the workplace, which may amount to a withdrawal of service (WOS) by the Agency. Due to the significant effect that such a step will have upon the commercial operation of an approved premise, the WOS would be a measure of last resort and where other options would be insufficient to protect the health and safety of FSA staff. WOS will only be applied where a single incident is considered to be of a sufficiently serious nature, or where evidence of continued or persistent bullying and harassment has been established to an extent which may pose a risk to the health and safety of FSA employees and contractors.

Answered by:
Steve Brine (Conservative)
30 November 2017