Category: News Item

Holly Pullan, Environmental Health Officer, Scottish Borders Council has recently become Chair of HASCOG. She discusses how the pandemic has affected her work life and also her personal life.

1.         Describe you work before the pandemic? 

2 years ago, I moved from the North East and began working at Scottish Borders Council in the Food & Health and Safety team.  I worked on district as an EHO working with commercial premises in the Tweedale area. I did a range of routine and reactive food law visits along with health and safety. I really wish that someone had told me that Ken isn’t a person my first few months were spent wondering is Ken a local celebrity. 

I had put my name forward to chair HASCOG as it was our liaison groups turn to hold the torch. Thankfully my wonderful liaison group were very supportive of this idea and didn’t think I would be too horrendous! So, in the second week of March I was mentally preparing myself for my first meeting, to then have the realisation that everything was being cancelled from choir, inspections to HASCOG.

One of my favourite things about working in Scotland before the pandemic was the amazing network of EHOs from liaison groups to update events. I vividly remember the last training course that I was on in January up at Dundee (which is a super cool town.) I had completed my OCV and had met some lovely people. I feel very lucky that when there is a room of EHOs you can guarantee you’ll always have interesting conversations and even better see friends that you haven’t seen in a while.

2.         What have you been doing since the pandemic started? 

Wow that is a huge question! At first, I couldn’t think of anything but when I reflect my career landscape feels different. I guess a good place to start is HASCOG at one point in the summer when sectors started to reopen we held meetings fortnightly. To say that we didn’t have a clue what Teams was this time last year I think we have done very well.

A large portion of my day to day role has been helping businesses with their Covid-19 control measures and responding to complaints from the public about where they felt unsafe. However, I think overall I have been reading legislation and guidance documents over and over again to get my head around the statutory framework that businesses need to adhere to. I’m probably on the Scottish Government guidance website at least once a day….

I’ve also started to learn German as post pandemic steins, lederhosen and Currywurst are calling my fiancé and I. Additionally I have read a ridiculous amount of books as I have found that I really need the escapism from 2020 life.

3.         What are/were the challenges? 

Working through stage fright with HASCOG but in reality, it’s the amazing people involved that helped me through. Especially all the members of the Lothian and Borders Liaison Group. I’ve learnt how to control my nerves and blast some hype tunes before a meeting which I definitely couldn’t do that and do some crazy dancing in the REHIS offices…

On a more practical note businesses based in Scottish Borders any change in legislation or guidance between Scotland and England really impacts them on an operational level so that has been challenging explaining why our businesses needed to do certain things differently to other places in Northumberland. 

I found it hard trying to manage my mental health whilst supporting the various wonderful people in my life. Especially the day to day work on the front line it can be challenging to always find a positive outlook as it can be all consuming and slightly scary at times. However, I have found solace in regular walks in local woods and to keep up my wild swimming means that I have time in my week where I can recharge by batteries like the Duracel bunny.

In the first lockdown working alongside my fiancé who is a teacher was difficult in a small flat where we shared a dining room table. I heard too many arguments about spelling tests and interestingly got very attached to the descriptions of their pets. You’ll be pleased to know that he is back in the classroom and we have moved from a small flat to a house….

4.         Do you think any of these changes will last beyond the pandemic period? 

I genuinely think that the wider conversation about mental health will stay as we have all learnt what non-negotiable self-care routines we need in our lives to survive throughout this year. I love Clear Your Head Scotland and I hope this is always going to be available to us all. 

We have demonstrated that home working works on a large scale and I really hope this becomes normalised as the work life balance has really had an impact on my life. I have gained about 6 hours a week where I would have been commuting and I can now spend this doing my hobbies and activities which is really amazing. 

However, I do hope that in the future I can be in a room with EHOs from around Scotland catching up on life and laughing about the Coronacoaster of 2020. 

My final point to you, is to look after yourself. You can’t keep on giving from an empty cup. Whatever activities make you feel good, make sure that you commit time in your week for them. Finally know your boundaries and remember that life is meant to be treasured. Its normal to have bad days associated with work but we can’t let that make us feel like we have a bad life.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has today published Self-Assessment tools for food businesses and food retail establishments.

The Self-Assessment tools provide a practical toolkit for food businesses and food retail establishments in maintaining internal audit records to demonstrate ongoing compliance with COVID-19 protective measures. 

Use of these will allow businesses to demonstrate that they are following the measures required and can help in providing assurance to regulators and potentially assist in IMT discussions in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The tools have been developed with regulators, business representatives and trade unions and supports the Scottish Governments COVID-19 Strategic Framework and their COVID-19 Safety and Compliance Programme.

The FSS COVID-19 guidance package has been updated to reflect this publication.

Since 12 December hospitality venues have been allowed to play low level background music and sound. Guidance has been produced to ensure hospitality premises have in place the necessary arrangements for the safe management of low-level background sound.

The Institute of Acoustics have also published a training resource for sound management to support the updated Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance.

On 14 August 2020, statutory guidance for the hospitality sector was introduced with the precautionary measure, that there should be no background sound in hospitality premises, including music and audio from televisions.

Following introduction of this measure an expert advisory group was established to look at how low-level background sound might be managed in a COVID safe manner that did not interfere with speech intelligibility or cause increased vocal effort.  

The advisory group, comprising independent and industry acoustic experts, government and environmental health officials, and trade representatives developed the guidance on how this can be achieved.  

Brian Auld, Head of Safe Buildings and Assistant Secretary to the Board for the Church of Scotland General Trustees gives an insight into EHOs working in private practice and non-regulatory roles who continue to drive forward improvements in risk awareness, risk reduction and compliance. 

1.         Describe you work before the pandemic? 

My role as Head of Safe Buildings and Assistant Secretary to the Board is to lead the health and safety and compliance function of the Church of Scotland General Trustees. The General Trustees are the buildings and land arm of the Church of Scotland. We are the owners of over 4000 buildings including Churches, halls, manses and other commercial and domestic buildings. We are the owners of the largest number of historical buildings in Scotland, and the majority of the land that we own is tenanted for agricultural and commercial purposes. 

The vast majority of the Church of Scotland congregations are centred in the community, and our buildings and land are used for a variety of different purposes. This includes regulated child care, education, hospitality, performance arts, healthcare and support services as well as for worship. As well as providing strategic oversight to the board in matters relating to the safe use of church buildings and land, I have operational responsibility for the safe buildings team. The team responds to a demanding case load covering health and safety, food safety, tenancy management, environmental protection, construction and public health. We are also a REHIS registered training centre and provide free community training to our congregations and the wider community relating to food safety, health and safety and risk management. 

2.         What have you been doing since the pandemic started? 

When lockdown was announced in March 2020, we immediately issued instructions and guidance to all congregations relating to the safe closure of their buildings. We issued detailed guidance, risk assessments and operational procedures to over 200 congregations whose buildings remained open to provide essential community services including food banks, key-worker child care provision and local resilience groups. We developed and hosted a number of live webinars relating to infection control and health and safety, and our REHIS Food Safety training was moved entirely online. 

In the second week of April, I led the development and publication of the National Church of Scotland’s reopening of Church Building guidance. This was a substantial document including practical advice to congregations on how to reopen their building safely and undertake Covid-19 risk assessments. The guidance was adopted by other faith-based organisations and we are now just about to publish version 8. 

I convened the Church of Scotland Covid-19 working group in April 2020 with senior representation from across the Church of Scotland family to ensure a consistent, evidence-based and timely response to the pandemic from the national office. 

I was invited to join the Scottish Government’s Faith Leaders Group tasked with the implementation and development of the Scottish Government’s guidance on Places of Worship. This continues to be an excellent avenue to work with Faith Leaders from the many different denominations in Scotland, and liaise directly with both the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, and the National Clinical Director of the Scottish Government. Both the Faith Leaders and Church of Scotland Covid-19 working group continue to meet weekly. 

Over the past 6 months, my focus has been on continuing to develop both local and national guidance relating to Covid-19, ensure that church buildings are reopened and occupied safely, supporting the large variety of activities returning to church buildings, and responding to an ever-increasing case load of enquiries. I have also been working with a number of environmental health departments since the pandemic began to improve their understanding of the Church of Scotland’s approach to Covid-19, and respond to their enquiries around the occupation and use of church buildings. 

3.         What are/were the challenges? 

Many of the challenges that I have faced at the start of the pandemic still remain. The Church of Scotland does not just operate in Scotland, but across the world. It has been challenging trying to keep up with how the pandemic is evolving across the world and to ensure that continually evolving geographical differences in risk factors, legislation, policies and guidance are considered.

Church of Scotland congregations rely on the work of volunteers, many of who fall within the high-risk categories and therefore were required to shield. Not only did this present a practical challenge in terms of looking after our buildings and land, but there was a direct social and emotional impact on our volunteers, church life and the wider community. There continues to be a degree of hardship felt in some congregations relating to some restrictions in places of worship. For example, the prohibition on congregational singing has been difficult alongside the restrictions on how many people can attend worship or community activities. 

However, as an EHO, I know that effective risk communication is pivotal to ensure that the church environment remains safe, and that we have to adapt our communication strategies to ensure that everyone understands the reasons for a particular course of action to reduce the risk of transmission and save lives.

Another challenge has been the evolving nature of both the legislation and government policy around Covid-19. Although congregations operate primarily under the places of worship guidance, church buildings are also used to support a variety of other activities. We have to consider other sector specific guidance relating to hospitality, sport, unregulated and regulated childcare, support services, education, performing arts and events to name a few. When one sector guidance has changed or has been updated, often there has been a significant delay with the other sector guidance being updated. The result is that there have been times when there is conflict and confusion between the different sector guidance and specific policies during the pandemic. This is had significant strategic and operational impact on both the safe buildings team, and the wider Church of Scotland. 

4.         Do you think any of these changes will last beyond the pandemic period? 

I am proud of the role that the environmental health profession has contributed to the Covid-19 response, not only locally but also nationally and internationally. Although the profession has traditionally been centred in local authority activities, those EHOs working in private practice and non-regulatory roles continue to drive forward improvements in risk awareness, risk reduction and compliance. There are a number of significant challenges ahead, including opportunities for those who wish to enter the profession having access to suitable academic and professional training opportunities. The important role of the environmental health workforce has been elevated from being considered as holding a purely regulatory function, to a key influencer in the public health agenda. This momentum must be sustained. Direct environmental health representation both within Government and within relevant national agencies should be increased. We, as members of the Institute, all have a role to play to ensure that the profession use this unique and almost once in a generation opportunity to take a place at the top table; and it is vital not to lose this opportunity.   

The Chief Veterinary Officers for Scotland, England and Wales have introduced new measures to help protect poultry and captive birds. The new housing measures announced on 03 December 2020, are in force from 14 December 2020, and mean it is a legal requirement for all poultry and other captive birds to be housed or otherwise kept separate from wild birds, and for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease. The decision to implement the housing measures from 00:01 am on 14 December 2020, in addition to the current AIPZ measures, has been made in light of evidence from the continent and ongoing high numbers of avian influenza findings among wild bird populations in England. The risk of incursion of avian influenza has been increased to very high for wild birds, medium for poultry with high biosecurity, and high for poultry with poor biosecurity. Further details on the evidence that supported these decisions can be found in our risk assessments.”

For the latest update and all information on the outbreak see here.

Food Standards Scotland have updated its guidance for food business operators (FBOs) and their employees on 7 December. It aims to assist all businesses in the food and drink sector in following government guidance on infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19. It has been produced with input from the food industry and Trade Unions and reflects the most up to date advice from Scottish and UK Government and Health Protection Scotland.

A summary of the changes in the update are as follows:

• Inclusion of cohorting principles. 
• Addition of precautionary measures for delivery drivers of food retail. 
• Addition of face covering exemption card details and where to obtain one. 
• Insertion of details and link to FSS self-assessment audit tools. 

The law requires employers to ensure an adequate supply of fresh air in the workplace and this has not changed during the pandemic. Good ventilation, together with social distancing, keeping your workplace clean and frequent handwashing, can help reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have updated their guidance to  help businesses identify poorly ventilated areas in the workplace and provides steps to take to improve ventilation while maintaining a comfortable temperature. It will apply in most workplaces and includes guidance on:

• balancing ventilation with keeping people warm
• identifying poorly ventilated areas
• how to improve ventilation
• ventilation in vehicles

The new ventilation and air conditioning guidance is part of the HSE’s advice on making the workplace COVID-secure.

On Friday 20 November at the Environmental Health Update, the Annual Presentation of Awards was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards presented at this event included the Meritorious Endeavours in Environmental Health Award, the President’s Award and Honorary Membership of the Institute. Other awards presented included the REHIS Diploma in Environmental Health, SFSORB Higher Certificates and a number of Community Training awards, with the generous sponsorship of Highfield Products, where the training and examinations are conducted by REHIS Approved Training Centres, contributing to education and training in a range of environmental health related subjects. 

You can view the presentation on our YouTube channel here. 

Scottish Licensing Courses

The Institute has been working with the Scottish Government, People 1st, the SQA and other awarding bodies to review the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH) and Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (Refresher) (SCPLHR) qualifications.  

As a result of this, the Institute is delighted to announce that from 1 December 2020, Approved Training Centres can apply to the Institute to offer these courses. 

These qualifications meet the requirements of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and include the topics as outlined in the qualification standard.  These include an introduction to licensing, the responsible operation of licensed premises and the effect of alcohol consumption on customers and business. To be eligible for a personal licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 an applicant must hold the Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (SCPLH). The training certificate in itself does not constitute a personal licence.   

Both these qualifications are levelled on the Scottish Credit Qualification Framework (SCQF) at Level 6 and awarded 1 credit point each. To complete these qualifications learners should expect to undertake 10 hours of learning which includes a minimum of 6 hours tutor time. These qualifications are assessed by a multiple-choice examination. 

For more information, please contact the Institute.

The Institute’s Annual General Meeting was held on Friday 20 November and for the first time in the history of the Institute it was held virtually as a result of COVID-19. Lisa McCann, elected President welcomed fifty-nine members to the virtual meeting where she give an interesting Presidential Report and the election of the 2020/21 Council took place. Thank you to all those who were able to attend.

Current members of the Council can be found here.

The UK Government has launched a consultation on proposals to ban online adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt in the UK. The areas being consulted on include: 

• types of advertising to be restricted 
• liability for compliance 
• enforcement of the restrictions

The consultation is open until 22 December 2020, and hopes to gather views from the public and industry stakeholders in order to understand the impact and challenges of introducing a total ban on the advertising of these products online.