1. How many recorded accidents have occurred on the Assembly estate since May 2011? OAQ(5)003(AC)

Thank you for that question. There have been a total of 63 accidents that have been recorded on the estate since 2011. Forty-three of them were by Commission staff, two by Assembly Members, two by Assembly Member support staff, two by Welsh Government staff, four by contractors, and 10 by public visitors.

Can I thank Joyce Watson for that response? Considering it is over five years, it is not a very large number of accidents, but every accident is one too many. What is being done by the Commission to reduce the number of accidents on the estate?

Identifying, of course, the causes of accidents is where you have to start, and the health and safety adviser does make regular floor walks of the Assembly estate with a full-time trade union officer. Any recorded hazards are assessed and remedied quickly, with each department having its own health and safety champion. But when accidents do occur—and they will—they are investigated by the Commission’s health and safety adviser, who will develop appropriate recommendations and actions. Those are followed up to make sure that they’ve been implemented properly and effectively, but prevention is always better than cure, so all Commission staff are provided with health and safety awareness training as part of their induction, as are Members and their support staff.

Thank you very much.