Kilkenny County Council & Kilkenny Borough Council

MANAGEMENT TEAM
County Manager:	Michael Malone
Director of Housing & Corporate:	John McCormack
Director of Transport, Sanitary, Fire & Emergency:	Tom Gunning
Director of Planning & Environment:	Philip O’Neill
Director of Community & Enterprise:	Tony Walsh
Head of Finance:	John Dempsey

SENIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Human Resources/Corporate	Michael J Brennan
Housing:	Anne Marie Walsh
Planning & Environment	Martin Mullally
Roads & Sanitary:	Michael Delahunty
County Librarian:	James Fogarty
Head of Information Systems:	Kevin Hanley
Financial Management Accountant:	Declan McDonnell
Senior Social Worker:	Margaret Newport
Finance	Tim Butler (A)

SENIOR ENGINEERS
Planning & Environment:	Pat Foley
Sanitary Services:	Frank O’Dwyer
Roads:	Billy Mernagh

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS
Finance:	Anne Marie Shortall (A)
Internal Audit:	Michael Shortall
Finance:	Annette Fitzpatrick
Housing:	Michael Drea (A) Michael Leahy (A)
Roads/Sanitary Services :	Martin Butler
Road Project Team:	John Walsh
Corporate Affairs:	Jimmy Gibbons
Partnership Facilitator:	Adrian Waldron
Community and Enterprise	David Shortall (A) Lindsey Butler Brid Hynes
Rapid Co-ordinator	Ronan Ryan

SENIOR EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS
Sanitary Services:	Dermot Druhan John Dowling
Planning:	Joe Wall
Environment:	Carol McCarthy
Housing:	Seamus Kavanagh
Road Design:	Ian Gardner
Roads Project Co-Ordinator N9/N10	Joe Gannon
Chief Fire Officer	Ciaran Cormican
Senior Planner	Denis Malone (A)
Kilkenny Area Office	Frank Gray
Castlecomer Area Office	Michael Murphy
Callan Area Office	Pat Graham
Thomastown Area Office	John Leahy
Newrath Area Office	Frank Stafford [A]

EXECUTIVE ENGINEERS
Machinery Yard:	Seamus Loughlin
Road Design:	Owen Shine Harry Shine
Sanitary Services:	Eamon Mahon
Planning:	Joe Scully John Nolan
Assistant Chief Fire Officer:	John Collins Frank Dunne
Conservation Officer:	Cormac O’Sullivan
Executive Architect:	Evelyn Graham
Road Project Office	Lisa Mulcahy (A)
Kilkenny Ring Road Project Team	John McGinty, Project Eng. Brian O’Donovan, Res. Exec. Eng. Aidan Morrissey, Res. Exec. Eng. John Ormond, Res. Exec. Eng. Daniel Wrafter, Ass. Res. Eng. Brendan Dowling, Ass. Res. Eng. Joe Daly, Technician Level 1

EXECUTIVE PLANNERS
Planning:	Patricia Cadogan Lorraine O’Sullivan Claire Kelly Suzanne Galvin

 

Hertiage Officer Dearbhla Ledwidge

SENIOR STAFF OFFICERS
Corporate Affairs	Catherine Millea (WS)
Information Systems:	Tadhg McSherry
Sanitary Services:	Una Kealy (A)
Finance	Phil Curran
Human Resources:	Anne Delaney
Environment:	Lynda Madden
Health & Safety:	Lisa Russell
Designated Road Safety Officer:	Una Kealy (A)
Designated Water Safety Officer:	Maeve Good
Arts Officer:	Mary Butler
Hertiage Officer	Dearbhla Ledwidge

[A] Acting [T] Temporary [WS] Work Sharing

Kilkenny local authorities employs 637 staff in the following categories

	Male	Female
Managerial/Administrative	55	152
Engineering/Technical	74	13
Operational/Outdoor services Staff	328	15

INTERVIEWS 2005

Forty Eight [48] separate interviews were held during the year for various permanent and temporary positions. The gender breakdown is as follows:

Interview Board 96 Male 52 Female

Successful Candidates 34 Male 14 Female

WORK LIFE BALANCE SCHEMES

The following Work Life Balance Schemes are in operation
Scheme Number of participants

• Worksharing: 12
• Parental Leave 18
• Term Time 5
• Career Breaks 9

O2 Ability Awards

Kilkenny County Council won its first ever O2 ability Award in 2005 for best practice in Recruitment & Selection. The awards recognise progressive attitudes in organisations that see disability and diversity as corporate opportunity and key to its success. The Awards Programme involved six steps with stage three of the competition involving an on site assessment which took place in 2005. Kilkenny County Council has entered the competition for 2006 in the following categories Customer Service, Environmental Accessibility, Leadership, Recruitment and Selection, Learning Development and Progression and looks forward to further success.

Staff Welfare

Employee Assistance Programme

Kilkenny Local Authorities launched its Employee Assistance Programme in Partnership with Bupa Ireland .. The Programme is designed to assist individuals in dealing with their personal and work related problems.. The service is provided through a confidential helpline and face to face interaction  offering both counselling and information services. The service is a valuable management tool in maintaining employee well- being and enhancing organisational performance

Policy on Absenteeism Management Welfare Programme

This Policy was rolled out to all Staff in 2005.The Policy is designed to encourage full attendance and the proper management of sickness absence.

Workplace Wellbeing Strategy

Human Resources in partnership with the Workplace Partnership Committee launched its workplace wellbeing strategy through a health promotion day on the 6 th of October 2005 Through a series of promotional stands ,demonstrations consultations and workshops involving Cancer Awareness,The Irish Heart Foundation, Employee Assistance Programme,fight for Sight campaign –Glaucoma testing,Alternative therapies,Health promotion unit  of the Health Executive.

A Staff Health Screening programme was available to all staff in 2005 which was carried out by LABLINK.and subsidised by the council

Other initiatives will be promoted in 2006 such as Workplace Drugs and Alcohol Policies, Stress and Mental well- being Healthy eating and physical activities, review of pre employment medical assessments and health surveillance programmes

Equality /Diversity

Kilkenny local authorities fully subscribe to the principles of equality as set out in the employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004

During the year training was provided to staff in equality and diversity which is ongoing, and Sign language.

The Equality Action Team work in partnership with the Human Resources Department in ensuring compliance with all policies in relation to equality and diversity .

Industrial Relations

Kilkenny Local Authorities maintained its good industrial relations record

 Performance Verification process

The Council submitted a number of action plans detailing progress  under Sustaining Progress during the year to the Performance Verification Group in respect of benchmarking The Performance Verification Group site visit took place on the 20 th September 2005

Training Learning and Development

Training learning and Development is a core function of the Human Resource Dept and during 2005 the training unit prepared a Training learning and development strategy for Kilkenny Local Authorities. The personal development profiles of Staff in the Performance Management System form a key element of the Training plans for the organisation.

 

STAFF WHO RETIRED IN 2005 / STAFF WHO RESIGNED IN 2005
John J. Byrne	Julie Brophy
Richard Butler	Damian Daly
Thomas Curran	John Dunphy
Thomas Flynn	Maria Goff
Christy Leahy	Ann O’Brien
Patrick Manning	Caitriona Walsh
David Ryan
Patrick Treacy
Patrick Whelan

Service Indicators

Kilkenny Local Authorities achieved the 3% national performance indicator for expenditure on training learning and development as a percentage of total payroll costs in 2005 . The outturn was 4.65%

In relation to the number of working days lost to certified and uncertified illness the following statistics apply 3.35% and 0.53% respectively

HEALTH AND SAFETY

LASAG (Local Authority Safety Advisors Group)–

• Health Surveillance Guidelines Development
• Sun Safety Policy & risk assessment protocol

Health Promotion Committee –

• Health Promotion Day

Safety Week

• ‘The Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Act, 2005’ briefing sessions offered to all staff
• “Stop that Noise” – NISO, IOSH & HSA Joint Seminar offered to safety committee members and relevant section representatives (facilitated by SERAC)
• Noise Monitoring – carried for a number of workshops and various equipment
• Safety Quiz
• LASAG Safety Week Newsletter circulation to all staff

Emergency Arrangements

• Review and monitoring of procedures – County Hall
• Installation of new and appropriate assembly point signs & fire action notices
• Fire audit – Library Headquarters & City Hall
• Training of fire marshals and drivers in use of fire extinguishers – KCC & KBC
• Fire Marshal briefing – County Hall

Construction

• Review of Project Supervisor Appointments
• Review of construction & contractor H&S procedures

Roads

• Review of management of health & safety particularly in roads area:
• Updating of Ancillary Safety Statement - Roads
• Development of yearly safety and health plans for area project works
• Development of one page risk assessment/ safety & health plan checklist forms
• Cable avoidance tool purchase for areas without same

Housing

• Ancillary Safety Statement drafting
• Cable avoidance tool purchase

Sanitary Services

 Sanitary Services Ancillary Safety Statement

 Site Specific Safety Statements for each water and sewerage plant in the county

 Including risk assessments

 Plant safety & health inspections & reports

 Construction & Contractor H&S procedures revision & implementation.

 Noise monitoring

 Equipment

 Life Jackets

 Gas monitors

 Harnesses and lifelines

 Escape breathing apparatus

 Tripod and harness - for each area in the county

 Face masks - where necessary

 Life buoys

 Fire extinguishers - placed where none were previously present

 Safety railings - erected around hazardous operations in some plants. The plants still

requiring same will be done in 2006.

 Safety grates - erected over hazardous operations/ storage areas in some plants. The

plants still requiring same will be done in 2006.

 Ladders - erected for access/ egress to tanks, etc. in some plants. The plants still

requiring same will be done in 2006.

 Extractor fan - Sanitary Service workshop, Machinery Yard

 CAT (Cable Avoidance Tool) - underground service detection

Excavations

• Telescopic graveshore unit sourced and purchased – Cemetery KBC

 

Welfare Arrangements

• Four mobile welfare units i.e. with toilets and canteen facilities, have been provided through Partnership. Six more have been purchased by Kilkenny County Council in 2004 with a further four purchased in 2005.

 

Training

• Safepass  - staff requiring same i.e. those entering a construction site at any time
• Safepass refresher – was rolled out for all staff whose card was to expire
• Occupational First Aid refresher
• C1 – Confined Space Manager
• C3 – Safe working in confined spaces
• Employee drug testing – attended by H&S and HR for information on the upcoming legislation
• Safe use of Fire extinguishers (as above)
• Fire marshal briefing (as above)
• Signing, lighting and guarding – continued to be rolled out since last year for roads staff
• Surface dressing – continued to be rolled out since last year for roads staff
• Ride on roller – the first course offered and ran on this piece of equipment to be rolled out further
• Site Dumper – continued to be rolled out for the last number of years
• Gas Cylinder  - ran for fitters and plumbers
• Toolbox talks – Safe work practice sheets (dumpers, Underground services), Inoculations and stress: continued to be rolled out since 2004
• Briefings on ‘The Safety, health and welfare at work act, 2005’ – ran by the HSA as well as in - house