Caretakers working only in the morning
John Leitch made this Freedom of Information request to Northern Ireland Housing Executive This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
Dear Northern Ireland Housing Executive,
My local office has said that the main office in Belfast , has given them a directive for caretakers to work only in the morning .
According to the Lisburn office this was agreed under Health and Safety , yet no notices have been put up at the" Flats at The Dales". We had been told at the start of this pandemic, that the lifts would be cleaned out by the caretaker, every two hours , as the lifts were in constant use.
I want to know what piece of "Health and Safety" regulation ,this comes under and why the residents have not been informed by a proper headed letter put on the residents notice board.
The Lease holders of the block would like to know , will a reduction be made to their service charge regarding the amount of money they pay for "Caretaking Duties"
Yours faithfully,
John Leitch
Dear Mr Leitch,
Please find attached acknowledgement of your recent Freedom of Information
request.
Kind regards,
Annabel
Annabel Torney
Customer Excellence & Complaints Officer
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
(: (028) 95982269 | ( Ext: 82269 | *: [1][email address]
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Dear Mr Leitch,
I'm making enquiries in relation to your FOI request below and am
contacting you to seek clarification.
Can you advise who from the NIHE told you that the lifts would be cleaned
out every two hours? You've referred to his information being made in the
plural i.e. 'we had been told' which suggests that a number of residents
were made aware of this commitment.
I've checked with the Lisburn local office and management there advise
that such a directive was never made.
Thank you.
Frank Chapman
FOI Cooridinator
Belfast Region
Dear Chapman, Frank,
Thank you for your request for advice regarding "Who from the NIHE told you that the lifts , would be cleaned out every two hours"
I have copies of e-mails stating a reassurance that all caretakers in each block have been instructed to clean all communal areas every 2 hours paying particular attention to door handles, handrails & lift buttons. They are to clean these areas with a solution of bleach, detergent & water , in the e-mail it also states if you have any further concerns regarding this matter ring 02895984950.
Another e-mail states ,I can confirm that the caretakers are now only working in the morning. This decision was taken for both the "Health & Safety" of residents & and caretakers ,the caretakers, have been instructed to carry out the cleaning of lifts & other communal areas of the ground floor.
You say that you have checked with the Lisburn Local office, and management there advise that such a directive was never made ,could you forward to me the name of the member of the management who has told you this, as decisions such as these would have to be made at management level , I will not reveal the residents or the NIHE member at this point.
I would like an internal review regarding this matter and will await your response
Yours sincerely,
John Leitch
Dear Mr Leitch,
I've made further enquiries with the Lisburn Area office in regard to your email below.
I am advised that there was indeed an instruction to staff to clean every 2 hours as referred to in your email below. This advice was provided around 19 March 2020 and prior to the current Lockdown that commenced on 23 March.
The instruction only applied for that short period between 19 March until Lockdown on 23 March when the arrangement changed to cleaning in the mornings only.
Due to the short period of the 2 hour cleaning schedule, the directive was overlooked when I sought details of it from the Lisburn Area office, having been superceded by the morning only arrangement.
Gerard Flynn, the Assistant Area Manager for Lisburn/Castlereagh can assist you with this matter if you need to seek further clarification or information on requesting an internal review if this response has not provided you with clarification.
I apologise for any inconvenience caused by this oversight.
The full response to your Freedom of Information request should be provided by the end of this week at the latest.
Regards
Frank Chapman
FOI Coordinator
Belfast Region
Dear Mr Leitch,
Please find attached the response to your Freedom of Information request.
Regards
Frank Chapman
FOI Coordinator
Belfast Region
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