Staff Accessing College Buildings
Dear Edinburgh College,
1. Under Freedom of Information Scotland, I wish to receive the following information within 20 working days:
2. Since lockdown until 19 June 2020, can you please provide details of the number of staff who have accessed the college buildings or otherwise travelled on college business? Can you please break this down into dates, roles, FTE numbers, duration in hours/minutes, reason for attendance and also indicate whether this was on a voluntary basis or for reasons connected with their substantive roles?
3. Please advise whether there was prior consultation with Trade Unions before staff entered the building or travelled on college business? If not, please indicate your reasons.
4. Were Trade Unions involved in the drafting/agreement of risk assessments prior to staff accessing the buildings and did staff have sight of these prior to entry?
5. Did any staff members have to travel more than five miles in order to attend work under these circumstances? If so, how many?
6. Did any staff have to use public transport to attend work under these circumstances? If so, how many?
7. Was the decision to have staff attend work equality impact assessed? If not, why not?
Yours faithfully,
John Gallacher
Dear John Gallacher,
Our Ref: 006/20
We are in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and will respond by 17 July 2020.
Kind regards
FOI Team
Dear John Gallacher,
Our Ref: 006/20
As of 1 October 2012, Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and
Stevenson College merged to create a single college called Edinburgh
College.
We refer to your request for information dated 19 June 2020. The College
has considered your request as a request for information under section 1
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”).
006/20 (1): Since lockdown until 19 June 2020, can you please provide
details of the number of staff who have accessed the college buildings or
otherwise travelled on college business? Can you please break this down
into dates, roles, FTE numbers, duration in hours/minutes, reason for
attendance and also indicate whether this was on a voluntary basis or for
reasons connected with their substantive roles?
Meetings took place to assess hygiene measures and risk assessments on 15,
16, 17 and 19 June between 1000-1300. Attendance was on a voluntary basis.
Head of Health, Wellbeing & Social Sciences
Health & Safety Manager
Curriculum Manager x 10
Curriculum Leader x 2
Support staff x 4
The Waterfront Nursery is an Early Years Hub and has remained open to
provide care for key worker children and vulnerable children. All staff
were asked before the nursery agreed to continue operating and the team in
place agreed they were happy to work.
2,374 hours worked between 30/03/20 – 19/06/20
Nursery Manager
Nursery Deputy Manager
Support staff x 11
Between 26/03/2020 – 19/06/2020 the Estates Services Manager has accessed
the college buildings every Thursday for three hours in order to collect
mail, distribute sanitary products to food banks, collate and distribute
PPE for NHS and manage access to buildings for staff.
Between 23/03/2020 – 19/06/2020 the contractor maintenance team have
accessed the college buildings for seven-hour days (Mon-Fri) in order to
carry out mandatory PPM’s and flushing of water systems across all
campuses.
Total FTE = 33.41
Details of other staff accessing College buildings is provided below:
Total
Date No of Staff Duration Reason
1 support
25/05/2020 staff 20 mins Refresh laptop
26/05/2020 7 lecturers 2hr 35mins Collecting folders and resources
2 support
28/05/2020 staff 25 mins Footage of workshops
28/05/2020 2 lecturers 13 mins Collect student files
H&S walkrounds, collecting folders
02/06/2020 10 lecturers 9hrs and resources
1 support
02/06/2020 staff 3hrs H&S walkrounds
Collecting folders, student work
and evidence, repairing/collecting
04/06/2020 9 lecturers 6h 50mins of laptops
2 support
04/06/2020 staff 27 mins Collecting laptops and chairs
Collecting folders, student work
12hrs and evidence, repairing/collecting
09/06/2020 13 lecturers 30mins of laptops
Collecting folders, student work
and evidence, repairing/collecting
11/06/2020 3 lecturers 1hr 35mins of laptops
4 support HR printing and staff collecting
11/06/2020 staff 1hr 30mins chairs
Collecting folders, student work
and evidence, repairing/collecting
16/06/2020 4 lecturers 2hrs 30mins of laptops
Collecting folders, student work
10hrs and evidence, repairing/collecting
18/06/2020 9 lecturers 20mins of laptops
1 support
18/06/2020 staff 10 mins Pick up chair
006/20 (2): Please advise whether there was prior consultation with Trade
Unions before staff entered the building or travelled on college business?
The 5 R Steering Group discussed key staff accessing campuses (first
meeting 11 June). It was also discussed at the first Estates, H+S and IT
sub groups on 1 June. Trade Unions were present at both meetings (and have
been at all subsequent meetings).
Access prior to these meetings has either been due to staff requesting
access or to undertake essential work. Government guidelines have been
followed when staff enter College buildings.
006/20 (3): If not, please indicate your reasons.
Please see response to 006/20 (2).
006/20 (4): Were Trade Unions involved in the drafting/agreement of risk
assessments prior to staff accessing the buildings and did staff have
sight of these prior to entry?
Trade union reps are an integral part of a team agreeing the appropriate
procedure/s for risk assessments.
006/20 (5): Did any staff members have to travel more than five miles in
order to attend work under these circumstances?
Yes
006/20 (6): If so, how many?
15
006/20 (7): Did any staff have to use public transport to attend work
under these circumstances?
Yes
006/20 (8): If so, how many?
2
006/20 (9): Was the decision to have staff attend work equality impact
assessed?
No
006/20 (10): If not, why not?
To date, access to College buildings has either been due to staff
requesting access or to undertake essential work. Government guidelines
have been followed when staff enter College buildings.
The College’s Restart action plans will be equality impact assessed.
Edinburgh College is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) 2002. If you are dissatisfied with this
response, you may ask the college to review this decision. To do this,
please contact the Head of Communications, Policy and Research at the
postal address below or e-mail the Head of Communications, Policy and
Research at [1][email address] describing your original
request and explaining your grounds for dissatisfaction. (Please include
in your review request, your name and home address for correspondence).
You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request to:
Head of Communications, Policy and Research
4th Floor
Edinburgh College (Milton Road Campus)
[2]24 Milton Road East
Edinburgh
EH15 2PP
When the review process has been completed and if you are still
dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to
intervene.
The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[3]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal
The online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.
You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.
You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.
Regards
FOI Team
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