Food and Health & Safety Service Plan 2024-25 - Flipbook - Page 19
BACKGROUND
Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority
Sufolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA) manages competing demands brought on
by ever-changing legislation and commercial activities at the ports of Felixstowe,
Harwich and Ipswich.
SCPHA fulols a legal obligation to deliver oïcial controls at the border, which are
frequently updated to renect new or emerging risks. However, the level of enforcement
is determined by the nature and volumes of trade arriving in Felixstowe, Harwich and
Ipswich, which can nuctuate considerably.
Every imported consignment has potential to present biosecurity issues and must be
processed with vigilance by SCPHA, as oïcers seek to accurately identify and apply
required controls. However, given the current scale of trade and potential impacts on
the supply chain, SCPHA aims to minimise intervention on compliant importers and
focus on non-compliant products wherever possible. This requires a nexible service with
stringent training that asks oïcers to use their operational knowledge and adapt to
changing circumstances.
SCPHA9s current service is provided between 6:30 and 22:00 from Monday to Thursday,
6:30 to 21:30 on Friday and 6:30 to 14:30 on Saturdays and Sundays. SCPHA may need
to increase the number and frequency of its checks, as well as opening hours and staf
numbers, as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Afairs (DEFRA) looks to
introduce new import controls for EU goods from October 2024 as part of the Border
Target Operating Model (BTOM).
Corporate Health and Safety
The Corporate Health and Safety Team supports the whole Council and responds to
internal and external demands, both proactively and reactively 24/7.
The number of employees has continued to grow. The newly recruited staf and
colleagues moving to new posts within the Council has resulted in a health and safety
knowledge gap. This has increased the demands on the Corporate Health and Safety
Team to support managers to manage their team and the team9s activities safely.
WE ARE EASTSUFFOLK
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