Report by Health and Safety Advisor (attached).

The Board considered the Quarterly Designated Person Port Marine Safety Code Audit report (circulated previously), by the former Health and Safety Advisor who was acting as the designated person for the purpose of this meeting.

 

The Designated person gave the Board the following highlights:

 

·       The quarterly audits were carried out at Ilfracombe and Lynmouth Harbours on 4^th July 2023.

·       The quarterly audits were carried out to fulfil the responsibility placed upon the Designated Person (DP) to ensure the Marine Safety Management System was working correctly in compliance of the Port Marine Safety Code.

 

Ilfracombe actions completed:

 

·       Work to replace all the electrical conduits on the Cove had been completed.

·       A Contractor had now been appointed to carry out the work on the vertical crack on Old Quay Head. The work was likely to commence in September 2023.

·       The Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023 came in to force on 31st March 2023 and the proposed Harbour Revision Order when in force would give the Harbour Authority powers of General Directions to include Jet Skis under the definition of “vessels”

·       Whilst it was agreed that maintenance of the Warp Shed on Stone Bench would be carried out by the Council, there was no work currently required for health and safety purposes.

·       Duty Holder Training for Members had been held with twenty two Members attending. Those who were unable to attend the session were expected to watch the available recording of the session to ensure they undertook the training.

·       The three yearly external harbour audit was carried out by ABPmer in June 2023. The final report for Ilfracombe harbour had been received. However, the final report for Lynmouth had not yet been received.

·       Speed ramps had been installed to slow down vehicles as they enter the Pier car park.

·       The Cove area had been resurfaced and the pedestrian walkway re-laid in a different coloured, recycled material which would not fade or wear out. The white line demarking the unprotected working quayside had been repainted.

 

In response to a question regarding cracks in the newly laid recycled surface, the Harbour Master advised that there was an issue with the installation in certain places but advised that the company would be returning to make all of the repairs for free once the weather improved.

 

In response to a further question, she advised that the newly laid surface had a life expectancy of a minimum of 20 years.

 

Risk Management – Ilfracombe

 

·       An internal audit of the following topics was carried out this quarter. There were no non compliances and the only non-conformities were that some of the policy and procedure documents were not available on the website as they had been removed for Accessibility Checking.

 

The topics audited were as follows:

 

Ø  Drink/Drugs.

Ø  Piloting, Towage and Bunkering.

Ø  Licensing (Works, Tugs, Craft).

Ø  Permitting (Diving and Hot Works).

Ø  Auditing Internal /External.

Ø  Dangerous Vessels and Dangerous Substances.

Ø  Vessel Traffic Management.

Ø  Open Port Duty and Setting Dues.

Ø  Consultation & Consensus.

Ø  Enforcement.

Ø  Marine Safety Management System.

Ø  Marine Emergency Plan Emergency Planning (OPRC/Site Emergency.

Ø  AtoN and Wrecks.

 

·       New composite handrails were still to be fitted along RNLI steps. Quotes had now been obtained, and the work would be extended to include hand rails to the old Slipway and the Watersports Centre Slipway. The Harbour Master advised that those works would now likely take place over the winter months.

·       Work to the top rails along the wall together with new mooring rings and ladders on Quay Road had begun with one new ladder installed so far.

·       A drone was used on 6th July 2023 to provide a baseline assessment of the state of the surface of the Pier Car Park as there were many uneven areas and potholes which gave rise to trip hazards. The information gathered from this exercise had been collated and a folder created on the Corporate I drive to ensure that all of the data was in one accessible place. The information gathered had enabled officers to ascertain that the whole car park required a full resurface and a PAG bid was currently being developed for a redesign of the area to bring that to fruition.

·       Members had approved the use of the area at the end of the Pier as a Sea Pool. Due to safety concerns being raised by Council Officers, the opening of the pool had been delayed until such time as a full risk assessment could be carried out and mitigation measures identified and implemented to ensure the safety of users. The Harbour Master advised that following consultation with the Royal Lifesaving Society (RLSS), the Council had been advised not to call the proposed area a pool. This was in part to ensure that members of the public were aware that general swimming was not permitted unless you are part of a registered group who would be using the facility. The Council was therefore currently exploring alternative options for an appropriate name.

·       There was an option to open up Larkstone Cove for permitted swimming in the area up to the yellow marker buoys and there would be no lifeguard required in that area. However, this was due to be considered by the Council’s Senior Management Team (SMT) on 1^st September 2023.

·       The works to develop the proposed sea swimming area were scheduled to begin the last weekend of October 2023 and was 85% funded from external grants and 15% funded from harbour income.

·       The joints between the concrete landings and the slabs on the steps on East Face Quay were being scoured out by sea water action and would give rise to trip hazards if remedial work was not carried out. Old Quay Head outer steps were also starting to show signs of deterioration. The Harbour Master advised that she was currently awaiting the results of a consultative report for remedial works and for the First Landing lintel repairs.

·       The wall at Stone Bench had bulged out slightly further but the catchment netting was working to limit movement.

·       The concrete beam between the First Landing and the Pier above was showing signs of cracks, in the section above the steps. The Senior Engineer advised that intrusive testing or preferably scanning of the area should be carried out to establish the integrity of the beam, before any remedial work was carried out. Works required would be high pressure jetting, then spraying and sealing.

·       Edge Protection risks had been under consideration following a recent fatality at another Harbour. The Ilfracombe Harbour Edge Protection Policy V.4 was due for review in July 2023. Ilfracombe Harbour has edge protection along most of the open edges, except for along the Cove as this was a working quayside and it would be impractical to fence along this edge. There was signage and a painted white line along the quayside to highlight that this was a working area with an unprotected edge. The other area of concern was at the end of Old Quay Head, which was strictly speaking also a working area, and there was signage to advise the public that this was the case, however it needed to be established if this was also a Public Right of Way. It would be prudent to increase the size of the signage to make it more noticeable to the public and if this was not a Public Right of Way, provide a chain across the entrance to the area that had unguarded edges, so that it was only accessed by those who needed to for work purposes.

 

Lynmouth actions completed – Lynmouth

 

·       Two mooring balls on the Harbour Arm had been painted yellow to highlight their positions and prevent trip hazards.

·       The three yearly external harbour audit was carried out by ABPmer in June 2023. The final report had not yet been received but the auditor indicated that given the current status of the harbour i.e. not a Statutory Harbour Authority, there were no non-compliances or non-conformities recorded.

 

Risk Management – Lynmouth

 

·       An internal audit of the following topics was carried out this quarter, although many do not apply, given the current non-statutory status of the harbour.

 

Ø  Drink/Drugs.

Ø  Piloting, Towage and Bunkering.

Ø  Licensing (Works, Tugs, Craft).

Ø  Permitting (Diving and Hot Works).

Ø  Auditing Internal /External.

Ø  Dangerous Vessels and Dangerous Substances.

Ø  Vessel Traffic Management.

Ø  Open Port Duty and Setting Dues.

Ø  Consultation & Consensus.

Ø  Enforcement.

Ø  Marine Safety Management System.

Ø  Marine Emergency Plan Emergency Planning (OPRC/Site Emergency.

Ø  AtoN and Wrecks.

 

·       The Ilfracombe Harbour Master had reviewed the Lynmouth Marine Safety Management System and this version needed to be made available on the website. (V.7 Feb 2023) With regard to the legal status of Lynmouth as a harbour, the council was out to public consultation in July for a Harbour Empowerment Order, which would confirm North Devon Council as the Statutory Harbour Authority for Lynmouth and this work was ongoing.

·       The new Solar Aid to Navigation lights were now ready to install. It was hoped that they would be installed on the new pole within the next few weeks. This could be done independently of when the National Grid came out to disconnect the electrical supply, which was planned for September 2023. A Notice would be issued to Mariners to advise of the works and the Harbour Master would inform the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and Trinity House once the works were completed. Once the new AToNs were installed, these would be signed up to the Local Aids to Navigation Reporting System (LARS), under Ilfracombe, to enable Lynmouth to fulfil the responsibility to maintain records of aids to navigation availability.

·       The issue regarding the movement of the Sea Defence Boulders was currently under dispute with Devon County Council, but this would need to be resolved, due to the flooding risk. The Harbour Master advised that the Environment Agency had submitted a bid for £80K to procure a consultative report for the whole of the Lynmouth flood defences to explore the issue further and find an effective solution.

·       Health and Safety at Ilfracombe Harbour continued to be proactively managed by the Harbour Master, with some works now completed, some on going and some new ones arising since the last audit in January 2023.

·       As the status of Lynmouth Harbour as a Statutory Harbour Authority was still under consultation there were still aspects of the Port Marine Safety Code which did not apply. Much work had been carried out in Lynmouth and no new risks were identified within the audit.