Food and Health & Safety Service Plan 2023-24 - Flipbook - Page 20
BACKGROUND
Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority
Su昀昀olk 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 ful昀椀ls a legal obligation to deliver o昀케cial controls at the border, which are
frequently updated to re昀氀ect 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 昀氀uctuate considerably.
Every imported consignment has potential to present biosecurity issues and must be
processed with vigilance by SCPHA, as o昀케cers 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 昀氀exible service with
stringent training that asks o昀케cers to use their operational knowledge and adapt to
changing circumstances.
SCPHA’s current service is provided between 6:30am and 10:00pm from Monday
to Thursday, 6:30am to 9:30pm on Friday and 6:30am to 2:30pm on Saturdays and
Sundays. SCPHA may need to increase the number and frequency of its checks, as well
as opening hours and sta昀昀 numbers, as the Department for Environment, Food and
Rural A昀昀airs (DEFRA) looks to introduce new import controls for EU goods from October
2023 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 increased over the past 18 months and there are a
number of newly recruited sta昀昀 and colleagues who have moved posts within the
council resulting in a health and safety knowledge gap. This in turn has increased the
demands on the Corporate Health and Safety Team to support managers to manage
their team and the team’s activities safely.
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East Suffolk Food and Health & Safety Service Plan 2023/24