The HSE is putting together a panel of providers to conduct reviews into safety incidents and investigations of complaints made against the organisation.
Details of the plan were outlined recently in a notice published by the Executive seeking the submission of tenders for appointment to a panel under three specific lots.
“Reviews and investigations of services are undertaken from time to time by HSE at national, regional, and local level in response to serious incidents or issues of concern, which arise in respect of service delivery,” the notice read.
“The HSE invites suitably qualified service providers to submit tenders for appointment to a panel for reviews in relation to safety incidents, investigations of complaints, and service reviews of governance, quality, safety and risk, and audit.”
Around 20 service providers per lot will be assembled, from which point a provider will be appointed via “mini competition” or “direct drawdown”, the HSE explained. The deadline for submission of tender is 17 December.
Separately, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is seeking providers to conduct an in-depth review of psychosocial hazards and human factors in the workplace.
The review will lead to the provision of recommendations to the HSA on its regulatory approach to these issues.
The tender notice states that the HSA is seeking research on how other jurisdictions – including EU member states, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada – regulate psychosocial hazards in the workplace. The Authority also wants to understand how regulators in these countries evaluate the effectiveness of their approaches.
The HSA is also asking providers to draw on research evidence and international regulatory practice to identify future psychosocial hazards that could become significant, and to rank these potential risks by priority for the Authority’s consideration.
Psychosocial hazards are defined as factors in how workplaces are designed and managed, or social conditions at work, which can lead to psychological or physical harm such as burnout, anxiety, and depression in individuals. Various hazards can include bullying, onerous workloads, harassment, and lack of clarity around a person’s workplace role, for example.
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