Annual audit of UKFCG by the Soil Association
The annual audit took place over a three week period from mid-April to the end of the first week of May. Eighteen forests were visited by the Soil Association auditor covering forests ranging from 15 hectares to over 2000 hectares and from Sussex to The Highlands of Scotland. Fifteen forest managers/owners were involved with the audit which concluded with just seven Corrective Actions (CAR). Overall not a bad result for a Group with over 200 members, however, some of the CARs could have easily been avoided. Please see below the CARs which are copied from the Soil Association’s audit report, five of which have already been closed (prompt action avoids suspension!!). We are in contact with the managers of the forests where the two CARs remain open and expect to be able to close these very soon.
2024.1
Minor [Already closed]
At …………. a stakeholder provided feedback at the 2022 RA audit and again at 2024 S2 audit regarding an unresolved issue around road maintenance requirements and responsibilities. In the period between auditor investigation of stakeholder feedback at RA in 2022 and provision of further feedback regarding this same issue at S2 audit in 2024 the manager had made an attempt to arrange a meeting with the stakeholder and other residents but at time of audit ( April 2024) a meeting had still not been arranged to discuss a way forward.
UKWAS 5.2.2
The owner/manager shall respond constructively to complaints, seek to resolve grievances through engagement with complainants in the first instance, and follow established legal process should this become necessary
A Stakeholder complaint made during stakeholder consultation has been identified as an ongoing issue since originally raised in 2022. It is deemed the manager has not made sufficient efforts to engage with the affected stakeholder in a timely manner.
The manager must provide evidence that a formal stakeholder meeting has taken place by the required corrective action deadline.
2024.2
Minor [Already closed]
Monitoring targets for …………….. do not include monitoring of PAWS.
UKWAS 2.15.1d
Monitoring targets shall fully consider any special features of the FMU
Monitoring targets for the estate do not include monitoring of PAWS, the comprehensive monitoring plan found in the 2022 plan revision did not include specific measures to monitor PAWS, a detailed PAWS assessment undertaken in 2017 was not used by the manager to inform monitoring decisions within the LTFP monitoring plan at plan review period.
The forest manager shall provide an updated monitoring plan that includes specific provision for monitoring of PAWS areas.
2024.3
Minor [Already closed]
Unsafe high seat seen during audit in the woodland at ……………..
UKWAS 5.2.1
The owner/manager shall mitigate the risks to public health and safety and other negative impacts of woodland operations on local people.
The forest manager was not aware of the location or condition of the deer high seat within the WMU, as it was no longer in use
The forest manager shall safely remove the identified high seat and provide photographic evidence of the cleared area
2024.4
Minor [Open]
At …………..no tree safety survey had been undertaken since 2020 although 2 years was stated in the tree safety survey as the recommended re-inspection frequency.
UKWAS 5.2.1
The owner/manager shall mitigate the risks to public health and safety and other negative impacts of woodland operations on local people.
Recommendations for a tree safety follow-up survey scheduled for 2021 were not fulfilled due to staff shortages in the management company. A suitably qualified forest manager was not available and there was no system in place to ensure that scheduled surveys were contracted to other suitably qualified personnel.
A tree safety survey shall be completed for the WMU and a copy of the report supplied.
2024.6
Minor [Open]
At ………………….. an old tyre, car seat and other vehicle parts were seen in the forest near one of the entrances next to Cpt. 8 restock and old bandtracks were seen next to Cpt. 6b. At …………….. an old deer feeder was seen in the forest. At ……………… a number of empty pheasant feed bags were seen in various places around a pheasant pen.
UKWAS 3.6.1
Waste disposal shall be in accordance with current waste management legislation and regulations
Waste and redundant materials in operational areas had not been identified. For all affected areas checks had not been made after the operations.
The identified waste and redundant materials shall be removed from the WMUs and photographs of the cleared areas supplied
2024.7
Minor [Already closed]
At ……………….. the risk zone was not marked on the Forwarder
UKWAS 5.4.1a
There shall be:
Compliance with health and safety legislation
Conformance with associated codes of practice Conformance with FISA guidance
Appropriate checks had not been undertaken before the machine was used on site
The manager shall contact the timber buyer’s forest works manager to arrange appropriate signage to be installed on the machine and provide a photograph when implemented.
2024.5
Minor [Already closed]
At ………………….. harvesting site the warning notices displayed at the goalposts at the overhead powerlines did not show the maximum safe height for vehicles passing under the lines and threshold safety signage was only in place at one end of the road running through the work site.
UKWAS 5.4.1.a
There shall be:
Compliance with health and safety legislation
Conformance with associated codes of practice Conformance with FISA guidance
The forest manager believed that as the forest road was a cul de sac beyond the operational area there was little likelihood of pedestrians approaching from that direction, and no possibility of motorised transport approaching the working area. Height limit restrictions on OHPL warning signs were missing, this was a lapse by the forest manager who in all other respects has a good record for managing health and safety on operational sites
Action to close the Corrective Action at the FMU
Regarding Insufficient safety signage at ……………..
Photos which show:
1. Maximum safe height markings on the warning signs placed on the approach to overhead power lines
2. Additional signage installed on the approach to the live harvesting location.
Part of the CAR closure process includes UKFCG preparing a Root Cause Analysis for each CAR. This will be reflected in our internal audit procedures and will lead to increased scrutiny during forthcoming audits on the subjects raised by the Soil Association. Seeking to avoid recurrence of these findings is an important feature of Group management.
Please ensure that you:
- read and fully understand the findings from the Soil Association audit,
- focus on site monitoring to check that you are compliant with the subjects raised (including all aspects of UKWAS)
- Contact UKFCG if you have any questions or require assistance with compliance.
DO YOU REQUIRE ANY ACETAMIPRID
One of our members in Southern Scotland has 80kg of Acetamiprid surplus to requirements. Available at cost if you need any.
Must be used by 31st July. Contact UKFCG for further details and we will put you in touch with the forest manager.
FISA NEWS
FISA hosted Electrical and Utility Awareness events in 2024
The event is aimed to help engender a mutual understanding of the hazards, constraints and the respective roles and responsibilities and is suited to all personnel from across the industry. More detail here.
3rd June 2024 at Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling. Starting at 1pm, to finish 5pm. To book your space at this event please do so HERE.
2nd July 2024 at Penrith Rugby Club, Penrith. Starting at 1pm, to finish 5pm. To book your space at this event please do so HERE.
FWM Awareness courses – new dates for Scotland and North-east England – October 2024 – https://www.focusonforestryfirst.co.uk/seminars-courses
Inverness 15th October; Stirling 16th October; Hexham 22nd October; Pickering 23rd October.
Some additional reminders
Deer Control Don’t forget to check all required paperwork from the cull team members: Risk assessment, emergency plan (lone working may apply), qualifications (DSC1/2, First Aid, ATV) and insurance. All these documents are required for audits.
Worker’s welfare – FISA guide 806 applies. Welfare provision should form part of the operational/site risk assessment. Forest managers to ensure that appropriate evidence can be provided for certification audits.
££ REMINDER ££
In recent months there have been a number of instances of late or non-payment of UKFCG’s annual fee invoices. Chasing payments takes time and causes frustration. We realise that invoices are mostly referred to owners for payment, so please ensure that invoices are approved and forwarded to your clients at the earliest opportunity. Our payment terms are 30 days, as stated in the signed application to join UKFCG, but we do allow a little leeway. Persistent late payers run the risk of having certification withdrawn, do let us know if any payment delays are anticipated and we will put a note on file to save unnecessary chasing.
