Bradford Council has saved £42,000 by launching an action plan aimed at accident-prone workers.

The £86,000 bill to Council Tax payers in terms of days lost and salaries in 1997 has been halved, according to a report today.

The council officers' report, which will go to next week's housing and environmental protection committee, says there is no room for complacency but it is an encouraging start.

The action plan in the Housing and Environmental Protection section includes detailed investigations by managers of accidents and identifying root causes..

Staff in the directorate, which includes housing, cleansing and building, suffered a wide range of accidents including falling from heights, mishandling equipment and slipping and tripping.

During 1997 a total of 1,037 days were lost compared with 2,394 last year.

The report shows a 24 per cent drop in accidents and a 45 per cent drop in accidents reportable to the Health and Safety Executive.

The officers say senior management is now constantly involved, making regular reports to a chief officers' action team.

Training is geared to the problems and there are staff briefings involving union safety representatives.

The action plan also involves increased monitoring and site visits.

Councillors will be told the action plan has saved the cost of employing temporary staff and relieved the pressure on colleagues who would have covered during absence.

The officers say customers have also received a more consistent standard of service.

Committee chairman Councillor Steve Thomas said he was pleased with the large reduction.

"We want to take every measure possible to make sure we have a safe working environment," he said.

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