Work, Health and Safety

Click here for the St Pius X Health and Safety Policy.

All people have a responsibility for health and safety at work. St Pius X has assigned this responsibility through the line of management to each worker to the extent of their delegated authority.

The Word files below contain the WHS Duty of Care statements appropriate to each of the indicated roles within the school.

WHS Duty of Care Checklist for the Principal and School Executive

WHS Duty of Care Checklist for LOLs & LoWEs

WHS Duty of Care Checklist for Staff

WHS Duty of Care Checklist for Students

WHS Duty of Care Checklist for Parents and Visitors

PCBU’s & Officers (Principals in our schools) must consult with other duty holders within the organization. They must also consult with workers who are likely to be affected by WHS matters. Consultation requires that: (i) relevant WHS information is shared with workers; (ii) workers have reasonable opportunity to express their views; (iii) workers have a reasonable opportunity to contribute to the decision making process relating to WHS matters; (iv) the workers views are taken into account; and (v) workers are advised of the outcome of any consultation in a timely manner.

St Pius X High School, Adamstown, is committed to protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of all our employees and others undertaking work, such as volunteers and contractors.  Our school will consult with its employees and others undertaking work in implementing safety practices and systems.  The involvement of employees at all levels and of others undertaking work such as volunteers and contractors is critical for ensuring a safe workplace.

At St Pius, the following consultation arrangements have been agreed to: (1) an HSR has been elected for the whole school as a work group; (2) a Health & Safety Committee (HSC) is in operation to oversee the WHS System at the school.

Currently, the HSR is Mark Pearce and the HSC is composed of the following members: Helena Kitley, Mark Pearce (HSR), Frances Bowen, Martin Francis, Bianca Gambrill, Trish Dalla Costa, James Dowler and Bob Emery.

Consultation is achieved via a number of different methods:

• informal day to day discussion between staff and their Coordinators or supervisors or the Executive
• informal discussion between staff and the HSR, who then liaises with Coordinators or the Executive
• formal discussion at meetings – every meeting agenda has WHS as an agenda item
• formal discussions at the HSC which meets at least once per Term
• noticeboard flyers, hard-copy memos, electronic correspondence, and surveys
• communication between supervisors and the contractors or volunteers they are responsible for supervising eg between Maintenance Officer and contractors; between Canteen Supervisor and canteen volunteers

Staff and others undertaking work are advised of the outcome of consultation in a timely fashion, usually by email, although other methods may be used where appropriate eg at a staff meeting or briefing, by phone conversation and so on.  Any actions required as a result of consultation will be carried out as soon as is reasonably practicable and in accordance with the general principle of subsidiarity.  Where the action required is to resolve an identified WHS issue, the WHS Issue Resolution Process will be followed.  A flowchart describing this process is available on this page in Element 8 Risk Management.

At St Pius, the WHS Policy is available on this website and all staff are reminded regularly by the Executive and/or the HSR of their need to be familiar with the Policy and with the WHS Management System in place at this school. Staff are reminded regularly by the Executive and/or the HSR of their need to be aware of their responsibilities under the WHS Act 2011.

The agreed WHS issue resolution process is displayed on the Staff Noticeboard in the Lunch area of the Staff Room. This issue resolution process is implemented by the school as part of normal school operations. All WHS documentation is easily accessible by all staff via the website and staff are reminded at various times through the year where WHS documentation can be accessed.  As our website is open to the public, all volunteers and contractors can also access all WHS documentation.

An online WHS Helpdesk is available on the school network to enable staff to report WHS hazards or issues to the HSR. This helpdesk provides staff with an opportunity to contribute to the decision making process relating to the WHS issues they are reporting.  The WHS Helpdesk asks staff for their view on how to resolve the issue they are reporting.

Consultation on WHS issues must be meaningful and effective to allow each staff member to contribute to decisions that may affect their health, safety and welfare at work. All staff and others undertaking work are given the opportunity to express their views and contribute in a timely manner to the resolution of WHS issues that affect them. The various methods of consultation at St Pius have been listed above.  The views of staff and others undertaking work will be valued and taken into account by those making decisions.

The Executive and/or Leaders of Learning (LOLs) or supervisors are required to consult with staff acting under their instruction and others undertaking work whenever:

• risks associated with workplace activities are being assessed and decisions are being made about the control of these risks, and;
• changes are proposed to the facilities, equipment, substances or systems of work.

The Role Statements for the HSR and the HSC are contained in the document: Role Statements HSR HSC

The consultation arrangements described above will be monitored and reviewed by the HSC on an ongoing basis to ensure that consultation with all employees and others undertaking work is effective and that all safety issues are being addressed.

Training in various aspects of WHS will be provided to staff during each year. WHS Training registers will be kept online in MNConnect using Microsoft Forms.

Site Induction
New staff, contractors, volunteers and external tutors are provided with a site induction before starting work. In the case of teachers this is provided by the Principal or AP, as well as the relevant Studies Coordinator. For Support Staff this is provided by the Principal or AP, as well as the Office Manager. For Volunteers and External Tutors this is provided by the appropriate member of Staff – eg for Canteen volunteers it would be provided by the Canteen Supervisor; for External Music Tutors it would be provided by the Music Teacher coordinating the external music program. For Contractors it is provided by the Principal, Maintenance Officer (usually) or Groundsman.

As part of all inductions school staff are required to complete the following checklist: WHS Staff Induction Checklist. The completed checklist is kept in the staff member’s file in the Office Manager’s office.

Volunteers complete the following checklist: Induction Checklist Canteen Volunteers. This checklist can be adjusted as needed for other types of volunteers. Volunteers also undergo the CSO/Diocesan Volunteers Induction Briefing. For our Canteen volunteers, this is run by Sharon Hart, one of our Canteen Supervisors.

External Tutors complete the following checklist: Induction Checklist Tutors. The External Tutor Code of Conduct statement referred to in the checklist is provided here: Code of Conduct at St Pius External Tutor.

Contractors complete the documentation as described in the Contractor Management section below.

Training Provided by WHS Consultants/Experts
Training for staff in various aspects of WHS is provided by engaging WHS Consultants or other experts in various fields. Training has been provided for staff in chemical safety, fire safety, CPR, First Aid, Asthma, Anaphylaxis and Resilience & Wellbeing.

Training Provided In Other Ways
Training is also provided for Staff at Staff Meetings when WHS policies and procedures are highlighted and staff are reminded of important details. Staff are reminded of important WHS policy & procedures via email & memos from the Principal and/or HSC. For example, electrical safety reminders are sent out once per semester. The CSO also provides useful information & reminders to staff from time to time.

Training of HSR & HSC

Our HSR has completed the mandatory training for HSRs.  Our HSR will receive follow-up training as needed.  Some members of our HSC have received formal training in WHS.  Further training for the members of the HSC will be done on request from the members or as the needs of the school demand.

In order that people are able to work safely and are able to support the operation of the health and safety system at the school they need to have written procedures to follow. Written procedures are needed for key activities such as risk management, incident reporting, training, emergency response and inspections and corrective action. Specific safe work procedures need to be written for tasks, particularly tasks considered to be high risk in nature. Consultation with the relevant staff is essential in the development of all WHS procedures.

The procedures that have been developed at St Pius to support the effective implementation of our WHS system can be found on this page of our school website.  The key policies and procedures are all here for ease of access for all staff and visitors to the school.

Safe Operating Procedures are required for all jobs and equipment that involve safety risks. The Resource section of the OnGuard Training website used by the Technologies faculty provides excellent resources and samples of SOPs for a huge range of equipment used in schools. You may need an Administrator or Supervisor level person to access this for you – ask the LOL-Technologies for assistance.

Science SOP’s are available from the LOL-Science.

Cleaners and Ground Staff are often the first to arrive and the last to leave school each day and therefore may face special risks. The following is a suggested risk assessment procedure that can be used by Cleaners and Ground Staff to ensure they remain aware of the risks involved and continue to implement appropriate risk control measures. Cleaners and Ground Staff Risk Assesment

St Pius X is committed to ensuring that all contractors undertaking work at the school comply with health and safety requirements during their contracted period. All contractors are required to complete the Contractor Site Induction Survey before commencing work at St Pius X for the first time.

Contractor Code of Conduct is a Job Safety Analysis worksheet which includes the policy & procedures regarding contractor management, and the list of approved contractors.

The Contractor Induction Checklist is to be used when an induction interview is held instead of the Contractor doing the online Site Induction Survey.

The Trades-Based Contractor Declaration Form is to be used by trades-based contractors who do not have a WWCC. Submit the completed form to the Reception Desk located in the Main Office of the school Admin building. The Office of Children’s Guardian (OCG) has stated that trades-based contractors are excluded from being considered as being engaged in child-related work on the basis of subsection 6(2), Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012; i.e. trades-based contractors who provide services in our schools only have contact with children (our students) as an incidental part of their provision of work.

Job Safety Analysis Worksheet

Contractor Management Policy and Procedures

A WHS Management System must have a set of goals and performance indicators. The goals establish the ultimate outcomes the system is expected to achieve. The performance indicators are measures that can be used along the way to make sure the system is effective in delivering a safe workplace.

The main goals of the St Pius WHS Management System are:

• To ensure that appropriate standards of workplace safety are maintained at all times
• To raise the profile of Work Health and Safety (WHS) within the school
• To create a proactive, team approach to health and safety issues
• To prevent accident, injuries and disease in the workplace.

The performance indicators that will be used by the Health and Safety Committee each year to ensure that the system is effective in delivering a safe workplace are:
Injury Data – Are injuries occurring? How many and how frequently? Were these cases of injury investigated? What were the causes? Have any hazards that were identified been eliminated or the risks from them been minimized?
WHS Policy, Procedures & Goals – Are these in place, up-to-date & practical? Are the goals being achieved?
Consultation – Do staff know the consultation arrangements? Are staff consulted on changes to policy & procedure? Is WHS an agenda item at all meetings? Do staff know who the HSR is and who is on the HSC?
Risk Management Activities – Are there regular efforts to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk control measures? Are there Safe Operating Procedures for jobs that have been identified as having safety risks? Are there regular workplace safety inspections? Are work-place incidents investigated & corrective action taken promptly?
Scheduled Maintenance – Is general maintenance occurring in a timely manner & is it effective?
WHS Training – Are staff training needs being identified & provided for? Do staff know the policy & procedures for WHS maintenance in this school? Do staff know where to find the relevant details of WHS Policy & Procedures? Do new staff, contractors & volunteers receive a site induction before commencing work.

Budget – Is adequate funding available for WHS?

These performance indicators will be examined during each year by the HSC. The Committee will conduct a formal performance review of the WHS Management System once per year, except in years where an external audit is conducted and takes the place of a formal review by the committee. This review will examine all of the above performance indicators except injury data. Injury data will be examined at meetings of the HSC during the year as it is arguably the most obvious measure of a system that is working to keep people safe in the workplace.

WHS Goals for 2023 are:

• Work with our Safety & Wellness Business Partner, Wayne Carman to ensure our WHS Calendar is kept up to date – liaising with Mark Pearce – HSR.
• Work place (walk around) inspection to be done in Semester 1 – Peter Courtney is liaising with Mark Pearce to complete this.
• Check hinges on main security gates to ensure in safe working order.
• Update policies & procedures due for review.
• Implement a new system of WHS Training for all staff – 1 topic per Term and evaluate this method at end of year.
• Reminders to staff, students & parents regarding Duty of Care.
• Reminders to staff regarding electrical safety.
• Arborist to check safety of trees in each Semester and act upon any concerns
• Basketball Court area – monitor for safety of surface

Who should be notified of a hazard?
WHS is a shared responsibility of all staff. All Faculty Staff & Support Staff Groups (Office, Lab Assistants, Cleaners, Grounds & Maintenance Staff) are responsible for identifying hazards in the workplace and for taking appropriate steps to eliminate or minimise the risk of injury arising from the identified hazard. Where the hazard presents an immediate risk of harm to people, the individual staff member must act to obtain appropriate assistance as quickly as possible. Where there is no immediate risk of harm to people, the individual staff member must report the hazard to the HSR by using the WHS Helpdesk. This is accessible by clicking the Helpdesk icon on the staff desktop or by clicking on the link below. The Helpdesk is the official school archive of all WHS issues reported by staff. It is therefore preferable that staff report issues via the Helpdesk. A staff member may prefer to complete the report of an issue in writing. In this case the staff member may use the Risk Management form below.

The WHS Helpdesk can be accessed by clicking the following link: WHS Helpdesk Link
You need to be logged into the school network to access this helpdesk.

Note that non-urgent, low risk, maintenance issues should be notified to the Maintenance Officer by staff using the Maintenance Request section of the Helpdesk rather than the WHS Helpdesk.

The flowchart that follows shows, in diagramatic form, the process to be followed in reporting and resolving a WHS issue at St Pius.

Flowchart for Resolution of WHS Issues

Action in Response To Reports of WHS Issues
The HSR will be notified automatically by email of all reports made on the WHS Helpdesk. The HSR will examine the hazard and speak with the person who made the report to ensure the situation is fully understood. The HSR will then assess the risk posed by the hazard. The “WHS Risk Management Tool” (below) may be used to assist with the risk assessment. The original report of the hazard and all information gathered by the HSR relating to the hazard will be recorded on the WHS Helpdesk. The HSR will usually need to consult with other staff and management in order to decide upon and implement suitable control measures. Staff and management have a responsibility to cooperate with and assist the HSR in successfully resolving the issue at hand. The HSR will record on the WHS Helpdesk, the control measures to be implemented to eliminate the hazard or to minimise the risk from the hazard. The HSR will liaise with the appropriate level of staff and/or management to ensure that the control measures are implemented in a timely fashion.

WHS Risk Management Tool – this is the form that the HSR or staff may use to help risk-assess a hazard and to record the control measures that will be implemented to eliminate the hazard or minimise the risk from the hazard. Any staff member using this form must submit it promptly to the HSR once they have completed the sections of the form relevant to reporting the hazard. Data from the form is entered into the WHS Helpdesk by the HSR, as the Helpdesk is the official school archive of all WHS issues reported by staff. Completed forms are not kept once the data on them has been recorded on the Helpdesk.

Referral of Issue to SafeWork NSW

The WHS Act 2011 directs that all parties to a WHS issue must make reasonable efforts to achieve a timely, final and effective resolution of the issue in accordance with the relevant agreed procedure at the workplace. If no such resolution can be found any party to the dispute can request SafeWork NSW to appoint an inspector to attend the workplace to assist in resolving the issue. Such action would be a last resort, only initiated after repeated efforts to resolve the issue had failed to do so.

SafeWork NSW – What We Do – description of services.

Regular inspections of the workplace are essential to make sure risk controls are working and to uncover any new hazards that may have arisen. Inspections will be programmed so they happen regularly and cover all the workplace. Usually these inspections will be conducted by the HSR or the HSC or by qualified tradespeople contracted by the school. Sometimes, Faculty Staff or Support Staff may be asked to conduct inspections of their work areas.

Electrical testing & tagging will be carried out each year by a licensed electrical contractor. Faulty equipment will be removed from service by the relevant contractor so that it can be repaired or properly disposed of by the school.

Fire Safety Inspections will be carried out every six months as organised by the Diocese. Faulty equipment will be removed and replaced by the inspection company. Hazards discovered will be notified to the school for elimination, minimisation or control.

Science, TAS & CAPA LOLs have the responsibility of ensuring that testing of equipment, machinery and safety facilities used by their Faculties is carried out at regular and appropriate intervals. The LOLs will arrange for the repair or replacement of faulty items and for the elimination, minimisation or control of any hazards discovered.

General work place safety inspections will be carried out annually by members of the HSC. This will involve walk-around inspections of the whole site and may include inspection by various qualified tradespersons if deemed necessary. Hazards discovered will be reported using the online WHS Helpdesk (preferably) or the Risk Management Tool in Element 8 above.

Hazard Identification Form – This form can be used by Faculties or by groups of staff to record the results of inspections of work areas. Hazards identified in this way can then be dealt with using the procedures described in Element 8 above.

Electrical Equipment Risk Assessment and Inspection Record Form – This form can be used by staff to risk assess electrical equipment. Completed forms are to be stored in the Electrical Management Safety System file in the Main Office.

ASSETS AUDIT form – This form can be used to add a new item to the school Assets Register. It is necessary to record all equipment over $1000 in value and equipment of lesser value that is easily transportable (ie that could be stolen).

When an incident (accident, near-miss, unsafe procedure) occurs staff members must report the incident as soon as possible after it occurs and certainly within 48 hours of the occurrence of the incident. Serious incidents must be reported immediately to the Principal or to a member of the School Executive.

The MNResponse website is the place to report an incident.  Go to the link provided, click on My Tasks then select the report you wish to make.  eg to make an incident report, click on the Incident Report tile and then create a new report.

If the incident is of a serious nature (serious injury or death, serious illness, serious near-miss), the WHS law requires that the incident be reported to SafeWork NSW. Such incidents are referred to as “notifiable incidents”. Details of which incidents are notifiable are contained on the SafeWork NSW website. If an incident is identified as notifiable, the area where the incident occurred must to be cordoned off, if safe to do so, and left undisturbed until SafeWork NSW indicates it may be disturbed (repaired/cleaned-up). Obviously, an injured person can be assisted and removed from the site for further medical treatment. See Section 39 of the WHS Act.

All serious incidents at St Pius will be investigated. The Principal is responsible for conducting the investigation or for delegating an appropriate staff member to conduct the investigation. An investigation will be conducted in a manner that is designed not to lay blame. The purpose of the investigation is to stop the incident happening again not to apportion blame. The investigation will be thorough and will be written up into a formal report. This report will contain recommendations as to how to improve the safety of the school so that a similar incident does not occur. The report will be made available to staff, to the CSO & the Diocese and to SafeWork NSW should they become involved.

If the investigation does discover that someone did the wrong thing, the reason for their behaviour will be determined. They may need further training and instruction, or they may require closer supervision, or if it is identified the person has been trained and retrained and supervised, then it may become a performance issue and will need to be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Emergency Procedures

Emergency situations can develop in the workplace even with the best risk controls operating. These situations could involve, for example, fire, extreme weather conditions or the actions of a violent intruder. At St Pius there are clear procedures in place which guide people in how to respond if an emergency happens. The document below gives details of these procedures.

Emergency Procedures 2023

Emergency Procedures to place in classrooms

First Aid Officers are available for all staff & students by contacting the Student Services Office (704 on the internal phone system). Mrs Deverell and Mrs Ausburn are the First Aid Officers at St Pius.

Staff who are injured or who become sick because of their employment will be assisted to return to their normal work duties as quickly as possible. St Pius follows the policy and procedures developed by the CSO & Diocese in this regard. Click on the link below to access this information.

Link to CSO Recover at Work Policy and associated information​
(Note: This link can also be accessed from the COSI Policy Suite – the link there is called “6.3.8 Incident Reporting and Injury Management Procedure” under WHS.)

The school will work closely with the injured or ill staff member and the CSO Recover at Work Coordinator(s) to facilitate the staff member’s transition back to work.

The CSO Recover at Work Coordinator(s) can be reached by phone on 49 791285.

A WHS Management System requires a large number of documents in order to regulate and operate the system. These documents must be controlled, current, available, stored and retrievable. The following policy details how this is achieved at St Pius.

WHS Document Control Policy

The following spreadsheet is the WHS Document Register referred to in the WHS Document Control Policy above. The links in the spreadsheet will not work on this website.

WHS Document Register

The following documents are extremely important. They are provided here to ensure that all staff have easy access to these documents.

Work Health and Safety Act 2011

Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017

Codes of Practice

Interpretive Guidelines – Officer

Interpretive Guidelines – PCBU

Interpretive Guidelines – Reasonably Practicable​

The WHS Management System at St Pius X High School is reviewed each year to ensure that it is operating properly and is achieving its goals. This review is organised and overseen by the HSC. All staff are encouraged to take part in the review. The review is based on practical measures which give an insight into the system structure and activities. The practical measures considered are:

WHS Policy, Procedures & Goals – Are these in place, up-to-date & practical?
Consultation – Do staff know the consultation arrangements? Are staff consulted on changes to policy & procedure? Is WHS an agenda item at all meetings? Do staff know who the HSR is and who is on the HSC?
Risk Management Activities – Are there regular efforts to identify hazards, assess risks and implement risk control measures? Are there Safe Operating Procedures for jobs that have been identified as having safety risks? Are there regular workplace safety inspections? Are work-place incidents investigated & corrective action taken promptly?
Scheduled Maintenance – Is general maintenance occurring in a timely manner & is it effective?
WHS Training – Are staff training needs being identified & provided for? Do staff know the policy & procedures for WHS maintenance in this school? Do staff know where to find the relevant details of WHS Policy & Procedures? Do new staff, contractors & volunteers receive a site induction before commencing work.
Budget – Is adequate funding available for WHS?

The first step in the review is a survey (via Survey Monkey) of all staff. The survey addresses the practical measures stated above and gives all staff a chance to express their views on the performance of our WHS Management System.

WHS Management System Review Survey

The results of the survey are discussed by the HSC and form part of the second step in the review process. In this second step, the HSC uses the following review tool to assess the performance of our WHS Management System.

WHS System Performance Review Tool

The final step in the review process is a report to staff on the results of the performance review. This report indicates clearly any areas of our WHS Management System that need improvement or alteration and gives an indication of the steps that will be taken to make the improvements or alterations and a timeline for doing so. Staff are welcome at all times to have input into this improvement process.

A WHS audit is an independent, systematic checking exercise which tries to find out whether workplace activities and outcomes are meeting planned arrangements, and complying with legislative, management system and other requirements.

An audit is not a health & safety inspection. While a WHS audit will include inspection activities to cross check system documents and records, an inspection will never provide the degree of system analysis undertaken during an audit. Audits involve a broader analysis of performance than just looking at what is going on in the workplace at any particular time.

WHS audits look at policies, procedures, plans that have been put in place to achieve the health and safety goals of the school. System records and documents will be examined by the auditor to judge how well policies, procedures and plans have been implemented. The auditor will also inspect the workplace, observe work practices and talk to people in the workplace to cross check that what is found in the records accurately reflects what is going on in the workplace.

The auditor uses all the evidence gathered to judge how well the WHS management system has been implemented and is operating. In light of these judgements, the auditor may point out weaknesses in WHS performance and suggest how performance can be improved in the future.

At St Pius a partial WHS audit is carried out each year over the 6 year COSI (Continuum of School Improvement) cycle. This partial audit focuses on different elements of the system each year.  A CSO WHS Officer will conduct these audits. At least once in each 6-year COSI cycle, a full WHS audit will be carried out by an external provider appointed by the CSO. Deficiencies in the WHS system identified during an audit will be considered and addressed by the School Executive and HSC in a timely manner.

When considered appropriate, a full WHS Audit using an external authority will be scheduled. A full external audit will usually remove the need for a full internal WHS Performance Review to be conducted by the HSC in that particular year. Instead a simple staff survey will be run in that year to ascertain staff perceptions of how the system is running.

A Self-Assessment and Performance Reporting Matrix is also available for use if required. This can assist the HSC to assess how the WHSMS is performing at any given time.  Click on the file below.

Self-Assessment and Performance Reporting Matrix

External Audit 2015

An External Audit was conducted on our WHSMS in March 2015 by Catholic Church Insurances (CCI).  The report can be viewed below. The report is very encouraging. There is clear evidence that our WHSMS is a well-developed system that is working well to protect everyone on our site. Several recommendations for further improvement were made. These recommendations have been considered by the School Executive and the HSC and most if not all will be implemented in our ongoing work to ensure that the system continuously improves.

St Pius X High School Report Adamstown WHSMS Review Report – 20 March 2015

External Audit 2018

As part of COSI (Continuum of School Improvement), a WHS Audit of our WHS Management System was conducted in August of 2018 by an external provider (Minerva Consulting Group).  The audit report was very positive regarding the standard of our WHSMS.  One comment made in the conclusion stated: “The school was excellently prepared for the audit and had a great, documented WHS management system.  Contractor Management and the WHS Helpdesk were examples of good safety management practices at the school.” (from the report written by the Auditor, Scott Cornwell)  The recommendations for improvement made in the report were implemented in order of priority.

COSI WHS Audit Report 2018

Action Plan in Response to the Minerva Audit Report

At St Pius a number of steps are taken to ensure that our WHS system continues to improve.

• Deficiencies noted during Performance Reviews & Audits are responded to and corrected in a timely manner
• Staff are encouraged to suggest improvements to the system. This is usually done through the HSR
• The School Strategic & Improvement Plans identify aspects of the WHS system as foci for improvement
• The HSC discusses, develops & implements regular improvement plans which address aspects of the WHS system that may be in need of attention
• The School Executive, HSC & HSR share what we are doing at St Pius with other schools and consider what other schools are doing when reviewing the performance of our own system. We look for new technologies and ideas that may be of use. We take note of suggestions & directives that come from the CSO.