Barton Hill Settlement Health & Safety Policy & Procedure

Barton Hill Settlement Health & Safety Policy & Procedure

BARTON HILL SETTLEMENT – HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY & PROCEDURE

Health and Safety at Work –Section 1

It is the policy of Barton Hill Settlement to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees and of others who may be affected by its business activities such as volunteers and contractors; these responsibilities shall be given equal priority with Barton Hill Settlements other statutory duties and objectives.

We aim to: -

  1. involve and motivate staff on matters concerning health and safety;
  2. prevent accidents, injuries and ill-health, identify and reduce the risks associated with hazardous situations as far as reasonably practicable;
  3. control situations likely to be hazardous to health and safety at work or cause damage to persons, premises or equipment;
  4. achieve a high standard of occupational health and safety;
  5. provide a safe and healthy working environment for staff, volunteers and service users.
  1. RESPONSIBILITIES OF BARTON HILL SETTLEMENT AS AN EMPLOYER

It is the responsibility of Barton Hill Settlement to ensure that staff implement this policy so far as is reasonably practicable by ensuring the provision and maintenance of: -

a)a safe and healthy working environment and work systems

b)buildings, plant and structures that operate and function safely;

c)instructions and procedures as necessary for the safe use of plant, machinery and equipment, the performance of any operations and the safe handling of all materials;

d)training as necessary for employees within job requirements and for those appointed as management and employee safety representatives including fire training;

e)protective clothing and equipment where necessary, to appropriate standards;

f)adequate welfare facilities at work

g)arrangements for the periodic surveys and reports on work places and methods of working and the monitoring of any corrective action;

  1. DISSEMINATION OF THE POLICY

Copies of the policy will be held in a suitable and conspicuous place where staff ordinarily have access.

  1. MONITORING AND REVIEW

The implementation and operation of this policy in terms of healthy and safe working practices shall be monitored by Barton Hill Settlement by means of regular auditing and risk assessment processes. Policies and procedures will be reviewed and modified as circumstances require and amendments will be notified to all staff.

  1. COMPANY ENDORSEMENT

This Health and Safety Manual has been endorsed by the Managing director of Barton Hill Settlement.

Signed …………………………………Date ………………

Health and Safety at Work -Section 2

ORGANISATION – POSTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To succeed in attaining the highest possible standards of health and safety performance in each and every workplace within Barton Hill Settlement, all staff must appreciate that health and safety is part of their job.

Barton Hill Settlement recognises the importance of clearly defining individual responsibilities to implement and comply with the requirements of UK and European Community law and all other relevant statutory provisions and these are outlined below.

2.1. Employee Responsibilities

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Regulations subordinate to the Act lays down duties on employees at work to: -

  1. take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work;
  2. comply with the instructions and procedures, issued by Barton Hill Settlement for safe working practices and the safety of their colleagues, visitors and service users;
  3. assist in the formulation of local arrangements, policies / procedures / safe systems of work to maintain a safe working environment;
  4. report any defects in plant, machinery, buildings and equipment or safety procedures which come to their notice;
  5. report any incidents which resulted in or might have resulted in injury or damage and to co-operate with any investigation which may be undertaken to prevent further accidents;
  6. not to remove, interfere with or misuse, intentionally or recklessly, anything provided for health and safety purposes,
  7. make proper use of protective clothing and safety equipment provided,
  8. The Managers

The Managers have the overall statutory and operational responsibility for managing health and safety and will do all that is reasonably practicable to meet the requirements laid down by United Kingdom law.

These responsibilities include:

  1. the promotion of health and safety as an important management function which is integral to Barton Hill Settlement mainstream business objectives;
  2. the allocation of resources as far as possible for the improvement of health and safety within the workplace;
  3. define and monitor the roles and responsibilities of specific officers for health and safety activities;
  4. monitor and review health and safety performance within Barton Hill Settlement
  5. arrange for the review and update of health and safety policies and procedures as and when required.
  6. the implementation of this health and safety policy in their areas of responsibility.

2.3.Staff

The Representative and Safety Committee Regulations 1977 give trade unions the legal right to appoint workplace safety representatives. Under these regulations safety representatives may investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences, investigate complaints related to health and safety and welfare at work and undertake workplace inspections.

As safety representatives are not appointed, Barton Hill Settlement will consult staff representatives on matters of health and safety.

2.4.Specialist Officers

Specialist Health and Safety Advisors are retained to support Barton Hill Settlement by providing guidance, advice ad information. These officers will have no executive responsibility will be used as an aid to effectiveness and legal compliance

Section 3

MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR

HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK

CONTENTS

Page

1.Accident and Incident Procedures06

2. Asbestos07

3.Auditing and inspection07

4.Chemicals and COSHH 08

5.Contractors and Agency Staff 08

6.Display Screen Equipment09

7.Driving 10

8.Electricity at Work Regulations10

9.Fire and Emergency Procedures (including Arson) 11

10.First Aid11

11.Food Hygiene 11

12.Gases12

13.Local Policies 12

14.Lone work13

15.Manual Handling13

16.New and Expectant Mothers 14

17. Occupational Health 14

18.Personal Protection15

29.RIDDOR15

21.Risk Assessments15

22.Signs and Signals16

23.Stress at Work 17

24.Training17

25.Violence18

26.Waste Management18

27.Working Time Regulations19

28.Young People at Work19

  1. ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT PROCEDURES

Any incident or accident to staff during working hours including travel between sites or which occur outside of work but are related to what they do, or to any other persons on premises under the control of Barton Hill Settlement, must be reported in the official incident reporting book. These forms must be completed as soon as possible (note: anyone can report an accident, not just the injured party). The incident must be investigated by the employee’s immediate line manager and action taken to ensure the incident does not recur.

Persons with minor injuries (cuts, abrasions, sprains) must be referred immediately to a qualified first aider or the Accident and Emergency Department of the nearest hospital.

Major injuries are to be dealt with by the nearest Accident and Emergency Department. In these circumstances it is probable that the incident is reportable, by law, to the Health and Safety Executive under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)

Major accidents must be reported immediately, by telephone, to the Local Environmental Health Department. These are:

  1. death, fracture of the skull, spine or pelvis;
  2. fracture of any bone in the arm or leg, other than in the wrist or hand, or ankle or foot;
  3. amputation of a hand or foot;
  4. serious eye injury (including chemical injuries);
  5. electric shock requiring medical treatment or resulting in loss of consciousness;
  6. any other injury that results in hospital admission as an in-patient for more than 24 hours other than for observation).
  7. Any other injury to a member of the public that requires hospital treatment
  8. An incident resulting in unconsciousness

Furthermore where an incident results in an employee being incapacitated from work for more than three working days, excluding the day of the incident, the Local Environmental Health Department must be informed by sending them a completed F2508 form within 10 working days of the incident occurring.

In addition the Local Environmental Health Department must be informed if a dangerous occurrence occurs. These are major incidents are are unlikely to occur within Barton Hill Settlement, but the definition of dangerous occurrence can be found at www.hse.gov.uk

  1. ASBESTOS

The control of Asbestos at Work (Amendment) Regulations 2002 imposes a duty on Barton Hill Settlement to ensure that any exposure to asbestos products is maintained within safe ‘control limits’. Any concerns relating to asbestos contamination should be referred to the area Management who will arrange to assess, control and monitor any area where asbestos or asbestos products are identified.

Barton Hill Settlement will maintain an asbestos register that identifies the asbestos location, type, condition etc and ensure it is suitably labelled. Barton Hill will monitor the condition of any asbestos and ensure suitable safe systems of work are in place for work involving asbestos containing products.

  1. AUDITING AND INSPECTIONS

Barton Hill Settlement recognises their duty of care to provide a safe workplace free from hazard so far as is reasonably practicable. Hazard identification in the workplace and measuring the safety performance for ensuring continual improvement will be carried out using the following ‘tools’:

  • Audits of the Health and Safety Policy will be carried out on a regular basis by Management and by external auditors;
  • Physical safety inspections will be carried out regularly by a competent person;
  • Area Managers will carry out regular safety tours / inspections aimed at identifying and rectifying unsafe acts and conditions, ensuring that the Health & Safety Policy is strictly adhered to.

4. CHEMICALS AND COSHH

All materials on Barton Hill Settlement premises are subject to assessment under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. it is the responsibility of each manager to ensure that this is done for all existing and any new substances used within their area of responsibility. The area managers must ensure that manufacturer’s/supplier’s data sheets are available and that any necessary information, training, first aid, spillage date, personal protective equipment, etc. is provided and available prior to the use of hazardous materials. Hazardous materials must not be used if the conditions do not meet the requirements of the COSHH Regulations

The requirement of the COSHH Regulations also applies to risk assessing employee exposure to blood and body fluids. Barton Hill Settlement will risk assess any tasks or services that suitable precautions are put in place.

Waste Chemicals are to be disposed of in accordance with relevant legislation, using the services of a recognised and ‘Authorised’ contractor

5.COMMUNICATION AND CONSULTATION

When necessary all Employees will be consulted, either directly or through their elected representatives, prior to implementation of any policies or procedures affecting their health and safety.

When possible Barton Hill Settlement will aim to have a functioning Health and Safety committee. This committee will consist of employer and employee representatives and other key stakeholders as required. This committees’ aim will be, but not limited to:

a. / Help in the implementation and continual improvement of the Health and Safety policy
b. / Discuss and communicate relevant health and safety information with staff
c. / Develop initiatives to improve the health and safety at Barton Hill Settlement
d. / Review incidents, accidents, audits etc and suitability of resulting recommendations.

6. CONTRACTORS, AGENCY STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS

“Contractors”, for the purposes of this definition, include all persons coming on to Company property to carry out work for Barton Hill Settlement. Contractors are required to comply with statutory rules and other safety standards when entering into a contract.

If contractors are appointed to undertake work for Barton Hill Settlement, a person must be nominated from the contractor’s organisation as the communication point for health and safety issues.

The safety of agency staff must also be safeguarded. Appropriate equipment and training must be provided to enable them to undertake their roles safely on behalf of Barton Hill Settlement via an employment agency the standards of competence in health and safety related issues will be specified in the service contract agreed with Barton Hill Settlement.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on employers to assess the risks to employees and anyone else (e.g. voluntary workers) who may be affected by the work activities being undertaken. In general, Barton Hill Settlement will apply the same health and safety standards to voluntary workers as they would to employees exposed to the same risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

Barton Hill Settlement considers it good practice to provide a volunteer the same level of health and safety protection as they would in an employer/employee relationship so far as is reasonable practicable, irrespective of whether there are strict legal duties as a matter of best practice.

No contractor or volunteer worker shall undertake work on Barton Hill Settlement premises before notifying a member of Barton Hill Settlement management and/or authority to work has been given where applicable.

7. DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT (DSE)

It is recognised that the problems arising from the operation of display screen equipment (or VDU’s) may be minimised by proper attention to ergonomics, job design and training. All DSE work stations must be assessed, with the full involvement of the users, to ensure that they meet the required standards and that any necessary remedial work is carried out, (A ‘user’ is an employee who spends a significant part of their work time [i.e. more than an hour of continuous use per day] on display screen equipment.)

Vision Screening for DSE users may be arranged with an optician if this is required. The cost of the eye test will be met by Barton Hill Settlement and if lenses are prescribed for display screen work Barton Hill Settlement will meet the basic cost of lenses and frames.

Any user who experiences discomfort in their wrists of hands, back, shoulder or neck should seek further advice from their GP. To reduce fatigue, DSE based tasks should be organised in such a way that spells of concentrated work at the terminal are spaced throughout the day. Users should exercise during breaks to relieve muscle groups which may be affected by continuous use in one position.

DSE workstation assessments should be undertaken with new employees who are users or whenever there are changes to a user’s workstation

8. DRIVING

Barton Hill Settlement will ensure that where staff undertake driving for work purposed that driving activities are suitably risk assessed. Barton Hill Settlement will ensure that any work vehicles are suitably maintained, that a register of licences is maintained and regularly checked and that adequate cover is in place

9. ELECTRICITY AT WORK

All work involving electricity is to be carried out in accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Only trained and competent staff may undertake repair and installation work on electrical apparatus. Therefore, all defective wiring or electrical equipment must be reported.

The general rules are as follows:

  1. Never overloads power points (i.e. no more than one appliance per outlet), obstruct electrical switch rooms or interfere with or misuse of electrical equipment.
  2. Before using any electrical appliance check for frayed cords, or defective plugs. Ensure switches are in the off position before connecting a plug outlet.
  3. When disconnecting a plug from an outlet, pull on the plug not the lead. Ensure switches are in the off position before disconnecting.
  4. Do not use electrical equipment or activate electrical circuitry if your hands are wet or if you are standing on a wet floor.
  5. In case of overheating, sparking or smoking turn off the power supply and report this to the Manager.
  6. All portable electrical equipment purchased for use within Barton Hill Settlement premises must bear the BS Kitemark or must be checked for its electrical safety before use.

Barton Hill Settlement is responsible for ensuring that all portable electrical appliances and fixed electrical supplies are checked for electrical safety and appropriate records kept.

10. FIRE AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Barton Hill Settlement has responsibility for the provision of fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, detection and alarm systems etc. within Barton Hill Settlement facilities and the responsibility for developing a local fire policy and ensuring staff attend fire training. Each manager is responsible for day to day operation of fire precautions including the minimisation of arson attack within the areas under their control. Annual fire training is mandatory for all staff.

All staff have a duty to be familiar with fire precautions, fire fighting and fire evacuation procedures. Fire drills are held at all sites on an annual basis. Managers must ensure that all staff participates in fire drills.

Management must be informed of any extinguishers which have been fully or partially discharged so that replacements can be provided.

All staff have a duty to report to management any instances where proper procedures are not being implemented, for example fire doors wedged open, escape routes blocked by furniture, accumulations of rubbish, hazardous or flammable materials adjacent to escape routes or faulty electrical or gas appliances.

Barton Hill Settlement will undertake routine fire risk assessments of their premises and ensure suitable fire precautions are in place and operating efficiently to comply with United Kingdom legislation.

11. FIRST AID

The Health and Safety (First aid) Regulations 1981 places a duty on Barton Hill Settlement to provide adequate and appropriate first aid provision for staff. Persons with injuries (cuts, abrasions, sprains) must be referred immediately to a qualified first aider or the Accident and Emergency Department of the nearest Hospital to ensure that proper assessment and treatment is provided. A list of qualified first aiders must be prepared by Barton Hill Settlement. Major injuries must be referred to the nearest Accident and Emergency department at all times.