2.1 Health and Safety Policy |
Contents
1. Introduction
Ensuring the health and safety of employees and other people affected by the organisations activities is an integral part of managing Clifford House.
This document states Clifford House's policy on health and safety and describes the organisational responsibilities and arrangements for carrying out the policy.
This policy comprises three sections:
- A general statement of intent, which sets out aims and objectives of the policy.
- Organisational responsibilities, which allocates responsibilities for health and safety to specific job roles in the organisation.
- Organisational arrangements, which summarise how the policy aims are to be achieved
2. General Statement of Intent
Clifford House recognises its legal and moral duty to protect the safety, health and welfare of all staff and any other person who could be affected by the actions of the company in its day to day running of the business.
The Operational Directors will ensure that duties required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Regulation 3 and 5 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 are met by:
- Providing, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe working environment without risk, including lighting, heating, ventilation and workspace, together with adequate facilities for employees such as washroom facilities;
- Providing safe access and egress from all places of work;
- Providing suitable equipment and systems of work which are safe and without risk to a persons health;
- Providing information, instruction, training and supervision to enable staff to identify and avoid hazards and to contribute positively to their own health and safety at work;
- Providing safe arrangements for the use, storage and transport of articles and substances;
- Ensuring every member of staff takes reasonable care for their own safety and health and for that of any other person their actions may affect.
Clifford House will endeavour to develop and maintain a culture supportive of Health and Safety. By doing so it aims to achieve adequate control over risks and to minimise injury to employees and other situations, which can arise from avoidable unplanned events. Only competent people will be appointed to assist in meeting statutory duties and where appropriate specialists from outside the organisation.
3. Organisational Responsibilities
The objectives of this policy are fundamental to our business and the Operational Directors are responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this policy are achieved. These persons are responsible for ensuring safety is taken seriously across the whole organisation.
The Registered Manager has responsibility for implementing the specific arrangements made under this policy throughout the home. All employees are expected to read the relevant sections of the policy, familiarise themselves with its provisions and carry out their defined responsibilities.
A copy of the policy will be held in the HR department and will be made available to all employees.
Employees are expected and encouraged to be proactive on health and safety issues as part of the continued development of the health and safety culture of the organisation and the manual describes the arrangements for employee consultation and feedback.
All employees have a statutory duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions. They must also co-operate with their employer so far as is necessary to enable the employer to comply with its duties or requirements imposed by law. All members of staff are reminded that a breach of this duty could constitute a disciplinary offence. Specifically members of staff are expected to:
- Ensure their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by actions that they do or not do;
- Observe the Company's health and safety policy and procedures;
- Make correct use of protective clothing and safety equipment provided by Protecting Rights In a Caring Environment for the safe completion of work related tasks;
- Report to line managers any shortcomings, defects or hazards in working practices, equipment or processes that may be a risk to the health and safety of themselves or others in the course of their job;
- Report any incident or accident, including near misses however slight to their line manager immediately to enable any necessary action to be taken;
- Assist at all times, in maintaining good housekeeping standards within the workplace;
- Co-operate and assist in the effective completion of risk assessments with their line manager, and carry out any actions that may be required under the risk assessment process;
4. Organisational Arrangements
4.1 Policy Review
The Quality Assurance Manager will annually review the contents of the Health and Safety Policy and update any relevant sections.
4.2 Information, Instruction and Training
Responsibility for staff to be informed on health and safety issues will lie with the Registered Manager.
4.3 Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to assess the risk to employees in the workplace. The Registered Manager within The Larches School will be responsible for ensuring risk assessments are completed in the work place including any activities, which may be performed by members of staff. Where a specific task has been assessed and removing the hazard cannot realistically reduce the risk to members of staff, a safe system of work may be required.
The Registered Manager, in consultation with Human Resources will also be responsible for completing specific risk assessments on new or expectant mothers as laid down by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
4.4 Accident Reporting and Investigation
All accidents, which occur to members of staff, must be reported to Registered Manager. In all cases, the accident book must be completed no matter how minor including any investigation documentation.
The Registered Manager shall be responsible for the completion of RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrence Regulations) reports.
Accidents occurring to other participants on training courses or to contractors employed by Clifford House will also require reporting in the same way as mentioned above.
Where an accident has resulted in a fatality, major injury or dangerous occurrence as laid down in RIDDOR, the senior member of staff on site must report the incident to the Operational Manager on the day of occurrence.
4.5 Health and Safety Monitoring
The Operational Manager shall monitor health and safety. Performance shall be measured on accident statistics and relevant health and safety work related absences, risk assessment review and completion, and enforcement action taken against the company.
Associated Documents:
- Accident, Incident reporting and Investigation Policy
- COSHH Policy
- Display Screen Equipment and VDU Users Assessment Policy
- Fire Safety Policy
- Lone Worker Policy
- Manual Handling Policy
- Mobile Phones and Driving Policy
- No Smoking and Smoke Free Premises Policy
- Risk Assessment Policy.
- Portable Electrical Appliances
- First Aid
- Gas Appliances
- Insurance
- Stress Management
- Training
- Food Hygiene
- Environment
- Activities
5. Health and Safety Assistance
Competent people have been appointed to assist in meeting Health and Safety objectives. These person's have sufficient knowledge and expertise to insure that statutory requirements are met and that the Health and Safety policy is being adhered to.
| Post | |
| Health and Safety Officer | |
| First-Aider | |
| Fire Marshal | |
| Employee Safety Representative |
The company recognises that there may be occasions when specialist advice is necessary. In these circumstances, the services of competent external advisors will be obtained.
6. First Aid
The company will maintain suitable numbers of first aid personnel to deal with minor accidents and emergencies at the workplace. These personnel will have sufficient training and qualifications in accordance with statutory requirements. There will be at least one competent First Aider who has competed 13 hours training or more on each shift.
7. Emergency Procedures
Emergency procedures are designed to give warning of imminent danger and to allow personnel to move to a place of safety. The Registered Manager of each department is responsible for ensuring that all employees and visitors within the home are informed of, and are fully conversant with, emergency procedures.
Fire wardens will be appointed for each area to assist with an evacuation. They will be given adequate instruction and training to ensure effectiveness.
8. Health Surveillance
Clifford House will ensure that health surveillance of individuals is provided where required under statutory provisions or where this would be of benefit to maintaining health, safety and welfare.
9. Information and Communication
Clifford House will ensure that suitable and relevant information relating to health, safety and welfare at the workplace is disseminated to staff and non-employees.
Statutory notices will be displayed throughout the workplace.
Health and Safety matters are discussed regularly at Senior Management meetings and are an agenda item for a staff meeting.
10. Employee Involvement in Policy Making
The Health and Safety Commission has stated in the Statement on Worker Involvement and Consultation that "an organisation's greatest asset is its workforce. Employees are often best able to spot issues and bring about real improvements. We need to expand the base of employee involvement in health and safety management to cover the whole workforce". Where a policy has the approval of the workforce, it is more likely to be adhered to.
The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (HSCER) require employers to consult their employees on matters that affect their health and safety, where all employees are not already covered by the provisions of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSCR). Employees will be consulted directly.
See Safety Representations Procedure
End