Health & Safety Policy

Ensuring the safety and protection of all Redhouse Forge staff

Our statement of general policy is 

  • to provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities;   

  • to consult with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety;   

  • to provide and maintain safe plant and equipment;   

  • to ensure safe handling and use of substances;   

  • to provide information, instruction and supervision for employees;   

  • to ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks, and to give them adequate training;   

  • to prevent accidents and cases or work-related ill health;   

  • to maintain safe and healthy working conditions; and   

  • to review this policy as necessary at regular intervals

Section 1 

HEALTH, SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT 

 1. General Policy 

1.1 Redhouse aims to control its activities to avoid causing any unnecessary or unacceptable risk to the health, safety and welfare of all its employees, customers and the general public. Adverse effects on the environment will be minimised as far as is practicable. “Responsibility for health and safety is a top priority within the development of the company, followed closely by our operating in an environmentally friendly fashion. The company will comply with best practice using the following pointers: 

  • Compliance with legislation and company requirements which must include standards of health, safety and welfare that, as a minimum, comply fully with the terms and requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant statutory provisions and approved codes of practice. 

  • Providing a healthy, safe and secure place of work including the provision of rest and washroom facilities. Adequate heating, lighting, ventilation and the provision of safe working procedures. 

  • To develop health, safety and environmental awareness and individual responsibility for health, safety and environment amongst employees at all levels. 

  • To provide all employees with the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to work safely and effectively 

  • To encourage full and effective consultation on health, safety and environmental matters. 

  • To prevent nuisance to the community and to avoid damage to the environment. 

  • Treating health & safety as an integral part of the business operation. 

  2. Organisation

2.1 Redhouse partners are committed to setting and developing the Health & Safety Policy. 

2.2 Managers at all levels are responsible for the health, safety, security and welfare of employees under their control and others affected by the company’s activities. 

2.3 Employees also have a duty of care for their own health & safety and that of others. 

2.4 Copies of the Health & Safety Policy are held in the local office and are available for all staff to view. 

Section 2 

REDHOUSE 

HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY  

This is the company’s general policy statement in line with the HEALTH & SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1974, other statutory requirements, and subordinate regulations and approved codes of practice. 

1. It is the policy of Redhouse Design to ensure and promote the health and safety of anyone engaged in the company's business. 

2. Specific Policy: 

2.1 Working areas 

  • Working areas will be kept clean and stairs, passages and exits will be unobstructed. Doors and windows will be maintained in a safe operable condition. 

  • Measures will be taken to prevent falls from heights and falling objects. 

  • Every employee will be given adequate space to work; efforts will be made to prevent overcrowding. 

  • Ventilation will be provided in the whole working area. A NO-SMOKING policy will be followed in all areas of the premises. This policy is to extend to all vehicles owned and used by the company without exception. 

  • Working areas will, subject to unforeseeable emergencies or exceptional weather conditions, be maintained at a reasonable temperature.

  • Outdoor workstations will, so far as is practical, be given adequate weather protection. 

  • Provision will be made for rest periods. 

  • The whole of the premises will, subject to power failure, be kept adequately lit. 

  • The buildings will be maintained in safe condition. All requirements to enable a current fire certificate to be maintained will be observed. 

2.2 Fire Safety 

  • All fire exits will be maintained and kept un-obstructed and where appropriate a fire alarm will be fitted, maintained and regularly tested. Unplanned emergency fire evacuation procedures will be practiced at regular intervals. 

  • Fire fighting equipment will be provided and maintained at appropriate locations on all floors of the premises. 

  • Highly flammable material such as fuels, solvent-based or chemical based products will be kept to a minimum. 

  • Bulk quantities of such materials, chemicals, fuels or solvent-based products will be stored outside the buildings at specifically designated areas. 

  • All electrical equipment will be properly maintained in a safe condition and will be inspected annually. 

  • Rubbish will be disposed of regularly by the local refuse collection service. 

2.2.1

In addition the company will ensure that all external venues meet with the appropriate fire legislation prior to courses been run. 

2.3 Equipment

In compliance with the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) the following conditions will apply: 

  • All equipment that has rotating components, if provided for specific tasks will be provided with proper protective guards. 

  • Manufacturers instruction in the use of such equipment will be followed at all times. 

  • Equipment shall only be used for the purpose it was intended for. 

  • All equipment will be serviced as and when necessary, parts found to be worn or unsafe will be replaced. In the mean time faulty equipment shall be taken out of service or rendered inoperable. 

  • When staff, are working with equipment or within the confines of an environment which has noise levels above the recommended exposure limits, or where noise reduction is not possible, hearing protection will be provided. 

2.3.1 

In compliance with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) regulations 1992. 

  • Employees who are required to work with display screens will be permitted breaks or changes of activity at frequent intervals. 

  • Workstation design will meet the requirements of the individual where practicable. 

  • Habitual users of visual display screen equipment are to have periodic eye tests at the company’s expense. The company will also pay for the cost of the prescription. 

2.3.2 

In addition the company will ensure that all electrical equipment is tested and maintained. This will also include Portable Appliance Tests (PAT) where necessary.

2.4 Personnel 

  • Adequate provision will be made for a supply of drinking water; hand and face washing facilities will be provided along with soap and towels. 

  • Toilet facilities will be provided. Adequate signs will be in place to notify of use. 

  • Protective clothing and personal protective equipment will be provided where necessary and training in the use of PPE will be given. 

  • Storage space will be provided for clothing and personal property. 

  • Seats will be provided for those employees whose work is capable of being performed whilst sitting. 

  • Regularly maintained and equipped first aid boxes will be kept at appropriate place within each office used by the company. 

Travel 

If employee’s duties include the necessity to travel from the office or his/her home then the company must consider the following factors: 

  • The provision of adequately maintained vehicles, in accordance with the company’s vehicle loan policy. 

  • The timing of each journey. 

  • When excessive journey distances or times are expected, an overnight stay should be provided, where at all possible. 

  • An employee should not be expected to drive whilst tired under any circumstances. 

  • The employee should be in a SAFE & FIT condition to drive when undertaking a journey. This will include not being under the influence of alcohol, drugs, any other intoxicating substances or suffering from a poor sleep related condition. 

  • When it is not possible to comply with the above and current Road Safety Legislation then the journey should not be undertake or alternative travel arrangements made. 

2.5 Employees duties

It is the duty of every employee to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him or herself and of other persons who may be affected by his/her actions or omissions. It will be a fundamental term of every contract of employment that employees must obey health and safety instructions in force and a breach of those instructions will be considered a serious breach of the terms of employment. 

3. Incident reporting 

  • In the event of any member of staff having an accident at work it MUST be reported and the incident reported in the accident book. 

  • If the work related incident is a fatality, serious, a near miss or involves any employee in an absenteeism of more than three days, then such conditions MUST be reported in accordance with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). 

  • The same applies if a reportable disease occurs, listed under schedule 3, regulation 5 of the above regulations. 

  • Where a reportable incident occurs it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that the reporting procedure is followed in accordance with the above legislation.  

4. Manual handling 

In accordance with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 the company will ensure that any such operations undertaken by its employees are carried out using the following procedures: 

  • All such operations should be avoided where possible. 

  • If such operations cannot be avoided then mechanisation should be used where practicable. 

  • Any such operation that cannot be avoided or mechanised, shall have a full and proper risk assessment carried out before any such operations take place prior to the operation being executed. 

  • All of these risk assessments must be carried out by competent personal and take due consideration of the ergonomic factors involved; the task, load, working environment and the individual. 

5. Risk assessment 

Due consideration will be given by the company to all operations or tasks that could involve significant risk to its employees. Where the possibility of a hazard occurring presents an unacceptable risk during the employee carrying out their normal work, an appropriate risk assessment must take place. Management will appoint a competent person or team to carry out such risk assessments in accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. All risk assessments will be carried out with due consideration to the following points: 

  • All hazards are to be identified prior to any work being undertaken where possible. 

  • The lead person completing the risk assessment should be suitably qualified. 

  • The assessment should be thorough, complete and fully documented, using a standard risk assessment form and where necessary a full report may need to be submitted to management for due consideration. 

  • Where a risk assessment is generic, there is no need to repeat the assessment. Where only part of a previous assessment is generic then only that part CAN be duplicated. 

  • Due consideration should be given to those employees who require special consideration in accordance with regulations 16-19 of the above legislation. 

  • This should also include risk assessments of hazardous substances under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999 (COSHH) due for review 2002, should the need arise. 

  • Considerations should also be given to those with disabilities and their special needs when carrying risk assessments. These assessments should be completed with due consideration to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. 

6. Health & Safety Audits

An audit shall be undertaken of this policy and its procedures on an annual basis or where a significant change to legislation, company policy or business activities occur. The company will appoint a suitably qualified person to complete such audits. 

7.0 Arrangements for implementing the policy: 

7.1The company will take the following actions: 

  • Selected personnel will be trained in first-aid, in accordance with guidelines issued by the HSE. All training will be provided by an approved awarding body. Selected personnel will be given instruction in fire precautions and the action to be taken in the case of fire. 

  • Records will be kept as required by legislation. 

  • Selected personnel will be instructed to ensure that the policy set out in this statement is carried out. 

Section 3 

DESIGNATION OF HEALTH & SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

This statement applies to all staff employed by Redhouse Design.

  

The company’s board of directors is totally committed to the above Health and Safety Policy. They fully understand the implications that could involve the directors if the conditions stated in this policy are not adhered to. The board also appreciates that if breaches of the legislation mentioned in this document are proved upon inspection, for whatever reason they may be liable to prosecution. In the event of a serious accident (were an employee, visitor or member of the public is seriously injured or killed) where it is proven that negligence was the route cause, under the new legislation ‘corporate killing’, an individual or group of individuals within the company may be held responsible and duly prosecuted. 

  

The company finance director should be fully aware of the cost implication of enforcing this policy and should advise the company’s financial institutions of such costs were necessary. 

  1. Overall responsibility

    Nick Hilliard is responsible for Heath & Safety and has general responsibility for the implementation of the Health & Safety Policy. 

  2. Action in the Event of Noticing a Defect or Deficiency 

    Staff, are reminded that they have a duty to report any defect of any office, work equipment, furniture or the general state of repair of the premises, which could be of a hazardous nature. 

Procedure for reporting 

In the first instance use internal messaging system to report any faults or defects discovered to Stephen Anderson. If an immediate danger is discovered then notification must be given verbally in the first instance and followed by a written report. Refer to section 2, 4. In the case of an imminent danger then action should be with immediate effect, were the threat is less severe then action should be taken within three days of notification and in all cases documented. 

  1. Health & Safety Audits 

    A survey will be undertaken at least once a year by Keith Ball and Stephen Anderson to ensure that safety requirements are being met against the audit requirements in section 2, 7. 

  2. Accident Reporting 

    In the event of any member of staff having an accident whilst at work it MUST be reported in the accident book (Location Staff Notice Board). Form F2508 must be completed if the accident becomes reportable under (RIDDOR) and where reportable disease occurs then form F2508A should be used. This is the responsibility of the Health & Safety Officer.

  3. First Aid Facilities 

    In the event of any member of staff requiring first aid treatment it should be provided by one of our qualified first-aiders. 
    Tristan Greensmith and/or John Baker 

  4. Lifting and Moving 

    Staff must take extreme care when lifting or handling any bulky or heavy items. Guidelines are available from Nick Hilliard. 

  5. Housekeeping 

    Staff must ensure that all work areas are kept tidyand particular attention is paid to keeping fire exits clear and to avoid using trailing electrical appliances. 

    Any deficiencies under the staff members control should be reported in writing. 

  6. Equipment 

    All equipment provided must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Staff Must Not use any equipment if there is the slightest suspicion that it is not safe. Any problems must be reported. 

  7. Visitors 

    Staff should ensure that all visitors are closely supervised and exit/entry procedures are followed. In the event of an emergency staff are responsible for the visitor/s.

  8. Emergency Procedures 

    All staff MUST familiarise themselves with the emergency details which are displayed on the staff notice board-see Appendix 1 

  9. Appointments/Training away from the Office 

    All staff must report their location to the designated member of staff, with the event and meeting times. Any deviation with regard to times and location must be notified to office A.S.A.P. Staff will also keep a diary in the office, which should be completed prior to the forthcoming week. 

  10. Training 

    All staff will be advised of their responsibilities as part of their induction training. Periodic courses will be run in the use of fire extinguishers. Other training will be arranged as the need arises. 

  11. General Information 

    Additional information on all aspects of Health & Safety will be displayed on the staff notice board from time to time. 

  12. Revision of the Health & Safety Policy and Emergency procedures 

    The Health & Safety Policy will be kept under review and amendments issued as necessary