Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Health and Safety Policy Statement of System People Ltd

Our statement of general policy is:

• To provide a safe and healthy environment for all employees, learners and others;
• To ensure all employees understand that safety is a condition of their employment and re-quires participation and involvement in order to be successful;
• To ensure accidents and ill health are minimised;
• To identify any significant risks associated with the activities undertaken by System People and take reasonable steps to adequately control such risks
• To consult with employees and learners on matters affecting their health and safety;
• To provide and maintain safe plant and equipment;
• To provide suitable and sufficient information, supervision, instruction and training to employees and learners;
• To review and revise this policy as necessary at regular intervals

Responsibilities

1. Overall and final responsibility for Health and Safety is that of Tony Higgins, MD.
2. Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice is the responsibility of the management team.
3. To ensure Health and Safety standards are maintained and improved, the following person has responsibility, Tony Higgins, Managing Director.
4. All employees/learners will:

• Co-operate with trainers, supervisors and managers on health and safety issues to enable them to fulfil their legal obligation.
• Do not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety, including horseplay.
• To take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themselves and others affected by their acts and/or omissions and report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate per-son (as detailed in this policy statement).

Health and Safety risks arising from our work activities

• Suitable and sufficient risk assessments will be undertaken by competent persons within the company for hazardous activities or when new work activities or equipment are introduced.
• Significant findings or concerns relating to the risk assessments will be reported to the Managing Director or Operations Director.
• The Operations Director will recommend actions to be taken to introduce or improve any risk control systems or safe systems of work and will liaise with the relevant managers to facilitate such actions.
• Action required to remove/control risks can be approved and will be recorded by the Operations Director.
• The Operations Director will be responsible for liaising with relevant managers to ensure actions required are implemented.
• The Operations Director will check that the implemented actions have removed or reduced the risks.
• Department Managers will be responsible for ensuring that all employees and learners are informed about relevant risk assessments including when new risk assessments are introduced.
• Risk assessments will be reviewed annually or when the work activity changes, whichever is soonest.

Consultation with Employees/Learners

Employee representative(s) are: Tony Higgins, Kevin Pierce, Lindsey Conners, Donna Brown, Sarah Taylor, Richard Attenborough

• Consultation with employees will be arranged through quarterly team meetings.

1. All meetings will have Health and Safety as a point on the agenda. Any information, changes or consultation regarding Health and Safety will take place at team meetings.
2. Issues raised at employee level should be reported at the company meetings.
3. Health and Safety issues raised at company meetings will be reported to the Managing Di-rector by the Operations Director or their nominated representative and will, where necessary, be passed on to the Department Team meetings by the Operations Director or his/her nominated representative.
4. Any health and safety issues relating to completed learner evaluation forms will be reported to the Training Manager.

Safe Vehicles and Equipment

Richard Attenborough will be responsible for identifying all existing equipment & vehicles needing maintenance but will have support available from the senior management.

Vehicles and equipment will be maintained in line with manufacturer’s guidelines and the requirements of all relevant legislation such as:

• Health and Safety at Work, ect Act 1974 (HSWA).
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW).
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992 (PUWER).
• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).

The Managing Director will be responsible for ensuring that all identified maintenance is implemented, and that adequate maintenance records are kept and readily available.

Any problems found with vehicles/equipment that cannot be resolved locally should be reported to the /Managing Director.

Richard Attenborough will check that new vehicles and equipment meets health and safety standards before it is recommended for purchase.

Safe Handling and use of Substances

• Kevin Pierce will be responsible for identifying all substances which need a COSHH assessment within this Centre.
• Kevin Pierce will be responsible for undertaking reviews of COSHH assessments on all substances currently being used.
• Tony Higgins will be responsible for ensuring that all actions identified in the assessments are implemented.
• Kevin Pierce will be responsible for ensuring that all relevant employees and trainees are informed about the COSHH assessments.
• Kevin Pierce will check that new substances can be used safely before they are purchased.
• COSHH Assessments will be reviewed annually or when the work activity changes, whichever is soonest.

Information, Instruction and Supervision

• The Health and Safety Law poster is displayed on the wall in the Main Office
• Health and safety advice is available from;
• Tony Higgins will arrange for risk assessments to be carried out as and when required in accordance with this policy and legislation Rebecca Bird will arrange the supervision of any young workers on site.
• When it is required for a trainer/instructor to carry out on site practical training for a customer they will complete an onsite risk assessment, or ensure an up to date on site risk assessment has previously been completed by a competent member of staff, (i.e. within the past six months and no significant changes) prior to the commencement of any training. System People employees working at locations under the control of other employers must co-operate with the site safety rules and procedures which may include attending a site in-duction.
• Any problems with personal protective equipment should be reported in the first instance to Kevin Pierce

Competency for Tasks and Training

• Induction training will be provided for all new employees by Rebecca Bird or delegated to a competent individual where appropriate.
• Job specific training will be provided by the employee’s line manager, or delegated to a competent person.
• Specific jobs requiring special training are

1. As outlined in relevant risk assessments
2. Use of cleaning equipment and elevated platforms
3. Manual handling
4. Use of Vehicles
5. Where learners are on government funded training programmes, an employer Health and Safety Standards form will be completed prior to sign up. This document will be completed by a competent person Staff Training records will be kept by the Human Resources Department.

• Job specific training will be identified, arranged and monitored by Rebecca Bird or delegated to a competent person as applicable.

Accidents, First Aid and Work-related ill Health

• The first aid box is held in the main reception areas
• The first aiders are:

Emergency First Aiders (1 Day Course)
Sarah Verry

First Aid at Work First Aiders (3 Day course)
Stephen Barnes
David McKenzie
Kevin Pierce
Carl Jones

• All accidents and cases of work-related ill health are to be recorded in the accident book, located in Skiddaw reception . The Accident book is to be used in line with the data protection agency guidance with completed sheets numbered, torn out of the book and securely stored. The company accident report form must also be completed for all accidents and near misses. This form must not be completed by the injured person. The original accident report form must be hand written and sent to the Operations Director
• Department managers are to ensure that all new employees to System People as part of their induction are familiar with the internal accident reporting procedure i.e. Accident Book and Accident Report form.
• The Operations Director is responsible for reporting notifiable accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority, a relevant director and to the company insurers.

Monitoring

• To check our working conditions, and ensure our safe working practices are being followed, we will;

1. 1. Conduct a minimum of an annual audit of all Departments including Health and Safety documentation and agree an action plan where required.
   2. Arrange equipment inspections and maintenance in line with manufacture recommendations.
   3. Review working procedures and risk assessments annually unless circumstance dictates otherwise.
   4. Arrange premises inspections, test alarm systems and evacuation procedures in line with this policy.

• The Operations Director is responsible for investigating accidents.
• The Managing Director, is responsible for validating investigation findings to prevent a recurrence.
• The Operations Director is responsible for investigating work-related causes of sickness absences.

Remember, all staff have a legal responsibility to co-operate with their employer on matters of health and safety, not to interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health and safety, attend relevant health and safety training, follow the company rules and procedures, comply with relevant risk assessments, wear relevant personal protective clothing where this has been identified, report any shortcomings in health and safety, report any serious or imminent danger including hazards or unsafe practices, report all accidents they are involved in.

Emergency procedures – Fire and evacuation

• The Managing Director or nominated responsible person for fire is responsible for ensuring a suitable fire risk assessment is carried out for the premises. The nominated responsible person for fire for these premises is David Wardle who is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and thereafter managed including any actions implemented.
• Escape routes are checked by Duty Key holder.
• Managers will ensure that contractors and sub contractors are approved and undergo an induction. The person inviting the contractors on site will check their liability insurance, safety policy and appropriate risk assessments prior to any work being carried out. A copy of the Use of Contractors procedures will be provided to contractors prior to work commencing for completion and return to the admin office where details will be held on file. This check need not be carried out every time the same contractor visits if they carry out regular work. An annual check to ensure insurance and assessments are current is sufficient.
• System People provides all employees with access to the following policies:
  • Health and Safety policy
  • Equality and Diversity Policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Access to risk assessments
• Fire extinguishers are maintained and checked by Border Fire. Any damage to extinguishers or fire information/safety signs should be reported to the Operations Director.
• Alarms are tested by Charlotte Rome or representative weekly on Wednesday at 11.15 am
• Emergency evacuation will be tested every six months, the evacuation will be timed and details recorded in a register to be kept by Kevin Pierce
  (the responsible person for fire).