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CV Stairs Health and Safety Policy

1. Introduction and Objectives
2. Policy Statement
3. Organisation and Responsibilities
4. Arrangements
5. Measuring
6. Audit and Review
7. Appendix A

1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

This safety policy is produced in support of the following objectives:

To provide a safe and healthy working environment for all employees.
To protect employees, non employees and the environment from any harm that may result from the firm's activities.
To create and maintain a positive health and safety culture and to secure the commitment and participation of all staff.
To achieve compliance with all duties placed upon CV Stairs and recognise that legal requirements are the minimum standards to be achieved.
Adopt a planned and systematic approach to health and safety which identifies and assesses risks created by the firm's activities, with the aim of eliminating, controlling or reducing risk to the lowest level, so far as is reasonably practicable (sfairp).
Recognise the firm's responsibilities under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) and all subsequent health and safety legislation.
Set up a health and safety committee consisting of management and staff representatives.
Planning for health and safety including the setting of realistic short, medium and long term objectives, deciding priorities and establishing adequate performance standards.
Monitoring and reviewing performance to ensure standards are maintained.

2. POLICY STATEMENT

CV Stairs are fully committed to compliance with all relevant health and safety legislation.

CV Stairs recognises and accepts its responsibilities as an employer under the HSWA and will seek to implement the act in all of its activities within its control sfairp, in particular the provision of:

Plant, equipment and systems of work that are safe and properly maintained and supervised.
Safe arrangements for the use, handling, storage, transport and disposal of articles and substances.
Information, instruction, training and supervision so as to enable all employees to avoid hazards and minimise risks and to contribute positively to their own health and safety at work.
A safe place of work and a safe means of access and egress to and from it.
A healthy working environment and appropriate facilities for the welfare of all employees.

CV Stairs recognises that health and safety management can contribute towards organisational performance by reducing injuries, ill health, unnecessary losses and liabilities.

The Safety Director is responsible for all matters of health and safety within the firm. He will give advice and instruction on all health and safety matters.

CV Stairs accepts its responsibilities under section 3 of the HSWA to persons who are not employees but may be affected by its activities.

Employees are required to comply with CV Stairs' Health and Safety Policy and to accept and carry out their responsibilities under section 7 & 8 of the HSWA and regulation 14 of the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). These are set out in appendix A of this policy.

CV Stairs will ensure the competence of all employees to carry out their tasks in a safe manner.

CV Stairs seeks the co-operation of all employees and recognises that without the shared involvement of management and employees success in implementing this policy would be difficult to achieve.

This policy will be amended and updated to take account of any business changes, methods, structure and personnel. To ensure this the policy will be reviewed annually.

3. ORGANISATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Safety Director will have overall responsibility for health and safety matters within CV Stairs.

He will act on behalf of the firm to:

Co-ordinate, develop, maintain and monitor a health and safety culture throughout CV Stairs.
Ensure suitable and sufficient programmes for all employees in health and safety training and risk assessment.
Ensure this policy and any revisions are brought to the attention of all employees.
Arrange effective consultation with employee representatives on all matters relating to health and safety.

He will also have responsibility for:

Administering and monitoring the health and safety performance by ensuring that health, safety and welfare of all employees is in accordance with this policy.
Establishing and maintaining the policy and the organisation and procedures to ensure its effective implementation, monitoring and review.
Providing advice, support and guidance on matters of health and safety policy and procedures.
Arranging for resources to be allocated to meet the requirements of the health and safety policy.
Ensuring health and safety is an integral part of the overall management culture and developing a positive attitude to health and safety among staff by visibly demonstrating commitment to improving the health and safety management of the firm.
Implementing a health and safety management system to ensure assessment of risk and reviewing the preventative and protective measures necessary to eliminate or control risk sfairp.
Devising a plan outlining health and safety objectives with realistic timescales for their achievement.
Providing and maintaining equipment and working conditions which are safe and without risk to health.
Ensuring facilities are available and arrangements are in place for the adequate provision of information, instruction, supervision and training for all employees.
Ensuring health and safety training is provided as necessary.
Advising on the interpretation and application of health and safety legislation and guidance.
Developing a system of consultation with employee reps and providing them with facilities and assistance to carry out their function.
Producing reports/ statistics on matters of health and safety.
Assisting in the assessment of risk and undertake quality assurance ensuring local risk assessment procedures are consistent.
Investigate the cause and circumstances of all accidents and incidents and to assist with the implementation of action plans that will prevent or reduce the further likelihood of accidents/ incidents.
Developing health and safety strategies in support of this policy and for implementing such strategies.
Monitoring and reviewing CV Stairs' safety management system.
Preparation of an annual report on health and safety performance for consideration by the health and safety committee.
Where applicable he will obtain copies of any relevant health and safety publications or codes of practice. These will be added to the health and safety library and held in house. These documents will be available to all for reference.

Health and Safety Representatives will express the views and opinions of staff on health and safety issues and will bring to management attention any potential hazards and/ or dangerous occurrences in the workplace which affect or could affect the staff they represent. They will also:

Liaise with staff and feedback on their behalf to the safety committee.
Serve on this committee for 3 years or until asking to step down.
Be entitled to time off for this activity according to current health and safety legislation. Requests for time off must be authorised by management.
Be free to express their view and not be discriminated against as a result of any action or word spoken by them in good faith in their role as a health and safety representative.

CV Stairs employees will:

Take due regard sections 7 & 8 of the HSWA and regulation 14 of the MHSWR.
Co-operate with their employer so far as is necessary to enable any duties or requirements to be performed or complied with.
Use only equipment provided or authorised for use.
Report any damage or defects to premises or equipment immediately to line management.
Not use any substance which has not been subject to an assessment under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations as amended unless deemed non hazardous.
Co-operate with management in all maters of health and safety, accident and near miss investigation and prevention.
Have access to a copy of the health and safety policy.

4. ARRANGEMENTS

CV Stairs acknowledge both the statutory requirement to consult employees under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employee) Regulations 1996.

Ad-hoc consultation will also take place on a formal and informal basis with workplace elected health and safety representatives and the Safety Director as circumstances dictate.

Safety Committee Meetings

The health and safety committee will meet 3 times a year. A suitable date will be decided for meetings in August and December of each year with the Health and Safety AGM being held on the last Tuesday in April of each year.

The committee will have the facility to convene an extra-ordinary meeting(s) as required. Day to day issues on health and safety should be dealt with as soon as possible and not held over for formal committee meetings.

Prior to the committee meetings taking place the safety committee shall carry out a safety inspection identifying areas which may need to be discussed at their meeting.

The AGM will meet annually to consider:

The effectiveness of the health and safety policy.
Accident statistics.
The annual health and safety report.

In addition the committee will examine and discuss health and safety matters of concern to both management and staff.

They will be advised by the Safety Director of any recommendations to improve safety, consider information and any trends in accidents/ injuries.

It will contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of all policies and procedures.

It will circulate minutes as per company policy.

Membership of the Committee

The committee will comprise:

Managing Director
Safety Director
Administrative Staff Representative
Workshop Staff Representative

First Aid

First aid equipment, facilities and suitability of persons to administer first aid will be adequate and appropriate in the workplace.

Nominated persons will be trained as qualified first aiders. Staff are invited to register any interest in becoming a first aider.

A list of current first aid personnel will be posted at each first aid box and a copy kept by the Safety Director.

Employees will be kept informed of the location and first aid arrangements.

Risk Assessments

Under the MHSWR the firm is legally obliged to carry out risk assessments on its premises, tasks and hazardous substances.

CV Stairs is committed to achieving and maintaining high standards of health and safety for all in the workplace. Identification will take place of hazards associated with operations, evaluate the risks which arise from those hazards and put in place sensible, practical precautions which will protect against them.

Risk assessments will be reviewed as necessary as a check on our safety performance.

Employees will be involved in the assessment process so that account is taken of how a task is performed rather than how the assessor thinks it is done.

New and Expectant Mothers

The MHSWR include regulations that protect the health and safety of new and expectant who work. CV Stairs will automatically risk assess the workplace and working conditions of employee who inform them they are pregnant.

The risk assessment will consist of a discussion with the employee to examine all aspects of her job and will go on to cover areas such as:

Manual handling.
Twisting, stretching and stooping.
Extra risks from slip and trip hazards.
Over reaching.
Seating problems.
Stress.

The risk assessment process should be regularly reviewed throughout the pregnancy. A copy of the Health and Safety Executive's document "A Guide for New and Expectant Mothers who Work" is held by the Safety Director. CV Stairs will use this guidance as a basis for their commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all new and expectant mothers.

Accident Procedures

It will be the responsibility of the first aider providing treatment to ensure that details of the treatment are recorded. Employees are obliged to report every accident no matter how minor. Details of first aid treatments will be recorded and analysed on a monthly basis with the Safety Director responsible for investigation of all accidents.

In the event of a serious injury that results in lost time, the Safety Director must be informed as soon as possible. If the accident results in a major injury or 3 or more day's absence from work, then immediate telephone/ fax/ internet notification to the Health and Safety Executive or Local Authority is required.

Accident investigation will be undertaken in all instances and management can at their discretion initiate a more detailed investigation of certain accidents. They may invite appropriate persons to assist in the investigation.

Certain dangerous occurrences are again reportable, even of no injury has occurred.

Near Miss Incidents

A near miss is simply an unplanned event which does not cause injury or damage but could have done so. Unless CV Stairs are informed of these incidents, they will be unable to take remedial action to prevent them re-occurring.

The Safety Director will be responsible for monitoring all near misses and will provide feedback to employees on his findings and remedial actions.

5. MEASURING

The Safety Director will via accident reports, inspections, near misses and other pro-active and reactive techniques measure the firms' health and safety performance.

This will highlight any failure or weakness in the health and safety management system. It will also highlight shortfalls in:

Training
Risk Assessments
Risk Controls
Information - Instruction - Supervision

Early identification of such shortfalls will allow the firm via the Safety Director to address them by taking appropriate action.

6. AUDIT & REVIEW

The Safety Director will have the responsibility to review and revise as necessary the health and safety management system via the safety policy. He will also as necessary undertake thematic reviews on any health and safety issues.

CV Stairs are committed to an ever improving health and management system by ongoing development, systems and risk control measures.

7. APPENDIX A

THE HSWA 1974

It shall be the duty of every employee while at work:

To take reasonable care for their own health and safety.
To take reasonable care for the health and safety of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
To co-operate with their employer so far as is necessary to enable the employers' duties to be complied with.
Not to interfere with, or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare.

MHSWR 1999

Every employee shall use machinery, equipment, dangerous substances, transport equipment, means of production or safety devices as trained and instructed, and work in compliance with the requirements and prohibitions imposed upon that employer by or under the relevant statutory provisions.

Every employee shall inform his employer or any other employee of that employer with specific responsibilities for the health and safety of his fellow employees of:

Any work situation he considers a serious and immediate danger to health and safety.
Any matters which he considers a shortcoming in the employers' protection for health and safety.

Employees' duties under section 7 of the HSW Act include co-operating with their employer to enable the employer to comply with his statutory duties for health and safety.

The duties placed on employees do not reduce the responsibilities of the employer to comply with duties under these regulations and other relevant statutory provisions:

In particular, employers need to ensure that employees receive adequate instruction and training to enable them to comply with their duties.