health & safety policy

general policy statement

Earl’s Court Community Trust is committed to establishing and maintaining safe working conditions for it’ s staff. In accordance with the Health and safety at Work Act, 1974, this policy also covers non-employees (e.g. service users, volunteers, learners, job applicants and visitors).

It is the Organisation’s policy to do all that is reasonable and practicable to prevent personal injury and damage to property, and to protect everyone from foreseeable work hazards, including the public insofar as they come into contact with its premises/ services / training. Responsibilities for Health Safety fall to both the Organisation, Employees and Volunteer Staff.

responsibility of the organisation

  • Earl’s Court Community Trust has a responsibility, insofar as is reasonable and practicable:

  • To provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, taking account of any statutory requirements

  • To assess the risks to the health, safety and welfare of employees, volunteers, earners and visitors whilst they are on the premises and record its findings as required under the management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1999

  • To adopt a systematic approach to safety which identifies priorities and sets objectives whereby risks are eliminated or minimised by the correct selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes

  • To provide information, operational policies and procedures, training, instruction and supervision to enable employees and volunteers to perform their work safely and efficiently

  • To formally assess any teaching rooms, venues and equipment used for the delivery of programmes, services and training

  • To make available all necessary safety devices and protective equipment and to provide instruction in their use

  • To liaise with all other employers upon its sites insofar as the activities of these employers affect the health , safety and welfare of the Organisation’s staff , volunteers, learners and visitors

  • To assist independent practitioners associated with the Organisation to discharge their responsibilities in assessing and providing safe working conditions for the staff, service users, volunteers, learners and other visitors

responsibilities of employees, contractors and volunteers

All employees, contractors, volunteers and temporary staff have a duty while at work:

  • To take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of all other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions

  • To co-operate with Earl’s Court Community Trust in ensuring all statutory and other requirements are complied with

  • To observe the provisions of this Safety Policy and other policies, codes of practice etc., relating to health and safety

  • Not to intentionally interfere with, or misuse, anything provided for health, safety or welfare

health and safety organisation

Managers are responsible for ensuring that safety requirements are met within their departments.

However, the [role] has overall responsibility for the health and safety matter for Earl’s Court Community Trust Furthermore, the [role] is also responsible for overseeing and developing measures to ensure the health and safety at work of all employees as required under the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992.

To ensure that the best possible advice is available to employees and managers at all levels and to obverse and monitor particular Health and Safety activities, the [role]has a responsibility to:

Ensure that Earl’s Court Community Trust meets its statutory obligations in relation to health and safety including

  • Risks assessments (including risk assessments for pregnant workers)

  • Safe setting up and use of Display Screen Equipment

  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

To actively promote an improvement in the health and safety of the environment

Draw up and work to an annual plan for health and safety

Consider sickness statistics and the reported causes of sickness to consider what improvement can be made to the organisation and/or health and safety infrastructure to reduce these.

Consider and record accidents, incidents and reportable disease statistics and trends, to ensure that unsafe or unhealthy conditions and practices are known and identify opportunities for improvement.

To be the focal point of efforts to prevent accidents and overcome hazards.

Ensure that appropriate training and education is in place in relation to health and safety including induction, fire safety, lifting and handling, sharps injuries, etc., and to continually review the attendance levels and effectiveness of such training.

Monitor developments in health and safety legislation / best practice and produce guidance for the Board.

Regularly review and monitor the effectiveness of the Organisation’s Health and Safety Policy. This can be through commissioned audits and review of incidents.

Carry out and examine safety audit reports and agree follow-up action.

Liaise with other Safety Committees as required.

Ensure that Service Level Agreements contain the required level of safety provision

lReport to the Board

Consult professional experts where appropriate

Be a link with any appropriate inspectors appointed by the Enforcement Authorities and to receive and consider the implications of reports from them.

Safety Training

Earl’s Court Community Trust recognises that instruction and training is a major factor

in promoting a health and safe environment for both staff and visitors. In order that staff

can perform theirs task safely, all staff will be provided with appropriate health and

safety training.

Earl’s Court Community Trust recognises the importance of health and safety training

and firmly believes that to ensure tits health and safety training is effective it must be

based on need. Three main criteria have been identified:

  • Legal requirements

  • Requirements identified following risk assessments

  • General health and safety information

Legal requirements

Earl’s Court Community Trust has a duty under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to provide such information, instruction and training that is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of its employees.

In to the general duty, further regulations made under the act also require training to be given to employees. The main regulations are:

  • Management of Health and Safety work Regulation 1992

  • Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992

  • Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

  • Health and Safety (Display Screen Regulations) 1992

  • Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992

  • Work Place (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1992

  • Fire Precautions Act 1971

Requirements Identified following Risk Assessments

Contained within both the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

1992 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994 (COSHH)

is the requirement to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks.

When full risks assessments have been completed, a safe system of work for that task

will have been decided. Contained within the safe system of work will also be the

training requirements for that task.

Earl’s Court Community Trust recognises that much of this training will be a

statutory requirement. However, in utilising these methods, the Board will be able to

identify particular training needs for employees of the Organisation and the areas of

operation affected.

General Health and Safety Information

To help to maintain a health and safety culture within the organisation, training will

be provided to all staff on a regular basis throughout the year.

Earl’s Court Community Trust is committed to induction for new staff whether paid

or voluntary of which safety instruction and information will play a major part.

The aim of the Organisation’s Health and Safety Training

The aim of Earl’s Court Community Trust is that every employee will be aware of,

understand and be able to implement statutory obligations in relation to health and

safety, and in particular to the requirements of the job they carry out.

Administration of Health and Safety

The [role] is responsible for ensuring that staff is trained in accordance with the

mandatory standards. As such, sufficient training events will be organised for the

standards to be met Attendance at these training events will be monitored and is

mandatory for all appropriate staff.

The [role] will identify any additional training requirements for their departments,

such as those that become apparent following risk assessment or particular incidents

which arise from time to time.

Training Records

Earl’s Court Community Trust will ensure that all training will be recorded. This is

invaluable in the event of an accident or a civil action and to provide evidence that

statutory training has been carried out.

6. POLICIES, GUIDELINES AND CODES OF PRACTICE

The Organisation will develop, maintain and keep under review such policies, guidelines

and codes of practice as are necessary to advise and support the activities of its staff.

7. PROVIDERS OF CONTRACTED SERVICES

Earl’s Court Community Trust will ensure that providers of contracted services, and

those contractors which are used from time to time have their own Policies, Codes of

Practice, Local Rules, etc., which are complementary to those of the Organisation. In

addition, providers of contracted service will be required to adhere to all the Policies,

Guidelines, Codes of Practice and Local Rules of the Organisation. Managers of contracts

will be responsible for monitoring the performance of contractors in this respect to

ensure that Earl’s Court Community Trust is not put at risk.