Health and Safety

    • Health and Safety
      • Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com N3xt g3nov8ion HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY 1. STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY 1.1. The Company fully accepts the obligations plac ed upon it covering health and safety. The Company requires its Chief Executive to ensure that the following policy is implemented and to report annually on its effectiveness. The Act re ferred to in the following Policy Document is The Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005 (No. 10 of 2005) which came into operation on 1 September 2005, except the provisions of section 4( 2), other than as that subsection applies to the repeal of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989. Section 4(2) partly came into operation on 1 November 2007 and 1 January 201 3, insofar as it relates to certain provisions of enactments set out in Part 1 of Sched ule 2. 2. MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION AND ARRANGEMENTS Introduction 2.1. This policy has been prepared and published un der the requirements of Health & Safety at Work legislation. The purpose of the poli cy is to establish general standards for health and safety at work and to dist ribute responsibility for their achievement to all managers, supervisors, and other employees through the normal line management processes. 3. MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES Chief Executive 3.1. The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Company's policy. In particular he is responsible f or ensuring that the policy is widely communicated and that its effectiveness is monitore d. Directors and Senior Managers 3.2. These managers are wholly accountable to the C hief Executive for the implementation and monitoring of the policy within the area of their specified responsibility. Safety Officer 3.3. The Safety Officer is a nominated manager resp onsible for co-ordinating effective health and safety policies and controls across the organisation. 3.4. The Safety Officer is responsible for: • the production and maintenance of the Company's p olicy and ensuring that Department Guidelines are consistent with policy; • its application; • monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of the policy; • the provision of general advice about the implica tion of the law; • the identification of health and safety training needs. The safety officer also acts on behalf of the Chief Executive, as the Company's formal link with the Health and Safety Executive, Environment Health Department s and other external agencies; • the production and maintenance of Health and Safe ty Codes of Practice for each aspect of the services within the Company. Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com 3.5. 3.5 Responsibilities for Specific Workplaces W ORKPLACE SENIOR MANAGER ACCOUNTABLE TO THE SENIOR MANAGER FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THEIR DEPARTMENTS Xxxxx Department etc Director of Xxxxx All Xxxxx Department Managers are accountable to the Director of Xxxxx for their respective areas 4. HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT PROCESS 4.1. The Company believes that consideration of the health, safety and welfare of staff is an integral part of the management process. The pro vision of The Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005, associated Codes of Practice and E.C. Directives will be adopted as required standards within the Company. Responsib ility for health and safety matters shall be explicitly stated in management jo b descriptions. 4.2. The Company requires managers to approach heal th and safety in a systematic way, by identifying hazards and problems, planning impro vements, taking executive action and monitoring results so that the majority of heal th and safety needs will be met from locally held budgets as part of day-to-day man agement, although many health and safety problems can be rectified at little addi tional cost. 4.3. For major additional expenditure, cases of nee d will be submitted by Directors to the Chief Executive. 4.4. If unpredictable health and safety issues aris e during the year, the Chief Executive must assess the degree of risk, in deciding the nec essary resources and actions to commit to addressing these issues. 5. HEALTH, SAFETY AND W ELFARE GUIDELINES 5.1. It is the policy of the Company to require dep artmental managers to produce appropriate health and safety policies or guideline s. These should embody the minimum standards for health and safety for the dep artment and the work organised within it. 5.2. It shall be the responsibility of the manager to bring to the attention of all members of his or her staff, the provisions of the guidelines, and to consult with appropriate Health and Safety Representatives about the updatin g of these guidelines. The model contents of a guideline are: • a clear statement of the role of the department; • regulations governing the work of the department; • clear reference to safe methods of working, for e xample nursing procedures, manufacturers' manuals; • information about immediate matters of health and safety concern, such as fire drills, fire exits, first aid; • training standards; • the role and identity of the Health and Safety Re presentative; • names of specialist advisers who can be approache d about the work of the department; • the manager responsible for organisation and cont rol of work; • accident reporting procedures; Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com • departmental safety rules; • fire procedures; • policies agreed by the Company. 6 . IDENTIFICATION OF HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS - ANNUAL AUDIT AND REGULAR RISK ASSESSMENTS 6.1. It is the policy of the Company to require a t horough examination of health and safety performance against established standards in each d epartment, at least annually. The technique to be adopted for such examinations w ill be the 'Safety Audit'. The Audit requires review of: • standards laid down in the policy; • departmental guidelines; • relevant regulations; • environmental factors; • staff attitudes; • staff instructions; • methods of work; • contingency plans; • recording and provision of information about acci dents and hazards and the assessment of risk. 6.2. The information obtained by the Audit will be used to form the basis of the plan for the department for the following year. Audits must be c ompleted by July of each year. 6.3. The responsibility for ensuring that audit act ivity is carried out as part of this policy rests with the Chief Executive and will be carried out by the Safety Officer. Although the Audit remains a management responsibility, mana gers are required as part of this policy to seek the involvement of the appropri ate Health and Safety Representative in the conduct of the Audit. 6.4. It is the management's responsibility to ensur e that any deficiencies highlighted in the Audit are dealt with as speedily as possible. 6.5. In addition to carrying out Safety Audits, it is the responsibility of the department manager to check, at least quarterly, all portable equipment, including electrical appliances, in their area, and to ensure that all p roblems are immediately dealt with. 6.6. Managers have a continual responsibility for t he elimination of hazards in order to maintain a safe working environment and will also b e expected to carry out regular risk assessments in line with the Health and Safety Executive Guide lines; that is follow the 5 steps: 1. Identify the hazards 2. Decide who might be harmed and how 3. Evaluate the Risks and decide on precautions 4. Record the findings and implement the precaution s 5. Review the assessment and update when necessary 7. SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES 7.1. The Company will support Safety Representative s in carrying out their role and give all reasonable assistance. Safety Representatives w ill be encouraged to discuss specific health and safety issues with the relevant Head of Department. They may also formally report hazardous or unsafe circumstan ces to the Head of Department Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com and will be formally notified of the remedial actio n taken or be given a reason why the action cannot be taken. 8. TRAINING 8.1. Health and Safety training shall be incorporat ed within annual training programmes, as part of the development of a systematic training plan. Health and Safety training needs will, therefore, be identified and planned fo r in the same manner as other training needs. 8.2. Four areas of need shall be given special prio rity: • training for managers, to equip them with an unde rstanding of the manager's responsibilities under this policy, and t he role and purpose of safety representatives; • training for safety representatives to enable the m to discharge their function; • training for all members of staff to acquaint the m with the main provisions of the law and its practical implication, the main features of this policy and key safety rules; • induction and in-service training for staff at al l levels to acquaint them fully with new requirements and hazards. 9. RECORDS, STATISTICS AND MONITORING 9.1. The Company will operate systems for recording , analysis and presentation of information about accidents, hazard situations and untoward occurrences Advice on systems will be provided by the Safety Officer, in conjunction, where appropriate with specialist advisory bodies for example local Enviro nmental Health Departments, and the responsibility for the operation of these syste ms rests with managers and supervisors at all levels. Information obtained fro m the analysis of accident statistics must be acted upon and, where necessary, bids for a dditional expenditure made to the Chief Executive 10. REPORTS TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE 10.1. The responsibility for meeting the requiremen ts of The Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005 shall rest with the Chief Executiv e as delegated to the Safety Officer. 11. SPECIALIST ADVISORY BODIES 11.1. Certain bodies and the individual members of those bodies, have always had a Health and Safety role, most notably, the Health & Safety executive, or local Environmental Health Departments. If further specia list advice is required, this may be obtained by Managers from expert individuals or bodies outside the Company. 12. THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE 12.1. It is the policy of the Company to provide Oc cupational Health Services. Such services are provided confidentially to the individ ual employee and include counselling on health and associated matters, inves tigation of hazards and accidents, environment studies, health interviews a nd employment medicals. 13. FIRST AID 13.1. It is the policy of the Company to make provi sion for First Aid and the training of 'First Aiders' in accordance with the First Aid Reg ulations (1982). The Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the Regulations are imp lemented and for identifying training needs. Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com 14. FIRE 14.1. The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuri ng that the staff receive adequate fire training, and that nominated fire officers are desi gnated in all Company premises. The Chief Executive delegates these responsibilitie s to the Directors. 14.2. In addition the Company will nominate a Fire Officer (this may be the Safety Officer or someone external to the Company) • report and advise on the standard of fire safety in the Company's premises and the standard of fire training of its staff; • undertake overall responsibility for fire trainin g; • assist in the investigation of all fires in the C ompany's premises and to submit reports of such incidents. 15. CONDEMNATION AND DISPOSAL OF EQUIPMENT 15.1. Procedures for the, condemnation and disposal of equipment are set out in the Company's Standing Financial Instructions. Managers introducing new equipment should have new equipment checked by the Safety Off icer. 1 6 . FOOD HYGIENE 16.1. Those Managers who have responsibility for fo od acquisition, storage, processing and serving, and staff induction and training, are responsible for ensuring that these functions are undertaken to the necessary legal sta ndards. Any suspected outbreak of food poisoning or other unexplained and possibly food related incidents must be reported to the Safety Officer 17. LIFTING AND HANDLING 17.1. Managers are responsible for informing staff of safe lifting techniques. The Safety Officer will identify specific training needs. The HR Office / Head Office will ensure training in lifting and handling is provided to sta ff who require it. 18. NON-SMOKING ON COMPANY PREMISES 18.1. The Company has agreed that there will be no smoking in its buildings. The overall aim is to reduce smoking and so save life, reduce r isk of fire, prevent unnecessary illness and chronic disability. The rules relating to smoking on Company premises are available from the HR Department / Head Office. 19. CONTROL OF SUBSTANCES HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH 19.1. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) require the Company to identify those substances which are in u se and which are hazardous to health (as legally defined) and to assess the risk of those substances. The Company must also provide and use controls to preve nt exposure to substances hazardous to health; maintain controls by monitorin g exposure, or by health surveillance of employees; and provide information, instruction and training for employees on all these matters. The Safety Officer is responsible for implementing these Regulations. 20. COMPUTER INSTALLATIONS AND VISUAL DISPLAY UNITS 20.1. All new computer installations must adhere to the British Standard Specifications and comply with the Health and Safety (Display Scre en Equipment) Regulations 1992. All new employees operating VDUs are issued w ith a copy of the Health and Safety Executive Booklet entitled 'Working with VDU s'. New employees who regularly use VDUs will be required to undergo sigh t screening. 21. CONTROL OF W ORKING TIME 21.1. The Company is committed to the principles of the Working Time Regulations. No Health, Safety and Welfare Policy N3xt genov8ion Health and safety policy document w ww.n3xtg3nov8ion.com member of staff is expected to work more than 48 ho urs per week (including overtime) unless there are exceptional circumstance s. Similarly all other requirements of the regulations e.g. in relation to breaks, night workers etc. will be complied with. 22. HEALTH AND SAFETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE 22.1. The Safety, Health and Welfare Act 2005 requ ires each employee 'to take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of himsel f and of other persons who may be affected by their acts and omissions' and co-ope rate with management to enable management to carry out their responsibilities unde r the Act. Employees have equal responsibility with the Company for Health and Safe ty at Work. 22.2. The refusal of any employee to meet their obl igations will be regarded as a matter to be dealt with under the Disciplinary Procedure. In normal circumstances counselling of the employee should be sufficient. With a contin uing problem, or where an employee leaves themself or other employees open to risk or injury, it may be necessary to implement the formal stages of the Dis ciplinary Procedure. 23. PEOPLE W ORKING ON COMPANY PREMISES NOT EMPLOYED BY THE COMP ANY 23.1. Persons working in the Company premises who a re employed by other organisations are expected to follow Company Health and Safety Policies with regard to the safety of Company employees, their ow n personal safety (and that of other parties such as the general public if appropr iate) and their method of work. This responsibility will be included in contracts o r working arrangements. Similarly seconded Company employees working in other host pr emises will be expected to follow the host employers Health and Safety Policy. 24. VISITORS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC 24.1. The Company wishes to ensure that as far as i s reasonably practicable, the Health, Safety and Welfare of visitors to Company establish ments will be of the highest standard. 24.2. Any member of staff who notices persons actin g in a way which would endanger other staff, should normally inform their Head of D epartment. If the danger is immediate, common sense must be used to give warnin g, call for assistance or give aid as necessary. It is equally important not to ov er-react to a situation. 25. CONTRACTORS 25.1. The Company wishes to ensure that as far as i s reasonably practicable, the Health, Safety and Welfare of Contractors working in the Co mpany's establishments will be of the highest standards. In addition, Contractors and their employees have an obligation so far as is reasonably practicable to e nsure all equipment, materials and premises under their control are safe and without r isks to health. 25.2. Contractors must also observe the Company's F ire Safety Procedures. These obligations will be drawn to the attention of the C ontractors in the contract document issued to them. In addition a Company Manager will be identified in the contract as having authority to stop the work of Contractors wh o are placing themselves, other staff, or visitors at risk. Any member of staff who judges there is a risk where contractors are working, should inform their Manage r immediately. 25.3. In tendering, Contractors will be asked to co nfirm they have a written Health, Safety and Welfare Policy. The Company's Manager letting t he Contract will be responsible for monitoring the Health and Safety performance of the Contractor and the Contractor's performance will be a factor in decidi ng whether or not to invite the Contractor to tender again
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but it is too low and we reach it !
Michaelangelo

— n3xt G3nov8ion