Corporate Health and Safety Policy Statement
Our statement of general policy is:
The EcoSheek Bag Company 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. The company will comply with best practice by:
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.
Developing health, safety and environmental awareness and individual responsibility for health, safety and environment amongst employees at all levels.
Providing all employees with the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to work safely and effectively
Encouraging full and effective consultation on health, safety and environmental matters.
Preventing nuisance to the community and to avoid damage to the environment.
Treating health & safety as an integral part of the business operation.
It is the policy of the EcoSheek Bag Company to ensure and promote the health and safety of anyone engaged in the company's business.
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.
Employees also have a duty of care for their own health & safety and that of others.
Copies of the Health & Safety Policy are on the company website and held in the office and are available for all staff to view.
This is the company’s specific policy statement in line with the HEALTH & SAFETY AT WORK ACT 1974, other statutory requirements, and subordinate regulations and approved codes of practice.
This statement applies to all staff employed by EcoSheek Bag Company Ltd
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.
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 or used by the company without exception.
Working areas will, subject to unforeseeable emergencies or exceptional weather conditions, be maintained at a reasonable temperature.
Provision will be made for rest periods.
The whole of the premises will, subject to power failure, be kept adequately lit.
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.
Highly flammable material such as fuels, solvent-based or chemical based products will be kept to a minimum.
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.
The buildings will be maintained in safe condition. All requirements to enable a current fire certificate to be maintained will be observed. Implementing the building fire regulations will be the responsibility of the office space supplier, it will remain the responsibility of EcoSheek Bag Company and it’s employees to draw attention to, and seek remedial action to counter, unacceptable conditions highlighted by periodic risk assessments.
Display screen compliance with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) regulations 1992 (as amended 2002).
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.
In addition the company will ensure that all electrical equipment is tested and maintained. This will also include Portable Appliance Tests (PAT) where necessary.
General 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.
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 an appropriate place in the office.
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.
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.
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.
Audits and implementation
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.
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.
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.
Sarah M. Carter is responsible for Heath & Safety and has general responsibility for the implementation of the Health & Safety Policy. The Health & Safety Policy will be kept under review and amendments issued as necessary