Health & Safety Policy 2019

Health and Safety Policy

Policy Statement

The following is a statement of the charity’s health and safety policy in accordance with Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

It is the policy of Play Inclusion Project to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all staff and volunteers working for the charity and other persons who may be affected by our undertakings.

Our health and safety policy is to:

Prevent accidents and work related ill-health
Manage health and safety risks in the workplace
Provide clear instructions, information and adequate training to ensure staff are competent enough to do their work
Provide personal protective equipment
Consult with staff on matters affecting their health and safety
Provide and maintain safe equipment
Ensure the safe handling and use of substances
Maintain safe and healthy working conditions
Implement emergency procedures including evacuation in case of fire or other significant incident
All personnel are made aware of their individual responsibilities
Employees/volunteers are given sufficient information, instruction, and training needed to maintain their health and safety at work
Equipment and ways of working are safe and without risk to health
Arrangements are made for the safe handling, storage and transport of articles and substances at work
Risk assessments are carried out and reports detailing the findings are made available to staff
All relevant health and safety legislation are complied with
The Management Committee expects all its employees and volunteers to assist in ensuring that the organisation can fulfil all its health and safety obligations by –
Working safely and efficiently
Reporting incidents that have led or may lead to accidents
Meeting company rules and procedures

Managerial organisation and responsibilities

This policy covers all employees and volunteers working for Play Inclusion Project in any of its offices and group settings.

Overall responsibility for health and safety lies with the board of trustees who are responsible for:

ensuring resources are adequate to maintain health and safety standards
ensuring the nominated employee carries out safety duties adequately
acting on reports and recommendations made by the nominated employee

The Charity Manager will be responsible for:

Ensuring all employees and trainees, paid or unpaid, receive adequate training
Ensuring that the Health and Safety policy is implemented, monitored and reviewed regularly
Working with the nominated person (Group Supervisor) in investigating all accidents and incidents and preparing the appropriate reports for the Management Committee
Making regular inspections of property, equipment and procedures, presenting reports on accidents, incidents and near misses to the Management Committee
Ensuring the Activity Coordinators carry out their duties as Health and Safety Officer adequately

The nominated employee will be responsible, on a day to day basis, for:

acting as the competent person under the act
carrying out risk assessments as required under current legislation
implementing the health and safety policy in co-operation with other staff
reporting accidents, incidents and near misses to the Manager
ensuring good housekeeping is maintained
maintaining records of:
- accidents
- fire drills
- safety checks
- nominated First Aid person in the centre
preparing, where appropriate, incident/accident reports as required by RIDDOR

maintaining up-to-date legislative information on Acts and Regulations
maintaining all certificates and registers required under relevant legislation
carrying out initial reviews of health and safety policy as requested by the Act
ensuring all new equipment or processes are introduced in line with regulations

All staff, trainees and volunteers will be responsible for:

co-operating with management on health and safety matters
taking reasonable care of their own health and safety
reporting all health and safety concerns to the Charity Manager
reporting accidents, incidents or near misses or any potential risks to the nominated worker

Compliance with the Health and Safety Policy is a condition of employment and breaches may be subject to disciplinary procedure.

This policy will be reviewed every two years, and amended after major changes to legislation, processes or equipment. The review will be carried out by the nominated Health and Safety Officer in consultation with all staff and be submitted to the Management Committee for approval.

Risk Assessments

Written risk assessment will be carried out where an unsafe condition or practice is identified
A competent person shall be appointed to carry out such an assessment
Play Inclusion Project will define and implement procedures for serious and imminent danger
Assessment will be carried out with employer/employee co-operation
Information will be made available to relevant workers
Risk assessments will be reviewed and if necessary updated annually.

Arrangements for Health and Safety

Risk Assessments

Written risk assessment will be carried out where an unsafe condition or practice is identified
A competent person shall be appointed to carry out such an assessment
Play Inclusion Project will define and implement procedures for serious and imminent danger
Assessment will be carried out with employer/employee co-operation
Information will be made available to relevant workers
Risk assessments will be reviewed and if necessary updated annually.

Training

All new staff will be given health and safety induction and any relevant training
We will provide personal protective equipment
Training needs will be discussed at staff supervisions
Health and Safety training courses will be arranged as deemed necessary by the Management Committee to maintain a suitable level of ‘appointed person’
Prior to the introduction of any new equipment or change in work practices, the Management Committee will identify any new training requirements in consultation with the Chairperson

Reporting accidents

any person involved in an accident, whether or not injury is sustained must report to the Health and Safety Officer as soon as possible
any person receiving any injury – however slight – must report it and obtain adequate treatment
any person involved in a ‘near miss’ or dangerous occurrence must report this as soon as possible
any unsafe conditions or work activities should be reported to your line manager or nominated Health and Safety Officer

Working away

All relevant safety rules and legislation apply to all employees on Play Inclusion Project business away from the office.

Fire/Emergency Arrangements

All staff must make themselves aware of evacuation plans in the event of fire or other emergency including bomb alert. A copy of the plan will be displayed
Staff will be issued with information as to locations of fire equipment and emergency exits – all staff are required to make themselves aware of these
Fire drills will be held on a regular basis – everyone is required to take part. The nominated person will keep a record of all drills.
All fire doors must be kept closed at ALL times
The nominated person will make regular checks to ensure that fire exits are kept clear and all safety notices will remain conspicuously displayed

General Code of Practice

Use equipment only for the purpose for which it was purchased – do not improvise

Use equipment with regard to the manufacturer’s instructions
Do not continue to use equipment if a fault develops – report it to your line manager
Never run cables under carpets, ensure suitable cable covers are used
Only use mullet-socket outlet adapters if a qualified electrician has checked these
Co-operate with other staff by maintaining good housekeeping, especially in your own work area
Filing cabinets drawers are to be kept closed at all times and filled from the bottom upwards – to prevent toppling
Staff working alone in the building must ensure the front door is locked
Solitary workers must ensure that they are not suffering from a medical condition that makes working alone unsafe
Staff working alone must never take personal risks eg overstitching or climbing on inappropriate surfaces

Staff/Volunteers visiting the homes of service users

The safety of all staff and volunteers is paramount:

Staff visiting children at their homes must never take any personal risks
The details of appointments should be recorded on the weekly timesheet and handed to the Charity Manager
Staff on such visits should always inform relatives or friends of their intended whereabouts, giving a deadline for a check call
Play Inclusion Project asks that where relatives or friends are the contact, that they are made aware of the need for urgent action in this event
Staff who have a medical condition, which may affect their ability to work, should discuss this with their line manager/chairperson
Where accidents, near misses or dangerous occurrences take place whilst on Play Inclusion Project business, these should be reported as soon as possible to the nominated person who will enter them into the accident book
It is important that, on entering the homes of children, staff should guard against accidents occasioned by torn or frayed carpets, loose rugs and slippery floor surfaces or trailing cables and flexes
Care should be taken on unlit corridors or stairs

Code of Practice for VDU Users:

Ensure that the screen is adjusted, with regard to brightness and contrast, to suit individual users
Users should take short but frequent breaks – ideally five to ten minutes in each hour – by varying the type of work done
Users may request free eye tests where use of the VDU is felt to cause an eye problem
Each user should ensure that their chair, desks VDU casings and keyboards are adjusted to suit
Use any PPE (person protective equipment) provided eg screen filters and footrest
Ensure there is no reflected light on the screen
Report any glare or flicker to the nominated person
Report any environmental or hardware problem which may be specific to a user to the nominated person
Risk assessments should be carried out when new equipment (including software) is installed

Manual Handling

When moving heavy items staff should have regard to Manual Handling techniques
Staff must take account of their individual capability and ask for assistance with heavy or bulky loads
Instructions for manual handling will be provided