Health and Safety Policy
Policy Statement
ESTA Cleaning Services ensures, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its employees and the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by its activities.
Both the staff and management will work in partnership to ensure that its statutory duties with regard to safety are met at all times.
The service will comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements and guidance relating to the safety of staff and people who access our services.
Key regulatory requirements include:
Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996
Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
Employers’ Health and Safety Policy Statements (Exception) Regulations 1975
Key HSE guidance includes:
HSG65 Managing for Health and Safety
INDG275 Plan, Do, Check, Act. An Introduction to Managing for Health and Safety
INDG417 Leading Health and Safety at Work: Leadership Actions for Directors and Board Members
INDG449 Health and Safety Made Simple: The Basics for Your Business
Approach to Health and Safety
ESTA Cleaning Services will:
provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities at all times
consult with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety
provide and maintain safe equipment at all times
ensure the safe handling and use of substances
provide information, instruction, training and supervision as required
ensure that all employees and contractors are competent to do their tasks, and to give them adequate training
act to prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health
ensure that the use, handling, storage and transport of items and substances is carried out safely and that risks to health are controlled
provide, manage and maintain our workplaces, grounds, properties and working conditions so that they are, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and that risks to health are controlled
provide the necessary organisation, expertise and resource — including communication and consultation, planning, monitoring, inspection and auditing procedures — to ensure that there is effective management of health and safety throughout the care service
review and revise this policy, and all associated health and safety policies, as necessary at regular intervals and inform our staff of any changes.
The Organisation of Health and Safety
The overall and final responsibility for health and safety at ESTA Cleaning Services is that of:
Esther Huke
Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring this policy is implemented is that of:
Esther Huke
This Includes the following areas of responsibility;
Fire safety
Manual handling
First aid
Risk assessment
Accident reporting/recording
Accident prevention/prevention of slips, trips and falls
Health and safety information training
Infection control
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)
Equipment safety
Lone working
The Organisation’s Responsibilities
The organisation will ensure that:
all processes and systems of work are designed to take account of health and safety and are properly supervised at all times
a member of senior management maintains specific responsibility for health and safety
competent people are appointed to assist us in meeting our statutory duties including, where appropriate, specialists from outside of the organisation
all employees are consulted on matters relating to health, safety and welfare
adequate facilities and arrangements will be maintained to enable employees to raise issues of health and safety
each employee will be given such information, instruction and training as is necessary to enable the safe performance of work activities
all arrangements are brought to employees’ attention and are monitored and reviewed to ensure that they are effective.
Employees’ Responsibilities
Employees must ensure that they:
co-operate with management to enable all statutory duties to be complied with
take reasonable care of their own health and safety, and the health and safety of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions
familiarise themselves with the health and safety arrangements that apply to them and their work functions.
Specific Arrangements for Health and Safety
Risk assessments
ESTA Cleaning Services understands the need for regular risk assessments to ensure that risks and hazards are identified and suitable controls put in place to eliminate hazards and reduce those risks.
Esther Huke, is responsible for performing regular risk assessments of the workplace. Records will be kept of all risk assessments and regular reviews performed to ensure that all actions have been completed.
Emergency procedures — fire and evacuation
ESTA Cleaning Services understands how dangerous a fire can be. The organisation will, therefore, take all reasonable action to ensure that fire is prevented, both in the organisation’s offices and where our cleaning services are carried out. In the event of a fire staff, people who use services and visitors can be safely evacuated.
Esther Huke is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment for each location is undertaken and implemented and kept up to date, also for ensuring that the emergency evacuation procedure is in place, is kept up to date and is appropriately communicated to all people who use services, staff and visitors.
Equipment
ESTA Cleaning Services understands its responsibility to ensure that all equipment is safe to use and appropriately maintained and serviced.
Esther Huke will be responsible for identifying all equipment that needs regular maintenance and servicing. Defective equipment should be taken out of service by staff and any problems found with equipment should be reported to Esther Huke, who will prioritise and order repairs or replacement as appropriate. Full procurement, servicing and maintenance records will be kept.
Safe handling of hazardous substances (COSHH)
ESTA Cleaning Services understands the need to ensure that staff and people who use services are protected from potentially hazardous substances.
Esther Huke will be responsible for identifying all substances which need a COSHH assessment and for ensuring that those assessments are completed and kept up to date. Product information sheets for each identified substance will be kept in a file that is accessible to staff.
Lone working
ESTA Cleaning Services recognises that lone working constitutes a significant area of risk where a number of staff work alone in commercial premises. The organisation will complete a risk assessment of all lone working and keep this under review. Employees are required to have access to a fully charged mobile phone to enable them to contact the agency offices which will be fully staffed during work hours.
Health and safety information, training and supervision
ESTA Cleaning Services will be responsible for ensuring that an up-to-date Health and Safety Law poster is prominently displayed in the organisation’s offices and that all relevant health and safety information is passed on to staff.
Esther Huke is responsible for co-ordinating health and safety training, including induction training, manual handling training, fire training, first-aid training and specialist training in risk assessment and health and safety management. The organisation will keep records of staff training and all staff will be held responsible for ensuring that they attend any training required.
In this service, all staff will be adequately appraised and supervised. Supervision of young workers and trainees will be arranged, co-ordinated and monitored by Esther Huke.
Accidents and first aid
ESTA Cleaning Services understands the need to ensure that all accidents and incidents are reported and adequate records kept and reviewed so that trends and patterns can be identified and action taken.
Esther Huke is responsible for ensuring that accident records are kept and monitored and that any appropriate actions resulting from reviews are put into action.
The Accident Book/Accident Forms are available at each location, employee should contact Esther Huke, who can advise of the forms location if not able to be found.
Esther Huke is responsible for investigating accidents and for reporting accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority if required.
All staff receive first aid instruction during their induction.
First-aid boxes are placed in all locations.
Health and safety policies
This organisation has the following policies:
Fire Safety Policy
Emergency Evacuation Policy
First Aid Policy
Moving and Handling Policy
COSHH Policy
Infection Control Policy
Accidents Policy
Lone Worker Policy
Prevention of Slips, Trips and Falls Policy
Health and Safety Training Policy
Working at Height Policy
Record Keeping Policy.
Esther Huke is responsible for ensuring that policies are made available to staff, are kept up to date and that any changes are communicated to staff as required.
Training
Providing adequate health and safety training to ensure employees are competent to do their work is the responsibility of Esther Huke.
Training will commence on the first day of employment so that employees are familiar with basic procedures once they are at their place of work. All new staff will be expected to attend induction, which will include the provision of statutory information designed to ensure safety at work. Following induction, a programme of health and safety refresher training will be agreed with staff representatives.
A requirement to attend any of the courses will be agreed with each member of staff during their annual appraisal. The need to attend a specific course will then be added to their personal training plan.
Signed course attendance registers and details of training attended by staff will be kept.
Full details will be included in the organisation’s Health and Safety Training Policy.