Health and Safety Policy (May23)

Introduction

The health and safety of our employees (whether working in the office or remotely) and visitors to our premises is important to us as a firm. We recognise and accept our legal responsibilities to ensure health and safety in the workplace under relevant legislation. These include the responsibility to:

provide and maintain a safe and healthy place of work;
provide information, instruction, training and supervision;
provide and maintain plant and equipment and safe systems of work;
ensure safe access to and from the places of work; and
work to prevent accidents and work-related ill health.

Purpose

This policy aims to inform you of the firm’s health and safety obligations, your obligations and the procedures in place to prevent health and safety incidents from occurring.

Scope

This policy applies to us all, including managers, consultants and any third party to whom it has been communicated.

The policy covers the health and safety of all of us and visitors to our premises.

Responsibility

Nicola Robinson (Director) is our Health and Safety Manager and is responsible for:

this policy;
keeping up to date with legal obligations;
promoting and communicating health and safety information within our firm;
reviewing and implementing any training needs in this area;
appointing expertise, if necessary; and
assigning the necessary resources to fulfil health and safety obligations.

In the absence of the Health and Safety Manager, Nicholas John will deputise for her.

Administrative responsibilities have been delegated to Beth Dean (Accounts Assistant). These duties include:

booking courses or arranging general training;
maintaining relevant records;
arranging necessary maintenance, repair or replacement of essential equipment;
liaising with the relevant person when problems arise in order to identify the steps to be taken to rectify the situation and carrying out such steps as are agreed;
recording all accidents and injuries;
arranging safety drills at regular intervals; and
carrying out routine inspections as required.

All of us have a responsibility to observe all health and safety rules, familiarise ourselves with the contents of this policy and cooperate with the Health and Safety Manager, as required.

Disciplinary action may be taken against you if you negligently, persistently or deliberately fail to adhere to the requirements of this policy.

Policy statement

It is the policy of our firm to take all reasonably practicable precautions for the prevention of accidents and dangerous occurrences and for working conditions which safeguard us all. We will allocate the necessary resources and seek your active support to put health and safety measures in place.

We believe that nobody should suffer occupational illness or injury as a result of their work. Furthermore, we believe that all harm can be prevented and sustainable zero harm can be achieved. Everyone can and must go home safe every day.

Our obligations as an employer

To comply with relevant legislation, as far as it is reasonably practicable, it is acknowledged that we must:

provide and maintain a working environment that is safe;
carry out suitable and sufficient assessments for the health and safety of you and third parties affected by our work activities;
make arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances;
provide information, instruction, training and supervision, as necessary, to ensure the health and safety at work of you including the proper use of equipment and materials;
encourage open reporting of all incidents;
provide a means of access to and from any place of work under our control which is safe and without risks to health; and
review and revise policies and procedures when legislative or significant or organisational changes occur.

Your obligations as an employee

You have a role to play in ensuring the safety of everyone in the workplace. You are obliged to report any situations which you think pose a serious or imminent danger to health and safety or any matters where you see shortcomings in our arrangements for health and safety, to the Health and Safety Manager.

In practical terms, this means that you should ensure that you:

take reasonable care of yourself and of others in the exercise of your/their work;
follow policies and instructions designed to maintain health and safety;
take part in any training or exercises the firm may organise;
demonstrate visible leadership and accountability for safety and health when supervising people’s work;
cooperate with the Health and Safety Manager in relation to health and safety duties;
use equipment in accordance with instructions or normal practice;
do not undertake any task for which you have not been authorised or adequately trained;
do not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health and safety at work;
report any hazards of which you are aware, including if you believe you or others are under unacceptable levels of stress; and
cooperate with the application of safety procedures.

Reporting obligations

You must report:

any accident, however trivial the injury;
any failure of equipment or safety, whether an accident occurs or not; and/or
A particular problem, which may lead to a dangerous situation arising.

Risk assessments

We will carry out periodic health and safety risk assessments to:

identify all hazards which may cause harm to you and visitors to our premises;
evaluate the probability and severity of potential injury or damage; and
analyse the options for eliminating, reducing or controlling the identified risks and then take the appropriate action.

Risk assessments may be undertaken by appropriately designated and suitably trained staff or external consultants and will be repeated as often as circumstances may require.

It is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Manager to:

arrange for risk assessments to be carried out;
arrange for steps to be taken to eliminate, reduce or control risks identified;
review assessments periodically, particularly where they may no longer be valid because of a significant change to the workplace or workplace activities;
keep written records of the findings of risk assessments; and
provide you and others, working on our premises, with comprehensive and relevant information on risks, preventative and protective measures, emergency procedures and competent persons.

Records

The following items are displayed or held on record at our premises:

Employer’s liability insurance;
Health and safety poster;
Details of first aid arrangements;
An accident book;
Records of training and evacuation drills; and
Emergency evacuation procedures;

Training

Training and on-going awareness communications are required to ensure that you continue to be alert to health and safety issues. This will take the form of:

induction for new staff;
induction for temporary staff;
retraining when a role changes (if appropriate) or when new equipment or procedures are introduced;
occasional updates, as appropriate;
practice of emergency procedures;
the use of email, staff meetings and newsletters to communicate health and safety issues; and
review of the contents of this policy.

General health and safety dos and don’ts

Do:

keep all areas free from hazards and obstructions particularly, corridors, floors, stairways and fire escapes;
report all accidents and any instances of unsafe activity or behaviour;
be aware of the means of escape in the event of a fire;
ensure that you know where the first aid kit is;
report faulty equipment;
observe manufacturers’ instructions for the use of equipment;
switch off electrical equipment when not in use;
place all office waste in the bins provided;
use a step ladder if you need to reach anything above normal height;
keep drinks away from electrical items;
keep leads around desk areas as tidy as possible;
if any item is too heavy or awkward to lift, either leave it or get help;
ensure that lights are put on as soon as natural light fades; and
keep work areas as tidy as possible, including desktops and floor areas.

Don’t:

operate equipment that you are unfamiliar with;
clutter up corridors and stairways;
overload electrical sockets;
have trailing cables in your work area;
overloading filing cabinets; bookcases and shelving;
misuse equipment; or
stand on chairs.

Specific areas of concern

Office security

Our premises are protected by a burglar alarm system. Details about the operation of this and of the access control system, will be given to those who need to know about them.

When leaving the premises, you must check that windows in your area are closed, any blinds are closed and all electrical equipment is switched off. You are responsible for the security of your own property and should be aware that this might not be covered by our insurance.

Personal safety

You should comply with the security precautions set out in this policy to ensure your personal safety.

Working in the office outside of core hours

If you work in the office outside of core hours, the office security precautions (set out above) must be observed. You should ensure that members of the public cannot continue to enter the building, after office hours.

Unattended individuals within the office

Any authorised visitors should have their visitor’s lanyard showing to confirm that they have signed in at reception.

Unattended strangers who have come into any area of the office, must be asked who they have come to see and escorted back to the reception area immediately.

Any unusual circumstances relating to our safety must be reported to the most senior member of staff available.

Meetings outside of the office

If you attend meetings outside of the office, you must ensure that the full details of the meeting and the location are recorded in your electronic calendar which must be available for other staff to view. Reception should also be informed if you leave the office, and you should sign out at the back door. Any subsequent changes to the arrangement should be notified to the office, as soon as possible.

Unless specific authority has been given, you should not enter into arrangements to travel with a client to or from an outside appointment, e.g. court hearings.

Working from home or another remote location

You may make arrangements (with your supervisor’s approval) to work from home or another remote location. Where this is a regular occurrence, we are still responsible for your health and safety when undertaking work in such circumstances and, likewise, you are required to take reasonable care of your health and safety when working in your home or other remote environment. The requirements for such arrangements are as follows:

the Health and Safety Manager (or another suitable person to whom this responsibility is delegated to) will need to undertake a risk assessment of the work activities and the working environment, with your agreement, to identify the hazards relating to the work and the necessary steps to prevent harm to anyone in your home. The risk assessment will include a DSE assessment to ensure the suitability of your workspace and desk setup and that it will enable you to work effectively. Once a home working area has passed a risk assessment, you are responsible for complying with its findings. You must contact the Health and Safety Manager to request a review of the risk assessment if there is a change in your working activities or environment;
see the ‘Work/ IT equipment’ section in the Flexible, Remote and Hybrid Working Policy for details of equipment that will be provided to you if you are working remotely on a regular basis;
reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled employees who are working remotely on a regular basis.
any health and safety problems that you foresee or that arise, must be reported to the Health and Safety Manager;
a first aid box should be available at the remote working location;
you must have working smoke alarms fitted throughout your home, which are frequently tested and an escape plan in place in the event of a fire;
accidents occurring from the remote working location, during your working hours, should be reported to the Health and Safety Manager;
you must have an effective homeworking plan in place to mitigate against the risks of loneliness, isolation, and stress, to help you to separate home and working life and to stay productive when working from home. Examples of what to include within your plan include: having a set workspace, planning your day to minimise distractions and maximise productivity, setting office hours to be clear on working and personal time, ensuring you are IT savvy and can solve routine IT problems, taking regular breaks away from the screen and leaving the house for fresh air/a change of scenery during break times;
follow the firm’s data security requirements set out the Information Management and Security Policy, for example ensure that your computer is password protected and change passwords regularly, log off when you are away from your desk for any period of time, be aware of your desk’s positioning and ensure that your screen does not show confidential information to others, such as through a window;
regularly review your home’s security and take any necessary actions to improve security and prevent break-ins; and
the safety requirements set out in this policy are also applicable to other working environments, as far as they are applicable and relevant to such an environment.

Fire safety

Many fires are avoidable or, if they do break out, the effects can be minimised by having effective controls and procedures in place.

Responsibilities

Fire safety and maintenance of fire safety equipment is our responsibility.

A fire alarm system is in place and this is tested periodically. There are also extinguishers located throughout our premises.

The Health and Safety Manager will ensure that:

you are aware of the fire and evacuation procedure and assembly point;
you are aware of the fire alarm sound;
emergency exit routes are kept clear at all times and signed appropriately;
procedures are in place to supervise and monitor visitors and contractors; and
procedures are in place to ensure the safety of disabled people

Fire instructions

If you discover a fire:

shout ‘FIRE’, ensuring that the warning has been heard by those nearest to you;
activate the nearest fire alarm immediately;
if it is safe to do so, use the nearest fire extinguisher to try and stop the fire. However, do not put yourself at any risk trying to tackle a blaze. Always ensure that there is a safe exit route before attempting to extinguish a fire;
if it is not safe to attempt to extinguish the fire, immediately vacate the premises by the nearest available exit and proceed to the assembly point indicated below. Do not delay collecting personal belongings. Leave in an orderly manner.

If you are informed of a fire or if the alarm is sounded:

immediately vacate the premises by the nearest available exit. Do not delay collecting personal belongings;
proceed in an orderly manner to the assembly point and await the roll call;
reception (where possible) should phone the emergency services and then leave the premises. On reaching the assembly point, this should be given to a senior member of staff;
if there are any clients, visitors, contractors or other third parties on the premises, you should take care to ensure that they are also escorted out of the building to the assembly point;
a senior member of staff will conduct the roll call and any absences must be reported to the emergency services when they arrive;
you must wait for authorisation to be given before returning to the office.

Assembly points

The assembly points are located at:

The fire notice (on the car park next to the annexe)

Fire drills

A fire drill requiring full evacuation of our premises will be conducted at least annually. You must cooperate fully with these drills.

The Health and Safety Manager (or another suitable person to whom this responsibility has been delegated to) will keep a record of all fire drills.

Emergency evacuation

This evacuation procedure should be followed for any emergency requiring evacuation from our premises, i.e. gas leak, bomb threat, attack on staff or the building.

You should make a sensible judgement as to whether it is appropriate to wait at the assembly point, in the event of an emergency, or whether you should seek alternative shelter to ensure your safety, i.e. in the event of an attack on the building and or/ the staff.

First aid

Nicola Robinson is responsible for first aid within our firm. It is her duty to ensure that the first aid kit is always fully equipped and that a record of all accidents and incidents is maintained.

Unless a trained first aider is present, there must be no attempt to administer any more than basic first aid unless advice is being given by an emergency operator over the telephone. First aiders will attend relevant recognised training courses when first taking on the role and refresher courses, on an annual basis.

If an accident is serious enough to require qualified medical attention or hospitalisation, Nicola Robinson, or another suitable person, in their absence, must be informed immediately so that the individual’s next of kin can be informed.

Our first aid arrangements:

First aiders: Beth Dean and Ellen Brian
Location of first aid kit: post room
Location of accident book: post room

Accidents

In the event that an accident or injury occurs, whilst you are working in the office:

you must seek assistance from a first aider;
the first aider must ensure that a written account of the accident is completed including:
- the date and time of the accident;
- the full name of the person(s) involved;
- the nature of the injury(s) or any other condition;
- the place where the accident happened;
- a brief description of how the accident happened; and
- details of any action taken.
the first aider recording the incident should decide whether any further investigation is required into the cause and whether there is any ongoing risk or hazard that requires reporting to the Health and Safety Manager for remedial action.

The Health and Safety Manager will conduct an annual review of the accident records to ascertain if there is a pattern of events which require remedial action.

Occupational ill health

Occupational ill health in a low-risk environment usually relates to manual handling or ergonomic problems relating to display screen equipment. As part of the overall health and safety risk assessments, conducted by us, attention will be given to the potential risk in these areas and all reasonable steps will be taken to prevent illness or injury being caused to you.

If you notice any symptoms of, or you are diagnosed by a doctor as having, any occupation-linked illness or condition, you should report this immediately to the Health and Safety Manager. We will take all reasonable steps to keep you away from further exposure to the risk.

Display Screen Equipment (“DSE”)

Display screens

We aim to provide a safe and comfortable environment for you to work in. This includes ensuring that display screens (and any associated workspace equipment i.e. chairs, desks, etc.) are set up in a manner that is comfortable for you to prevent upper limb disorders from developing over time.

We will assist you as required by making an assessment of:

the height, type and position of display screens, including the quality of display;
height and type of desk;
general work area;
general lighting;
type and height of chair; and
type and position of keyboard, mouse etc.

The result of such an assessment could include:

purchase or replacement of equipment or furniture;
reorganisation of your workstation;
a change in your working patterns or habits; or
advice and training as to how best use equipment and arrange workstations for your wellbeing.

You should take the following action to ensure safe use of display screens:

adjust the position of the display screen so that you feel comfortable when using it and look at it with your head in a natural and relaxed manner;
take short breaks from looking at the display screen and undertake other tasks at least once an hour; and
avoid eyestrain or glare.

Eye tests

If you use display screens for the majority of your work, you should have eye tests, at regular intervals. We will reimburse you for the costs of an eye test; however, you should discuss this with the Health and Safety Manager first to gain approval for the cost and proposed opticians.

General guidance for DSE users

There are some basic procedures to follow to ensure safe use of DSE:

Get comfortable:

adjust your chair and screen to find the most comfortable position for your work;
make sure that you have enough space to accommodate whatever documents or other equipment you need;
arrange your keyboard, mouse and documents in a way that is convenient for you;
arrange your desk screen to avoid glare or bright reflections;
make sure that there is space under your desk to move your legs freely;
avoid excess pressure from the edge of your seat on the backs of your legs and knees. Request a footrest, if required; and
make sure that you have adequate support for your lower back.

Keyboard:

adjust your keyboard, as required;
try to keep wrists straight when typing and don’t overstretch your fingers; and
do not overstretch to reach the keyboard.

Using a mouse:

position the mouse within easy reach; and
support your forearm on the desk.

Reading the screen:

adjust the brightness and contrast controls on the screen to suit the lighting conditions in the room; and
alter the settings so that characters are of an adequate size and spacing.

Posture and breaks:

don’t sit in the same position for long periods. Make sure you change your position as often as is practicable; and
avoid repeated stretching, twisting and turning to reach things. If this happens a lot, then you should rearrange your workstation.

Inform the Health and Safety Manager if the procedures described above do not help to improve your comfort in your workspace.

Electricity

We ensure electrical safety by:

checking that all new electrical equipment complies with the latest quality and safety regulations;
instructing competent electrical contractors to conduct required testing and inspections;
removing any piece of equipment which requires repair; and
training you on the proper use of equipment.

You must:

not bring your own electrical equipment into the office;
only use equipment for its intended use and in its intended environment;
not move electrical equipment without unplugging it first;
not pull cables to disconnect them;
not undertake any sort of electrical repairs;
use electrical equipment in accordance with instructions; and
request help or training if you are unsure how to use a particular item of equipment.

Hazardous substances

We are exposed to a very limited number of hazardous substance risks. However, hazardous substances are considered as part of the overall health and safety risk assessments that are undertaken.

The main hazards in our environment relate to:

Cleaning Products

Stress

Please see the section on ‘Stress’ in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy for information on stress, how this can impact on your work and guidance on what to do if you are struggling to manage your stress levels.

Review of this policy

This policy will be reviewed, at least annually, by the Health and Safety Manager.

May23

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