Health and Safety Policy
Hetton New Dawn
Health and Safety Policy
The trustees and Community Development worker of Hetton New Dawn are committed to ensuring a safe living and working environments for all those who have lawful access to the charity's venue.
This commitment has four elements:
- Full compliance with current health and safety legislation and regulations.
- An assessment of the significant risks faced by everyone (staff, volunteers, visitors, and agents/contractors) who have access to the charity and appropriate action taken to minimise these risks.
- Provision of appropriate suitable training and information to ensure that everyone is aware of the risks and knows how to respond appropriately. All members of staff should receive a minimum level of health and safety training.
- Regular inspections of the properties and subsequent maintenance programmes should ensure that health and safety issues are given a high priority. Any defects that have health and safety implications should be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Objectives: To achieve compliance with the statement of policy the charity has the following objectives:
- To set and maintain high standards for health, safety, and the protection of the environment at Hetton New Dawn.
- To identify risks and set in place programmes to remove or reduce these risks.
- To ensure that these standards are communicated to all employees, residents, and visitors.
- To ensure that all staff and volunteers are given the appropriate equipment, necessary information, instruction, training, and supervision to enable them to work in a safe manner.
- To ensure that the appropriate resources are made available to enable the policy to be implemented.
- To ensure the prevention of ill health, the avoidance of accidents and the promotion of safe and healthy workplaces.
Individual Responsibilities
All employees, trustees, and volunteers are required to:
• Co-operate in implementing the requirements of the Health and Safety Policy, legislation, related codes of practice and safety instructions
• Refrain from doing anything which constitutes a danger to themselves or others
• Bring to the immediate attention of their line manager/supervisor any situations or practices that are noted which might lead to injuries or ill health
• Ensure that any equipment issued to them, or for which they are responsible, is correctly used and properly stored.
• Be responsible for good housekeeping in the area in which they are working
• Report all accidents, incidents, dangerous occurrences and near misses, in accordance with the charity's guidance.
The Community Development Worker has a responsibility to report all accidents, injuries, and incidents, however minor, whether occurring at the Charity's premises or another site whilst undertaking their duties. This includes incidents impacting staff, volunteers, members, learners, or a member of the public involved in activities lead by the Charity and under the care of the Charity.
EMERGENCY & FIRE PROCEDURES
Information on emergency and fire procedures are part of the induction training for all employees and volunteers, this includes fire and bomb alerts. The community development worker is responsible for ensuring that the Emergency Services are called out in the event of Fire by dialling 999. A full Fire and evacuation Drill will be carried out annually to ensure everyone knows what to do in case of an emergency. The venue we use will organise a visual check of Fire Extinguishers as to external condition and location every month and use approved contractor maintains the Fire Board and Fire extinguishers.
FIRST AID
The Charity provides appropriate first aid equipment and ensures there are appropriately trained first aid representatives in the Charity's venue. First aid representatives are responsible for ensuring that first aid supplies are regularly inspected and maintained.
RISK ASSESSMENTS
Where a specific requirement for Risk assessment is identified, the Community Development Worker will carry out that assessment. All current assessments will be reviewed by the Community Development Worker annually or if there are changes to the practice, substances, equipment, or people involved. Before a new activity is permitted an assessment will be carried out to assess for risks and procedures put into place to avoid any risks.
Policy Review: The effectiveness of this general policy statement and other specific policies in use throughout the charity will be subject to annual review by the charity.