Policies and Procedures

DOCUMENT CONTROL: Rev 1.0 Reviewed May 2023. Adopted without changes.

DOCUMENT CONTROL: Rev 1.0 Reviewed May 2024. Adopted without changes.

Hemswell Parish Council

Health and Safety Policy

1.0  General Statement

1.1  Hemswell Parish Council (PC) recognises its responsibilities as an employer for providing a safe and healthy environment for all its employees, contractors, voluntary helpers, and others who may be affected by the PC's activities.

1.2  The PC will meet its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and will provide, as far as reasonably practicable, the resources necessary to fulfil this commitment.

1.3  The PC will seek, as and when appropriate, expert technical advice on Health and Safety to assist the clerk in fulfilling the PC's responsibilities for ensuring safe working conditions.

2.0  Aims of the Policy

2.1  To provide as far as is reasonably practicable:

• A safe place of work and a safe working environment;
• Sufficient information, instruction and training for employees, contractors, and voluntary helpers to carry out their work safely; and
• Care and attention to the health, safety and welfare of employees, contractors, voluntary helpers, and members of the public who may be affected by the activities of the PC.

3.0  Arrangements and Responsibilities

3.1  The clerk will:

• Keep informed of relevant Health and Safety Policy legislation and inform the PC accordingly;
• Make effective arrangements to implement the Health and Safety at Work Policy;
• Ensure that matters of Health and Safety are regularly discussed at meetings of the PC;
• Ensure that regular risk assessments are carried out of working practices and assets and maintain a record of risk assessments;
• Make effective arrangements to ensure that contractors or voluntary helpers working for the council comply with all reasonable Health and Safety at Work requirements. All contractors will be given a copy of the PC's Health and Safety at Work Policy;
• Ensure that work activities by the PC do not unreasonably jeopardise the health and safety of members of the public;
• Maintain a central record of notified accidents; and
• When an accident or hazardous incident occurs take immediate action to prevent a recurrence or further accident and to complete the necessary accident reporting procedure.

3.2  All employees, contractors and voluntary helpers will:

• Cooperate fully with the aims and requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Policy and comply with Codes of Practice or work instructions for Health and Safety;
• Take reasonable care of their own Health and Safety, use appropriate personal protective clothing and, where appropriate, ensure the appropriate First Aid materials are available;
• Take reasonable care of the Health and Safety of other people who may be affected by their activities;
• Not intentionally interfere with or remove safety guards, safety devices or other equipment provided for Health and Safety;
• Not misuse any plant, equipment, tools or materials so as to cause risks to Health and Safety;
• Report any accidents or hazardous incidents to the clerk.

3.1  The Parish Council will:

• Take seriously its Duty of Care to employees;
• Ensure that appropriate levels of insurance are in place;
• Carry out risk assessments as needed;
• Ensure this policy is reviewed at least annually;

4.0  General

4.1  An accident or injury at work, however trivial it may appear at the time, must be reported to the Chair. Details of the accident should be recorded in the Accident Book held by the clerk. In the event of an accident which requires First Aid treatment, assistance should be available from a First Aider (if available). If it is necessary to call an ambulance, dial 999 for the emergency services.

On no account should you move anyone who appears to be seriously injured unless is it essential to do so for reasons of personal safety.

4.2  Legislation covering the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) requires that all substances used in the workplace must be assessed in order to identify the risk to health. Fortunately, in an office environment, there are relatively few substances that might be hazardous to health, but there are some, such as photocopier toner, typing correction fluids and kitchen cleaning materials. Where appropriate, these should be stored safely and separately.

4.3  All electrical equipment must be maintained to prevent danger. Electrical inspections are carried out and checked to comply with National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors (NICEIC) standards.

4.5  Lone staff members should not arrange to meet unknown contacts except in public places. All staff members should provide another person with details of where they are going, the purpose of the visit, and their anticipated time of return. If there is any unexpected change to this, please telephone them if possible.

4.6  Aggressive Situations—It is recognised that some employees may be subjected to aggression because of their role. Situations resulting in verbal abuse, antisocial behaviour, and physical assault must be reported to identify possible remedial action.

4.7  A risk assessment will be carried out of the clerk’s workspace and potential problem areas identified and corrected.