Toast Design Consultancy Ltd Health & Safety Policy.

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Toast Design is committed to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 principles.

The Company recognises its responsibility for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of its employees and others (contractors, visitors and the public) who may be affected by its work.

Toast Design will take all necessary steps, so far as is reasonably practicable, to prevent, control or guard against personal injury, ill health, and damage to property and equipment and to protect employees and others (contractors, visitors and the public) from foreseeable work hazards.

In acknowledging the importance of health & safety, the Company will endeavour to provide and maintain as far as is reasonably practicable:

Equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health, safety and welfare.
Risk assessments to identify hazards and manage health and safety risks.
Safe arrangements for using, handling, storing and transporting equipment and supplies and harmful substances.
Sufficient information, instruction and supervision to promote the health and safety of employees and visitors.
Adequate training to ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks.
Occupational health services and safe working practices to prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health.
A safe place of work and safe means of access to it and exit from it.

The Company will also provide and maintain all necessary safety devices and consult with employees on health and safety matters.

Any failure to comply with statutory requirements could result in legal and/or disciplinary action being taken against individuals.

Employees are asked to cooperate by:

Taking reasonable care for their own and others’ health and safety.
Working safely and efficiently, complying with any instruction, information & training in accordance with all Company procedures and statutory obligations.
Immediately reporting incidents (including accidents and near misses that have resulted in or may lead to injury).
Assisting with the investigation of accidents and the introduction of preventative measures.

Health and Safety must be regarded as a mutual objective for management and employees at all levels.

This policy will be reviewed at regular intervals and revised as necessary to account for changes in the business’s size and nature, new legislation and any significant health and safety related incident. Any changes to the policy will be circulated to employees.

Responsibilities

Toast Design recognises its responsibility to provide a safe, healthy working environment. It is committed to ensuring, as far as is reasonably practicable, the highest standards to eliminate accidents and work-related illnesses.

Day-to-day responsibility for implementing the Health & Safety Policy is delegated to the Production Manager, Mark Williams.

A copy of the Certificate of Employer’s Liability Insurance is displayed in the studio.

Company Responsibilities

The Company must ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees, which requires the provision and maintenance of:

Equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risk to health, safety and welfare;
Safe arrangements for the use, handling, storage and transportation of equipment, supplies and substances;
Sufficient information, instruction and supervision to promote the health and safety at work of all employees;
A working environment that is safe and without risks to health, including the provision of adequate facilities and working arrangements;
A safe place of work and safe means of access to it and exit from it.

The Company also has a responsibility to ensure the health & safety of any persons visiting or working on the site that the Company does not employ. All visitors and contractors to the site will be expected to comply with all aspects of the Toast Design Consultancy Ltd Health and Safety policy.

Employee Responsibilities

All employees are expected to:

take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others;
work safely and efficiently, complying with instruction, information and training which has been given to them;
report potential health and safety risks and incidents (including accidents and near misses that have resulted in, or may lead to injury) to the appropriate person;
assist with the investigation of accidents and the introduction of preventative measures.

Failure to comply with any aspect of the Company’s health and safety procedures, rules and duties with regard to health and safety will be treated as misconduct and dealt with under the Disciplinary and Dismissal Procedure.

Information, Instruction & Supervision

The Health & Safety Law poster is displayed in the studio

All employees will receive health & safety awareness training as part of their induction process, and managers are responsible for the day-to-day supervision of all health and safety matters.

Toast Design will consult with employees on matters affecting their health and safety. Adequate training will ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

The Company will carry out a risk assessment of each workstation, taking into account the display screen equipment, the furniture, the working environment and the employee and where necessary corrective action will be taken.
Employees should take regular breaks from the DSE and incorporate changes of task within the working day, to prevent intensive periods of on-screen activity.
In the event of a DSE user requesting an eye test (and at regular intervals thereafter or if the individual experiences visual difficulties related to display screen work) the Company will meet the cost of the eye test.
The Company will provide sufficient information, instruction and training to DSE users to minimise risks to their health.
Employees should inform their supervisor immediately if they are experiencing any symptoms of discomfort or ill health.

Electricity at Work

Visual inspections to ensure the safety of computers, fax machines and other types of equipment found in the offices will be carried out on a regular basis by Production manager, Mark Williams.Checks will be made for damage to any equipment, its cable and plug, inappropriate use and non standard modification or overheating. Employees should report any concerns they have with electrical equipment to Production manager, Mark Williams.

The installation and maintenance of electrical systems is only to be carried out by an authorised, competent person.

Employees may only use electrical equipment for which they have received adequate training, and where authorised to do so. Electrical equipment which has not been tested should not be used, especially equipment brought in from home.

Fire Prevention & Precautions

Exit doors and routes must be clearly marked and must not be obstructed or locked at any time during working hours.
Fire extinguishers must be unobstructed and positioned on routes of exit.
Fire equipment will be inspected and maintained annually by an authorised contractor.
Any damage found to any item of fire equipment is to be reported immediately to Production manager, Mark Williams.
The fire alarm will be checked weekly by Production manager, Mark Williams at a regular time during working hours.
Fire notices will be displayed throughout the workplace.

A fire-risk assessment of the premises will also be conducted by a competent person to ensure that as far as reasonably practicable, everyone on the premises can escape safely if there is a fire. Any risks or hazards identified will be reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable and thereafter the premises will be monitored on a regular basis to ensure they remain safe. A written record of the risk assessment will be retained.

In the event of a fire, employees should follow the following procedure;

leave the building immediately and go to the designated fire assembly point in the car park opposite the building close doors and windows behind you as you leave
do not stop to collect personal possessions
sound the fire alarm from the nearest call point
call the fire brigade by dialling 999
wait at the designated fire assembly point until everybody has been accounted for
assist visitors and contractor’s who may be in the building at the time.

Accidents At Work

Accidents are unplanned events which cause injury to persons (for example bruises and fractures), damage to property or a combination of both.

Near-misses are unplanned events which did not cause injury or damage, but could have done so. Examples of near-misses include items falling near-by to personnel, short-circuits in electrical equipment and tripping over objects.

All accidents and near-misses must be reported to management immediately and recorded in the Company’s accident book. The accident book will be kept in in the studio and will be reviewed regularly by Production manager, Mark Williams to ascertain the nature of accidents which have occurred in the workplace so corrective action can be taken. The accident book will be retained for a period of at least three years from the last date of entry.

The details which must be recorded in the accident book are as follows:

the date and time of the accident
the full name and address of the person affected
the name of the person completing the entry
the occupation of the person affected
the nature of the injury or condition
place where the accident or near-miss occurred.
a brief description of the circumstances.

First Aid

Toast Design will provide sufficient numbers of competent first-aiders to deal with accidents and injuries arising at work.

First-aiders will be qualified personnel who have received training and undertaken an examination in accordance with the Health and Safety Executive requirements. First-aiders will be provided with any necessary training to ensure their skills are maintained. Named first-aiders are Mark Williams.

First aid boxes are kept in the kitchen and will be maintained and re-stocked when necessary by Production manager, Mark Williams.

Notices will be displayed at appropriate locations throughout the workplace which provide information about the location of first aid equipment and the name(s) and location(s) of

first-aiders. These notices will be reviewed regularly and updated when a change occurs.

Manual Handling

Toast Design is committed to reducing the risk of manual handling injuries and will provide guidance on the measures that should be taken to ensure safe lifting and carrying in the workplace. The Company will ensure that;

Risk assessments of manual handling activities are carried out by a competent person, and identified risks are reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable. A written record of assessments will be retained.
Employees will be supervised when required.
Adequate information and training is provided to employees who carryout manual handling activities.
Any injuries or accidents relating to manual handling are investigated, and corrective action is taken.
Safety arrangements for manual handling operations are regularly reviewed and monitored.

Employees must also ensure that they;

Report to management (in confidence) any personal health conditions that the manual handling activity may affect.
Comply with instruction and training which has been provided.
Use equipment which has been provided to minimise manual handling activities.
Report any injuries or accidents to management immediately.

Catering

Safety in the use of catering equipment:

Employees and volunteers must give due care and consideration to the safe use of catering equipment, and equipment must only be used for the intended purpose and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Employees must not bring their catering equipment to work without the express consent of the Production manager, Mark Williams.
Equipment must be checked before use to ensure no visible defects. Any defects should be reported to the Production Manager, Mark Williams, immediately, and the defective equipment should not be used until it has been confirmed as safe.
Cooking equipment must not be left unattended whilst in use.
Do not touch plugs or other electrical equipment whilst hands are wet, or when the equipment is in contact with a wet surface.
Do not overfill any kettle or other receptacle.
The Company will ensure that suitable fire extinguishers are installed in any area where cooking facilities are provided.
Spillages on floors and work surfaces must be cleaned up immediately.
Foods which are unwanted or that exceed the shelf life must be thrown away and not stored in cupboards or in the refrigerator.
Food preparation areas must be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly after use and left tidy.

Visitors

The Company is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all personnel, including contractors, visitors and members of the public who come directly or indirectly into contact with the organisation or its activities. To protect the health and safety of visitors, the following procedure must be followed:

visitors must enter their details into the visitor’s book
they must be advised of emergency procedures, including the location of assembly points
they must be supervised whilst on Company premises for security and safety reasons
they must be accounted for during emergencies and evacuation drills
they must sign out before they leave the premises.

Details which should be entered into the visitor’s book include the following;

the visitor’s name
details of the visitor’s vehicles parked on site
the date and time of arrival
the name of the person the visitor has come to see
confirmation that the relevant emergency procedures have been explained
the time of the visitor’s departure.

Any accidents or near-misses which occur to visitors must be recorded in the accident book.

The Company’s Health & Safety policy and the effective implementation of it will be reviewed regularly, and any changes will be communicated to employees.

Any employee unsure about any aspect of health and safety should seek advice from Production Manager Mark Williams as soon as possible.

For and on behalf of Date

Toast Design Consultancy Ltd