Health and Safety

Introduction

Herts Aid has a legal obligation towards its employees, both paid and unpaid, and service users in terms of health and safety. Everyone accessing Herts Aid has the right to be in a safe and healthy environment where appropriate steps have been taken to reduce any risks. It is the dual responsibility of Herts Aid and its employees to be responsible for health and safety.

1. Duty of Care

Herts Aid has a duty of care towards its employees and service users. The duty of care is a general legal duty for all individuals (employees and service users) and organisation (Herts Aid), to take reasonable care as to not cause harm to others. If the organisation does not meet its duty of care, this could lead to Herts Aid and its Trustees being liable if an employee or service user is injured. All employees and service users have an individual responsibility for their own health and safety; this extends to considering your actions and the impact it may cause to others. To this end, employees must ensure they carry out their duties as safely as possible.

2. Risk Assessment

Herts Aid has a responsibility to carry out risk assessments, which may require employees to be provided with information and/or training. This would depend on the activities being carried out. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) place a duty on employers to carry out risk assessments, examining potential risks to their employees and others, which includes volunteers.

Risk assessment is a technique for identifying and controlling hazards of activity done for or through Herts Aid.

A hazard can be anything that has the potential to cause harm, such as faulty electrical equipment
Risk is the likelihood of causing harm and the degree of harm it could cause, such as an electric shock which could lead to a fatality.

Risk assessment is about identifying all hazards, assessing the risks, and putting in to place measure to control unacceptable risks. Risk assessment should always involve employees and volunteers involved in Herts Aid work and volunteering activities.

3. Health and Safety Policy

Herts Aid’s health and safety policy sets out a commitment that is regularly reviewed for good standards in health and safety. We see this as the foundation to develop good health and safety procedures and practices. Our policy helps to clarify procedures and identify responsibilities. As well as good practice, having a policy in place clearly demonstrates Herts Aid takes its duty of care seriously.

4. Health and Safety Induction and Training

An induction programme is the introduction of new employees into the work of Herts Aid and their role within the organisation.

Induction should cover:

Location and content of the health and safety law poster
Location insurance certificate
Identified first aid employee

Familiarisation tour:

First aid box
Accident reporting procedures; location of accident book
Fire procedure
Security lock up
Facilities – kitchen and rest room (toilets)
Safe working practices – display screen equipment, moving and handling.

5. First Aid

Herts Aid has a duty under the health and safety law to make an assessment of first aid. The scope of first aid needed will depend on the activities taking place at Herts Aid. In normal circumstances, there must be at least one first aid box and a notice displayed instructing employees of the following:

Who is the first aider or appointed person who is available in the work place at all times of working hours. They must be able to take charge of an emergency and coordinate emergency services etc.
Location of first aider

6. Fire Precautions

Staff should be trained in fire and evacuation procedures, they should include:

Actions upon discovering a fire
Raising fire alarm
Correct methods of calling the fire brigade, i.e. how to access telephone system for a outside line
The location and use of fire fighting equipment
The importance of fire doors being closed on hearing the fire alarm
The evacuation of building

All new employees should be given a tour of the building and familiarisation of fire exits on the first morning of work. Managers should ensure that at least every six months fire drills should be carried out to ensure evacuations procedures run as smoothly as possible in the event of a fire. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure:

Escapes routes are kept free of obstruction
Fire doors are kept shut
Any concerns around fire precautions are reported to the fire marshals

All employees are to complete fire risk assessments on and off sites (satellite) where staff is working and volunteer placements are taking place as to take reasonable and appropriate steps to eliminate, or where possible, reduce risks to the absolute minimum.

7. Reporting of unsafe conditions and practices

All employees and volunteers of Herts Aid should be made aware of the importance to report all accidents and unsafe practices. This is a legal and moral responsibility for individuals to take on board.

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) definition of an accident at work is an “unplanned event that results in injury or ill health to people, or damage or loss to property, plant, materials or the environment or a loss of business opportunity”.

Employees and volunteers should report all accidents and unsafe practices to the Operations Manager in the first instance, and in their absence, report to the Director.

Herts Aid is legally required to report and investigate all accidents at work and put in measures, if necessary, to prevent similar accidents from happening again. All injuries must be recorded in the accident book; the person injured (where able) is responsible for recording the accident, If this is not possible, entry can be made by a colleague or somebody acting on their behalf. If the accident was not witnessed, then it needs to be made clear e.g. ‘’it is alleged that…’’.

Accident Book should be stored in a secure location e.g. lockable filing cabinet so as to be in line with Data Protection Legislation. All injuries involving anyone at a Herts Aid location whether it employees, volunteers, contractors etc, should be entered into the Accident Book. All accidents should be assessed by the Operations Manager for assessment, review, and action.

For further information on all aspects of health and safety please visit the Health and Safety Executive website; www.hse.gov.uk

Herts Aid’s health and safety procedures and risk assessment follow:

Herts Aid aims to:

Provide a safe and clean workplace without risk to health.
Ensure machinery and equipment is safe.
Store and use articles and substances safely.
Provide adequate First Aid and welfare facilities.
Provide adequate information and instruction on Health and Safety

Procedures to ensure health and safety:

FIRE PREVENTION

Herts Aid is a non-smoking premise.
Keep stairs and storage areas clear of waste and rubbish.
Plug sockets are not to be overloaded, do not use double adapters.
Electrical equipment to be checked annually for frayed leads. Plugs to be standard. Second-hand electrical equipment to be checked before use.
Moveable heaters are to be safely positioned and have no trailing wires.
Heaters to be left uncovered, and combustible materials to be kept away from heaters.
Switch off equipment at night.
Appropriate fire extinguishers are on every floor.
Fire extinguishers to be checked annually.

IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE

Staff and Volunteers’ first responsibility in the event of a fire is their own safety, to leave the building and assemble at the assembly point (pub opposite).
If it is safe to close doors and windows to prevent the spread of fire, do so.
Use equipment to fight fire ONLY if there is no danger in doing so.

IN THE OFFICE

Do not:

Leave desk drawers or filing cabinet drawers open.
Stack boxes on top of cupboards or cabinets.
Leave boxes stacked on the floor.
Leave cables trailing.

LIFTING AND MANUAL HANDLING

Avoid lifting where possible.
Check the load before lifting.
Climbing – always use the step-ladder, do not climb on chairs or tables.

CHEMICALS AND HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES

Substances to be labelled and an annual check to be done.
All chemical substances will be stored in a locked cupboard
Wherever possible, products that do not require COSHH safety sheets will be chosen, but if unavoidable, all substances stored and used on the premises will be highlighted and explained to staff, with the necessary precautionary exposure control measures implemented

FIRST AID

First Aid kits to be clearly marked and regularly checked.

EQUIPMENT INSTRUCTIONS

Where possible these will be kept with the equipment; or in the filing cabinet under “Equipment Instructions”

ACCIDENTS

All accidents causing injury, or which could potentially have done so, to be reported to the Operations Manager and an Accident Report Form to be filled in at the time of the accident or as soon as possible afterwards.

As an employer in control of work premises, Herts Aid has legal duties under RIDDOR that require us to report and record some work-related accidents by the quickest means possible.

We must report:

deaths;
major injuries;
over-3-day injuries – where an employee or self-employed person is away from work or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 3 consecutive days;
injuries to members of the public or people not at work where they are taken from the scene of an accident to hospital;
some work-related diseases;
dangerous occurrences – where something happens that does not result in an injury, but could have done;
Gas Safe registered gas fitters must also report dangerous gas fittings they find, and gas conveyors/suppliers must report some flammable gas incidents.

RIDDOR applies to all work activities but not all incidents are reportable. If someone has had an accident in a work situation where you are in charge, and you are unsure whether to report it just call the Incident Contact Centre (ICC) on 0845 300 99 23. .

You can also find details of reportable incidents by looking at RIDDOR in more detail^[10].

RESPONSIBILITY

The Management Committee is responsible for the implementation and annual review of the Health and Safety Policy.

FOOD HYGIENE

Water:

Please filter water.
When the water filter is dry, or has not been used for over 24 hours, filter half a jug full and throw away as this will activate the filter.
Renew the filter when the “renew” light flashes.
Use filtered and boiled water to make ice cubes.
Use filtered, boiled and cooled water as drinking water for people with compromised immune systems. “Raw” water can contain organisms which can be dangerous to people whose immune systems are compromised.
Filtered water should be fresh each day and treated as a “perishable” product, i.e. collects bugs when left overnight in a warm room.

Food:

Every effort will be made to ensure the safety of food provided at Herts Aid events.
All food served at Herts Aid events will be fresh or freshly cooked. If any meat product is served, it will be stored in the refrigerator until use, and will not be re-heated.
Fungal foods, such as blue cheese, shellfish and unpasteurised milk products will not be served at Herts Aid.
All food to be kept at suitable temperatures, i.e. cold food to be kept refrigerated before serving.
Reheating food is not appropriate for immuno-compromised people.
Leftover food that has been in a warm room is not to be stored.

Crockery and Cutlery:

Crockery and cutlery will be washed in the dishwasher, for hygiene reasons. Please do not wash up by hand.

RISK ASSESSMENT OF HERTS AID WORKPLACE, YORK HOUSE, 45 BALDOCK ST, WARE, SG129DH

RISKS IN THE BUILDING INTERNALLY:

CLEANING CHEMICALS:

Hazard: It is necessary to have some chemicals in the building to facilitate regular cleaning. It is recognised that cleaning products may pose a risk to children as well as vulnerable adults or those with reduced capacity.

Measures to minimise risk:

Chemicals are stored in a high level locked cupboard
COSHH guidelines and requirements are followed
Chemicals used are low risk. No bleach is used on site.
Empty containers are discarded immediately and not left in dustbins
All parents who visit the building are required to sign a disclaimer which ensures they take responsibility for their children whilst at Herts aid, and absolves Herts Aid from any responsibility should an accident occur while they are here

ELECTRIC CABLES:

Hazard: As Herts aid is currently occupying a grade 2 listed building, there are not sufficient plug points. This necessitates the use of some multi plug adaptors. There are also cables present at the back of desks.

Measures to minimise risk:

All multi-plug adaptors have in built safety features ensuring that they cannot be overloaded and create a potential fire hazard. They are also all PAT tested and comply to the highest possible safety standards.
Cables from electronic equipment are at the rear of desks, cupboards etc wherever possible to reduce the risk of tripping etc
Wherever possible, plugs are switched off at the wall when we are not in the building.

STAIRS:

Hazard: The staircase from ground to first and second floor level in the Herts Aid building is narrow and steep, and is dangerous when climbing both up and down. It is more dangerous when coming down, when there is the further risk of a low ceiling height.

Measures to minimise risk:

Hazard stickers indicating the low ceiling height are in place to warn people as they come down the stairs.
All visitors are warned verbally before going up and down the stairs to be cautious.
Child Safety gates are installed at the bottom of the stairs when children are in the building
Staff are warned as part of their induction

PLUG IN HEATERS AND STORAGE HEATERS:

Hazard: Due to the age of the building Herts Aid currently occupies, there is no central heating. There are air conditioning heating and cooling units downstairs, and there are storage heaters in the upstairs offices. There are times when plug in heaters are used for extra warmth.

Measures to minimise risk:

Storage heaters are switched off when we are not in the building.
Children are kept away from the upstairs of the building to avoid the risk of burning themselves on a storage heater.
Plug in heaters are all PAT tested and are switched off at the wall and unplugged when not in use.

OVENS:

Hazard: Herts Aid uses two mini ovens in the kitchen area to warm up and cook food for lunches. As they are at touchable height, they pose a risk to children and adults with reduced capacity when they are on.

Measures to minimise risk:

Wherever possible, food is warmed up and prepared before people arrive for lunches.
All parents who visit the building are required to sign a disclaimer which ensures they take responsibility for their children whilst at Herts aid, and absolves Herts Aid from any responsibility should an accident occur while they are here. Parents are alerted if the ovens are still in use or are hot.
Ovens are switched off immediately after use.

OUTDOOR RISKS:

There are a number of hazards in the outdoor area of Herts Aid. These are:

the air conditioning units
the wheelchair ramp becomes slippery when wet
there is a gas vent from the next door property on the wall at a low level
We have 2 gas patio heaters

Measures to minimise risk:

The Air conditioning units have warning stickers on the units and plant pots are positioned in front to minimise the chance of someone bumping their head by getting to close.
People are warned that the ramp is slippery when wet, and a hazard sticker is in place.
There is a hazard sticker warning people about the gas vent
Patio heaters are disconnected when not in use, and are positioned in an inaccessible place.

V6, Updated July 2011