Health and Safety Policy
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
This is the Health and Safety Policy Statement of UK Chinese Women Connect Association (UKCWC).
Our statement of general policy is to:
- Prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health by managing health and safety risks in the workplace
- Provide clear instructions and information, and adequate training, to ensure employees and volunteers are competent to do their work
- Engage and consult with employees and volunteers on day to day health and safety conditions
- Implement emergency procedures- evacuation in case of fire or other significant incident
- Maintain safe and healthy working conditions, provide and maintain plant, equipment and machinery and ensure safe storage /use of substances
- Review and revise this policy as necessary at regular intervals.
Responsibilities
Overall and final responsibility for health and safety is that of the Trustees of UKCWC.
Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice is delegated to the UKCWC Committee members.
All colleagues must:
- cooperate with supervisors and managers on health and safety matters;
- not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety;
- take reasonable care of their own health and safety; and
- report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate person (as detailed in this policy statement).
Health and safety risks arising from our work activities
- Risk assessments will be undertaken by the Committee.
- The findings of the risk assessments will be reported to Trustees.
- Action required to remove/control risks will be approved by Chief Officer or in their absence the most senior member of staff available
- The Chief Officer will be responsible for ensuring the action required is implemented.
- Health and safety risks and significant incidents will be reported regularly to trustees
- Assessments will be reviewed every six months or when the work activity changes, whichever is soonest.
Consultation with colleagues
UKCWC will consult with colleagues on the following:
- any new measure which may substantially affect their health and safety at work, for example new equipment, new ways of working and new procedures
- arrangements for getting competent people to satisfy health and safety requirements
- information we provide to colleagues on the risks to health and safety arising from their work, measures to reduce or get rid of these risks and what they should do if they are exposed to a risk, including emergency procedures
- planning and organising health and safety training and
- health and safety consequences for them of any new technology we plan to introduce.
The information provided to employees and volunteers will be in a form that can be easily understood.
- UKCWC will consult directly with colleagues through online and face-to-face discussions.
- UKCWC will allow enough time for colleagues to consider the issues and give informed responses. Colleagues are encouraged to ask questions, raise concerns and make recommendations.
- UKCWC will take colleagues’ views into account before a final decision is made, respond to any concerns and questions raised and explain the final decision and why it has been taken.
Safe equipment
- The Committee will have overall responsible for identifying all equipment needing maintenance.
- The Committee will be responsible for ensuring effective maintenance procedures are drawn up.
- The Committee will be responsible for ensuring that all identified maintenance is implemented.
- Any problems found with equipment should be reported to the Committee immediately.
- The Committee will have responsibility for ensuring that new equipment meets health and safety standards before it is purchased.
Safe handling and use of substances
The Committee will have overall responsibility for checking that new substances can be used safely before they are purchased. UKCWC does not currently use or store any substances which need a Control of Substances Hazardous to Health assessment.
Safe use of VDU equipment
The Committee will have overall responsibility for ensuring that use of work stations is analysed and risks reduced including putting controls in place, providing information and training to staff and volunteers, ensuring that eye and eyesight tests and special spectacles are provided if needed to regular users of VDUs who use the equipment for more than an hour continuously. The Committee will ensure that VDU risk assessments are completed as necessary.
Manual handling
The Committee has responsibility for ensuring that hazardous manual handling operations are avoided so far as is reasonably practicable. When necessary tasks will be redesigned to avoid moving the load or by automating or mechanising the process. An assessment of the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided will be made and any risk of injury from those operations will be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable. Where possible, mechanical assistance, for example, a sack trolley or hoist, will be provided. Where these are not reasonably practicable changes to the task, the load and the working environment will be explored.
Information, instruction and supervision
- Health and safety advice is available from the Committee
- Arrangements for supervision of young participants will be agreed with and monitored by the Committee
- The Committee is responsible for ensuring that our colleagues working at locations under the control of other organisations are given relevant health and safety information.
Competency for tasks and training
- Induction training will be provided for all colleagues by the Committee
- Job specific training is not required for any jobs within UKCWC.
- Training records, including health and safety training, are kept by the Committee
- Training will be identified, arranged and monitored by the Committee. The Committee is responsible for maintaining an overview of training undertaken and reporting on this to trustees
Accidents, first aid and work-related ill health
- Health surveillance is not required in relation to any jobs at UKCWC
- A first aid box will be in place in venues that our activities take place
- All accidents and cases of work-related ill health are to be recorded in the accident book. The book is kept by the Committee
- The Committee.is responsible for ensuring reporting of relevant accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to relevant external agencies and to trustees
Monitoring
To check our working conditions, and ensure our safe working practices are being followed, we will
- Carry out inspections and spot checks
- Investigate any accidents or sickness absences that occur
- The Committee is responsible for ensuring action is taken on investigation findings to prevent a recurrence and that trustees are kept informed and consulted about action taken
- The Committee is responsible to have relevant insurance in place, and ensure that third party organisations also have insurance in place.
Further information to assist with implementation of health and safety policy:
Further information about health and safety can be found at:
Information about regulations related to reporting Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences can be found at:
A display screen equipment workstation assessment form can be found here:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck1.pdf