Health And Safety Policy

Xcelus, LLC

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY

The Company fully accepts the obligations placed upon it by the various Acts of Parliament covering health and safety. The Company requires its Chief Executive to ensure that the following policy is implemented and to report annually on its effectiveness.

Introduction

This policy has been prepared and published under the requirements of Health & Safety at Work legislation. The purpose of the policy is to establish general standards for health and safety at work and to distribute responsibility for their achievement to all managers, supervisors, and other employees through the normal line management processes.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Chief Executive

The Chief Executive has overall responsibility for the implementation of the Company’s policy. In particular he is responsible for ensuring that the policy is widely communicated and that its effectiveness is monitored.

Directors and Senior Managers

These managers are wholly accountable to the Chief Executive for the implementation and monitoring of the policy within the area of their specified responsibility.

The Company believes that consideration of the health, safety and welfare of staff is an integral part of the management process.
The Company requires managers to approach health and safety in a systematic way, by identifying hazards and problems, planning improvements, taking executive action and monitoring results so that the majority of health and safety needs will be met from locally held budgets as part of day-to-day management, although many health and safety problems can be rectified at little additional cost.
For major additional expenditure, cases of need will be submitted by Directors to the Chief Executive.
If unpredictable health and safety issues arise during the year, the Chief Executive must assess the degree of risk, in deciding the necessary resources and actions to commit to addressing these issues.

It is the policy of the Company to require departmental managers to produce appropriate health and safety policies or guidelines. These should embody the minimum standards for health and safety for the department and the work organised within it.

Health and Safety training shall be incorporated within annual training programmes, as part of the development of a systematic training plan. Health and Safety training needs will, therefore, be identified and planned for in the same manner as other training needs.

Four areas of need shall be given special priority:

training for managers, to equip them with an understanding of the manager’s responsibilities under this policy, and the role and purpose of safety representatives;
training for safety representatives to enable them to discharge their function;
training for all members of staff to acquaint them with the main provisions of the law and its practical implication, the main features of this policy and key safety rules;
induction and in-service training for staff at all levels to acquaint them fully with new requirements and hazards.

The Company will operate systems for recording, analysis and presentation of information about accidents, hazard situations and untoward occurrences Advice on systems will be provided by the Safety Officer, in conjunction, where appropriate with specialist advisory bodies for example local Environmental Health Departments, and the responsibility for the operation of these systems rests with managers and supervisors at all levels. Information obtained from the analysis of accident statistics must be acted upon and, where necessary, bids for additional expenditure made to the Chief Executive

It is the policy of the Company to make provision for First Aid and the training of ‘First Aiders’ in accordance with the First Aid Regulations (1982). The Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the Regulations are implemented and for identifying training needs.

The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring that the staff receive adequate fire training, and that nominated fire officers are designated in all Company premises. The Chief Executive delegates these responsibilities to the Directors.

Managers are responsible for informing staff of safe lifting techniques. The Safety Officer will identify specific training needs. The HR Office / Head Office will ensure training in lifting and handling is provided to staff who require it.

The Company has agreed that there will be no smoking in its buildings. The overall aim is to reduce smoking and so save life, reduce risk of fire, prevent unnecessary illness and chronic disability. The rules relating to smoking on Company premises are available from the HR Department / Head Office.

The Health and Safety policy requires each employee ‘to take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by their acts and omissions’ and co-operate with management to enable management to carry out their responsibilities under the policy. Employees have equal responsibility with the Company for Health and Safety at Work.
The refusal of any employee to meet their obligations will be regarded as a matter to be dealt with under the Disciplinary Procedure. In normal circumstances counselling of the employee should be sufficient. With a continuing problem, or where an employee leaves themself or other employees open to risk or injury, it may be necessary to implement the formal stages of the Disciplinary Procedure.

Persons working in the Company premises who are employed by other organisations are expected to follow Company Health and Safety Policies with regard to the safety of Company employees, their own personal safety (and that of other parties such as the general public if appropriate) and their method of work. This responsibility will be included in contracts or working arrangements

The Company wishes to ensure that as far as is reasonably practicable, the Health, Safety and Welfare of Contractors working in the Company’s establishments will be of the highest standards. In addition, Contractors and their employees have an obligation so far as is reasonably practicable to ensure all equipment, materials and premises under their control are safe and without risks to health.
In tendering, Contractors will be asked to confirm they have a written Health, Safety and Welfare Policy. The Company’s Manager letting the Contract will be responsible for monitoring the Health and Safety performance of the Contractor and the Contractor’s performance will be a factor in deciding whether or not to invite the Contractor to tender again.