Health and safety policy
ABOUT THIS POLICY
Leadership Through Sport and Business (LTSB) is committed to ensuring the health and safety of its staff and anyone affected by its business activities, and to providing a safe and suitable environment for all those working, learning and providing services for young people with us.
This policy sets out our arrangements in relation to:
- assessment and control of health and safety risks arising from work activities;
- preventing accidents and work-related ill health;
- consultation with employees on matters affecting their health and safety;
- provision and maintenance of a safe workplace and equipment;
- information, instruction, training and supervision in safe working methods and procedures;
- emergency procedures in cases of fire or other major incident.
This policy covers all employees, officers, consultants, contractors, volunteers, interns, casual workers and agency workers.
This policy does not form part of any employee’s contract of employment, and we may amend it at any time. We will continue to review this policy to ensure it is achieving its aims.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS
Our Board of Directors has overall responsibility for health and safety and the operation of this policy. The CEO is the Principal Health and Safety Officer with day-to-day responsibility for health and safety matters.
The Principal Health and Safety Officer will ensure that this policy is reviewed at least once a year. Recommendations for any amendments are reported to the board.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
All staff share responsibility for achieving safe working conditions. You must take care of your own health and safety and that of others, observe applicable safety rules and follow instructions for the safe use of equipment.
You should report any health and safety concerns immediately to your line manager or the CEO.
You must co-operate with managers on health and safety matters, including the investigation of any incident.
Failure to comply with this policy may be treated as misconduct and dealt with under our Disciplinary Procedure.
INFORMATION AND CONSULTATION
We will inform and consult directly with all staff regarding health and safety matters.
We will ensure all health and safety representatives receive the appropriate training to carry out their functions effectively.
The CEO is responsible for informing and consulting employees about health and safety matters.
TRAINING
We will ensure that you are given adequate training and supervision to perform your work competently and safely.
Staff will be given a health and safety induction and provided with appropriate safety training, which may include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
EQUIPMENT
You must use equipment in accordance with any instructions given to you. Any equipment fault or damage must immediately be reported to your line manager.
No member of staff should attempt to repair equipment unless trained to do so.
The Head of Operations is responsible for ensuring equipment safety and maintenance.
ACCIDENTS AND FIRST AID
Home-based staff, performing low-risk (such as desk-based) work in their own home, will usually not require any first aid equipment beyond normal domestic needs.
If your work involves lots of driving, you may want to keep a first aid kit in your vehicle.
Where external venues/providers are used, LTSB will satisfy itself, as part of the agreed risk assessment process, that appropriate first aid facilities and trained first aiders are in place and will ensure those attending events are made aware of first aid procedures.
All accidents and injuries at work, however minor, should be reported to the CEO by completion of an Accident Form and recorded in the Accident Book which is kept in electronic format.
The CEO is responsible for investigating any injuries or work-related disease, preparing and keeping accident records, and for submitting reports to the relevant authorities if required under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
NATIONAL HEALTH ALERTS
In the event of an epidemic or pandemic alert we will organise our business operations and provide advice on steps to be taken by staff, in accordance with official guidance, to reduce the risk of infection at work as far as possible. Any questions should be referred to your line manager.
It is important for the health and safety of all our staff that you comply with instructions issued in these circumstances.
FIRE SAFETY
All staff should familiarise themselves with the fire safety instructions at their location of work. For staff whose workplace is their home, the employee should ensure that a working smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and fire escape plan should be in place, as a minimum. Further guidance on fire safety in the home can be found in the Company Documents section of Breathe HR.
If you hear a fire alarm, leave the building you are working in immediately by the nearest fire exit and go to the appropriate fire assembly point. Do not stop to collect belongings and do not use any lifts. Do not re-enter the building until you are told to do so.
If you discover a fire do not attempt to tackle it unless it is safe and you have been trained or feel competent to do so. You should operate the nearest fire alarm and, if you have sufficient time, report the location of the fire.
The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring fire risk assessments are undertaken and implemented in relation to locations within which staff, volunteers and beneficiaries are visiting.
RISK ASSESSMENTS AND MEASURES TO CONTROL RISK
We will ensure general workplace risk assessments are carried out periodically. The purpose is to assess the risks to health and safety of employees, visitors and other third parties as a result of our activities, and to identify any measures that need to be taken to control those risks.
Measures will be taken to avoid or reduce the need to lift or carry items which could cause injury (manual handling) and to provide training on manual handling as necessary.
The use of hazardous substances at work will be avoided wherever possible and less hazardous alternatives will be used where available. Training on the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) will be provided as necessary.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided where there are risks that cannot be adequately controlled by other means.
The CEO is responsible for workplace risk assessments and any measures to control risks.
COMPUTERS AND DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT
If you use a computer screen or other display screen equipment (DSE) habitually as a significant part of your work:
- You should try to organise your activity so that you take frequent short breaks from looking at the screen.
- You are entitled to a workstation assessment.
- You are entitled to an eyesight test by an optician, and LTSB will reimburse part of the cost in line with the thresholds and conditions set out in the Expenses Policy.
You should contact the Head of Operations to request a workstation assessment or an eye test. Eye tests should be repeated at regular intervals as advised by the optician, usually every two years.
We will not normally pay for glasses or contact lenses, unless your vision cannot be corrected by normal glasses or contact lenses and you need special glasses designed for the display screen distance. In such cases we will pay the cost of basic corrective appliances only.
Further information on the use of DSE can also be obtained from the Head of Operations.
LONE WORKING
Individual staff members and managers have a duty to assess and reduce the risks which lone-working presents. A Remote and Lone-working Policy is in place to support them in doing this.
HOME BASED WORKING
Home working can cause work-related stress and affect people’s mental health and staff may feel it is harder to get proper support.
The Chief Executive will ensure that procedures are in place to enable managers to keep in direct contact with home workers so that signs of stress can be recognised as early as possible.
Line Managers act as a point of emergency contact for all home workers, should they need urgent assistance and staff are encouraged to use normal emergency services provision in the event of an emergency.
DRIVING ON COMPANY BUSINESS
Staff are encouraged to use public transport, when it is safe and practical to do so.
If an employee has to drive a vehicle for company business, the Chief Executive will ensure that appropriate checks have been carried out to ascertain that the staff member has a suitable license and that the vehicle has appropriate insurance, road tax and is road-worthy.
LTSB does not require or expect staff members to use handheld or hands free mobile phones whilst driving. It is LTSB policy to prohibit staff from using any type of mobile device whilst driving even where there is no public access i.e. private roads, property access roads etc.
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