Health and Safety Policy

Key principles

Cornwall Environmental Consultants Health and Safety Policy is founded on the following key principles:

• All employees have a right to a safe and healthy place of work which can only be achieved by the commitment and co-operation of everyone.
• We all have a responsibility for those staff, volunteers and contractors who work for and report to the company.
• We must all accept personal responsibility for our own safety and that of others who may be affected by our acts or omissions.
• We must accept that the majority of accidents and occupational diseases are preventable and that reporting and investigation of them is a vital part of the prevention strategy.
• No job or operation should be started unless it can be completed or terminated in a safe condition through the use of proper job planning, procedures and the risk assessment process.
• We must all be aware of hazards and take steps to control the ensuing risks
• We must all demonstrate our commitment to this policy at all times

Health and Safety Policy background information

• The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to produce a written Health and Safety Policy.
• The Policy will be reviewed annually in March by the Director, the Central Services Manager/Health & Safety Officer, the Health & Safety Co-ordinator and the Health & Safety Committee.
• For the purpose of this document, any references to staff include all those, including volunteers, who are acting on the company’s behalf and in the company’s knowledge.
• If staff are required to undertake work which involves potential hazards which are not covered by the Policy, they should consult their line manager before undertaking thework.
• Health and Safety legislation places obligations and liabilities on all managers and supervisors within an organisation and also on all individual staff. In the event of a serious accident, managers and individuals could be held criminally liable for failure to act within the agreed safety policies.You should ensure that you are familiar with this document and operate within its terms.

Cornwall Environmental Consultants General Policy

Cornwall Environmental Consultants is responsible for ensuring that all reasonably practicable steps are taken throughout the organisation to provide the safest and healthiest possible working conditions and to minimise the frequency and severity of accidents and occupational hazards by:

• Placing the prime responsibility for safety at all levels on the Director, the Central Services Manager/Health & Safety Officer or the section manager concerned
• Promoting a high level of health and safety awareness in all employees
• Keeping under constant review the acquisition of machinery, materials and equipment to ensure the highest safety standards;
• Acquiring or installing only machines, materials and equipment which satisfy high standards of safety, comfort and reliability and ensuring that these are maintained to these standards
• Adopting the use of improved working methods and operational techniques where appropriate so as to reduce risks of injury or ill-health;
• Implementing a Risk Management System and providing regular review, audit and maintenance of all Health and Safety systems and procedures in line with Health and Safety legislation, regulations and directives
• Investigating, providing and encouraging the use of safety devices, protective equipment and clothing
• Obtaining and disseminating safety guides and Codes of Practice to appropriate situations
• Providing suitable training (and where appropriate, certification), information and instruction so that methods, machinery and equipment are fully understood andemployees are capable of carrying out safely the tasks allotted
• Providing project officers and line managers with adequate training in the operations under their control so that their technical and operational knowledge is kept up to date
• Providing premises and substances required for use by thoseto whom they have responsibilities under the Act that are safe and without risk to health as far as reasonably practicable
• Fulfilling their obligations to those with whom they share premises and those who may otherwise be affected by the activity of their employees; (m) ensuring that contractors and others when working in any Cornwall Environmental Consultants areas comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and any relevant regulations
• Setting up a committee to monitor and update Cornwall Environmental Consultants health and safety requirements
• Consulting with the employees’ representative on matters relevant to staff safety, health and welfare at work
• Establishing welfare facilities
• Ensuring that appeals regarding safety matters are determined by the Director where necessary