(The full, PDF version of this policy is available for download here)
St Stephen in Brannel Parish Council is a local govenment authority, who manage up to 28 services such as Carparking, two Cemeteries, commercial premises and street furniture. We are responsible for over seven thousand residents in our Parish. We operate from the Brannel Building St Stephen where we have crib huts and storage outbuildings, we also operate out of Nanpean building within the cemetery.
The council have ultimate responsibility for health and safety. The Day to day management responsibilities are delegated to The Parish Clerk, Operations Manager and Assistant Parish Clerk listed in the responsibility table included in this document. We have 6 full time and 6 part time employees. Members of the Public and External Agencies may also visit our premises.
The Council have determined that we should operate without putting the health, safety or welfare of any employee, agency worker, client, or any other person at risk. To meet this objective, we have prepared a health and safety policy and made arrangements as set out in this document aimed at ensuring the continued health safety and welfare of those people whilst on our premises or at work.
Accepting that we cannot transfer our responsibility for managing health, safety and welfare in the workplace to others we have retained Peninsula to help us meet this objective. They provide information and guidance on the effective management of health and safety, conduct routine audits and act as a source of advice and information.
Contents
This document contains our-
Safety Policy
Our declaration of intent to provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy working environment and to enlist the support of our employees in achieving these goals.
Organisation and Responsibilities
The allocation of specific health and safety responsibilities to key personnel.
Safety Arrangements
The systems and procedures for controlling hazards at work that form the basis of our health and safety management system.
We also keep detailed safety records demonstrating that we actively manage health and safety within our business. The records which may be paper based or kept in our online systems include-
- An Annual Review of our health and safety system and procedures.
- Periodic checklists created for individual roles and responsibilities.
- A comprehensive source of records relating to statutory examination periodic inspection and testing of work equipment and installations.
- Records for Fire Safety Management.
- A system for keeping health and safety training records.
- Accident and incident records, reporting, and investigation.
Health & Safety General Policy Statement
St Stephen in Brannel Parish Council recognises that it has responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare of our employees, when at work and for the health and safety of clients, visitors, contractors, suppliers and other people who visit our premises. We will assess the hazards and risks they face and take action to minimise hazards and control risks to an acceptable, tolerable level.
Our managers and supervisors are made aware of their responsibilities and required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety, health and welfare of employees, customers and anyone else likely to be affected by the operation of our business.
We will meet our legal obligations by providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment so far as is reasonably practicable. This will be achieved by:
- Providing leadership and control of identifiable health and safety risks on our premises and for those work off-site.
- Consulting with our employees on matters affecting their health and safety.
- Providing and maintaining safe access to safe premises and equipment.
- Ensuring the safe handling, storage and use of substances.
- Managing risks from the use of display screen equipment.
- Providing information, instruction, training where necessary for our workforce, taking account of any who do not have English as a first language.
- Ensuring that all employees are competent, and suitably trained as necessary.
- Ensuring that any contractors working for us are competent.
- Preventing accidents and cases of work-related ill health.
- Actively managing and supervising health and safety at work.
- Having access to competent advice.
- Aiming for continuous improvement in health and safety performance and management by regular review and revision of this policy.
- The provision of the resource, financial and other, required to make this policy and our health and safety arrangements effective.
We also recognise our duty to co-operate and work with contractors when they come to work at our premises, to ensure the health and safety of everyone present.
To help achieve our objectives and ensure our employees recognise their duties under health and safety legislation, we will also remind them of their duty to take reasonable care for themselves and for others. These duties are explained on first employment, at induction. A Safety Handbook setting out their duties and specific health and safety rules is given to each employee.
The policy, our procedures and arrangements will be reviewed annually.
The full policy is available to view here