Health and Safety Policy

The Local Health & Safety Executive’s contact details are:

Woodlands
Manton Lane
Manton Lane Industrial Estate
Bedford
MK41 7LW

Accidents and Emergencies

Individual staff members will undergo first aid training and respond to all incidents when on site. These staff members will undergo three-yearly re-qualifications to ensure they are always competent to deal with all incidents onsite and know when to call for help.

All accidents, work-related ill health and incidents are to be reported immediately to Nicky Hardy, who will enter it into the accident report book and notify David Gwilliams of the incident. If necessary, Luke Jamieson will report injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences (RIDDOR) to the enforcing authority. Our Health & Safety Consultant will investigate all accidents, including minor incidents. Accident reports are confidential to comply with Data Protection requirements.

Consultation

Luke Jamieson, Matt Whalley, Warren Boswell and David Gwilliams are responsible for consultation with staff members on all safety, health & welfare issues. This is carried out during regular meetings where staff members will have an additional opportunity to comment on the safety, health & welfare arrangements. Should anyone have any concerns regarding the safety, health and welfare arrangements, these concerns must be raised with their Line Manager or David Gwilliams.

Issues raised anonymously will be considered equally to those raised in person.

Contractors

Matt Whalley and Warren Boswell are responsible for monitoring the safe working practices of contractors on our premises. All contractors must read and follow our Health & Safety Policy. Staff should draw the Health & Safety Consultant’s attention to any breach by an external contractor.

All contractors must complete the Site Health & Safety Induction, and Matt Whalley or Warren Boswell must retain a record of this.

Competency for Tasks and Training

Management will provide induction training for all new starters. Training records are confidential in the personnel file. Where safety, health and welfare training is identified, Management will arrange for this to occur wherever possible during the working day.

Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

Users of display screen equipment are trained on the health and safety aspects of this type of work. Regular assessments of all workstations and working practices will be undertaken at least yearly. Aylesbury Box Company will pay for eyesight tests if requested by employees who use screens for a significant part of the day.

Equipment

Matt Whalley and Warren Boswell are responsible for all equipment except office computers and plotting tables that will be the responsibility of Luke Jamieson. All equipment must be maintained in good working order and repaired and serviced according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All equipment will have planned maintenance, and services MUST be completed per the maintenance schedule. Where required, the equipment will be clearly labelled with health and safety warnings, and staff will be provided with adequate protection. Any problems with equipment should be reported to Matt Whalley and Warren Boswell immediately. All equipment must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Matt Whalley, Warren Boswell and David Gwilliams will check that all new equipment meets health and safety standards before it is purchased and after initial installation.

Electrical Safety

Matt Whalley will arrange regular visual inspections of all electrical equipment, including testing portable appliances (PAT). Inspection and testing of portable appliances are performed periodically per current guidance. Records of all inspections and testing are kept and maintained. Any electrical equipment brought in by anyone must be tested to ensure it is safe.

Fire Safety

Matt Whalley and Luke Jamieson are responsible for fire safety. Any concerns should be raised immediately. The Fire Marshals are responsible for completing the monthly fire safety checks. They will report any shortcomings to David Gwilliams, who will also assist in completing the monthly fire safety checks when required. All personnel will participate in bi-annual fire drills, and the records are to be kept in ‘The Fire Folder’, located in the main office.

All employees and self-employed personnel must read and sign the Fire Procedure. In cases of Fire, everyone should follow the actions described in the Fire Procedure and on the Fire Action Notice, which is displayed within the premises. Should any visitors or contractors be onsite, their host is responsible for ensuring they are evacuated to the Assembly Point during any evacuation.

Hazardous Substances

Any substance that poses a health risk will be controlled in line with the Manufactures Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). All MSDS will be held centrally in the Production Office.

Where any substance poses a high health risk, a specific COSHH Risk Assessment will be completed, and the outcome will be briefed to all staff. All employees required to handle or use any substance that poses a health risk must read the MSDS or COSHH Risk Assessment and follow the detailed instructions.

The risk assessment will then be held in the Production Office and may be referred to at any time by any employee.

Information, Instruction and Supervision

The Directors and David Gwilliams are responsible for arranging information, instruction, training and supervision. The Health and Safety Law poster is on the staff notice board in the factory break room and the sales office. Health and safety advice is available from the HSE website and Kaill Consultancy & Training Ltd – david@kailltraining.co.uk or 07715607432.

Manual Handling

The Directors fully understand that manual handling is a factor to consider within the workplace. All personnel are reminded to use the correct manual handling techniques. If anyone is unsure or has questions about this, ask the Health & Safety Consultant, David Gwilliams, who will arrange training. All staff will undergo Manual Handling training at least every three years.

Monitoring

The Directors and David Gwilliams will ensure that safe working practices are followed. They will investigate accidents and work-related causes of absences. They are responsible for acting on investigation findings to prevent a recurrence.

Noise

All tasks identified that seem to be a bit loud will have individual sound surveys completed. Hearing protection will be made available when sound levels are dangerous (as per HSE Noise at Work regulation). Where sound levels are very high (as per HSE Noise at Work regulation), Aylesbury Box Company will implement strict controls to reduce the levels of harm employees are exposed to.

Should any employee feel that their hearing is affected by noise levels within the building, they must report immediately to a Director or David Gwilliams, who will investigate further and, if required, introduce extra control measures.

Air Compressors

Our air compressors (and all types of pressure vessels) will be serviced, tested and inspected per the manufacturer’s recommendations. Anyone who operates our air compressors must be trained to use the equipment safely. Any questions should be addressed to Matt Whalley or Warren Boswell, as they are responsible for all equipment.

Dust

Aylesbury Box Company understands that there is a risk to health posed by the dust produced during the manufacturing processes. To that end, Aylesbury Box Company will, so far as reasonably practicable, reduce the levels of dust exposure to safe limits by using vacuum extraction. Where this is impossible, additional controls will be introduced to protect everyone. You must not use compressed air to remove excessive dust from equipment.

Risk Assessment

The Directors are responsible for producing Risk Assessments of what we do here or arranging for a competent person to complete them. The Directors will implement any actions identified by the Risk Assessment. The assessments will be reviewed annually or whenever there is a significant change in working practices or equipment. All actions will be monitored to assess their effectiveness. Everyone will be informed of Risk Assessment changes, and new actions must be followed.

Safety equipment/clothing

Matt Whalley is responsible for safety equipment and clothing (often called Personal Protective Equipment or PPE) when required and identified by our Risk Assessments. When equipment or clothing is needed, Matt Whalley will ensure that it meets the requirements of relevant legislation. All PPE will be supplied free of charge, and the appropriate training will also be provided. All employees must use all and any PPE correctly. All PPE must be cleaned and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Working at Heights

Working at heights will, wherever possible, be avoided, in line with the Working at Heights Regulation 2005. When working at heights cannot be avoided, a Director will assess the work required and identify the safest way to complete that task. Ladders are only suitable for tasks that take less than 30 minutes.

All ladders and scaffolding systems must have periodic checks, and any equipment with a defect must be marked as ‘Quarantine Do Not Use’, and the Directors must be informed. All inspections will be recorded and filed in the folder in the production office.

Company Vehicles

Aylesbury Box Company may provide an employee with a company car or van for business use. The employee must ensure the vehicle is maintained per the manufacturer’s instructions. They are responsible for ensuring they have a suitable and valid insurance policy and MOT. Nicky Hardy will help, but the responsibility for legal requirements to drive is with the driver. All employees with company vehicles will have their driving licences checked yearly by Nicky Hardy via the government’s website. Any driver receiving a fixed penalty notice or has a pending motor vehicle prosecution must inform Luke Jamieson immediately. Some convictions may result in employee vehicle privileges being removed. If an employee lets anyone else use their vehicle, they must ensure the new driver is insured, and show the new driver’s Driving Licence to Nicky Hardy as early as possible.

Lone Working

Aylesbury Box Company recognises that employees will be required to work on their own unsupervised, posing a risk to their health, safety and welfare. Therefore, Aylesbury Box Company has developed a lone worker policy that anyone likely to work alone must read.

Waste and Spill Management

The Directors are responsible for the storage and disposal of waste. This includes training, supervision and monitoring. Waste must be separated into

• Paper & cardboard
• Flexo washdown water
• Wooden pallets
• General waste for the bin
• All other miscellaneous waste, including: electronic waste, liquids, metal, plasterboard & builders’ waste, fluorescent tubes and large amounts of glass.

All waste must be disposed of per local regulations and company procedures. If anyone notices that the bins are full or have miscellaneous waste, they must report this to Matt Whalley or Warren Boswell, who will arrange to collect and remove the waste.

We have a policy for managing spills, and spill kits are in units 19 and 21. All employees receive training in Spill Management.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

The Directors understand that we can all suffer from mental ill health as a result of workplace activities and or individual personal circumstances. Therefore, Aylesbury Box Company will support individuals with mental ill health, promote and maintain all staff’s mental health and wellbeing, and encourage everyone to take responsibility for their mental health and wellbeing.

Workplace Safety

Directors and David Gwilliams will regularly inspect the workplace and maintain inspection records. Any safety or health risks will be removed or reduced as reasonably practicable.

Aylesbury Box Company has put into place a set of Safe Systems of Work where tasks have been identified with levels of Risk that cannot be controlled in any other way. All Aylesbury Box Company employees must read and sign these Safe Systems of Work.

Thank you