Health and Safety Policy

This policy sets out our responsibilities in respect of the Health & Safety of its staff, and anyone else working in or visiting our premises.

Introduction

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act of 1974 requires the Academy to produce a written statement of policy for all staff, students, visitors and contractors explaining its procedures and commitment to the health, safety and welfare of all persons on our premises.

General Policy

In accordance with Sections 2 and 3 of The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, the Academy and its managers will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all its staff, students, visitors and contractors where they have access to, or contact with, places where the business of the Academy is transacted. To this end we will, as far as is reasonably practicable, comply with all appropriate legislation and Approved Codes of Practice as may be issued by the Health and Safety Commission. Additionally, the Academy will take steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff on Contract Sites by bringing the content of this Safety Policy and Mode of Implementation to the attention of Contractors.

Our statement of general policy is: –

To provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from our work activities;
To consult with our employees and students on matters affecting their health and safety;
To provide and maintain safe equipment;
To ensure safe handling and use of substances;
To provide information, instruction and supervision for employees and students;
To ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks, and give them adequate training
To prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health and to maintain safe and healthy working conditions; and
To review and revise this policy as necessary at regular intervals.

Organisation

Any specific responsibilities detailed in this section should be read in conjunction with the process specific responsibilities contained in Section – General Arrangements.

Academic Department

Course Coordinators in Excellence-Solutions Limited are responsible for the safety of their team or class within the working environment and shall:

Ensure that Risk Assessments have been prepared by the Health and Safety Officer for all tasks to be undertaken and that control measures adopted adequately minimise the risk to acceptable standards. They shall also ensure that the Risk Assessments are reviewed at least annually and the control measures revised as and when required.
Ensure that health & safety issues are raised on a regular basis at team meetings at all levels within their teams or classes.
Ensure that accidents and incidents that happen within their teams or classes are reported according to procedure and that they monitor sickness due to accidents at work and report appropriately to the Health & Safety Officer
Ensure that all new staff, volunteers and students are subject to Induction in accordance with the relevant Induction Policy.

Members of staff and volunteers shall also:-

Undertake personal (dynamic) assessments of risk, based on the signals, information, training and resources available.
Shall make considered judgements in order to use the available resources in such a way as to achieve an acceptable level of safety whilst undertaking the task.
Shall nominate Safety Representatives where appropriate to raise issues relating to health and safety at work on their behalf.

Safety Representatives

All workplaces must elect/appoint employee representatives for health & safety as set out in The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977. Safety Representatives have agreed to undertake relevant training in Health & Safety. Safety Representatives are not legally liable for anything they do or fail to do as a Safety Representative. They have legal rights but no legal duties.

Their functions are:-

To investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences at the workplace, examine the causes of accidents at the workplace and make representation to management on any matters arising.
To investigate complaints by any employee or student that they represent relating to health, safety and welfare at work or study and make representation to management on any matters arising.
To make representation to management on general matters affecting the health, safety and welfare at work of employees and students in the workplace.
To carry out inspections of our study site at least quarterly.
To request and receive information if it affects the health and safety of staff and students.
To report to the Head of Academy

Safety Representatives shall be permitted to take time off, with pay, during working hours as is necessary to perform the functions as set out above and to undergo any health and safety training as is reasonably necessary for them to fulfil their role.

Contractors, Visitors & Clients

All visitors, including contractors and clients, are entitled to such information as necessary to ensure their health and safety whilst on our premises. Provision of such information shall be the responsibility of those persons managing the respective services.

Contractors, depending on the nature of the service they are providing, may need substantially more information than visitors who merely have appointments with staff. Such information may include the location of asbestos or fragile roofs.

Contractors must inform members of staff of any risks e.g. from equipment, substances or working practices that they introduce to the premises.

Contractors should be contractually obliged to provide copies of their own Health & Safety policies as appropriate and provide method statements as required by specific regulations governing their work. They should also comply with all relevant Academy requirements whilst on our premises.

Students

All Students have a responsibility to do everything they can to prevent injury to themselves, their fellow students, staff and any other person whilst on our premises.

Students shall ensure they are familiar with emergency evacuation procedures.

Students are required to report any accidents or near misses which have occurred, whilst on our premises or at any location where Work Placement is being undertaken, to their tutor or other employee, as soon as practicable.

Students shall use any equipment provided in accordance with the training that they have received. They are required to report any problems they foresee in any protection arrangements and inform their Tutor or other Academy employee of any potential hazard, imminent danger or risk, no matter how small they seem at the time.

Students are required to inform their Tutor of any personal health and safety need or requirement they may have.

General Arrangements

Induction Process

New members of staff will receive, as part of initial Induction, guidance on health and safety, in accordance with our Induction Policy.

This will include arrangements for First Aid and Fire Evacuation. Their personal obligations under the law will be explained. Additional training, where necessary, will be provided through line management to accommodate the specific needs of an individual.

Managers should also ensure that a Health & Safety induction takes place for members of staff who undertake a change in role or move office.

Students also have an induction process that includes Health & Safety assessments.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

All staff required to use hazardous substances during the course of their duties shall be afforded any health and safety information necessary to apprise them of any risks to health.

In accordance with the policy of the Director such products will be replaced when possible by safer and/or more environmentally friendly products.

At Excellence-Solutions most of the substances will be used in cleaning operations and the Health and Safety Officer must ensure contractors supply Safety Data Sheets for any substances used or stored by them on our premises.

Display Screen Safety (Working with Computers)

The Academy will ensure that all persons who use Display Screens and those who manage them shall have available to them adequate health and safety information and where appropriate, written instructions.

All such work equipment will be maintained on a proper basis and must only be used by authorised, trained personnel. Workstation Self- Assessment packages are available to all staff and should be undertaken at least annually, or when workstations or office layouts are altered.

Work Equipment Safety

We will ensure that all persons who use and those who manage work equipment shall have available to them adequate health and safety information and where appropriate, written instructions. All such work equipment will be maintained on a proper basis and must only be used by authorised, trained personnel.

Safe Manual Handling

The Academy is aware that manual handling of loads can be a major source of occupational injury and ill health. Some jobs at the Academy involve lifting and carrying even to a minimum degree. We will strive to reduce such instances to a minimum.

The Operations Manager should make all new staff (during the induction process) aware of the need to lift and carry safely. Members of staff required to carry out duties that present a significant risk will attend a course on safe-lifting, organised by the Health and Safety Officer.

In addition, where appropriate, tasks will be assessed with a view to improving the health and safety of such members of staff. Members of staff must notify managers of any change of circumstances that may prevent or limit their lifting and carrying ability (e.g. bad backs, pregnancy etc).

Accident and Incident Reporting and Investigation

All injuries and dangerous occurrences will be reported and investigated, as soon as possible, by the Head of Academy. Further investigation, where necessary, shall be made by the Health and Safety Officer. Any necessary action shall be taken to remedy the situation. Where local action is not appropriate then specialist advice must be sought without undue delay.

As a matter of course, all accidents/incidents shall be brought to the attention of the Health and Safety Officer. All incidents / accidents giving rise to serious personal injury are to be reported to the Health and Safety Officer and the Operations Manager by the most direct means.

The Head of Academy shall have sole responsibility for reporting to the Health and Safety Executive any matters, which fall under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The Health and Safety Officer shall be responsible in the absence of the Operations Manager.

First Aid Provision

Throughout the Academy a number of personnel shall be trained and certified in accordance with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations. Appropriate posters shall have the name of those employees trained in First Aid who work in that building displayed thereon.

Additional signage displaying the names of those trained will be provided where appropriate. Those who are not qualified should only render assistance, in the absence of a trained First Aider, if they are comfortable with any procedure they may employ.

Electrical Safety

In accordance with the Electricity at Work Regulations the Health and Safety Officer shall arrange for the PAT testing and servicing by a competent person. In addition, as part of the quarterly inspection by the Health and Safety Officer, a routine check of leads, plugs etc. will be carried out. All staff are reminded of the dangers of electricity and must take defective equipment out of use and report the matter as soon as possible.

General Conduct

The importance of standards cannot be stressed too highly. The commitment to health, safety and welfare is two-edged: on one side there are the obvious benefits to the individual: on the other the benefits to the Academy of reduced absenteeism due to ill health and injuries and an increase in general health, well-being and efficiency.

Training undertaken on Employers Premises

Where training of Apprentices is undertaken at Employer’s premises, the prime responsibility for the health and safety of the apprentice lies with the host Employer. However, the Academy has a duty of care to take reasonable measures to ensure Apprentices are not put at undue risk when working for Employers who engage with the Academy.

To fulfil this duty of care, the Academy will obtain initial confirmation from prospective Employers that they understand their responsibilities to Apprentices and have a robust health and safety management system in place relevant to the Apprentices.

The Academy will further carry out periodic checks of Employers to monitor their ongoing suitability for the scheme in terms of their management of health and safety and fulfilment of the

Responsibilities

Excellence-Solutions is responsible for:

Engaging Employers that are competent in managing the health and safety of Apprentices and have processes in place appropriate to the level of risk
Liaising with the Employer to ensure that health and safety arrangements are in place appropriate for the level of risk
Obtaining confirmation of the Employer’s health and safety management arrangements in place
Taking responsibility for health and safety matters that relate specifically to the Academy premises, implementing the institutional health and safety policies and procedures relevant to Apprentices
Responding as appropriate to any health and safety issues raised by the Apprentice, the Employer or Staff

The Employer has the prime responsibility for the health and safety of Apprentices and must ensure all relevant legislative requirements are complied with. In particular this includes, but is not limited to:

Taking primary responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of Apprentices, controlling risks to safety and health appropriately
Having a written Health and Safety Policy in place (where employing 5 or more) that sets out a clear commitment to managing the health and safety of Apprentices
Having procedures for carrying out risk assessments, and bringing the assessment findings to the attention of Apprentices
Having a clear process for reporting accidents and health and safety concerns
Ensuring Apprentices receive adequate support and guidance to create a productive and positive experience
Providing an appropriate health and safety induction and ensuring that instruction, site familiarisation, personal protective equipment, training and supervisory arrangements are fit for purpose (to include: fire precautions; emergency evacuations and first aid arrangements; how to report accidents, incidents and unsafe conditions)
Providing a safe working environment and non-discriminatory treatment
Cooperate with the Academy as far as is necessary when following up on identified health and safety issues
Informing the Academy of any incidents involving Academy staff or Apprentices
Ensuring insurance is in place to cover liability for any injuries, ill health or property damage sustained that is attributable to the activities of the apprenticeship provision

Apprentices are responsible for:

Taking reasonable care of the health and safety of themselves and others
Co-operating with the Employer and Academy on matters of health and safety
Not bringing the Academy or the Employer’s reputation into disrepute and to actively work to promote a good reputation for the Academy, the Employer, the Apprenticeship programme and fellow Apprentices
Abiding by the rules and regulations of the Employer
Informing the Employer and the Academy of any personal factors or changes to personal factors (e.g. health, disability, linguistic or cultural) that may affect the level of risk attached to the Apprenticeship or may require reasonable adjustments to be made
Reporting to the Employer and the Academy any incidents or issues that occur or any concerns regarding health and safety
Confirming that any personal vehicle insurance covers travel to/from work and business use if travel to other locations is required

The nature of the three-way partnership between the Academy, the Apprentice and the Employer places a responsibility on each party to:

Be partners in planning and management
Clearly understand the responsibilities and expectations of each party involved
Collaborate to ensure opportunities are inclusive, safe and supported
Engage in structured opportunities for learning and development
Establish sustainable relationships and networks
Record outcomes and evaluate feedback to enable continuous enhancement

Engaging Employers

Employers Declaration

The Employers Health and Safety checklist is to be used for obtaining initial information of the Employer’s arrangements for managing the health and safety of Apprentices. All Employers being considered must complete this Questionnaire and agree to forward evidence of the health and safety arrangements in place on request.

Each Questionnaire is valid for the duration of the contract. However, where a contract exceeds one year, confirmation must be obtained from the Employer on an annual basis that appropriate insurance and health and safety management systems remain in place. This includes forwarding current insurance documentation, together with a newly completed Questionnaire, or written confirmation that the information provided in the original Questionnaire remains valid.

Approval of Employers

The Academy staff receiving completed questionnaires must use the information provided to gauge the suitability of the employer. Where further clarification is felt appropriate, requests for supporting documentation must be made to provide evidence that the processes indicated are in place. Examples include:

Copies of risk assessment relevant to the activities of the Apprentice
Copies of written procedures
Copies of induction / training information

Background checks for enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive can be undertaken through the following links:

Improvement notices – http://www.hse.gov.uk/notices/
Prosecutions – http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/prosecutions.htm

In deciding on the initial or ongoing suitability of the employer, the following must be taken into account:

Answers provided in the Employers checklist
Appropriateness of any supporting documentation provided or requested
Promptness of return of questionnaire/request for supporting documentation
Previous knowledge of or dealings with the employer
Feedback from Apprentices working / having worked at the employers premises
Staff visits to the employers premises

Having taken the above into account employers may be:

Approved – employer is deemed suitable
Approved with action plan – employer is deemed suitable with improvements agreed e.g.
1. Alterations to documentation to clarify applicability to Apprentices
2. Other actions relevant to the Apprentices tasks/activities, equipment used, working environment
Rejected – employer cannot demonstrated appropriate management of the health and safety of Apprentices

This policy will be reviewed annually.

Useful Links

Locations