Responsibility
The Board of Directors are ultimately responsible for health and safety in the Company. The direct report to the Board on all matters relating to health and safety is the Chief Financial Officer. The CFO working with the Company’s Head of Operations, in his role as Health & Safety Officer, will ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that appropriate and regular risk assessments are undertaken, that measures to eliminate or ameliorate identified risks are taken and that the Company’s Health & Safety Policies & Procedures are updated and effectively implemented. The Office Manager, reporting to the Health & Safety Officer is the point of contact for dealing with day-to-day queries raised by workers or visitors regarding health and safety. In the absence of the Office Manager, for urgent matters, the Health & Safety Officer will assume this responsibility or, in their absence, the Head of HR.
Health & Safety Management Committee
The Company will appoint a Health & Safety Management Committee. This will comprise the Health & Safety Officer, the Office Manager and two volunteer employee Health & Safety Representatives from each floor (save for the Ground Floor where there will be one). In the absence of volunteers, the Health & Safety Representatives will be appointed from the Heads of Department on the particular floor. New volunteers will be asked for or appointees made, as required. The suitability of volunteers is at the sole discretion of the Health & Safety Officer.
Proceedings of the Health & Safety Management Committee
The Health & Safety Management Committee will meet at least bi-annually, the Office Manager being responsible for arranging the meetings and taking minutes and the Health & Safety Officer chairing. The role of the Health & Safety Management Committee, and its individual members, is as follows:
- To maintain a broad overview of all health and safety matters relating to the Company;
- To familiarise themselves with the detail of the Company’s Health & Safety Policies & Procedures and keep them under review, suggesting amendments when necessary;
- To conduct safety tours and inspections of the premises;
- To ensure that annual risk assessments are carried out, including assessments regarding substances hazardous to health (COSSH Regulations) and by external specialists when required and to discuss and act on recommendations; and
- To take such action as may be required to ensure that the Company’s responsibilities for health and safety are fulfilled.
The Health & Safety Representatives shall additionally have a duty to report to the Health & Safety Officer and Office Manager any risk that they or anyone on their floor identifies and to ensure that necessary and prompt action is taken to eliminate or ameliorate the risk.
Safety Tours
The Health & Safety Management Committee shall carry out at least 6-monthly safety tours and inspections of the premises and the Health & Safety Officer shall draw up a report of any issues and present it to the next meeting of the Committee. All necessary actions as a result of each tour where reasonable and practicable, shall be promptly implemented. The tour shall include inspection of the Accident File for the relevant period.
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