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Federation Health & Safety Policy PDF Print

GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

It is the Policy of Lothian and Borders Joint Branch Board of the Scottish Police Federation to comply with the terms of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and subsequent legislation and to provide and maintain a healthy and safe working environment. Lothian and Borders Joint Branch Board’s health and safety objective is to minimise the number of instances of occupational accidents and illnesses and ultimately to achieve an accident free workplace.
All employees will be provided with such equipment, information, training and supervision as are necessary to implement the policy and achieve the stated objective.
Lothian and Borders Joint Branch Board recognises and accepts its duty to protect the health and safety of all visitors to its premises, including contractors and temporary workers, as well as any member of the public who might be affected by our operations.
While the executive of the Joint Branch Board will do all that is within its powers to ensure the health ad safety of its employees, it is recognised that health and safety at work it is the responsibility of each and every individual associated with the organisation. It is the duty of each employee to take reasonable care of their own and other people'’ welfare and to report any situation which may pose a threat to the wellbeing of any other person.
The executive of the Joint Branch Board will provide every employee with the training necessary to carry out his or her tasks safely. However, if an employee is unsure how to perform a certain task or feels that it would be dangerous to perform a specific job, then it is the employee’s duty to their supervisor. An effective health and safety programme requires continuous communication between workers and at all levels. It is therefore every worker’s responsibility to report immediately any situation, which could jeopardise the wellbeing of him or her or any other person.
All injuries, however small, sustained by a person at work must be reported. Accident records are crucial to the effective monitoring and revision of the policy and must therefore be accurate and comprehensive.
The Joint Branch Board’s health and safety policy will continually be monitored and updated particularly when changes in the scale and nature of our operations occur. The policy will be reviewed for this purpose every 12 months.
The specific arrangements for the implementation of the policy are detailed in the following pages of this document.

 

Signed…………………………………     Title…………………………………

 

Date…………………………………

 

SAFETY PERSONNEL                                
The person with overall and final responsibility for health and safety for Lothian and Borders Joint Branch Board is the Secretary.
The person responsible for overseeing, implementing and monitoring the policy is the Health & Safety Co-ordinator.
The Assistant Secretary will be responsible for conducting Safety Inspections within the Federation Office.

CONSULTATION
The Executive of the Joint Branch Board sees communication between workers at all levels as an essential part of effective health and safety management. Consultation will be facilitated by means of Safety Committee meetings every six months or as often as deemed necessary.
The purpose of Safety Committee meetings is to provide a forum in which information may be conveyed and employees’ questions on health and safety issues answered. In addition these meetings will provide an opportunity to assess the continuing effectiveness of the policy.

COMMUNICATION
The Executive of the Joint Branch Board will endeavour to communicate their commitment to safety to their employees and to ensure that employees are familiar with the contents of the health and safety policy.

CO-OPERATION AND CARE
If we are to build and maintain a safe working environment, co-operation between workers at all levels is essential.

SAFETY TRAINING
All workers will be trained in safe working practices and procedures prior to being allocated any new role. Training will be appropriate to the task concerned.
Training sessions will be held as often as is deemed necessary and will provide another opportunity for workers to express any fears or concerns they might have about their jobs.

WORKPLACE INSPECTIONS
It is the policy of the Joint Branch Board to comply with the Workplace (Health and Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
The Assistant Secretary will conduct regular inspections of the workplace.
Workplace inspections will also provide an opportunity to review the continuing effectiveness of the policy and to identify areas where revision of the policy may be necessary.      

WORK EQUIPMENT
It is the policy of the Joint Branch Board to comply with the law as set out in the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992.
The Joint Branch Board will endeavour to ensure that all equipment used in the workplace is safe and suitable for the purpose for which it is used. All workers will be provided with adequate information and training to use work equipment safely.

MANUAL HANDLING OPERATIONS
It is the policy of the Joint Branch Board to comply with the law as set out in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
Manual handling operations will be avoided as far as reasonably practicable where there is a risk of injury.
Where it is not possible to avoid manual handling operations an assessment of the operation will be made taking into account, the load, the working environment and the capability of the individual concerned.
All possible steps will be taken to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level possible.

DISPLAY SCREEN EQUIPMENT
It's the policy of the Joint Branch Board to comply with the law as set out in the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.
The Joint Branch Board will conduct health and safety assessments of all workstations staffed by employees who use VDU screens as part of their usual work and will ensure that all workstations meet the requirements set out in the Schedule to the Regulations, thus ensuring that the risk to users of VDU screens will be reduced to the lowest extent reasonably practicable.
Eyesight tests will be provided for VDU screen users on request, and where necessary, they will be provided with appropriate equipment such as glasses or contact lenses.
VDU screen users will be allowed periodic breaks in their work and will be given appropriate and adequate training on this type of work.

FIRE SAFETY
All office bearers and employees of the Joint Branch Board have a duty to report immediately any fire, smoke or potential fire hazards. They also have a duty to conduct their operations in such a way as to minimise the risk of fire.
The Assistant Secretary is responsible for the provision and maintenance of fire prevention and detection equipment.

FIRE DETECTION EQUIPMENT
Manually operated fire alarms are located at strategic points throughout the building. Immediately upon any suspicion of a fire occurring, it is the responsibility of any employee present to activate the alarm and evacuate the building.

FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Fire extinguishers are located at strategic points throughout the building and they are all marked as to which type of fire they should be used on. Employees are only expected to tackle a fire themselves if it would pose no threat to their personal safety to do so. If the situation is dangerous, or potentially dangerous, the employee should activate the alarm and evacuate the building immediately.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES
The exits to be used in the event of fire will depend on where the seat of the fire exists. If it is possible employees should exit via the main door and assemble in the police car park on the opposite side of Beach Lane. Should that prove hazardous they should exit via the door leading to Portobello Police Station, continuing through the police station and assembling in the Car Park on the opposite side of Beach Lane. Exit doors should never be blocked or used as storage space.

SMOKING
In compliance with Lothian and Borders Police Smoking Policy, the building is a No Smoking area. However, the Secretary, or in his absence Assistant Secretary have the discretion, in certain circumstances, to permit an individual to smoke. Should this discretion be applied then the area should at all times be kept fire safe.

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING
It is the policy of the Joint Branch Board to comply with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95)
The Joint Branch Board sees accident Investigation as a valuable tool in the prevention of future incidents. In the event of an accident resulting in injury a report will be drawn up, detailing: -
  1. The Circumstances of the accident including photographs and diagrams wherever possible.
  2. The nature and severity of the injury sustained
  3. The identity of any eyewitnesses
  4. The time, date and location of the incident
  5. The date of the report
All eyewitness accounts will be obtained as near to the time of the accident as reasonably practicable. Any person required to give an official statement has the right to have a lawyer, or trade union representative present, at the company’s expense.
The Completed report will then be submitted to and analysed by the Safety Committee who will attempt to discover why the accident occurred and what action should be taken to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
The completed report will then be submitted to the Federation solicitors who will advise on liability, proceedings and quantum damages. The solicitor will then submit the report to the Joint Branch Board’s Insurance risk advisors for assessment.
A follow-up report will be submitted after a reasonable period of time examining the effectiveness of any new measures adopted.

ACCIDENT PROCEDURE
A first Aid box is located within the kitchen area. It is clearly marked and accessible to all employees.
The Joint Branch Board Assistant Secretary is responsible for reporting all cases of accident and disease and for compiling and storing accident records.
The Joint Branch Board Assistant Secretary is responsible for reporting cases of accident and disease to the relevant enforcing authority under the RIDDOR 95 Regulation where applicable.

SAFETY RULES

General
  1. All employees should be aware of, respect and adhere to the rule and procedures contained in this policy statement.
  2. All employees shall immediately report any unsafe practices or conditions to the relevant authority.
  3. Any person under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicating drug which might impair judgement, whether prescribed or otherwise, shall not be allowed to remain in the workplace.
  4. Horseplay, practical joking or any other acts, which might jeopardise the health and safety of any other person, are forbidden.
  5. Any person whose levels of alertness and/or ability are reduced due to illness or fatigue will not be allowed to remain in the workplace if this might jeopardise the health and safety of that person or any other person.
  6. Employees shall not adjust, move or otherwise tamper with any electrical equipment in a manner not within the scope of their duties, unless instructed to do so by a senior member of staff.
  7. All waste materials must be disposed of carefully and in such a way that they do not constitute a hazard to other workers.
  8. No worker should undertake a job that appears to be unsafe.
  9. No worker should undertake a job until he/she has had adequate safety instruction and is authorised to carry out the task.
  10. All injuries must be reported to the Assistant Secretary.
  11. Work shall be well planned and supervised to avoid injuries in the handling of heavy materials and while using equipment.
  12. Nominated employees are expected to attend safety meetings
  13. Employees should be aware that the potential for the outbreak of fire and the risk of burning/scalding injuries is more prevalent in the kitchen area and that they should at all times act accordingly within that area.
 
Working Environment
  1. Work sites must be kept clean and tidy.
  2. Any spillage must be cleaned up immediately.
  3. Waste materials and rubbish must be removed routinely.
  4. Corridors and passages must be kept clear.
  5. If a corridor or passage becomes wet it should be marked clearly with warning signs and/or covered with non-slip material.
  6. Trailing cables are a trip hazard and should not be left in any passageway.
  7. Where objects are stored around a passageway, care must be taken to ensure that no long or sharp edges protrude into the passageway in such a way as to constitute a hazard.
Manual Lifting and Moving
  1. Mechanical devices should always do lifting and moving of objects rather that manual handling wherever reasonably practicable. The equipment used should be appropriate for the task in hand.
  2. The load to be lifted or moved must be inspected for sharp edges and wet or greasy patches.
  3. When lifting or moving a load with sharp or splintered edges gloves must be worn. Gloves should be free from oil, grease or other agents, which would impair grip.
  4. The route over which the load is to be lifted or moved should be inspected to ensure that it is free from obstructions or spillage, which could cause tripping.
  5. Employees should not attempt to lift or move a load, which is too heavy to manage comfortably.
  6. Where team lifting of moving is necessary one person should act as co-ordinator, giving commands to lift, lower etc.
  7. When lifting an object off the ground employees should assume a squatting position, keeping the back straight. The load should be lifted by straightening the knees, not the back. These steps should be reversed for lowering an object to the ground.
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