Safety Policy Statement
Safety Policy Statement
Safety Policy Statement

Dave Petro Forestry Services

 

This policy statement is in 3 parts:

Part 1 makes a general declaration based on you, and your employees, obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and should be signed by the person in overall charge of the business who has an automatic responsibility for health and safety.

Part 2 then says who is responsible for what, and comes under the heading of "Organisation and Arrangements."

Part 3 then provides detailed arrangements.

It must be borne in mind that this document becomes your Health and Safety Policy when it is signed by your company.  As such, its content then becomes totally your responsibility, in that it is also a legal obligation that a person is appointed to make sure that health and safety knowledge and application is kept up to date, and that risk assessment is an activity that is carried out before any hazardous activity is undertaken.  This means that the document should be reviewed (although alteration is not always necessary) frequently.  The contents of the document as you receive it are not to be considered exhaustive, nor should it be considered a substitute for adequate training for your personnel.  All personnel should be aware of, and trained in the use of, if necessary, the control measures in the policy. 

It is anticipated that upon receiving this document, a competent person will study its content, add to the control measures if necessary, and then proceed to bring it to the attention of employees in order to arrange for the control measures to be carried out, to ensure that they become the actual working policy of the company.

DAVID PETRO FORESTRY SERVICES: SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT
PART 1: GENERAL DECLARATION

The management of the company recognises that the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees whether on the company premises or carrying out company business elsewhere, is primarily the management's responsibility; and that further, a duty of care extends to other persons while they are on company sites.

The Management Responsibility Includes:

a)    The provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that (as far as is reasonably practicable) are safe and without risks to health.

b)    Arrangements for ensuring (so far as is reasonably practicable) safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage, and transport of articles and substances.

c)     The provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision that is necessary to ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) the health and safety at work of employees.

d)    The provision and maintenance (as far as is reasonably practicable) of a safe place of work, and proper access to that place of work.

e)    The provision and maintenance of a working environment that is (as far as is reasonably practicable) safe, without risks to health, and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for welfare at work.  The employment of persons who are competent in the work for which they are engaged.

f)      Compliance with the statutory requirements for safety, health and welfare.

Notwithstanding the former, it is recognised that all employees have a responsibility for their personal safety and also a duty of care to their fellow employees.


The Employee Responsibility Includes:

a)    The duty to comply with the safety instructions and directions proposed by the management.

b)    The duty to use properly the means and facilities provided for health and safety at work.  The duty to refrain from the wilful misuse or interference with anything provided in the interests of health and safety and welfare, and any action that might endanger himself or others.

c)     The duty of all employees in authority to ensure that the necessary safety precautions are taken and that the necessary safety instructions are given.

d)    The duty to report to management any defect in safety equipment, or safety procedure, which results in risks to personnel.

 

PART 2: COMPANY SAFETY POLICY

ORGANISATION AND ARRANGEMENTS

The effective implementation of the company safety policy requires the participation of all levels of management and employees in the following manner:


The Work Manager:

a)    Shall be responsible for the effective implementation of company safety policy.

b)    Shall keep himself informed of the incidents or accidents occurring on the sites on which the company is working, or to company employees.

c)     Shall keep under review the necessity for further safety measures, instructions and training to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees.

d)    Shall keep himself reasonably available to receive safety delegates and attend safety meetings.

 

The Site Safety Co-ordinator :

a)    Shall be responsible for the effective implementation of company safety policy within his section, or area of control.

b)    Shall investigate all accidents and potentially hazardous incidents in the area under his control reported to him either formally or informally, and shall institute or report the appropriate management action taken or required to be taken to make safe and/or to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

c)     Shall inspect the section or area under his control to check that the safety measures, or methods are being maintained and that safety instructions and safe practices are being followed in the method of work, place of work, and by workers. 

d)    Shall instruct those under his control, precisely and clearly on their duties with regard to the safety of themselves and all others within the department, or work area.

e)    Shall institute or initiate as appropriate, additional safety measures, repairs or remedial measures, or methods deemed to be necessary from his investigation, inspection, or information that is obtained in the course of the above duties.

f)      Shall inform employees of any hazards to health and safety encountered in the course of their work and the precautions to be taken and of the duties to safeguard their health and well-being.

g)    Shall make himself reasonably available to receive and discuss safety queries raised by employees under his control.


The Nominated Person Responsible For Health & Safety:

 a)    Shall advise, guide, and inform management and employees on safety matters to assist them to fulfil their duties.

b)    Shall inspect and check plant, processes, procedure practices, and premises to see that the necessary safety standards are maintained and to ascertain where additional measures, are required.

c)     Shall promote and communicate safety training and instruction in accident prevention, fire precautions, and health and hygiene measures.

d)    Shall as necessary carry out follow up investigations on any incidents relating to health and safety.

e)    Shall consult and communicate with fire and safety authorities, and advisory organisations in the furtherance of maintaining and improving health, safety, and welfare, within the company work sites.

f)      Shall be responsible for undertaking the measures, or methods needed to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed by the relevant statutory provisions.

 

Company Employees:

a)    Shall make themselves familiar with and conform to the Company Safety Policy.

b)    Shall observe and comply with the safety rules at all times.

c)     Shall wear appropriate safety equipment and use appropriate safety devices as are required.

d)    Will conform to all instructions given by the nominated safety person and other supervisors and charge hands with a responsibility for safety.

e)    Will report all accidents and damage relating to Company activity to the supervisors or charge hands with a responsibility for safety.

f)      May make suggestions to improve safety at sites to the supervisor or charge hand or safety person.

g)    Must report all hazards to the supervisor or charge hand concerned or the safety person.

 

All Other Persons at Sites:

a)    Shall observe the Company safety rules and instructions given by personnel enforcing the Company Safety Policy.

b)    Shall not work on Company sites until the relevant safety rules are read, understood, and accepted.

PART 3: DETAILED ARRANGEMENTS

1.          All accidents will be reported to your Manager, who will arrange for you to receive first aid, or treatment, by a Doctor if required.  The accident will be reported in the accident book.

2.          Where absence from work results from an accident at work, you are required to send a medical certificate to your Manager within 24 hours of ceasing work, and if not already reported as an industrial injury, details of what happened, where, when, and how, along with the names of any witnesses must be provided.

3.          All accidents resulting in loss of time must be reported to the Manager, who may subsequently report the incident to the Health and Safety Inspectorate.

4.          All employees will receive instructions and training in:

a)         The procedure in the event of a fire, fire alarm, fire evacuation, the use of fire fighting appliances and fire precautions as applies.

b)         Safety Standards, including:

i)           Personal dress and protective clothing.

ii)          Safety in the use of machinery and hand tools.

iii)        The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.

iv)        Electrical hazards and precautions.

v)          Hygiene and health precautions.

vi)        Housekeeping and tidiness.

vii)       First aid.

5.     Accident, dangerous occurrence, injury, and near miss recording, as required by RIDDOR.

a)    The Company must have an accident book.

b)    All accidents and injuries will be reported in the accident book.

c)     Injuries that result in incapacity from normal duties for more than 3 days must be reported to the local enforcing authority on form F2508.

d)    Reports of fatal and major injury accidents and specified dangerous occurrences should be notified to the local enforcing authority by the quickest practicable means (usually telephone) and must be confirmed in writing on form F2508 within 7 days of the incident.

e)    If an employee dies as a result of a reportable incident within one year of the incident, then the employer must inform the enforcing authority in writing as soon as it comes to his knowledge, whether or not the incident was previously reported.

f)      The person responsible for reporting accidents, dangerous occurrences, and diseases to the enforcing authority will, in most cases is the employer.  In other cases the responsibility to report will normally be with the person for the time being having control of the site (such as where the person injured is a member of the public).

g)    The full list of dangerous occurrences appears in "A Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995" (RIDDOR), and includes: