The Directors recognises its duty to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Company acknowledges and accepts its legal responsibilities for securing the health, safety and welfare of all its employees and all others working on its behalf, affected by their activities.

The Company recognises and accepts the general duties imposed upon the company as an employer under the Health and Safety at Work Act and subsequent health and safety regulations appertaining to its operation and as such the Company will as far as practicable:

• Provide adequate resources to maintain health and safety 
• Carry out risk assessments and review them on a regular basis to ensure they remain current and applicable to the work tasks that are required. 
• Provide and maintain safe systems of work which are without risk to health
• Provide employees with such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to secure their safety and health at work and that of others who may be affected by their actions. 
• Carry out health surveillance where required. 
• Ensure that all equipment supplied is maintained in a safe condition 
• Make adequate provision and arrangements for welfare facilities at work 
• Monitor safety performance to maintain agreed standards

The duties of the employees are to:

• Take reasonable care of their own health and safety, and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.
• Co-operate with others in the Company to fulfil our statutory duties.
• Not interfere with, misuse or wilfully damage anything provided in the interests of health and safety.
• Reporting any accidents or near misses however minor to the Site Supervisor or line manager
• Co-operating with any investigation, which may be undertaken with the objective of preventing reoccurrence of incidents. 

To ensure this policy is effective, we will

• Review it annually or on any significant changes to our business.
• Make any such changes known to our employees.
• Maintain procedures for communication and consultation between all levels of staff on matters of health, safety and welfare.

Contractors

All contractors working for the company are required to comply with the appropriate rules and regulations governing their work activities. Contractors are legally responsible for their own workforce and for ensuring the work is carried out in a safe manner.

Consultation and Training

The Company is committed to involving employees at all levels in the maintenance of health and safety standards and to provide them with adequate information, instruction and training. Much of this will be carried out during the Company induction training and later on during site specific training which will be carried out by the appropriate person. Regular supervisory checks will be completed to ensure the safety of the officers on duty and to test compliance and understanding to current regulation. Where issues are brought to the attention of the supervisor or found by the supervisor he will immediately report these back to his line manager or in their absence the appropriate Director. Any changes in Health and Safety will be notified to the operational staff either in person during visits, e-mail or memo.

The Company will carry out further training when required in such areas as the use of PPE, Safety equipment, Manual handling or plant and machinery as required. Details of the training will be logged on the individuals training record once completed. Where there are changes to the site assignment instructions details will be issued to staff and the appropriate retraining given, details of which will be logged onto the individuals training record.

Risk Assessments

The Health and Safety coordinator / Representative will carry out and record formal risk assessments. In addition risk assessments are carried out continuously by employees throughout their work. Hazards are considered and work methods established to minimize the risk of injury to themselves and others affected by the work. Where the employee does not have sufficient knowledge about a specific hazard, they will take further advice from the H&S Coordinator / Representative if required. The head of the Company ensures operators are provided with appropriate instruction and training on risk assessments.

Security Surveys/Welfare Facilities

Prior to the commencement of an operation the appropriate person from the Company will carry out a site survey, the survey will include such areas that are a security risk along with the determination of the welfare facilities appropriate for the staff working on site such as suitable base, toilet facilities and heating and lighting.

Method/Mission Statements

Formal method statements (safe working procedures/assignment instructions) will be prepared in writing where the risk is particularly high. The method statements will provide site specific information on the task to be undertaken including site set up, chain of responsibility and will detail a clear sequence of work that would be followed in order to undertake the given task safely.

Co-operation with Clients

Employees will always familiarise themselves with client procedures when first attending site, in particular general site access, emergency procedures and high risk work activities. Clients site procedures and specific instructions will be followed at all times.

Work Equipment

All work equipment will be assessed by the Company order to ascertain that the equipment is suitable for its intended use.

No employee will use work equipment for which they have not received specific training.

No employee will knowingly misuse work equipment or remove any guards that are in place to minimise a specified risk.

All work equipment will be maintained and inspected at suitable intervals either internally by a competent person or by specialist external companies. The frequency of work equipment maintenance or inspection will be based on manufacturer’s guidance and industry best practice.

For Company vehicles, the manufacturer’s maintenance handbook shall be used to record the regular maintenance of the vehicle.

Any employee who is in control of Company equipment that is lost, mislaid, is damaged or fails to operate, shall advise the Supervisor or a member of the senior management. Immediate action shall be taken by the Senior Manager if the reported problem applies to health and safety related equipment.

Client supplied equipment shall be controlled in accordance with the assignment instructions.

If any faults or damage are found on any equipment, stop using the work equipment and report the fault to your Site Supervisor or line manager.

All equipment requiring regular maintenance and/or whose location is required to be known shall be logged.

Personal Protective Equipment (P.P.E.)

Appropriate personal protective equipment will be issued to employees as and when necessary for work activities.

Training will be provided for employees on the safe use, storage and maintenance of the relevant equipment before issue and a written record detailing what PPE has been issued will be signed by the employees on receipt of the equipment and the hard copy kept on file.

Employees have a legal duty to wear PPE as specified in relevant site rules, risk assessments and method statements.

Any defects or malfunction of PPE must be reported to the Supervisor or a member of the senior management.

First Aid & Accident Reporting

Adequate first aid provision will be made at every place of work occupied by the Company.

Each first aid box shall be suitably marked and be easily accessible to all employees at all times when they are at work.

All accidents MUST be reported to your Site Supervisor/line manager and the details recorded in the accident book (held at head office). Serious accidents where hospital treatment is required must be reported to the Health and Safety Advisor as soon as possible after the incident. It is our policy to report all accidents, industrial diseases and dangerous occurrences to comply with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. We will also record all injuries in the appropriate accident book, as required by the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979 The company representative is responsible for reporting all notifiable accidents to the enforcing authority. Employees must report all injuries to their supervisor/ line manager immediately after treatment. The accident report must be fully completed for all injuries incurred at work, however minor. An accident book is maintained in our main control room where all staff have been instructed to report to. If, because of their injury, employees are incapable of making an immediate entry, then that entry must be made by their manager, first-aider or nominated person Following any accident of any severity that requires treatment, the employee’s manager will notify the company representative who will

• Complete an accident investigation report
• Notify the enforcing authority, if the accident is reportable 

Following any accident of any severity that requires treatment, the employee’s supervisor/line manager will take statements and retain any other documents related to the accident.

If the injury is of a serious nature or if there is any doubt, the injured person will be sent to the nearest hospital for treatment. Although it is not our legal duty, we will notify the enforcing authority of injuries to a non-employee, e.g. Contractors or consumers, if the injury takes place on our premises and we become aware of it. Accidents and injuries that are reportable to the enforcing authority will also be reported to our employer’s liability insurer.

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (R.I.D.D.O.R.):

Certain accidents are reportable to the HSE’s Incident Contact Centre. The Health and Safety Coordinator must be notified as soon as practicable after incidents causing the following injuries:

• any work related injury that leads to an employee being absent from work for more than 3 working days
• fracture other than to fingers, thumbs or toes;
• amputation;
• dislocation of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine;
• loss of sight (temporary or permanent);
• chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetrating injury to the eye;
• injury resulting from an electric shock or electrical burn leading to
• unconsciousness or requiring resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours;
• any other injury: leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or unconsciousness; or requiring resuscitation; or requiring admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours.

Each first aid box shall be suitably marked and be easily accessible to all employees at all times when they are at work.

Each first aid box shall be suitably marked and be easily accessible to all employees at all times when they are at work.

Accident Investigation

It is our policy to investigate

• All accidents resulting in any reportable injury or losses of any assets
• All accidents, however minor
• All near misses

Employees should be aware that health and safety enforcement officers can enter premises without appointment, at any reasonable time, to ascertain if the requirements of the law are being met. If they have reason to believe that a situation exists or may arise in which there is potential for serious injury or death, they may enter work premises at any time.

We will extend to them full co-operation. We will co-operate with our insurers, in order to reduce our premium as far as we can. If the insurers have advice on reducing risk, we will follow that advice where reasonably practicable.

Hazardous Substances

It is important for a Security Officer to understand the signs that are used on vehicles and containers giving information about hazardous contents. These are known as Hazchem signs.

The labels give the following information:

• An emergency code for the substance – this tells the Emergency Services what action should be taken in cases of emergency.
• A V.N. identifies number for the product, unique to that product.
• A hazard warning symbol – a picture on a white or coloured background that indicates the hazardous properties of the contents e.g. oxidising, toxic, corrosive.
• A contact telephone number for further specific information.

The hazard may be biological, chemical or physical, including fire or explosion.

Should deliveries of this sort be made to your site, the Assignment Instructions should provide you with information which will include the appropriate data sheets that will contain detailed information on the substance. The same applies to storage of these products on site.

The driver of the vehicle must carry with him, in writing, details of:

• The substance
• The hazard
• The precautions to take in an emergency

Leaks & Spillages

If hazardous products are stored on site, they may be in an exclusion zone. If they are not and a Security Officer finds traces of leaking substances, a few very basic rules should be followed:

• Avoid physical contact
• Check labels for instructions, taking care not to step into spillage
• Inform the Supervisor or Regional Control
• Contact Emergency Services if necessary
• Follow details in the Assignment Instructions and inform all necessary personnel.

Fire Safety & Emergency Procedures

It is the Company’s policy to take account of fire hazards in the workplace. All employees have a duty to conduct their operations in such a way as to minimize the risk of fire. This involves compliance with the Company’s no smoking policy, keeping combustible materials separate from sources of ignition and avoiding unnecessary accumulation of combustible materials In the event of the fire alarm being activated, or in any other emergency situation (e.g. bomb scare), all employees must leave the site by the nearest available exit and assemble at the designated assembly point.

Manual Handling

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 apply to work activities In consideration to their special needs, we will take additional measures to secure the safety of pregnant or nursing mothers, including modifying our manual handling risk assessments if required although the activities of the Company would require a full Health & Safety risk assessment in these cases.

Manual handling operations will be assessed for all activities for any loads other than those, which are clearly not significant. Manual handling operations in areas or under conditions that may alter the risk will be assessed although it is not our function unless specifically requested by the client.