HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
1 INTRODUCTION
Allens Cross Community Association recognises that it has a responsibility to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to provide and maintain conditions at the Allens Cross Community Centre which are safe, healthy and comply with all statutory requirements and codes of practice. Therefore, Allens Cross Community Association will ensure that:
• systems of work are safe
• arrangements are made for ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances
• information, instruction, training and supervision is provided to ensure the health and safety at work of employees and the health and safety of users of the Centre
• the Centre is maintained in a safe condition
• a safe means of access to and from the Centre is provided.
2 ORGANISATION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
2.1 Overall Responsibility
Overall responsibility for the Centre is held by Allens Cross Community Association Trustees. Trustees will ensure that there are sufficient resources available to provide any health and safety equipment, personal protective equipment and training where appropriate.
2.2 Responsible Persons
Allens Cross Community Association will encourage all employees, voluntary workers, helpers and sub-contractors and users of the Centre to take responsibility for health and safety matters. The Community Garden & Centre Manger will take responsibility for all day-to-day health and safety matters relating to the Community Garden, the premises and the car park.
The Chair of Trustees at the time will be the Health and Safety Trustee with responsibility to ensure that the Health and Safety Policy is implemented and to report to the Board of Trustees at the regular Trustees meeting or more frequently if required. The Health and Safety Trustee will monitor the Health and Safety Policy on a regular basis, and ensure safety records are maintained, accidents are investigated and will keep a watching brief on changing safety legislation.
2.3 Community Garden and Centre Manager
The Community Garden and Centre Manager has responsibility for providing leadership and promoting responsible attitudes towards health and safety. They will:
• ensure, together with other members of staff, that users of the Centre act in a responsible manner at all times
• ensure that each new member of staff is given induction training at the Centre including the precautions and procedures appropriate to their specific jobs
• ensure that all staff are made aware of any health and safety procedures in place
• ensure all staff understand the health and safety policy and risk assessments
• ensure that any member of staff, before he or she commences work, has been advised about any special occupational qualifications or skills required in order that the work can be carried out safely
• ensure good housekeeping standards are applied
• ensure equipment maintenance is carried out in a timely manner
• ensure accidents are recorded
• investigate all accidents with a view to prevention of further occurrence
• consult with staff directly with regards to health and safety matters to ensure staff have the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have regarding health and safety.
2.4 Employees, Volunteers and Sub-Contractors
All staff, volunteers and sub-contractors have a responsibility to do everything they can to prevent injury to themselves, their fellow staff members, Centre users and others affected by their actions or omissions at the Centre. They are expected to:
• co-operate fully on health and safety matters
• follow health and safety policies and procedures
• report any incidents which have or may have led to injury or damage
• not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety
• take reasonable care of their own health and safety
• report all health and safety concerns to the Community Garden and Centre Manager
All staff should ensure that they use any equipment provided in accordance with the training and instruction that they have received, inform Community Garden and Centre Manager about any serious or imminent danger, and report any shortcomings that they see in the use of such equipment. If the Manager is not available, an employee may stop work and immediately proceed to a place of safety in the event of being exposed to serious, imminent, and unavoidable danger.
3 HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ARISING FROM WORK ACTIVITIES
The Community Garden and Centre Manager together with the Health and Safety Trustee will undertake risk assessments from time to time. The Board of Trustees will review findings, and decide what further action, if any, needs to be taken. Action required to remove and/or control risks will be approved by Trustees who will be responsible for ensuring that any action required is implemented.
4 SAFE EQUIPMENT
The Community Garden and Centre Manager is responsible for identifying all equipment needing maintenance and they will ensure that the identified maintenance is implemented, and effective maintenance procedures are drawn up.
Any problems found with equipment should be reported to the Health and Safety Trustee who will check that new equipment meets health and safety standards before it is purchased or used.
5 SAFE HANDLING AND USE OF SUBSTANCES
The Community Garden and Centre Manager will be responsible for identifying all substances which need a COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessment and will undertake the COSHH assessments. They will ensure that all actions identified in the assessments are implemented and ensure that all employees are informed about the COSHH assessments.
6 COMPETENCIES FOR TASKS AND TRAINING
Induction training will be provided for all staff by the Community Garden and Centre Manager. Any further training requirements will be decided jointly with the Chair of Trustees.
7 ACCIDENTS, FIRST AID AND WORK-RELATED ILL HEALTH
First aid boxes are kept on-view in the kitchen of both the Main Hall and Florence Pickering Hall, and in the volunteer shelter in the community garden.
There is no defibrillator on site. A defibrillator is available Rubery Community and Leisure Centre- Holywell Lane, Rubery, B45 9AD.
All accidents and cases of work-related ill health are to be recorded in the accident book which is kept in the Centre office. All accidents will be investigated by the Manager and a report made to the Chair of Trustees. The Chair of Trustees is responsible for ensuring that necessary action is taken to prevent recurrence.
Any ‘near miss’ incident which occurs should be reported to the Manager who will be responsible for making a report to the Trustees. The Chair of Trustees is responsible for bringing issues to the attention of Trustees as he/she deems appropriate.
8 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES – FIRE AND EVACUATION
Emergency evacuation procedures have been prepared and are available for inspection in the Centre office.
Escape routes are checked weekly, and alarms are tested weekly by the Caretaker. Inspection and test reports are kept in the Fire Risk Management file in the Centre office.
The Manager may delegate these routine checks and tests to other suitably qualified members of staff.
Fire Safety Procedures are provided in the document titled Fire Safety Plan.
9 DISCIPLINARY ACTION
If staff contravene the provisions of this policy, whether in doing so they place the health and safety of themselves or others at risk, they will be subject to appropriate action (whether disciplinary or otherwise) by the Community Garden and Centre Manager or Trustees as the case may be.
Policy reviewed on 26/06/2024 – by Jackie Carless and Theresa Hussey (Chair of Trustees). No major changes made.
To download this policy as a PDF please click here.