Health & Safety Policy

Our Health and Safety policy at Wisdom House is to provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all our employees and students, and to provide such information, training and supervision as they need for that purpose. We also accept our responsibility for the health and safety of other people who may be affected by our activities.

The allocation of duties for safety matters and the particular arrangements which we make to implement the policy are set out in our Health and Safety Policy Statement.

The policy is kept up to date and is reviewed at least once a year and updated whenever there is a material change, such as a change in personnel.

As part of our commitment to the safety of our staff and our students we regularly assess the risks associated with our business as required under the “Management of Health and Safety at Work regulations 1992”.

 It is a mandatory requirement of working at Wisdom House that all staff members need to be fully conversant with this policy and any failure to observe this policy may result in disciplinary action.

If you have any concerns regarding any health and safety issues on the premises you have a legal obligation to report these concerns to the Health and Safety representative,*** , immediately.

1. Overall Responsibility

Overall and final responsibility for health and safety in the school is that of

………………………………….. ******* ……………………………..

2. Employees’ Responsibility

By law, all employees have the responsibility to cooperate with supervisors and managers to achieve a healthy and safe workplace and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. If an employee should put another person at risk through not carrying out Health and Safety policy, then they are considered to be breaking the law. If an employee does not follow Wisdom House’s Health and Safety policy, then they are liable to disciplinary action.

Whenever an employee, manager or student notices a health and safety problem which they are not able to put right, they must immediately inform the Health and Safety Representative.

3. Students’ Responsibility

It is the responsibility of our students to cooperate with the staff and management of the school to achieve a safe learning and working environment and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. All students are advised of this during their induction meeting. If a student notices a health and safety problem they should inform the course tutor.

4. Consultation Procedure

Consultation between management and employees is provided by regular six-monthly Health and Safety committee meetings. These meetings are minuted. The minutes are available for inspection and are kept in the H&S Meeting Minutes folder in the *** .

Health and Safety also appears on the agenda of all staff meetings. Any observations on risks must be minuted and action taken. The action should be reported at the next meeting.

SECTION C GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS

ACCIDENTS

1. The person responsible for ensuring that the contents of the first aid box(es) conform to statutory requirements is TBD .

Incidents

1. All incidents including near misses must be logged in the accident log book kept by: *** .

The following details must be logged: the name of the injured person, the type of injury, when, how, where it occurred, the name of the person in charge and the treatment given.

Under “the Reporting Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR)” the ***  is required to report

any major injury or condition which has occurred during the course of work to the local Health and Safety Executive

2. In the case of a serious accident or illness requiring professional medical

The injured person must be accompanied to the hospital casualty department or an ambulance should be called by dialling 999, whichever is more appropriate.

The nearest Emergency and Casualty Departments are at:

***

First Aid

1. The first aid boxes are kept in TBA

2. The trained first aider(s) are: TBA

GENERAL FIRE SAFETY

Procedures

1. All classrooms and public areas have clear notices describing the correct

action to take in the event of fire. It is the ***  responsibility to ensure that these notices are in place and that employees’ and students’ attention is drawn to them.

2. In the event of fire the fire alarm must be sounded and the fire brigade called. The premises must be evacuated as quickly as possible. Tutors are responsible for escorting the students off the premises. Once safely outside the tutor of each class is responsible for checking the register to ensure that all students are safe.

The tutor must report any missing students to the ***  or person in charge.

3. The ***  or person in charge is responsible for checking that all the other staff are safe.

Escape Routes

1.    All marked fire escape routes must be kept clear, unlocked and easily accessible at all times.

Fire Notices

1. Fire notices provide the following information:

Instructions to sound the nearest alarm

Instructions to leave the building by the nearest escape route

No one should stop to collect personal belongings

No one should return to the building

Everyone should assemble at the named assembly point away from the building. The tutor will check that all students are present by calling out the register

Fire Drills

1. Fire drills are carried out on a regular basis, that is, every 4-12 weeks, and a record of the drill is kept in a log book. The premises have to be vacated promptly and the situation treated as a real fire. The ***  is in charge of ensuring that this is done.

Fire Extinguishers

1. The ***  is responsible for ensuring that the fire extinguishers are checked and maintained annually. A record of all service dates should be kept on each extinguisher.

Fire Alarms (where applicable)

1.    The Holdens property agent for the landlord is in charge of checking that the fire alarms are kept in working order at all times. The fire alarm should be sounded at a pre-arranged time each week.

ADVICE

1.    The local Health and Safety Executive office is located:

***

TRAINING

1. All employees will receive all the training necessary to ensure that they

are able to do their work safely. This includes training in the use of all electrical appliances, workstations and VDUs, the use of all other tools and implements such as stepladders and the storage of hazardous materials are restricted to specific staff. The person responsible for health and safety training on these premises is the *** .

STUDENTS, CONTRACTORS AND VISITORS TO THE PREMISES

1. The safety of our clients must always remain of paramount importance. All students should be made aware of the existence of the Safety Policy and the Fire Procedures on arrival, either in written form in an orientation pack or in verbal form during a welcome speech. ***  is in charge of ensuring that this is done.

2. All visitors and contractors on the premises should be made aware of any particular hazards at the time that they are on the premises and should be informed of any particular precautions that they should take.

3. Contractors in particular should carry out work on the premises at agreed specified times. Dangerous tools, equipment and machines should not be left unattended. The   is in charge of ensuring that this is done.

RISK ASSESSMENT

1. If any machine, piece of equipment or substance, or any procedure could potentially cause harm to anyone on the premises a risk assessment will be carried out and clear procedures laid down for the use of the item. This will be done in writing. The manufacturer’s guidance should be followed at all times. All manuals for equipment and appliances used are kept by *** .

All potential hazards should be brought to the attention of anyone who may come into contact with them. The person responsible for ensuring that this information is disseminated is:*** .

Cleanliness

1. All floors and stairs must be kept clean and not slippery.

2. The premises, furniture and fittings (e.g. lights) should be cleaned regularly and with the appropriate cleaning products; and all dirt, dust, refuse and trade waste regularly removed.

3. All spillages should be cleaned up promptly.

4. Special arrangements must be made for the disposal of sanitary waste.

5. All waste paper bins should be emptied daily and the rubbish stored safely until collection. Rubbish should never be left to accumulate to the amount that it becomes a fire hazard. It should not be stored on the street, causing inconvenience and a potential hazard to the health of the general public.

6. Toilet supplies of paper, soap and towels should be maintained and regularly checked.

All the following come under the responsibility of ***

Safe Stacking and Storage

1. All materials and objects should be stored and stacked so that they are not likely to fall and cause injury. This includes books and other teaching materials. It is the responsibility of all members of staff to ensure that nothing is ever stacked in such a way that it might fall and cause injury. Similarly, it is the responsibility of all members of staff to ensure that storage facilities (cupboards and lockers) do not present any form of hazard, for example through a door left open.

2. On arrival, deliveries of supplies and equipment should be stored safely away from public areas.

3. Storage is the responsibility of *** .

Exits, Corridors, Stairways

1. All exits, corridors and stairways must be kept clear at all times. It is the responsibility of all members of staff to ensure that all floors, exits, corridors, doorways and stairways are kept free at all times from obstructions which may present a hazard or impede access.

Lighting

1. All light bulbs and fluorescent tubes should be replaced as necessary in order to ensure adequate lighting at all times. This is the responsibility of *** .

Any light bulb or fluorescent strip which is not functioning properly must be reported immediately to the ***

Comfortable Conditions

1. A reasonable working temperature must be provided at all times. The temperature must be at least 16°C. While there is no statutory maximum temperature in the workplace, it is recommended that temperatures should not exceed 22-24°C.

Flooring

1. Carpets and floors must provide even surfaces to walk on. Carpets should not be worn through or frayed and floor boards should not be broken. Any broken tiles on the ceiling or on the floor must be replaced immediately.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

Routine Inspection and Procedures

1. All electrical equipment is PAT checked annually by ***

2. The management of the school should make an

annual inspection tour of the premises to check that there are no electrical appliances that are not functioning properly.

3. All appliances must be unplugged before cleaning or making adjustments. All electrical equipment used for teaching, and all portable electric fans and heaters must be switched off at the mains after use. It is the responsibility of the tutor to ensure that this is done. Extension leads may be used with

portable electric equipment for teaching purposes. No leads are to be left where they could pose a threat to tutors, students or other staff.

4. All suspect or faulty equipment should be immediately removed from use,

labelled “Do Not Use” and kept locked away until checked by a competent person.

5. Electric sockets in the classrooms are to be located in the most appropriate place for easy access for the tutor and to avoid trailing wires on the floor of the classroom.

6. All frayed or damaged cables, broken plugs, sockets or any other electrical appliance which is not functioning properly should be reported (and replaced) immediately.

7. All staff are required to report any electrical problems to the ***

Photocopiers

1. Regular servicing should be arranged.

2. All staff should be careful when extracting misfed paper and take care not to touch the hazardous areas of the machine. Please be aware a photocopier that has been used heavily will be hot inside. Any member of staff who is unsure of how to extract misfed paper should ask a manager to do this for them.

VDUs

1. The display screen equipment and workstations of employees must be regularly assessed to ensure that they at least meet the minimum requirements of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992. In addition to this a risk assessment should be carried out by each user of display screen equipment, and checked by the supervisor. The member of staff responsible for this is the *** .

2. All staff using VDUs should plan their work so that there are 10-minute breaks after each 50 minutes of constant use.

3. On request eye and eyesight tests must be arranged and special spectacles provided, if required, to all staff who habitually use VDUs for a significant part of their normal work.

None.