Health and Safety Policy

It is the policy of Jacobs Massey Ltd to provide and maintain safe and health working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all our employees, contractors and visitors, and to provide such information and training as may be needed for this purpose.

We aim to achieve the commitment and active involvement of all stakeholders, in order that safety awareness and positive attitudes are fostered and continuous efforts are made to continually improve our safety performance.

Appropriate preventative and protective measures are, and will continue to be implemented following the identification of work-related hazards and assessment of the risks related to them. It is also the policy of Jacobs Massey Ltd to ensure that its business is conducted in a manner so as to reduce the risks to members of the public. Jacobs Massey Ltd may require its employees and contractors to attend such training and/or induction programmes in order to meet the aims of the Company.

Jacobs Massey Ltd accepts its responsibility for the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by the Company’s activities.

The allocation of duties for safety matters, the identity of competent persons appointed with particular responsibilities, and the arrangements made to implement this policy are set out herein and in associated health and safety documented records.

This policy will be kept up to date, to reflect changes in the nature and size of the business. To ensure this, the policy and its effectiveness will be reviewed annually.

Health and Safety Officer

Graeme Massey is the Jacobs Massey health and safety officer. He can be contacted on the above number.

Should an issue arise regarding the health or safety of employees and contractors this should be brought to his attention as soon as reasonably practicable. If this issue arises whilst a Contractor is “on-site” the matter should be first raised with the local manger and then notified to Jacobs Massey.

Company’s responsibility

It is the duty of company’s management to ensure the following:

  • Providing and maintaining systems of work that are safe and without risk to health;
  • Ensuring safety and absence of risks to health in connection with handling, storage and transport;
  • Providing information, instruction, training and supervision;
  • Maintaining all places of work under their control in a safe condition;
  • Providing and maintaining a safe working environment.

 

Employee’s and Freelancer’s responsibility

All employees and freelancers have a duty in law to act responsibly and to take reasonable care for the health and safety at work of both themselves and their colleagues. This duty can be carried out by:

  • Working safely and efficiently;
  • Using any protective equipment provided and meeting statutory obligations;
  • Reporting incidents that have lead to injury or damage;
  • Adhering to Jacobs Massey Ltd’s procedures for securing a safe workplace.

Any failure to adhere to Jacobs Massey Ltd’s Health and Safety Policy and Procedures will be considered a serious disciplinary offence and is one that may lead to dismissal. Individuals will be nominated to undertake health and safety duties as required.

Health and Safety – Guide for Employees and Freelancers

It is the policy of Jacobs Massey Ltd to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of its contractors and the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by their activities. Jacobs Massey Ltd will take steps to ensure that its statutory duties are met at all times.

Jacobs Massey Ltd takes Health and Safety at Work very seriously and, although all contractors whilst working in offices or on site will be under the direction and supervision of the client’s staff, there are some basic guidelines that should be followed that are outlined below.

General Information

You must only undertake work that you are competent to do so and not operate equipment unless trained, and authorised to do so. You must not remove any guarding from equipment used or deviate from its authorised usage. Report immediately any equipment defect, and not attempt repair. You must undertake all duties as instructed and not deviate. All hazard/warning signs and notices displayed on the premises must be complied with.

Risk Assessment

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require risk assessments of work and activities. All reasonably foreseeable risks must be assessed as should other risks which are identified by specific health and safety regulations, in particular the risk of fire. The requirements of this safety policy documentation, together with our inspection and assessment regimes, form the basis of a broad risk assessment.

Risk Assessment Form

Download our Risk Assessment Form template as a pdf
Download our Risk Assessment Form template as a Word document

Our risk assessments and procedures are kept up-to-date and reviewed regularly. Specific suitable assessments are made to take into account risks faced by all employees, contractors and other persons who may be affected by work activities. This is essential so that problems can be identified and specific assessments carried out to ensure the reasonable safety of all employees, contractors and other persons.

Working Conditions/Environment

You must make proper use of all equipment and facilities provided to control working conditions/environment. You must ensure you keep your work areas clear/tidy. You must dispose of waste/scrap in the appropriate receptacles.

Protective Clothing & Equipment

You must wear protective equipment where requested or required.

Precautionary measures

  • You must never obstruct any fire escape route, fire equipment or doors.
  • Undue hurrying and forgetfulness cause many office accidents. Do not run down steps. Use handrails when going up or down stairs. Never read while walking.
  • Watch out for someone coming round a blind corner or opening doors quickly.
  • Leaving lower filing drawers open can cause trips and falls. Ensure they are closed.
  • Electrical and telephone wires must not be allowed to lie uncovered on the floor where they pose a trip hazard.
  • Spilled liquids should be cleaned up immediately.

 

Reporting hazards

All of the following should be reported to a member of the client’s staff responsible for Health and Safety:

  • electrical (e.g. faulty equipment, trailing electrical cables)
  • general safety hazards (e.g. dangerous shelving, tripping hazards)
  • fire (e.g. blocked escape routes, missing/fault fire equipment)

 

Accidents

You must see the first-aider for any injury you may receive, irrespective of how minor, and ensure details are entered into the accident book. You must report any incident in which damage is caused to property.

Health

You must report any medical condition that could affect the safety of yourself or others. You must not become involved with horseplay, or practical jokes. You must follow all rules pertaining to no smoking areas.

Covid-19

We have added an initial set of guidance (Appendix 1) on safe Working for our our Freelancers to our Health and Safety Policy document. This can be found here:

Download our Health and Safety Policy as a pdf

Work Site Information

  1. Health and Safety Induction: Jacobs Massey Ltd will advise you if the client has notified us of an induction course. If no induction is held then you should speak to your supervisor about the points below.
  2. You will be under the direct supervision of the client and you must follow the safety procedures that they set down. Failure to do so could result in you being asked to leave the office/site.
  3. Ensure that you know the answers to the following:
    • Who is the Safety Officer?
    • What happens in case of fire? What is the ‘fire drill’?
    • Where are the exits and meeting points?
    • Your workplace is safe e.g. are access and exit points free of obstructions?
    • That equipment and machinery is safe to use and that you have been properly trained to use equipment and machinery.
    • The location of available staff facilities, e.g. rest rooms, canteens.
    • The site smoking policy: is it allowed – in any areas, in a specific area?
  4. If you are in doubt about safety issues you should voice your concerns to your supervisor. You should also notify your consultant at Jacobs Massey.
  5. If you see anyone breaking the safety rules you should report them to your supervisor and also notify your consultant at Jacobs Massey.
  6. If you have an accident on site, report it immediately to your supervisor and ensure it is entered it into the accident book. You should also notify your consultant at Jacobs Massey.
  7. Construction Sites – you must provide and wear all personal protection equipment as required at all times whilst on site.
  8. Alcohol and Drugs – any staff contracted to Jacobs Massey Ltd who report for or while at work, are under the influence of alcohol or drugs will have their contract instantly terminated and will not receive payment for that day.

Welfare Arrangements

We always ensure that there are facilities at Clients sites for Rest Rooms, catering (if applicable) and lighting sufficient to enable the assignment to be completed. This assessment is undertaken by ourselves by visiting the premises prior to accepting contracts and sending Freelancers to undertake any work.

Manual Handling and Lifting

Nationally, over a quarter of all reported accidents are associated with lifting and handling work. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations are designed to reduce this total. Jacobs Massey Ltd accepts its responsibility to comply with this duty to avoid the need for operations involving a risk of injury, so far as is reasonably practicable. However, many manual handling operations go on each day and these tasks are not banned. The aim is to target operations that cannot be eliminated and are liable to present a significant risk of injury. Specific assessments target this category and will consider the factors below, providing a simple way of analysing risks and pointing to practical solutions.

The Task

  • How will the load be manipulated?
  • What posture will be adopted e.g. is stooping or stretching involved?
  • What distance is the load to be handled?
  • How many similar tasks are to be carried out?
  • How many people are involved?

 

The Load

  • Weight, Bulk or size
  • Stability, centre of gravity
  • Is it sharp or difficult to grasp?

 

The Environment

  • Amount of space around the operation and the type of floor or work surface
  • Lighting etc.

 

Individual Capability

  • Adequacy of training
  • Strength of person
  • Existing health problems of the employee
  • Male or female and age and, if female, whether ‘new’ or expectant mother.

Assessment will indicate how to reduce risks and typical measures to be considered are:

  • Eliminate
  • Automate
  • Mechanise with handling aids
  • Share the load
  • Reduce the weight of individual items
  • Train the persons concerned.

 

Work Equipment

All dangerous parts of machinery shall be adequately safeguarded. Regular inspections and tests of safeguards and emergency stop devices and regular maintenance shall be carried out each term and recorded.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations

‘Work equipment’ includes items provided by an employer for the use of employees at work and, by extension, equipment provided by Clients or their agents. Work equipment also covers any equipment provided by employees or contractors themselves for use at work.

Employees and Freelancers must:

  • Ensure that equipment is suitable for the job it has to do
  • Take into account the working conditions and hazards in the workplace when assessing the suitability of and selecting the equipment
  • Ensure equipment is used only for operations for which, and under conditions for which, it is suitable
  • Ensure that equipment is inspected regularly and maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair
  • Give adequate information, instruction and training to users
  • Protection on dangerous parts
  • Protection against specified hazards occurring such as operator falls, falling and ejected articles and substances, ruptures or disintegration of work equipment parts, equipment catching fire or overheating, unintentional or premature discharge of articles and substances, explosions
  • Protection on parts and substances at high or very low temperatures
  • Control systems and control devices
  • A means of isolation.

 

The equipment must have:

  • Protection on dangerous parts
  • Control systems and control devices
  • Protection against specified hazards occurring such as operator falls, falling and ejected articles and substances, ruptures or disintegration of work equipment parts, equipment catching fire or overheating, unintentional or premature discharge of articles and substances, explosions
  • Control systems and control devices
  • Protection on parts and substances at high or very low temperatures
  • Control systems and control devices
  • A means of isolation.

Plus there must be good lighting, maintenance operations and warning markings. New equipment must comply with an appropriate British or CEN Standards.

Assessment

Employees and Freelancers in control of work equipment must assess the risks posed by the use of work equipment under their control bearing in mind the overarching principle of taking all reasonable steps to safeguard their own and others safety.

Hazardous Materials

In the normal course of our activities no employee or Contractor should be exposed to hazardous materials. However, in the event that such a situation arises the Health and Safety Officer should be notified as soon as practicable. Where Freelancers are “on-site” the matter should be first raised with the local manger and then notified to Jacobs Massey. Freelancers, before they commence any work, should assess whether the work they are to undertake might involve hazardous materials.

Fire Precautions

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order requires that precautions to prevent injury in case of fire are based on the results of risk assessment. For employees based at our Regent Street premises as this is a they should refer to the site Fire and Evacuation Procedure.

Freelancers should make themselves aware of the specific arrangements of the local site where they are undertaking their assignment. In particular the following are essential elements of the emergency plan:

  • how the evacuation of the premises should be carried out
  • where people should assemble after they have left the premises and procedures for checking whether the premises have been evacuated
  • identification of key escape routes, how people can gain access to them and escape from them to a place of total safety
  • that the following arrangements for fire precautions are in place:
  1. Flammable liquids are stored in a suitable locked metal cupboard.
  2. Fire doors are always closed and never wedged open.
  3. Waste materials are collected daily and are stored in a secure area until collected.
  4. Electrical equipment not in use is always isolated from the mains.

 

Always Remember

You should, at all times, take all reasonable steps to safeguard your own safety and that of any person who may be affected by your actions. Health and Safety at Work is everyone’s responsibility, especially yours.

 

Method Statement

Our Method Statement document has been produced for our clients, contractors and our staff so that they may understand the detailed working methods of Jacobs Massey Ltd (the Company), the safety precautions that are undertaken and the organisational structure of on-site projects. All Jacobs Massey Ltd contractors working for clients on-site are required to abide by these rules and regulations.

Download our Method Statement – Safe Working and Health & Safety as a pdf

 

Review

This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed each year, unless new legislation is introduced that needs to be reflected in the policy.

 

Download our Health and Safety Policy as a pdf

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