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a. health and safety policy

purpose of policy

1.  (the employer, we, our or us) takes health and safety issues seriously and is committed to protecting the health and safety of its staff and all those affected by its business activities and attending its premises. this policy is intended to help the employer achieve this by clarifying who is responsible for health and safety matters and what their responsibilities are.
2. this is a statement of policy only and does not form part of your contract of employment. this policy may be amended at any time by the employer at its absolute discretion. the employer will review this policy at regular intervals to ensure that it is achieving its aims effectively.

who is responsible for workplace health and safety?

1. achieving a healthy and safe workplace is a collective task shared between the employer and staff. this policy and the rules contained in it apply to all staff of the employer, irrespective of seniority, tenure, and working hours, including all employees, directors and officers, consultants and  contractors, casual or agency staff, trainees, homeworkers, fixed-term staff and any volunteers. specific responsibilities of staff are set out in the section headed "responsibilities of all staff" below.

employer responsibilities

1. the employer is responsible for:
   1. taking reasonable steps to safeguard the health and safety of staff, people affected by the employer's business activities, and people visiting its premises.
   2. identifying health and safety risks and finding ways to manage or overcome them.
   3. providing a safe and healthy place of work and safe entry and exit arrangements, including during an emergency situation.
   4. providing and maintaining safe working areas, equipment and systems and, where necessary, appropriate protective clothing.
   5. providing safe arrangements for the use, handling, storage and transport of articles and substances.
   6. providing adequate information, instruction, training and supervision to enable all staff to do their work safely, to avoid hazards and to contribute positively to their own health and safety at work. the employer will give you the opportunity to ask questions and advise who best to contact in respect if you are unsure about how to safely carry out your work.
   7. ensuring any health and safety representatives receive appropriate training to carry out their functions effectively.
   8. providing a health and safety induction and appropriate safety training to your role.
   9. promoting effective communication and consultation between the employer and staff concerning health and safety matters.
   10. if an epidemic or pandemic alert is issued, providing instructions, arrangements and advice to staff as to the organisation of business operations and steps to be taken to minimise the risk of infection.
   11. regularly monitoring and reviewing the management of health and safety at work, making any necessary changes, and bringing those to the attention of all staff.
2. overall responsibility for health and safety lies with . they have appointed  as the health and safety officer with day-to-day responsibility for health and safety matters.
3. any concerns about health and safety matters should be communicated to the health and safety officer.

responsibilities of all staff

general staff responsibilities

1. all staff must:
   1. take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
   2. co-operate with the health and safety officer and the employer generally to enable compliance with health and safety duties and requirements.
   3. comply with any health and safety instructions and rules, including instructions on the safe use of equipment.
   4. keep health and safety issues in the front of their minds and take personal responsibility for the health and safety implications of their own acts and omissions.
   5. keep the workplace tidy and hazard-free.
   6. report all health and safety concerns to the health and safety officer promptly, including any potential risks, hazards or malfunctioning of equipment, however minor or trivial they may seem.
   7. co-operate in the employer's investigation of any incident or accident which either has led to injury or which, in the employer's opinion, could have led to injury.

staff responsibilities relating to equipment

1. all staff must:
   1. use equipment as directed, following any instructions given by representatives of management or contained in any written operating manual or instructions for use, and adhering to any relevant training.
   2. report any fault with, damage to, or concern about any equipment (including health and safety equipment) or its use to the health and safety officer, who is responsible for maintenance and safety of equipment.
   3. ensure that health and safety equipment is not interfered with.
   4. not attempt to repair equipment unless suitably trained and authorised.

staff responsibilities relating to accidents and first aid

1. all staff must:
   1. promptly report any accident at work involving personal injury, however trivial, to the health and safety officer so that details can be recorded in the accident book. they must also cooperate with any associated investigation.
   2. familiarise themselves with the details of first aid facilities and trained first aiders, which are available from the health and safety officer.
   3. if an accident occurs, dial  and ask for the duty first aider, giving name, location and brief details of the problem.
   4. the health and safety officer is responsible for investigating any injuries or work-related illnesses, preparing and keeping accident records, and for submitting reports under the reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 2013 (riddor), where required.

staff responsibilities relating to national health alerts, including the coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic

1. if an epidemic or pandemic alert is issued, all staff must comply and co-operate with all instructions, arrangements and advice issued by the employer as to the organisation of business operations and steps to be taken by staff to minimise the risk of infection. any questions should be referred to the health and safety officer.
2. given the outbreak of coronavirus (covid-19), it is important that all staff members follow the guidelines set out in this policy to ensure maximum safety and to minimise the risk of infection. we will review these guidelines regularly to ensure they are kept up-to-date with government guidance.

staff responsibilities relating to emergency evacuation and fire

1. all staff must:
   1. familiarise themselves with the instructions about what to do if there is a fire which are available from the health and safety officer.
   2. ensure they are aware of the location of fire extinguishers, fire exits and alternative ways of leaving the building in an emergency.
   3. comply with the instructions of firewardens if there is a fire, suspected fire or fire alarm (or a practice drill for any of these scenarios).
   4. co-operate in fire drills and take them seriously (ensuring that any visitors to the building do the same). fire drills will be held at least once every 12 months.
   5. ensure that fire exits or fire notices or emergency exit signs are not obstructed or hidden at any time.
   6. notify the health and safety officer immediately of any circumstances (for example, impaired mobility) which might hinder or delay evacuation in a fire. this will allow the health and safety officer to discuss a personal evacuation plan for you, which will be shared with the fire wardens and colleagues working near to you.
2. on discovering a fire, all staff must:
   1. immediately trigger the nearest fire alarm and, if time permits, call    and notify the location of the fire.
   2. attempt to tackle the fire only if they have been trained or otherwise feel competent to do so. nominated members of staff will be trained in the use of fire extinguishers.
3. on hearing the fire alarm, all staff must:
   1. remain calm and immediately evacuate the building, walking quickly without running, and following any instructions of the fire wardens.
   2. leave without stopping to collect personal belongings.
   3. stay out of any lifts.
   4. remain out of the building until notified by a fire warden that it is safe to re-enter.
4. the health and safety officer is responsible for ensuring that fire risk assessments take place, that changes are made where required, and for making sure there are regular checks of fire extinguishers, fire alarms, escape routes, signage and emergency lighting.

risk assessments and manual handling

1. risk assessments are essentially a careful examination of what in the workplace could cause harm to people. the employer will assess any risks and consider measures to best minimise any risk. the employer will carry out general workplace risk assessments when required or as reasonably requested by staff. managers must ensure that any necessary risk assessments take place and the resulting recommendations are implemented. the health and safety officer is responsible for workplace risk assessments and any measures to control risks.
2. personal protective equipment (ppe) is provided where risks cannot be otherwise effectively controlled.
3. guidance on manual handling (for example, lifting and carrying heavy objects) can be obtained from the health and safety officer and where necessary training will be provided by the employer, but the employer will try to minimise or avoid the need for manual handling where there is a risk of injury.

 non-compliance with health and safety rules

1. any breach of health and safety rules or failure to comply with this policy will be taken very seriously and is likely to result in disciplinary action against the offender, in accordance with the employer's disciplinary policy, up to and including immediate dismissal.

a. grievance procedure

statement and purpose of policy

1.  (the employer, we, our or us) is committed to dealing with employee grievances fairly, consistently and without unreasonable delay. this policy sets out the way in which an employee should make any complaints they have about work-related matters and the way in which we will deal with these complaints. 
2. this is a non-contractual policy and procedure and can be changed by us at any time. if you have any queries about this policy and procedure, contact their line manager or the hr department

primary principles

1. grievances will be dealt with confidentially so far as is reasonably possible and employees must keep information learnt during this process confidential.
2. the purpose of a grievance or appeal meeting is for the employee to explain their grievance and how they think that it should be resolved using evidence available to make representations, allowing us to come to a decision.
   employees will not be subjected to a detriment for raising a grievance in good faith, even if the grievance is not upheld. however, the employee should not use this policy to dispute a disciplinary or dismissal decision. the correct policy for this can be obtained from your line manager the hr department. also, if an employee deliberately gives false information, is dishonest or makes a false complaint during the grievance process, this may lead to disciplinary action by us.
3. employees will not normally be suspended during the grievance process, but we reserve the right to suspend if, at our discretion, we decide that this is helpful and reasonable. for more information on suspensions, speak to your line manager or the hr department.
4. the employee has the right to appeal any decision made about a grievance as set out in the appeals section of this policy and procedure.
5. the employer processes personal data collected during informal discussions and the formal grievance procedure in accordance with our data protection practices and procedures. in particular, data collected as part of informal discussions and the grievance procedure is held securely and accessed by, and disclosed to, individuals only for the purposes of responding to the grievance or conducting the grievance procedure. inappropriate access or disclosure of employee data constitutes a data breach and should be reported in accordance with our data protection practices and procedures immediately. it may also constitute a disciplinary offence, which will be dealt with under our disciplinary practices and procedures.

informal discussion

1. the employer promotes communication between employees and so, wherever possible, the employee should try to resolve any grievance at work by firstly talking about it informally with their manager to try and agree on a solution. if the grievance is too serious, or if the employee or we think it is not appropriate in the circumstances to deal with the grievance informally, or if discussing the grievance informally does not work, the employee's grievance will be dealt with formally.
2. if we think that an investigatory interview would be helpful at any stage during the grievance process before a formal meeting is held or continued, we may take statements from the employee or witnesses or review documents at our sole discretion. no decision will be taken until after a grievance hearing has been held. an employee does not normally have the right to bring a companion to an investigative interview. however, we may allow the employee to bring a companion at our absolute discretion.

formal procedure

1. stage 1 - statement of grievance
   1. to raise the matter formally the employee should write to their immediate supervisor setting out the facts of the grievance, avoiding insulting or abusive language and trying to give specific examples of the complaint, copies of documents, names of witnesses, and dates where possible.
   2. where an employee's grievance is against their immediate supervisor, the employee should write to the general manager or the hr department or a manager who is not the subject of the grievance.
2. stage 2 - grievance meeting
   1. within 5 working days, the employee's manager will respond, in writing, to the employee's written grievance, inviting the employee to attend a meeting where the alleged grievance can be discussed.
   2. the employee's manager will usually hold the meeting (unless they are the subject of the grievance or it is not reasonably practicable for the employee's manager to hold the meeting).
   3. 5 working days’ notice of the meeting will usually be provided to the employee and they will be informed of their right to be accompanied by a companion.
   4. the employee's choice of companion will be agreed to if the companion is either a colleague, a trade union official or a trade union representative (which if not an employed official, must be certified by their union as competent to accompany a worker) and under the circumstances, the employee has made a reasonable request to be accompanied. the employee should advise us of the identity of the companion (or any change in their choice of companion) and whether they will require any special adjustments to be made for their or their companion's attendance, at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting.
   5. we encourage employees to bring their choice of colleague, trade union representative or trade union official to formal meetings under this procedure, but the employee should bear in mind how practical it is for their choice of companion to attend and consider if there is a suitable and available individual who is geographically close to where the meeting is to be held, rather than first considering an individual geographically based further away.
   6. the role of the companion in a formal meeting is to make notes, confer with the employee and if the employee requests it, to address the hearing to state the employee's case and respond to any views expressed at the meeting. the companion does not have the right to answer questions or address the hearing if the employee does not request this and must not prevent us from explaining our case.
   7. if an employee or their companion is unable to attend the meeting at the time, date and place specified by us, they must notify the chair of the meeting as soon as possible in writing. except in the case of an emergency, this should be at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting and the employee should advise of a time when they and their choice of companion will be available within 5 working days of the original proposed meeting and provided this is reasonable, the new meeting time will be agreed.
   8. employees must make every effort to attend any scheduled meeting under this procedure. if you are unable to attend more than 2 scheduled meetings, we reserve the right to make a decision about your grievance using available evidence but in your absence.
   9. if we or the employee will be referring to any documentation during the formal meeting, this should be sent to the other party at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting, so that they have a reasonable chance to prepare.
   10. we may at our absolute discretion adjourn a meeting to carry out further investigations, after which the meeting will usually reconvene.
   11. after the meeting, the manager will give the employee a decision in writing, normally within 24 hours.
3. stage 3 - appeal
   1. if the employee is unhappy with our decision and they wish to appeal, they should write to a more senior manager than their immediate supervisor within 5 working days of the date of the decision, saying that they disagree with the decision and giving their reason(s) why and providing any new evidence they seek to rely on.
   2. the employee will be invited to an appeal meeting, normally within 10 working days of us receiving the employee's letter of appeal. the employee's appeal will be heard by an impartial manager or if necessary an independent hr advisor who has not been part of the process up until the appeal stage. the employee's appeal will either be a review of the grievance decision made or a complete rehearing, at our discretion. the right to be accompanied to the appeal meeting is the same as set out in (e)-(g) in stage 2 above.
   3. after the meeting, the employee will be given a decision, normally within 24 hours. our decision is final and there is no further right to appeal.

existing policies

in addition to the policies contained within this staff handbook,  has the following policies in place:

these policies are available from your line manager or the hr department.