Storage Shacklewell Health and Safety Policy
Storage Shacklewell is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all employees, contractors, customers and visitors. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety risks in our storage facilities and throughout our removal and handling operations.
Our aim is to prevent accidents, work-related ill health and damage to property by identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing effective control measures. Health and safety is an integral part of our day-to-day management and our service delivery.
Policy Objectives
We will actively work to achieve the following objectives:
Promote a positive health and safety culture across all areas of the business, including storage operations, removals, transport and office activities.
Comply with relevant health and safety legislation, codes of practice and industry standards as they apply to our operations.
Minimise risks associated with manual handling, lifting, loading, vehicle movements and the storage of goods.
Provide safe and well-maintained premises, equipment and vehicles for staff, contractors and customers.
Ensure that employees are competent to perform their roles through appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision.
Continuously improve our health and safety performance through monitoring, review and consultation.
Management Responsibilities
The management of Storage Shacklewell has overall responsibility for implementing this policy and for ensuring that adequate resources are made available to maintain safe operations.
Management will:
Lead by example and demonstrate visible commitment to health and safety in all storage and removal activities.
Ensure that risk assessments are carried out for key tasks, including lifting and carrying, use of handling equipment, loading and unloading vehicles and working within storage areas.
Provide and maintain safe systems of work, including clear procedures for the movement and stacking of items and the operation of vehicles and equipment.
Ensure that all employees receive induction training and task-specific instruction, and that refresher training is provided where required.
Undertake regular inspections of premises, vehicles, equipment and working practices to identify hazards and ensure compliance with this policy.
Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Employee Responsibilities
Every employee has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their work. Employees must cooperate fully with the company to enable it to fulfil its legal and policy obligations.
Employees are required to:
Follow all health and safety procedures and safe systems of work, including those relating to manual handling, equipment use and vehicle operations.
Use any personal protective equipment provided, in the manner instructed.
Report hazards, defects, unsafe practices, accidents and near misses to a manager as soon as possible.
Refrain from using any equipment or handling any item for which they have not been trained or are unsure of the safe method of operation.
Maintain good housekeeping, ensuring that walkways, loading areas and storage aisles are kept clear and tidy.
Risk Management and Safe Handling
The nature of our work involves the regular lifting, moving and storage of items. To manage the associated risks, Storage Shacklewell will:
Carry out manual handling assessments and apply the principles of safe lifting, including avoiding hazardous lifting where possible and using mechanical aids when appropriate.
Provide trolleys, sack trucks and other handling equipment suitable for the type and weight of goods handled.
Ensure that storage areas are laid out to minimise the need for hazardous manoeuvres, awkward postures and overreaching.
Implement safe loading and unloading procedures for vehicles used in removals and transport.
Control the height and stability of stacked goods to prevent falls and collapses.
Safe Premises, Equipment and Vehicles
We are committed to maintaining our premises and assets in a safe condition.
Storage Shacklewell will:
Ensure that floors, stairs, ramps and loading bays are kept in good repair and are adequately lit.
Maintain security and access controls to prevent unauthorised entry to storage or loading areas.
Keep fire exits and emergency routes clear at all times and ensure that fire detection and firefighting equipment is inspected and maintained.
Introduce regular maintenance schedules for vehicles, lifting equipment and other machinery to ensure they are safe and suitable for use.
Remove from service any equipment that is defective or suspected to be unsafe until it has been inspected and repaired.
Customer and Visitor Safety
Storage Shacklewell will take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of customers and visitors while they are on our premises or in contact with our removal teams.
Visitors will be provided with relevant safety information on arrival and, where necessary, will be accompanied by a member of staff.
Areas where vehicle movements or lifting operations are taking place will be clearly identified, and access will be controlled.
We will encourage customers to follow safe practices when packing, labelling and preparing items for storage or removal to aid safe handling by our staff.
Training, Consultation and Communication
Effective health and safety management relies on clear communication and staff involvement.
Storage Shacklewell will:
Provide appropriate training covering manual handling, equipment operation, emergency procedures and any relevant specialist tasks.
Consult with employees on health and safety matters and encourage suggestions for improving safe working practices.
Display key health and safety information and emergency instructions clearly within our premises.
Ensure that all staff understand how to raise concerns and report incidents promptly.
Emergency Procedures
We maintain and communicate emergency procedures designed to protect people and property in the event of fire, accident or other serious incident.
These include evacuation plans, assembly points, responsibilities of key staff and arrangements for contacting the emergency services.
Regular drills will be carried out where appropriate to ensure that staff understand and can apply the procedures effectively.
Monitoring and Review
This Health and Safety Policy will be monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure that it remains effective and relevant to the nature and scale of our storage and removal operations.
Periodic reviews will be carried out, taking into account changes in legislation, industry practice, our services and the feedback of employees and customers.
Any amendments to this policy will be communicated to all employees and implemented as part of our commitment to continual improvement in health and safety performance.
By working together and following the principles set out in this policy, Storage Shacklewell aims to provide safe, reliable and responsible storage and removal services for all.
