It is the policy of the company to comply with the Work at Height Regulations. Work at height will be avoided wherever possible, where work at height can not be avoided; the site foreman is responsible for carrying out a risk assessment and selecting appropriate work equipment to access height and ensuring the appropriate safety measures to prevent falls are implemented. When working from ladders or step ladders, only Class 1 Industrial or EN 131 Professional ladders must be used and insulated when working on electrical applications.

Only trained and competent staff will be allowed to work at height and apprentices will be closely supervised.

Where the risk of a fall can not be eliminated the foreman will put in place measures and equipment to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur.

Work Instructions (Method Statements) will be developed for all company operations; information from site specific risk assessments will be used to formulate these documents which will be related to members of staff carrying out the works. Instructions for generic tasks will be reviewed and updated either periodically or when something significant changes.

The MD or his nominated representative will carry out specific manual handling assessments for any necessary operation which has been highlighted as requiring a detailed assessment by the general risk assessment.  Manual handling assessments will consider the load to be handled, e.g. tools, equipment etc, its size and weight, the individual, the task and the environment in which the task takes place.  The assessment will also consider the possibility of utilising mechanical means to minimise the risks arising from manual handling.

Regular exposure to high noise levels can cause deafness and tinnitus.  Noise assessments will be carried out whenever it is suspected that noise levels may be above 80db(a), and hearing protection will be provided for all operatives.  Where noise levels are at 85db (a) or above the company will take measures to reduce the exposure of noise to its employees by means other than hearing protection, the wearing of hearing protection shall also be enforced

For all materials or substances utilised which may be hazardous to health, a formal COSHH Assessment will be carried out by the MD or his nominated representative. A register of hazardous substances shall be kept at the head office along with all relevant Safety Data Sheets. Significant findings of the assessments will be communicated to the relevant operatives, together with Risk Assessment, Method Statement, and instructions for use.

Working with Display Screen Equipment is recognised as being a major cause of injury and ill health, the company will carry out risk assessments and provide information instruction and training to its entire DSE user staff.  Employees must carry out the recommendations of the risk assessment and must report instances of injury or ill health suspected of being caused by DSE work to the person responsible for Health & Safety at their earliest convenience

Risk Assessments must be carried out in compliance with The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations

Current regulations do not specifically identify young persons, but an employer must give consideration.

Young workers are particularly at risk because of their possible lack of awareness of existing or potential risks, immaturity and inexperience.

The responsible person will therefore:

• Assess risks to young workers
• Take into account their inexperience, lack of awareness and immaturity
• Prohibit certain activities where higher risks are identified
• Not allow the young person to operate any machinery or equipment without proper supervision and training
• Provide training to ensure competence before allowing any unsupervised activity to be undertaken
• Provide suitable supervision at all times
• Not employ any person under the age of 14 years for any paid or non‑paid employment

All electricians and electrical contractors employed or contracted to work on behalf of Buckingham Electrical Ltd are fully qualified time served electricians and hold BSEN7671: 2018 18TH Edition as a minimum. All staff fully understand the implications of poor safety performance during electrical works.

All staff are fully aware of plans before commencing works, and detailed risk assessments and method statements, including lock off procedures, will be produced before work is started.

Special Risk Assessments and Method Statements will be put in place to consider any special circumstances, such as life support equipment and larger ring supplies.  All work will be carefully planned, communicated to relevant personnel and carried out in compliance with permits to work where required.

All works will be tested in compliance with BS standards and certificates issued on completion of works.

It is the responsibility of the site foreman to ensure that all fire safety procedures implemented in client buildings and on client sites are communicated to staff. Where Buckingham Electrical Ltd staff are carrying out hot work, the operative must first obtain the appropriate hot work permit from the building manager and ensure he has the appropriate fire extinguisher to hand.  A 1-hour fire watch will be maintained after any hot work.

Fire risk assessments will be carried out in all areas occupied by the organisation, the risk assessments will consider sources of ignition, sources of fuel and any extra sources of oxygen over and above what is present in the air.  The assessment will evaluate the risk of a fire starting and the effect of the fire on people.  The assessment will indicate control measures to remove or reduce the risk of fire starting.  The significant findings of the assessment will be communicated to the relevant persons together with the necessary instruction and training.

In the event of fire occurring, it is vital that staff and other persons are able to evacuate the premises.

All existing doors through which a person may have to pass to get out of the premises must be capable of being easily and immediately opened from the inside. Buckingham Electrical Ltd staff will not block or otherwise obstruct exits provided for emergency evacuation.

Access routes must always be maintained unobstructed to exit doors (internal and final exits) sufficient to allow easy access by the number of persons likely to use those routes, (750mm minimum width) and employees must observe any line markers to indicate areas which must be kept clear.

Stairways in buildings must be free from any risk of fire or spread of fire eg unauthorised portable heater, combustible material etc.

Under no circumstances should fire doors be wedged open unless they are retained by automatic magnetic release systems or similar which are connected to the fire alarm system.

Good housekeeping is most important.  Waste or packing materials should not be allowed to accumulate in any building.  No combustible materials should be kept in rooms and stairwells should be kept clear of combustible materials at all times.

There is a general ban on smoking in all enclosed workplaces and company vehicles in compliance with the Health Act.

Smoking is prohibited throughout all client sites unless designated smoking zones are identified. Smoking is not allowed in company vehicles. This policy applies to everyone.

The business will provide as much training and re-training as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all staff.  During staff induction and upon any job transfer, safety training will be provided to ensure that staff are trained in Health & Safety matters to a level appropriate to their responsibilities.

Every new employee will receive a safety induction on day one of his/her employment. The training will consist of fire safety, manual handling, and display screen equipment use (where necessary), environmental and general safety.  New employees will also be given instruction and safety training on the equipment they will be required to use whilst discharging their duties.  A training record will be maintained at the company offices for each employee

The company uses a variety of methods to communicate information with employees and sub contractors. A monthly informal meeting is held to discuss any issue, including safety. We will also pass information to employees with pay slips as required.  A notice board in the head office is also kept up to date.

Communication with employees whose first language is not English will be carried out using one or more of the following methods.

• Ensure adequate time to consult with employees where language and/or literacy may be issues so they can absorb the information and respond to you.
• Use an interpreter; this may be a trained work colleague.
• Get information translated and check that this has been done clearly and accurately by testing it with native speakers.
• Use pictorial information and internationally understood pictorial signs where appropriate
• Where information has to be in English, use clear and simple materials, and allow more time to communicate issues

The company recognise that pregnant workers are more vulnerable to injury and as such will carry out specific risk assessments where a worker notifies them of a pregnancy, such assessments will consider the workers duties, working conditions and hours, where it is deemed that a risk to the mother or baby is present, suitable controls will be introduced and monitored throughout the pregnancy.

The MD or his nominated representative will ensure that as a minimum the organisation has an appointed person for first aid.  The appointed person will be responsible for maintaining the first aid kit and taking charge after an accident, this includes calling for a person qualified in first aid or ambulance if necessary.  Where visits are carried out to other premises, the person responsible for Health & Safety will ascertain the first aid procedures to be followed, and details will be provided to all organisation employees/contractors required to work in or on such premises.

Where work is carried out in the customer’s premises, the MD or his nominated representative will ascertain the procedures to be followed in case of emergency, e.g. lone worker injury etc. and details will be provided to all company employees/contractors required to work in or on such premises.

All employees/Contractors who are required to carry out lone working will be given information, instruction and training on the specific hazards of lone working, the MD or his nominated representative will ensure all lone workers carry mobile phones to ensure they are able to be contacted, the MD or his nominated representative will put in place any such measures he deems necessary to ensure lone workers can contact help in the event of an accident or an emergency, such measures will include training, pre arranged call in times, etc.

All machines including power tools, jet wash equipment, saws, drills etc shall be subject to regular inspection in compliance with The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, by a competent person. Users of equipment are required to check equipment before use and will report and withdraw damaged or unsuitable equipment from service immediately for repair or replacement.

All machinery shall also be subject to maintenance and service as per the manufacturer’s instruction and maintenance schedule OR at least annually.

All employees/contractors who are required to operate machinery will have the appropriate training and license where necessary to operate such machinery.  It is company policy to take severe disciplinary action against any person found to be operating machinery without the necessary competence

It is the policy of the company to only employ drivers who are competent.

Driver approval and competence

A person may only operate Buckingham Electrical Ltd vehicles if he or she.

• Has held a full UK license for a minimum of 2 years
• Has not been disqualified from driving for drink and/or drug offences in the last 5 years nor has any prosecution pending
• Holds the correct license for the type of vehicle being operated

Drivers must inform the company of any circumstances that may lead a driver to being unfit for driving duties.

Drivers must inform the office immediately they become aware of any pending prosecution for any driving offence.

All drivers will be asked to present their licenses record annually to the office. These will be photocopied and returned.

It is the policy of Buckingham Electrical Ltd that all accidents, incidents and near misses are reported to the site and recorded into the company’s accident record book.

The main objective of accident, incidents, near misses reporting and investigation is to reduce incidents and prevent future accidents.

It will be the responsibility of the MD or his nominated representative to notify the Health & Safety Executive in respect of any accident or occurrence for which notification is required by the:

Current – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

The following must be reported:

• Deaths
• Specified injuries to members of the public on our premises and taken to hospital.
• Over 7 day injuries – where an employee or self-employed person is injured at work and away from work or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 7 consecutive days. This must be reported to the HSE using appropriate forms within 15 days of the accident.
• Some work-related diseases as per RIDDOR
• A dangerous occurrence – where something happens that does not result in an injury but could have done.
• Gas Safe registered gas fitters must also report dangerous gas fittings they find, and gas conveyors / suppliers must report some flammable gas incidents.

Any accident resulting in more than minor injuries or incident which might have resulted in serious injury will be investigated by the MD or his nominated representative.

Depending upon the circumstances of the accident, the MD or his nominated representative may seek the assistance of an external Health & Safety Advisor, both in the investigation and the formulation of preventative procedures to avoid repetition.

A study of the circumstances will help to reduce or remove the causes:

• When the reports are examined over a period of time, it can be seen whether preventative measures have been effective in reducing accidents.
• If these objectives are to be attained, investigation and reporting must be accurate, complete and consistent.
• All accidents and incidents resulting in injury to employees and/or to any other persons or near misses  on the premises or sites that Buckingham Electrical Ltd employees are working on must be reported immediately to site foreman and or to the site Duty holder or PC  and be recorded in the company Accident book and reporting systems.
• Where there is more than one person injured in the accident a separate page should be used for each person.
• All relevant questions must be completed for every accident resulting in personal injury.
• Care should be taken in completing the Accident Report Form and the Buckingham Electrical Ltd Supervisor wherever possible should ensure that the injured person reads the entries recorded on his behalf.

Care should also be taken when stating the nature of the injury. Unless a medical certificate has been submitted.

In most cases company employees/contractors will be able to use toilet/washing facilities within the customer’s premises.  It will be the responsibility of the Site Manager to ascertain if this is possible prior to commencement of a contract.  Where it is not possible, it will be the responsibility of the Site Manager to establish the location of suitable temporary or public facilities.

Due to the nature of the work, it is not reasonably practicable for the company to provide messing facilities.  In some cases, employees/contractors may be able to use Customer’s facilities, but where this is not possible; employees/contractors will be required to make their own arrangements.  However, it will be the responsibility of the MD/ Site Manager to identify potential public facilities within the vicinity of the work.

Welfare facilities provided for construction projects shall be implemented as per schedule 2 of the CDM regulations 2015.  A full list of these requirements are specified and are the responsibility of the Principal Contractor.

Each employee/contractor must carry out a daily inspection of any equipment prior to its use, and must immediately report any defect, or suspected defect to MD/Site Manager.  The Site Manager will carry out periodic inspections of all company equipment, ladders, PPE, tools, etc, and will keep a record of such inspections.  For the purposes of record keeping, each item of equipment shall have its own unique reference, which shall be clearly marked on it.  Markings must be maintained so that they are clearly discernible at all times.

Where an inspection reveals a defect, it will be the responsibility of the MD/ Site Manager to ensure that the equipment is not used until such time as a suitable repair has been effected by a competent person.  If the equipment is beyond repair it must be discarded, whether or not a suitable replacement is available, and any work relying on the use of such equipment must be suspended until a suitable replacement is available.

The term ‘portable’ is used to mean portable, movable or transportable.

Portable equipment is not part of a fixed installation but when used is connected to a fixed installation (or a generator), by means of a flexible cable, plug and socket. It includes equipment that is hand held or hand operated while connected to the supply.

All portable electrical appliances will be tested in accordance with the regulations, at the recommended intervals, ‘as may be necessary to prevent danger’. It will be the responsibility of the site manager to ensure that all equipment provided is suitable for the task, including any provided by a Contractor.

Each employee/contractor must carry out a daily inspection of any equipment prior to its use, and must immediately report any defect, or suspected defect to MD/Site Manager.

Personal Protective Equipment will be specified and provided by the company and the relevant PPE must be worn at all times whist carrying out work.  Details of the correct PPE will be made available to employees.  No employee/contractor will be permitted to start work without the correct PPE and the necessary information, instruction and training to enable him to utilise the equipment correctly and without risks to safety and health.  It will be the responsibility of each contract manager and his site foreman to monitor the wearing of PPE on sites under their control. Persons found to be persistently breeching PPE rules will be subject to disciplinary procedures including ejection from site

Asbestos is recognised as being an extremely hazardous substance and as such must be treated with the utmost care. When working on site staff and contractors will assume any suspicious material is asbestos unless there is conclusive evidence to the contrary. No drilling, breaking or cutting shall be carried out to any material suspected of containing asbestos fibres. Any suspicious material shall be reported to the site or building manager immediately. An appropriate Asbestos Survey should always be made available. Its purpose is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance and installation, and to assess their condition prior to starting work. A Refurbishment and Demolition survey should be made available where refurbishment work or other work involving disturbing the fabric of the building is carried out. Buckingham Electrical Ltd policy is that we will not generally work on asbestos products. Under limited circumstances and when authorised, Buckingham Electrical Ltd employees with an appropriate current training certificate will be allowed to work on non-licensed asbestos products as prescribed by the HSE, this type of work will be risk assessed separately from other tasks. Notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) must be notified to the HSE before commencement of work. A copy of the RAMS must be signed by all employees when working with asbestos. Buckingham Electrical Ltd will record all projects involving.

NNLW and keep records of employee health surveillance as applicable (every 3 years for NNLW)

Buckingham Electrical Ltd recognises the requirements of these regulations and makes every endeavour to comply.

Briefly – The regulations call for: Skill, Knowledge and Experience – (Competence of all)

Competence of all – A person must be capable of carrying out duties placed on him / her and must only accept knowing they are competent to carry out the task.

No person may arrange for a person to carry out works unless he is either,

• Competent,
• Or Under supervision of a competent person.

The business selects personnel based on ability and where possible seeks demonstration by certification. A training plan is maintained, and personnel are encouraged to take on additional training in order to improve skills.

Additional “in-house” training refresher sessions are provided in order to keep personnel up to date with current regulations.Co-operation of employees, contractors, and others.

Every person involved in works must seek the co-operation of any other persons concerned at the same or adjoining site so far as necessary in order to ensure all may carry out works safely.

Similarly, they must co-operate to ensure others may continue with their works safely.

All persons involved must report anything which is likely to endanger the health or safety of themselves or others.

Supervisors have been appointed in order to ensure work is managed such that it may continue safely where multiple trades or activities may be ongoing simultaneously. Liaison with Others allows arrangements to be made that enable all to continue to work safely.

Co-ordination of activities

All persons must co-ordinate their activities with one another in a manner such that “so far as is reasonably practicable”, the health and safety of persons carrying out the work and anyone affected by the construction work will remain safe from harm at all times.

It is recognised that all works may not be able to continue at the same time, therefore Supervisors will discuss and plan such that the project may progress safely.

Prevention of accidents

Every person must ensure general principles of prevention are applied “so far as is reasonably practicable”, to ensure the safety of all and works during all stages of a project.

This is a priority in all activities and the business ensures that method statements and risk assessments are produced identifying arrangements for safe working. All personnel are briefed on these to ensure they understand these arrangements and the risks that may be encountered by not following procedures.

All Contractors and Principal Contractors have specific duties placed upon them under these regulations and all must be aware and endeavour to comply.

The regulations spell out these requirements for both Contractors and Principal Contractors

The business is fully aware and endeavours to comply so far as is reasonably practicable. All personnel have been made aware of these duties through “in-house” trainingThe CDM Regulations apply to most common building, civil engineering and engineering construction work including domestic projects.

The Client must appoint a Principal Designer to manage the requirements of the CDM Regulations.  On a domestic project, the building contractor may take on this role.  He / She must notify HSE of the site if the construction work is expected to either: last longer than 30 days and have more than 20 persons on site at any one time during the project; or involve more than 500 person days of construction work; HSE should be notified on-line before construction work starts using form F10.

Anyone who regularly and frequently is exposed to high levels of vibration can suffer permanent injury. The construction industry has the second highest incidence of vibration white finger (VWF) injury which is one of the more common forms of HAVS.

The company will ensure that staff are not subjected to excessive vibration through power tools etc. The company will endeavor to source low vibration tools and limit exposure to vibration. The company will provide adequate information, instruction and training to its staff and contractors on the risks of HAVS.

The company commits to operating to the very highest standards of Health, Safety and Quality and will therefore carry out its operations in accordance with best practice as advised by the Health & Safety Executive and also various trade bodies and associations. This best practice will be reviewed on an annual basis and adopted annually or when evidence that significant improvements can be made by adopting sooner.

Guidance documents are kept at head office and will be made available to staff and other interested parties

At regular intervals, the MD or his nominated representative will carry out a health & safety audit on one contract, selected at random.  The audit will consider the effectiveness of the welfare facilities; emergency procedures, safe methods of work etc. identified at the outset, and will identify any corrective action required. Where the MD considers it necessary in order to maintain the desired level of health & safety, they may seek the assistance of an external Health & Safety Advisor in carrying out audits and identifying corrective actions.

All records will be kept by the MD, in written form indicated in the various appendices.  Such records will include:

• Equipment Inspections
• COSHH Assessments
• Generic Risk Assessments
• Staff Training and Induction Records
• Accident records

In addition to the above general records, the following contract specific records will be maintained for each major contract.

• Contract Start-up information
• Specific Risk assessment
• Method Statements and Safe systems of work
• Accident Records

It is categorically forbidden for employees to enter sites or places of work, to drive a vehicle, use or operate plant and equipment, or to assist or supervise in its use, whether on or off company business, in an unfit state due to the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs and other substances, such as glue. Disciplinary action will be taken if you are caught in the possession of illegal drugs on Company or Client property or in Company vehicles. Employees taking medicines or prescribed drugs under the direction of their G.P, Dentist, or Hospital Doctor that may affect their ability to carry out their work duties have a duty of care responsibility and must notify their immediate Manager

The above policy is designed to suit the construction services business to which it relates.  Should the nature or size of the business change significantly this policy will be reviewed and up-dated, as appropriate.

Last updated: 5th June 2023