The Health and Safety Policy has recently been updated – you can find it on the Health and Safety page on Molly. Updates to the policy include reference to the coronavirus and changes to some roles to bring in line with the organisation structure.
Please do take a moment to have a look through. MVDC has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of its employees, but employees have legal duties regarding health and safety too, as outlined below (copied from the policy):
All Employees
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places legal duties on all employees. These are:
- Section 7 – Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
– to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of other persons who may be affected by his/her acts or omissions at work; and
– to co-operate with their employer to enable him/her to comply with any duties or requirements imposed on him/her
- · Section 8 – Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
– No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare in pursuance of the relevant statutory provisions.
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Places specific duties on employees to:
– use any machinery, equipment, dangerous substances or safety devices provided to him by his employer in accordance with any training or instructions provided by the employer in compliance with any statutory provisions;
– inform his employer of any work situation which may represent a serious and imminent danger to health and safety; and
– inform his employer of any matter which may represent a shortcoming in the employer’s arrangements for health and safety.
In addition to the above, all MVDC employees must:
- Comply with MVDC’s procedures, instructions and rules directed at meeting the company’s health and safety policy. This includes MVDC’s COVID-19 procedures and guidance aimed at protecting employees and others as far as possible from the risks of COVID-19.
- Familiarise themselves with the Health and Safety Policy, risk assessments and any other instructions relating to their work, and comply with the requirements set out.
- Stop work and liaise with their manager in the event that a procedure appears unsafe.
- Raise any shortcomings regarding risk assessments which may cover their areas of work with their manager.
- Comply with MVDC’s lone working policy, procedure and guidance directed at ensuring the safety of lone workers (if applicable)
- Fully conform to all written or verbal instructions given to them to ensure their personal safety and the safety of others.
- Avoid any improvisations of any form which could create an unnecessary risk to their personal safety and to the safety of others.
- Inspect and maintain all tools and equipment in a good, safe condition and ensure they are safely stored when not in use.
- Periodically visually inspect their workplace portable electric equipment and report any defects to their manager. Take workplace portable electrical equipment into the office (when homeworking) for testing as required. Procedure ES1.
- Wear personal protective equipment as instructed, store it so as to avoid damage, keep it cleaned and maintained and report loss or damage.
- Report accidents, incidents and near misses to their Line Manager immediately.
- Report instances of occupational ill health to their Line Manager.
- Attend as requested any training course designed to further the needs of health and safety.
- Know the evacuation procedures for the location at which they are working.
- Familiarise themselves with the names and locations of first aid personnel and appointed persons as well as the position of first aid kits.
- Inform all visitors to the workplace, including contractors, of the evacuation procedure and the location of the assembly point.
- Take health and safety into account with regard to all working practices.
Some roles in the policy reference procedures which can be found in the Procedures Manual (this has also been updated).
If you have any questions about the above or health and safety in general then please speak to your manager or Ellie Miles (Health and Safety Coordinator)