General Policy

1. Aims and Objectives

   The Company regards the promotion of Health and Safety measures as a mutual objective of all employees.

   It is Company Policy to do all that is reasonable to prevent personal injury and damage to property, and to protect everyone from foreseeable work hazards, including the public and learners, when they come in contact with the Company.

   Accidents at work cause suffering to families and pain to individuals. They also reduce efficiency and are costly. They can happen in the smallest of work places and offices if precautions are not taken.

   The aims of the Company are, therefore, to:

   1. Set and maintain a standard of behavior throughout the Company that reflects an awareness of Health and Safety and encourages improvement
   2. Ensure that all employees are adequately instructed in their duties, suitably trained and effectively supervised
   3. Maintain a constant interest in the general aspect of Health and Safety at work by making regular inspections, investigating and reporting accidents and encouraging employee participation
   4. Extend this Policy, in so far as is practicable, to employees, learners, associates and sub contractors engaged in external activities on behalf of the Company
   5. Extend this Policy, in so far as is practicable, to employers of learners and learners themselves of all Ecom’s Ufi Ltd funded activities to comply with health and safety legislation, industrial best practice and approved codes of practice.

2. Responsibilities for Health and Safety

   Each of us is responsible for ensuring that the Company is a safe and healthy place to work. The Company has ultimate responsibility in law.

   The company’s Management is responsible for providing advice and formulating procedures for Health and Safety.

   The Training Centre Manager is designated, office warden and acts as the focal point in cases of emergency i.e. accident or during a fire, the warden will supervise the orderly evacuation of the centre and will check that the building has been completely evacuated.

3. Systems and Procedures

   1. Risk Assessment

      It is the policy of the Company, in line with the Management of Health and Safety Work Regulations, to carry out a systematic risk assessment on all Ecom’s training centre. The assessments will identify all significant hazards and will make arrangements for preventive and protective measures that have to be taken. The assessments will be reviewed on an annual basis or when any changes occur and, if necessary, revised. The Centre Managers has been identified as having responsibility for conducting risk assessment within the workplace.

   2. Ufi Ltd Funded Activities

      It is the policy of the Company, as a Provider contracted with Ufi Ltd, in line with the contract requirements, ensures that for all locations where learners work, train or are assessed, which are not under our direct control, and comply with health and safety legislation. Prior to supporting an employed learner, vetting is undertaken to ensure compliance and a contract is agreed and signed between the employer and Ecom. A risk assessment and banding is undertaken and monitoring is determined as a result of the banding.

   3. First Aid

      Fully equipped first aid facilities are located in the assigned storage cupboards.

   4. Fire Safety / Drill

      Fire Safety Risk Assessments are carried out on an annual basis or when any changes occur and, if necessary, revised. Ecom will comply with the new Fires Safety Law that came into effect on the 1st October 2006.

      All employees should be fully aware of the Fire Drill and be able to use the fire equipment. There should always be a clear access to fire fighting appliances and emergency escape exits.

   5. Display Screen Equipment

      The risk assessment will include display screen equipment and all work stations will conform to the Health and Safety Display Screen Equipment Regulations.

   6. Office Electrical Equipment / Extension Leads

      All electrical equipment should be wired safely i.e. cable outer sheath should always be clamped at the plug and appliance ends. These appliances will be tested for electrical safety every two years.

      All cracked plugs should be replaced immediately.

      Electrical leads should not be allowed to trail across open walk ways.

   7. The Workplace in General

      The company is committed to maintaining the standards set by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations. Health and Safety Law workplace posters are displayed as required. These are concerned with four broad areas:

      1. Working environment, including: temperature; ventilation; lighting; room dimension; suitability of work stations and seating
      2. Safety, including: windows and skylights (safe opening, closing and cleaning); doors; floors (obstructions and tripping hazards)
      3. Facilities, including: toilets; washing; eating facilities
      4. Housekeeping, including: maintenance of workplace; equipment and facilities; cleanliness; and removal of waste

4. Regulations for Health And Safety

   1. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 the employer has a general duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees and contractors on a construction site.

      There are five areas specified by the Act. These areas are not exhaustive, but they are the most important.

      1. Employers must, so far as reasonably practicable, provide machinery, equipment and other plant that is safe and without risks to Health and must maintain them in that condition. They must also ensure that the system of work is safe, this includes the layout of the workplace and the way machines are operated.
      2. The use of particular articles and substances at work e.g. machinery and chemicals. Employers are required to ensure that the ways in which materials are used, handled, stored and transported are safe and without risks to health. This also applies to end products as well as materials supplied.

      3. Employers must provide for all their employees the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, their health and safety at work.

         Information

         • hazards at workplace and methods of avoiding them;
         • procedure for reporting accidents
         • statutory information e.g. copies of Acts, Regulations;
         • information supplied by suppliers of material for the safe handling.

         Training

         • instruction in safety and emergency procedures i.e. routine checking of fire equipment, first aid fire drills;
         • adequately trained for their job e.g. operating machines etc.

         Supervision

         • enforcing safety rules.

      4. Employers must ensure that so far as is reasonably practicable, any place under their control and where their employees work, is kept in a safe condition and does not pose a health risk.

         • Buildings must be safe, safe access in and out.
         • Open air sites must be safe.
         • Temporary structures e.g. scaffolding must be safe.
      5. Employers must ensure that so far as is reasonably practical, the Health and Safety of their employees working environment i.e. heating, lighting, ventilation and noise. Adequate arrangements for their welfare at work must be provided i.e. facilities such as heating, washing etc.

   2. Employers safety policies

      The Act requires every employer who employs five or more employees to prepare a written statement of their safety policy. The written policy statement must set out the employer’s aims and objectives for improving Health and Safety at Work. It must also set out the organization and arrangements currently in force for achieving those objectives.

      This statement should be brought to the notice of all the company’s employees. This will be done either by giving each employee a copy or by posting on a notice board. Ecom extends this practice to all associates and sub contractors.

   3. Employers Risk Assessment

      The Health and Safety Executive issued six new sets of Health and Safety at Work regulations which came into force in January 1993. Most of the regulations were not completely new, but clarified and made more explicit what is current health and safety law. However, one of the new sets of regulations, require all employees and self employed to carry out a systematic risk assessment. The risk assessment should identify hazards and evaluate the extent of the risk i.e. number of people exposed to the risk. If 5 or more are employed the results of the assessment and proposed preventive and protective measures will be recorded and made available to all employees. Ecom carry out Risk Assessments, that are reviewed annually or if any significant change occurs.