Health & Safety

---

HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT OF INTENT • Rixonway Kitchens believes one of its most important functions is the prevention of accidents and ill health. As a Company we do not wish any of our employees or other persons to suffer as a result of our undertakings. In order to achieve this we intend to comply rigorously with all health and safety legislation, accompanying codes of practice, guidance notes and common law duties applicable to our undertaking. •

Therefore, so far as is reasonably practicable, Rixonway Kitchens will:

-

Ensure all equipment and working practices are safe and offer no hazard or risk to health and safety by means of risk assessment.

-

Ensure all necessary precautions are taken with respect of the safe use, handling, storage and transport of materials and substances. This incorporates all precautions with regard to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health and any Optimum or Workplace Exposure Standards where imposed.

-

Provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of all employees and maintain competency. To consult with employees on matters affecting their health and safety.

-

To provide and maintain safe plant and equipment and to ensure adequate and suitable welfare facilities are available for employees.

-

Safeguard the health and safety of visitors, contractors and members of the general public who could be affected by its activities. This includes incidents of violence at work on or off it’s premises.

-

Ensure this policy and associated documentation is regularly reviewed with respect to changes in legislation, working practice or other relevant changes within the Company. Also to ensure that these documents are monitored in the workplace.

-

Maintain a legal register to demonstrate applicable legislation and relevant codes of practice.

-

Ensure that all employees are aware of their obligations with regard to health and safety and co-operate fully with management in its effort to fulfil its Health & Safety Policy.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES • Overall and final responsibility for the management of health and safety is that of the Chief Executive. •

Day to day responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice is delegated to the Company’s Health and Safety Advisor. This involves undertaking risk assessments, reviewing and ensuring all aspects of the Company risk management program are maintained.

•

To ensure Health & Safety Standards are maintained and improved the following people have specific responsibilities:



HR Manager - Ensure competency of staff and suitability of the training systems employed. Also ensure legal requirements of consultation and employee welfare are met by Rixonway Kitchens.



Operations Director - Ensures the suitability of and provision of safe plant and equipment. Also ensure that adequate first aid cover and supervision is maintained for all operations.



Manufacturing Services Manager - Ensure that maintenance, erection and installation of plant and equipment is done in such a manner to protect the health, safety and welfare of those performing the operations whether employee or contractor. This also extends to a responsibility to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees operating the equipment by ensuring the maintenance, erection and installation is completed to an acceptable and safe standard.



Transport/Distribution Manager - Ensure competence of all HGV Licence holders and ensure the fleet is serviced and maintained to conform to legal requirements to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees and other persons not in our employment.



HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY CONTINUED

Managers/Team Leaders/Charge Hands - Ensure that any prescribed safety inspections or audits are carried out. Ensure that high standards of housekeeping are maintained in their area to prevent accidents or fire risk. Enforce all Company health and safety rules and report all hazards and defective equipment. Also be actively involved in training, instruction and provision of information to employees.

•

All employees have responsibilities to co-operate with supervisors and Team Leaders on health and safety matters, not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety, to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and report all health and safety concerns to their supervisor.

ARRANGEMENTS • Risk assessments are undertaken by the Health and Safety Advisor and where appropriate delegated to the necessary technically competent employee. All findings of risk assessments are reported to the relevant Line Managers and appropriate Director. Action to remove or control risks will be approved by the Line Manager or Director dependent on the level of capital investment and the significance of the changes to be made. The relevant Director or Line Manager will be responsible for ensuring the action required is implemented. The Health and Safety Advisor will be responsible for ensuring that the actions have reduced the level of risk. Risk assessments will be reviewed periodically, in light of an incident or when the work activity changes, whichever is sooner. •

Consultation with employees occurs at monthly safety committee meetings. Elected employee representatives act for specific site areas. A detailed list of each employee representative and the area they cover is displayed on Company notice boards. The safety committee reviews accidents and the progress made on the Company’s health and safety task list.

•

Machine Operators, Charge Hands, Team Leaders, Production Engineers and Managers will be responsible for identifying all equipment and plant requiring maintenance. The Manufacturing Services Manager will be responsible for ensuring effective maintenance procedures are drawn up and for ensuring that all identified maintenance is implemented. Any problems with plant or equipment should be reported to the Maintenance Department using a job request ticket and the plant/equipment marked up accordingly to prevent further use. The Health and Safety Advisor will check that new plant and equipment meets safety standards before it is purchased.

•

The Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for identifying all substances which need a COSHH assessment and they will be responsible for undertaking COSHH assessments. The relevant Line Manager or Director will be responsible for ensuring that all relevant employees are informed about COSHH assessments and any actions identified are implemented. The Health and Safety Advisor will check that new substances can be used safely before they are purchased. COSHH assessments will be reviewed periodically or when the work activity changes whichever is the sooner.

•

The Health and Safety Law poster is displayed on Company notice boards and health and safety advice and guidance can be obtained from the Company Health and Safety Advisor. The relevant Line Manager will monitor supervision of young workers and trainees with consultation from the Health and Safety Advisor where appropriate. The relevant Line Manager is responsible for ensuring our employees working at locations under the control of another person are given relevant health and safety advice.

•

The HR Department in consultation with the relevant Line Manager will provide induction training. Job specific training will be provided by the designated trainer. Specific jobs requiring specialised training are Machine Operator and HGV/FLT Driver. Training records are kept by the HR Department. Training will be identified, arranged and monitored by the relevant supervisor and with consultation by the HR Department.

•

Rixonway Kitchens provide health surveillance in the form of Audiometric testing for employees deemed to be at risk. We will review the effectiveness of our health surveillance program on a regular basis and amend or add tests to the program as required by the nature of the operations undertaken and subsequent legislation. It is the responsibility

HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY CONTINUED of the Health and Safety Advisor to administrate the health surveillance programme. First Aid boxes are kept in the designated First Aid room, HR Officers office, Sales Office Managers office, each Keencost store and within each HGV cab, all these locations are clearly marked with the First Aid symbol. Appointed First Aiders are identified by a poster showing photographs and names, this is on each Company notice board. All accidents and cases of work related ill health are to be recorded in the Accident Book. Copies of the book are located in the First Aid room and on reception. The Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for reporting accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the enforcing authority. The HR Manager will act as deputy for this duty in the event of absence. •

To check our working conditions and ensure our safe working practices are being followed we will perform safety audits and safety inspections at prescribed intervals commensurate with the level of identified risk. The Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for investigating accidents. The HR Department in consultation with the Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for investigating work related causes of sickness and absence. The relevant Line Manager or Director is responsible for acting on investigation findings to prevent a recurrence.

•

The Health and Safety Advisor is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and implemented. Escape routes are checked at prescribed intervals as part of the inspections and audits procedures. Fire extinguishers are maintained annually and checked at prescribed intervals. The Maintenance Department on a weekly basis tests alarms. Emergency evacuation procedures are tested every six months.

•

Design duties under CDM regulations are not applicable to Company operations except in light of installation work on site undertaken by Rixonway Kitchens. The Company is classified as a manufacturer under L144 paragraph 118 as they supply a standardised product. However the Company will ensure competency of Designers working on projects and ensure any help and advice is given in order for customers to fulfil their CDM duties.

•

Individual health and safety responsibilities are defined in greater detail in the individual’s job description.

David Anderson, Managing Director February 2015