Health and Safety Policy — Skip Hire Forest Hill

Skip Hire Forest Hill is committed to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety across all skip hire and rubbish removal activities. This policy sets out how our skip hire service and waste collection operations will manage and control risks to protect employees, contractors, customers and the public. Our aim is to prevent accidents, injuries and ill health by identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing proportionate controls.

We recognise that effective health and safety management is integral to reliable rubbish collection, waste transfer and general skip hire operations. All staff are required to follow safe systems of work, use appropriate personal protective equipment and participate in training. The company will ensure resources are made available to support safe working, including competent supervision, suitable vehicles and properly maintained equipment.

Scope: This policy applies to every activity undertaken by the skip hire company, including site delivery and collection of skips, on-road vehicle operations, loading and unloading waste, temporary storage, segregation and safe handling of non-hazardous and potentially hazardous materials. It covers rubbish collection routes, customer premises work and any third-party interfaces encountered in our service area.

Responsibilities and Accountability

Senior management holds overall responsibility for ensuring the policy is implemented and reviewed regularly. Supervisors and drivers must conduct pre-operation checks and enforce safe loading limits. Employees have a duty to work safely, report hazards, and follow instructions; contractors must comply with our standards while working on our behalf.

Key responsibilities include maintaining vehicle safety, ensuring secure load restraint, carrying out routine vehicle inspections and keeping accurate records of maintenance. All operatives are expected to carry identification of competence, adhere to traffic regulations and exercise caution when manoeuvring skips in public or high-traffic environments.

Risk Assessment and Control Measures

Risk assessments are carried out for routine and non-routine tasks such as skip placement, manual handling, working at height to attach/removal of skip covers, and interaction with hazardous substances. Controls include safe systems of work, use of lifting aids, minimising manual handling, and prohibiting unauthorised persons from entering loading areas.

The company insists on appropriate PPE such as high-visibility clothing, gloves, safety boots and eye protection where required. Where dust or fumes are likely, suitable respiratory protection will be provided. Employees are trained to select and maintain PPE correctly and to report any defects immediately.

Emergency procedures are established for incidents including road traffic accidents, spillages, fires, and exposure to hazardous materials. All operatives receive instruction on incident reporting, first aid arrangements and how to preserve scenes for investigation. We will work with emergency services when required and cooperate fully with statutory investigations.

Training and competence are core to our approach: induction for new staff, driver CPC where applicable, manual handling training and periodic refresher sessions. Records of training and certificates are retained and monitored to ensure renewals occur on schedule. We also provide toolbox talks and on-site briefings to address changing conditions or unusual risks.

Safe waste handling protocols govern segregation of recyclable materials from general rubbish, identification of potentially hazardous items (e.g., asbestos, certain batteries, chemicals) and immediate isolation and notification procedures. Waste acceptance criteria are enforced to avoid illegal or unsafe materials entering our skips and transport chain.

Health surveillance and welfare are provided where activities pose potential occupational health risks. Employees are encouraged to report any health concerns and to access support for issues such as manual handling strains, noise exposure or stress. We pursue a proactive approach to employee wellbeing and safe working hours.

Monitoring, audit and continual improvement are embedded in our safety management. The company conducts regular inspections, reviews incident statistics and performs internal audits to ensure compliance. Corrective actions are implemented promptly and shared with affected teams. We will periodically review this policy, adapting it to reflect operational changes and best practice in the rubbish removal and skip hire industry.

To summarise, Skip Hire Forest Hill is dedicated to a safe working environment for all involved in skip hire and waste services. Employees, contractors and management share responsibility for safety, and the company commits to providing the systems, equipment and training necessary to reduce risks to an acceptable level.

Key controls include:

• Regular risk assessments and safe systems of work
• Competent training and documented records
• Maintenance, vehicle checks and secure loading
• PPE provision and emergency response plans
• Waste segregation and hazardous material controls

Policy review: This health and safety policy will be reviewed at least annually or when significant changes occur to operations, legislation or service scope. Management will ensure any revisions are communicated to all staff and relevant stakeholders to maintain a consistent standard across our rubbish collection and skip hire operations.