Health and Safety policy
Health and Safety Policy for Man and a Van West Hampstead
Man and a Van West Hampstead is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, contractors, customers and members of the public who may be affected by our removals activities. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety in all aspects of our man and van and removal services.
Our Health and Safety Objectives
Our primary objectives are to prevent injury, ill health, damage to property and harm to the environment during all moving, loading, transport and unloading operations. We aim to continuously improve our health and safety performance by identifying risks, implementing sensible controls and reviewing our procedures on a regular basis.
Management Responsibilities
Management at Man and a Van West Hampstead accepts overall responsibility for health and safety. This includes ensuring that adequate resources are provided for the implementation of this policy, that clear roles and responsibilities are defined, and that health and safety is considered in all planning and decision-making related to our removal services.
Managers and supervisors are responsible for:
Ensuring that staff understand and follow safe systems of work. Providing appropriate training, information and supervision. Monitoring working practices on jobs and during driving operations. Investigating accidents, incidents and near misses, and implementing corrective actions. Reviewing risk assessments regularly and whenever circumstances change.
Employee Responsibilities
Every employee has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions. All staff must:
Follow the procedures, training and instructions provided. Use equipment, vehicles and protective gear correctly and safely. Report hazards, unsafe conditions, accidents and near misses without delay. Cooperate with management in the implementation of this policy. Refrain from any behaviour that could compromise safety, including working under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices
We conduct risk assessments for our typical moving and transport tasks, including packing, lifting, carrying, loading and unloading. Site-specific or job-specific assessments are carried out where necessary, especially for complex moves, limited access properties, high-rise buildings or heavy and fragile items.
Findings from risk assessments are used to develop safe working practices, which may include using additional staff, scheduling work to avoid congestion, planning access routes, and selecting appropriate handling equipment. These controls are communicated to staff before work begins and are reviewed where operational circumstances change.
Manual Handling and Use of Equipment
Manual handling is a core part of our removal services. To minimise the risk of injury, we:
Provide training on safe lifting techniques and team lifting. Assess the weight, size and shape of items before moving. Use handling aids such as trolleys, dollies, straps and blankets where appropriate. Avoid unnecessary carrying by planning the route and using vehicles and equipment efficiently. Rotate tasks where possible to reduce repetitive strain.
All equipment used in the course of our work is selected, maintained and inspected to ensure it is fit for purpose. Defective equipment must be reported immediately and taken out of service until repaired or replaced.
Vehicle and Driving Safety
Our vehicles are essential to our man and van and removal operations and are maintained to a high standard. We ensure that:
Vehicles are regularly serviced and checked for roadworthiness. Loads are packed and secured safely to prevent movement during transit. Drivers hold the appropriate licence and are competent for the vehicles they operate. Driving time, routes and schedules are planned to reduce fatigue and avoid unnecessary risk. Drivers comply with road traffic laws and follow defensive driving practices.
Customer Premises and Public Safety
We recognise our responsibility to protect customers and the public while we are working in and around properties, communal areas, streets and shared access routes. To manage these risks, we:
Maintain clear access routes and keep work areas as tidy as possible. Use warning signs or verbal warnings where there may be trip hazards or moving loads. Take care when manoeuvring large items through doorways, stairwells and corridors. Minimise noise and disruption, particularly in residential areas. Park vehicles considerately and in accordance with local rules and road safety requirements.
Training, Information and Supervision
We provide all employees with appropriate health and safety training relevant to their roles, including induction training, manual handling guidance, safe loading, vehicle checks and emergency procedures. Refresher training is provided when necessary, and when new equipment, vehicles or working methods are introduced.
Supervisors and experienced staff support new team members to ensure that safe methods of work are understood and consistently applied.
Accidents, Incidents and Emergency Procedures
Any accident, injury, near miss or damage to property must be reported to management as soon as possible. We maintain records of such incidents to help identify trends and areas for improvement. Where required, incidents will be investigated so that we can understand what happened and take steps to prevent a recurrence.
Employees are briefed on what to do in the event of fire, medical emergencies, road traffic incidents and other foreseeable situations. First aid provisions are made available in vehicles or at work locations as appropriate.
Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement
This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed regularly and updated when necessary to reflect changes in our operations, legislation or best practice within the removals and transport sector. Feedback from employees, customers and other stakeholders is welcomed and used to improve how we manage health and safety.
By working together and following this policy, Man and a Van West Hampstead aims to deliver safe, reliable and professional removal services while protecting the wellbeing of everyone involved in our activities.
