Health and Safety Policy for Removal Company Swiss Cottage

Removal Company Swiss Cottage is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, customers, contractors and members of the public who may be affected by our moving and relocation activities. We recognise that the nature of removals work involves manual handling, vehicle operations and work in a variety of domestic and commercial locations, and we manage these risks with care and professionalism.

This policy sets out our approach to health and safety and applies to all employees, agency workers and contractors engaged in our removal, packing, loading, transport and storage operations.

Our Health and Safety Objectives

Our primary objectives are to prevent injuries, ill health and accidents arising from our work, and to continually improve our health and safety performance. We aim to:

Identify and control hazards associated with removal services, reduce risks to an acceptable level, comply with all applicable health and safety legislation, provide clear information, training and supervision, and promote a positive safety culture across all our operations.

Management Responsibilities

Senior management has overall responsibility for implementing this health and safety policy. Management will ensure that health and safety is integrated into business planning and decision making and that sufficient resources are made available to meet our obligations.

Managers and supervisors are responsible for:

Ensuring that risk assessments are carried out and kept up to date for removal activities, including packing, lifting, loading, unloading and driving. Providing suitable work equipment, vehicles, tools and personal protective equipment that are maintained in a safe condition. Monitoring day-to-day operations to verify that safe systems of work are followed. Investigating accidents, incidents and near misses, and ensuring that corrective actions are implemented.

Employee Responsibilities

Every employee has a duty of care to themselves, their colleagues, customers and the public. All staff must:

Cooperate with the company on all health and safety matters. Follow the training, instructions and safe working procedures provided. Use equipment, vehicles and personal protective equipment correctly and report any defects immediately. Refrain from horseplay, misuse of equipment or any behaviour that could put themselves or others at risk. Report all accidents, incidents, near misses and hazards as soon as possible.

Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work

We conduct risk assessments for the range of removal services we provide. These assessments consider hazards such as manual handling, slips and trips, working in confined or cluttered spaces, vehicle movements, use of equipment such as trolleys and lifting straps, and environmental conditions at customer premises.

Based on these assessments we implement safe systems of work, including:

Pre-move planning to understand access routes, parking arrangements, stairs, lifts and any restrictions at collection and delivery addresses. Allocation of appropriate staffing levels, equipment and vehicle types for each move. Clear communication of responsibilities within each team, including team leader roles. Procedures for handling heavy, awkward or fragile items safely.

Manual Handling and Lifting

Manual handling is a key element of removal work and is managed carefully to reduce the risk of injury. We:

Provide manual handling training to all operatives, with refresher training as required. Encourage the use of team lifting, trolleys, sliders, dollies and other aids to minimise strain. Plan the order of loading and unloading to reduce unnecessary lifting and carrying. Instruct staff to avoid lifting loads that are too heavy, unbalanced or unsafe and to seek assistance or alternative methods.

Vehicles and Driving Safety

Our vehicles are essential to our removal operations and are maintained to high safety standards. We:

Ensure vehicles are regularly inspected and serviced. Require drivers to perform pre-use checks and report defects promptly. Plan routes with consideration for safe access, loading, unloading and parking near customer addresses. Emphasise safe driving practices, adherence to speed limits and avoidance of distractions. Manage working hours to help prevent driver fatigue.

Customer Premises and Public Safety

Removals often take place in busy residential streets, shared buildings and commercial environments. We take care to protect customers, neighbours, visitors and passers-by by:

Maintaining clear walkways and escape routes where reasonably practicable. Using warning signs or verbal warnings when moving goods through shared or public areas. Handling customer property with care to prevent damage, obstruction or hazards. Keeping doors, gates and access points secure where security issues may arise.

Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment

Where necessary, we provide appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety footwear and high-visibility clothing, depending on the specific task and environment. All equipment used in removal operations, including lifting straps, blankets, trolleys, ramps and securing devices, is selected and maintained to support safe handling of goods and to protect our teams.

Training, Information and Supervision

We provide our staff with training that is relevant to their role and level of responsibility. This includes induction training, task-specific guidance on manual handling, vehicle safety, safe use of equipment, and procedures for working at different types of premises.

Supervisors and team leaders provide on-site guidance, monitor working practices and reinforce our safety standards. We encourage open communication so that staff can raise any health and safety concerns without hesitation.

Accident Reporting and Emergency Procedures

All accidents, incidents and near misses must be reported as soon as possible to a supervisor or manager. We keep records of such events and review them to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Our staff are briefed on emergency procedures, including how to respond to injuries, fire alarms, building evacuations and traffic incidents involving our vehicles. First aid arrangements and access to emergency services are considered during planning for each job.

Consultation and Continuous Improvement

We consult with employees about health and safety matters and welcome suggestions for improving our arrangements. Lessons learned from jobs, feedback from customers and findings from incident investigations are used to refine our procedures and training.

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changes in legislation, industry best practice and the nature of our removal services in the areas we serve.

Policy Review and Availability

This health and safety policy is formally reviewed at least once a year or sooner if there are significant changes to our operations or legal requirements. Updated versions are communicated to all staff and are available for customers or interested parties on request. By working together and following this policy, Removal Company Swiss Cottage aims to deliver safe, efficient and reliable removal services while protecting everyone affected by our activities.