Shepherd's Bush Removals Health and Safety Policy

Shepherd's Bush Removals is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, clients, contractors, visitors and members of the public who may be affected by our moving and storage activities. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety across all stages of our removal services, including packing, loading, transportation, unloading and any associated activities.

Policy Statement and Objectives

We recognise our legal and moral responsibilities to manage risks arising from our operations and to prevent injury, ill health, and damage to property. Our objectives are to:

Identify, assess and control risks associated with removal work, driving, lifting operations and the use of vehicles and equipment.

Provide and maintain safe vehicles, tools, equipment and systems of work.

Ensure that all employees are adequately trained, supervised and informed about relevant health and safety matters.

Promote a positive safety culture in which everyone accepts responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others.

Review our performance regularly and continuously improve our health and safety arrangements.

Management Responsibilities

Senior management at Shepherd's Bush Removals has overall responsibility for implementing this policy and ensuring that sufficient resources, time and support are provided to manage health and safety effectively. Managers and supervisors are responsible for:

Ensuring that risk assessments are carried out, recorded and kept up to date for all significant activities, including home and office removals, packing services and storage handling.

Making sure staff understand safe working procedures and follow them consistently.

Investigating incidents, near misses and complaints and taking corrective action to prevent recurrence.

Monitoring health and safety performance on a regular basis and reporting key findings to senior management.

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 employees must:

Follow the company’s safety procedures, training and instructions at all times.

Use vehicles, tools, lifting equipment and personal protective equipment properly and only for their intended purpose.

Report hazards, defects, incidents, near misses and health concerns promptly to their line manager.

Cooperate with the company in meeting its legal obligations, including attending training and health surveillance where required.

Never engage in horseplay, unsafe behaviour or work under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices

We carry out risk assessments for our core activities, including property surveys, packing, manual handling of furniture and boxes, dismantling and reassembly, stair and corridor access, vehicle loading, unloading and driving between addresses. From these assessments we develop safe systems of work and method statements that address:

Planning of each move to identify access issues, parking limitations, heavy or awkward items and any special handling requirements.

Strategies for dealing with high-rise buildings, restricted spaces and long carry distances.

Control of slips, trips and falls, including keeping pathways clear and using ramps or boards where necessary.

Safe stacking, securing and protection of goods in vehicles to prevent movement and instability during transport.

Manual Handling and Use of Equipment

Manual handling is a key part of removal services. To reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, we:

Provide training on safe lifting techniques, team lifting and the use of handling aids such as dollies, sack trucks, straps and sliders.

Plan moves to minimise carrying distances and avoid unnecessary lifting.

Assess heavy, delicate or bulky items in advance and allocate adequate staff and equipment.

Inspect lifting and handling equipment regularly and remove defective items from service immediately.

Ensure that only trained and authorised personnel operate specialist equipment.

Vehicle Safety and Driving Standards

Our vehicles are critical to our operations and are managed to high safety standards. We:

Carry out regular checks, servicing and maintenance of all vehicles used for removal services.

Require drivers to conduct pre-use inspections and promptly report any faults or defects.

Provide training and guidance on safe driving, route planning, defensive driving and the securing of loads.

Manage driving hours and rest breaks to reduce fatigue and promote safe driving practices.

Ensure that vehicles are loaded within safe weight limits and that loads are evenly distributed and secured.

Customer, Public and Property Protection

We take practical steps to safeguard customers, neighbours, visitors and the general public when we are working at properties or on the road. We:

Use warning signs or barriers where appropriate to keep access routes clear and separate work areas from bystanders.

Protect floors, walls, doorways and lifts where reasonably practicable to reduce the risk of damage and trip hazards.

Position vehicles safely to minimise disruption, maintain visibility and allow for emergency access.

Handle customer property with care to avoid damage and reduce the risk of injury from broken or unstable items.

Training, Information and Supervision

Shepherd's Bush Removals provides ongoing health and safety training relevant to the removal industry. This includes induction training, manual handling, use of equipment, vehicle safety, working in domestic and commercial environments and emergency procedures. We ensure that:

New employees receive induction training before starting work on site.

Existing employees receive refresher training at appropriate intervals or when there are changes in equipment, processes or legal requirements.

Supervisors monitor work practices and provide on-the-job guidance and support.

Accident Reporting and Emergency Procedures

All accidents, incidents, near misses and cases of work-related ill health must be reported without delay. We maintain records to help identify trends and implement improvements. Our emergency arrangements include:

Clear procedures for responding to injuries, fires, road traffic incidents and other emergencies.

Access to first aid equipment and trained first aiders where required.

Instructions to staff on how to contact the emergency services and communicate with clients during incidents.

Review and Continuous Improvement

This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed at least annually and following any significant change in our operations, legislation or organisational structure. We use feedback from employees, clients, audits and incident investigations to update our procedures and raise safety standards. Everyone at Shepherd's Bush Removals is encouraged to contribute ideas for improving safety and wellbeing across our removal services.