Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Document 1: Health and Safety Policy Statement

Document 1 introduces the general statement of commitment to ensuring health, safety and well- being of employees and other people. This is to meet the statutory requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Where appropriate the links with safeguarding and other related topics are mentioned. It shows the principal organisation in a chart and briefly describes the arrangements for achieving the objectives set out in the policy statement.

Document 2 goes into more detail about the organisation and arrangements. The two documents together provide the main health, safety and well-being policy.

On specific important topics additional arrangements and sub-policies will follow leading to risk assessments, training and other aspects of good management.

Statement of Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy for Waycroft Multi Academy Trust

This statement of “Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy” is produced in respect of Waycroft Multi Academy Trust. It forms the basis of future planning and implementation of health, safety and wellbeing (HS&W) matters.

The Waycroft Multi Academy Trust Statement of General Policy

The Waycroft Multi Academy Trust is the employer of its staff both centrally and at its academies. Waycroft Multi Academy Trust will:

• Accept its responsibility for setting out the overall establishments HS&W Policy and undertake to take all reasonable steps within its power to prevent or reduce the possibility of:
  • Harm, injury and ill-health to children, employees, parents, contractors, visitors to the school and members of the general public;
  • Damage to property, plant, machinery, equipment, tools and other materials;
  • Harm to the environment

Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the establishment’s budget reflects the finance necessary to implement Heath, Safety & Wellbeing requirements.

Accept its responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, so far as is reasonably practicable to:

• Provide plant, equipment and systems of work which are safe and without risks to health;
• Make arrangements for ensuring the handling, storage and transportation of articles and substances are safe and without risk to health;
• Provide suitable and sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to enable all employees, children, parents and carers at the establishment to perform their work, learning and play safely and efficiently;
• Promote the development and maintenance of sound HS&W practices ensuring that any actions taken are inclusive and non-discriminatory;
• Maintain the premises in a condition that is safe and without risks to health and ensure the maintenance of safe access to and exit from the premises;
• Provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health and adequate as regards welfare facilities for employees, children, parents and carers.
• Provide as necessary personal protective equipment (“PPE”) to all employees, volunteers, parents, children and visitors in the setting, for the safe use of plant, machinery, equipment, tools, materials and substances for work or within the curriculum.
• Maintain a close interest in all health and safety matters insofar as they affect all activities under the control of the establishment. In particular they will work closely with other agencies sharing the premises to cooperate on work-related health and safety matters. They will also check that parents and carers and community groups are also health and safety aware.
• Keep themselves up to date on relevant health, safety and wellbeing matters through professional development, advice from Delegated Services the setting’s competent person, and the H&S Trustee.

Recognise the requirement to engage and consult staff on Health, safety and Wellbeing matters which will be achieved by discussion through the setting’s safety committee, or other effective means.

Agree that one of the Trustees to be designated the “Health and Safety lead,” who will attend Trust Board meetings and speak on HS&W matters.

Delegate authority for the development and implementation of this policy to the Executive Headteacher and Headteacher who will:

• ensure that arrangements will be made to bring this policy to the notice of all employees (including new, temporary and part-time employees) at each academy.
• The Headteacher will also bring it to the attention of parents/carers, agency and other contract staff, contractors, volunteer helpers and the children so that they fulfil their duties to co-operate with this policy.
• The Headteacher will liaise with other agencies and groups using the site to ensure consistent health and safety outcomes.

Recognise their responsibility for monitoring HS&W performance, including auditing and will require the Executive Headteacher to present an annual report on Health and Safety, Wellbeing and related matters. This will include evidence of safety inspections carried out by representatives of the setting at least three times a year.

Seek to continually improve HS&W Policies, Procedures, Codes of Practice and Guidelines. Cross-cutting matters such as safeguarding and inclusion will be linked in so there are no policy gaps.

Review this policy on a regular basis to confirm that the arrangements are still The review will take place whenever there are significant changes in the arrangements and not later than 24 months from the previous review date. This policy will be re-edited and re-issued within three months of the review date where this is deemed necessary.

Organisation and arrangements of the school for health, safety and wellbeing

The Waycroft Multi Academy Trust recognise the need to identify organisational arrangements in the school for implementing, controlling and monitoring HS&W In this matter they follow the guidance in document HSG 65 Managing for Health and Safety published by the Health and Safety Executive. They also accept the need to consult individuals before allocating particular health, safety and wellbeing functions.

Functional elements:

The posts with significant HS&W roles are set out in the chart Everyone has some responsibility and the chart is highlighting the major management lines.

A list of people and their jobs and health and safety roles follows in tables Staff members are in Table 1 and 2 with contractors in Table 3.

Table 1: Table of posts with major health and safety roles: school and governors

Table 2: Other school posts with important health, safety and safeguarding roles.

Table 3: Table of external contractor’s posts with major health and safety roles.

School Health, Safety & Wellbeing Consultative Committee

Waycroft Multi Academy Trust will incorporate health, safety and wellbeing in their sub- committees as appropriate.

The Waycroft Multi Academy Trust recognises that the way forward in achieving effective management of the school’s HS&W Policy and the arrangements necessary to fulfil the obligation includes the staff.

Other people who may be able to contribute to matters under discussion when relevant but not at every meeting necessarily for example: The Educational Visits Coordinator, First Aid Lead staff, Personnel/HR, SENCo, staff with safeguarding roles, and caretakers.

H&S Advisors will be used as necessary.

The HS&W Consultative Committee shall meet regularly to give time and full consideration of:

• Risk assessments, incident information, safety procedures and working
• Reports on premises inspections, compliance, and building works,
• The resources required for training and development and other HS&W

The HS&W and Executive Headteacher shall in addition meet annually in order to exercise an overview of the school’s HS&W performance and to produce a report for the Trust.

Arrangements for Safety Representatives or consultation with Employee Representatives.

Liaison and communication will take place with Trade Union Safety Representatives, or consultation with Employee Representatives about problems, hazards or defects either arising from or relating to activities at the school.

While most problems will be dealt with as they arise on a day to day basis those with longer term implications will also be discussed at the HS&W Consultative Committee.

See: http://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/index.htm

Specific issues that require immediate action will be taken after consultation with Executive

Monitoring and auditing Health, Safety and Wellbeing Performance

The Trust will require the Executive Headteacher to provide an annual report on all HS&W matters which will identify strengths and development areas, propose achievable remedies, and set objectives for continuous improvement.

The report will provide an annual overview of for example:

• Reported incidents, incident investigations, bump book analysis, lost time data and resulting preventative measures;
• Emergency procedures including fire precautions and first aid;
• Policies and arrangements introduced, risk assessments undertaken and procedures implemented;
• Internal and external inspections as well as audits;
• Wellbeing.

References

The Health and Safety Executive website provides an extensive range of information. Visit: www.hse.gov.uk

Key useful documents include:

HSG 65 Managing for Health and Safety which can be downloaded free at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg65.htm

INDG 275 (rev1) Plan, do, check, act http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg275.pdf

INDG 417 Leading health and safety at work http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg417.pdf and from DfE: Department for Education Governance Handbook Jan 2020 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925 104/Governance_Handbook_FINAL.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583 733/Competency_framework_for_governance_.pdf

Please see Document 2 for the “Organisation and Arrangements”. Produced by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Delegated Services, as Competent Person