Health and Safety policy

Health and Safety Policy for Man with Van Brixton

Man with Van Brixton is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our staff, customers, visitors, and members of the public who may be affected by our removal and transportation activities. This Health and Safety Policy sets out our approach to managing risks associated with moving, loading, transporting, and unloading household and commercial items.

Policy Statement and Objectives

Our objective is to prevent injury, ill health, and damage to property by identifying hazards, assessing risks, and putting effective control measures in place. We aim to conduct all removal work in a way that complies with relevant health and safety legislation and recognised industry best practice.

We will regularly review this policy to ensure it remains appropriate to the nature and scale of our operations and reflective of any changes to our services, working methods, or legal requirements.

Management Responsibilities

Management at Man with Van Brixton is responsible for implementing and maintaining this policy. This includes:

Ensuring safe systems of work for lifting, carrying, loading, driving, and unloading activities. Providing and maintaining suitable equipment and vehicles that are safe and fit for purpose. Ensuring that staff receive appropriate information, instruction, and training to carry out their work safely. Conducting and reviewing risk assessments for typical and non-routine removal tasks. Investigating accidents, incidents, and near misses to identify root causes and prevent recurrence.

Employee Responsibilities

All employees, contractors, and regular helpers share responsibility for maintaining a safe working environment. Every member of the team must:

Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. Follow the training, procedures, and safe systems of work provided. Use equipment, vehicles, and any supplied protective gear correctly and report defects immediately. Report hazards, unsafe conditions, incidents, and near misses to management without delay. Co-operate fully with any investigation, training, or safety initiative introduced by the company.

Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices

Before starting any removal task, we assess the risks associated with the property, access routes, items to be moved, and any special requirements. Controls may include:

Planning access routes and parking to minimise manual handling distances and vehicle manoeuvring risks. Assessing the weight and shape of items to determine appropriate lifting techniques and the number of team members required. Using trolleys, skates, ramps, and other handling aids where appropriate. Identifying potential trip, slip, and fall hazards such as uneven surfaces, stairs, or poor lighting. Taking additional precautions when working in adverse weather or restricted spaces.

Where risks cannot be eliminated, we aim to reduce them so far as is reasonably practicable by adjusting methods, increasing manpower, or rescheduling work.

Manual Handling and Lifting

Manual handling is a core part of removal work and is a key focus of our safety procedures. Our approach includes:

Providing manual handling training to staff, including safe lifting techniques, team lifting, and the use of handling aids. Avoiding manual lifting of loads that are excessively heavy, awkward, or unstable whenever possible. Ensuring staff do not exceed safe lifting limits and are encouraged to seek assistance when uncertain. Planning the route in advance, checking for obstacles, and clearing hazards before moving large items. Using protective equipment such as gloves when handling items with sharp edges or rough surfaces.

Vehicle Safety and Driving

Our vehicles are essential to our removal services, and their safe operation is a priority. Measures include:

Maintaining vehicles in good working order through regular inspections and servicing. Checking tyres, lights, securing mechanisms, and loading areas before each job. Ensuring loads are evenly distributed and properly secured to prevent movement during transit. Following safe driving practices, observing speed limits, and adjusting driving to road and weather conditions. Using safe reversing and parking procedures, including assistance from another team member where visibility is limited.

Use of Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment

Man with Van Brixton provides suitable equipment to support safe manual handling and transport. All equipment must be used only for its intended purpose and in accordance with training. Defective or damaged equipment must be reported immediately and taken out of use.

Where risk assessments identify a need, personal protective equipment such as safety footwear or gloves will be provided. Staff are required to use such equipment as instructed and look after it responsibly.

Customer Premises and Public Safety

We recognise our responsibility to protect customers, neighbours, and members of the public during removal operations. To achieve this, we:

Plan access to minimise obstruction of pavements, entrances, and shared spaces. Position vehicles and ramps to avoid unnecessary risks to pedestrians and other road users. Keep walkways as clear as reasonably possible during loading and unloading. Take care to prevent damage to property, fixtures, and fittings while moving items. Communicate with customers about any significant risks or restrictions identified on site.

Training, Information, and Supervision

We provide appropriate induction and ongoing training in health and safety matters relevant to removal work. This may include manual handling, vehicle loading, working on stairs, communication and teamwork, and dealing with challenging environments.

Supervision is provided where necessary to ensure that less experienced staff are supported and that agreed safe working methods are followed at all times.

Accidents, Incidents, and First Aid

All accidents, injuries, and near misses occurring during our work must be reported to management as soon as possible. We keep records of such events, review them periodically, and use the findings to improve our safety arrangements.

First aid provisions appropriate to the size and nature of our operations are made available, and staff are informed of how to access them when required.

Policy Review

This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed regularly and whenever there are significant changes to our work activities, equipment, or applicable regulations. Updated versions will be communicated to all staff so that they understand their responsibilities and the standards expected of them.

By following this policy, Man with Van Brixton aims to deliver reliable removal services while protecting the wellbeing of our team, our customers, and the wider community.