Storage Yiewsley Health and Safety Policy
Storage Yiewsley is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our employees, customers, visitors, and contractors. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety risks in our storage facilities and throughout our removal and transport activities.
Our Health and Safety Objectives
Our primary objective is to prevent injury and ill health arising from our work activities. We aim to continually improve our health and safety performance by identifying hazards, assessing risks, implementing effective control measures, and reviewing our practices on a regular basis.
Health and safety considerations are integral to the planning and delivery of all services offered by Storage Yiewsley, including storage, handling, loading and unloading, and removal services.
Legal Responsibilities and Compliance
Storage Yiewsley complies with all applicable health and safety legislation and relevant industry standards. We recognise our duty to provide safe systems of work, safe equipment, safe handling and use of materials, and a safe workplace environment. We also recognise our duty to provide appropriate information, instruction, training, and supervision to employees and contractors.
All employees, agency workers, and contractors are required to co-operate fully with this policy and any associated procedures. Everyone must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions.
Management Responsibilities
Senior management has overall responsibility for implementing this Health and Safety Policy and ensuring that adequate resources are made available. Managers and supervisors are responsible for:
Ensuring that risk assessments are carried out and regularly reviewed for all relevant tasks and areas, including storage units, loading bays, vehicles, stairways, and access routes.
Making sure employees are properly trained and competent to perform their duties safely.
Ensuring that equipment such as trolleys, lifting aids, and vehicles are maintained in safe working order.
Monitoring compliance with safe working procedures and taking prompt action where improvements are needed.
Reporting, recording, and investigating accidents, incidents, and near misses, and implementing corrective actions.
Employee Responsibilities
All employees have a responsibility to work safely and to support our health and safety standards. This includes:
Following all safety instructions, procedures, and signage provided by Storage Yiewsley.
Using any equipment, vehicles, and personal protective equipment provided, in accordance with training and instructions.
Reporting hazards, unsafe conditions, accidents, incidents, and near misses to a manager or supervisor without delay.
Not interfering with or misusing anything provided for health, safety, or welfare.
Co-operating with any health and safety investigations, audits, or inspections.
Customer and Visitor Safety
We are committed to ensuring that customers, visitors, and third parties can access our premises safely. To support this, Storage Yiewsley will:
Provide clear signage for access routes, emergency exits, fire assembly points, and restricted areas.
Maintain premises in a clean and orderly condition to minimise slips, trips, and falls.
Control customer and visitor access to operational areas, loading zones, and vehicle movement areas where necessary.
Provide appropriate guidance to customers on safe loading, unloading, and manual handling of goods when using our storage and removal services.
Safe Use of Premises and Equipment
We will ensure that our storage units, common areas, and loading bays are maintained to promote safe use by staff and customers. This includes:
Conducting routine inspections of floors, stairways, lighting, doors, and access points.
Ensuring that fire doors, alarms, extinguishers, and emergency lighting are tested and maintained in line with regulatory requirements.
Providing suitable equipment such as trolleys and sack trucks to assist safe movement of goods.
Ensuring that any lifting operations, including the use of hoists or tail lifts on removal vehicles, are carried out by trained personnel following safe systems of work.
Manual Handling and Removal Activities
Many activities in the storage and removals sector involve manual handling of items and furniture. To reduce the risk of injury, Storage Yiewsley will:
Assess manual handling tasks and implement measures to avoid or reduce the need for heavy lifting where possible.
Provide manual handling training for employees involved in moving, lifting, loading, or unloading items.
Encourage safe techniques such as team lifting for heavy or awkward loads and the use of mechanical aids whenever practicable.
Plan removal and transport tasks carefully to manage risks associated with stairways, confined spaces, long carries, and vehicle access.
Vehicle and Traffic Safety
Where vehicles are used for removals or transport, Storage Yiewsley will:
Ensure that vehicles are maintained and inspected regularly to remain roadworthy and safe.
Provide suitable training and instructions for drivers, including safe loading, securing of loads, and safe driving practices.
Manage traffic flows in yards and loading areas to reduce the risk of collisions with pedestrians and other vehicles.
Ensure that parking, reversing, and manoeuvring operations are carried out with due care and attention to the safety of all present.
Fire Safety and Emergency Procedures
We maintain appropriate fire and emergency arrangements across our premises. This includes:
Carrying out fire risk assessments and reviewing them regularly.
Providing suitable fire detection, alarm systems, and firefighting equipment.
Marking and keeping clear all fire exits, escape routes, and assembly points.
Displaying emergency instructions and ensuring staff are trained in what to do in an emergency, including evacuation procedures.
Welfare, Health, and Wellbeing
Storage Yiewsley recognises the importance of general welfare and wellbeing. We will provide adequate welfare facilities and support measures, including:
Clean and accessible welfare areas such as toilets and wash facilities.
Reasonable access to drinking water.
Arrangements to support employees who raise concerns about stress, fatigue, or other health issues arising from work.
Training, Consultation, and Communication
We are committed to ongoing health and safety training, consultation, and communication. This includes:
Providing induction training for new employees and role-specific safety training where required.
Refreshing training at suitable intervals or when processes, equipment, or legislation change.
Consulting with employees on health and safety matters and encouraging feedback on how we can improve safety.
Communicating policy updates, procedures, and safety notices clearly and promptly.
Monitoring, Review, and Continuous Improvement
Storage Yiewsley will monitor health and safety performance through inspections, audits, incident reports, and staff feedback. Lessons learned from accidents, near misses, and customer reports will be used to improve our procedures and controls.
This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changes in our operations, the law, or best practice. The policy is endorsed by senior management and applies to all aspects of our storage and removal services.
