Man With a Van Walthamstow Health and Safety Policy

Man With a Van Walthamstow is committed to providing removal and transport services in a way that protects the health, safety and welfare of our workers, customers, members of the public and anyone else who may be affected by our activities. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety across all moving, loading, unloading and driving tasks.

Policy Aims and Objectives

The main aim of this Health and Safety Policy is to prevent injury, ill health and damage to property. We will achieve this by identifying and controlling risks associated with house moves, flat moves, office removals, furniture transport and related activities. Our objectives include continually improving safety performance, complying with relevant health and safety legislation, and promoting a positive safety culture throughout our operations.

Management Responsibilities

Management is responsible for implementing and maintaining this policy. This includes assessing risks, providing safe systems of work, supplying suitable equipment and ensuring staff are adequately trained and supervised. Managers will regularly review working practices, investigate accidents and near misses, and introduce corrective measures to reduce the likelihood of recurrence.

Employee Responsibilities

All workers, including drivers, porters and any temporary staff, share responsibility for maintaining high standards of health and safety. They must follow training and instructions, use equipment correctly, wear any required personal protective equipment and report hazards, incidents or unsafe conditions without delay. Employees must avoid taking shortcuts that could compromise safety during lifting, carrying, loading or driving.

Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work

Before starting removal work, we assess the risks associated with each job. Typical hazards include manual handling of heavy or awkward items, trips and slips, working in confined spaces such as stairwells, vehicular movements, loading and unloading in public areas and adverse weather conditions. Where necessary, we will conduct site-specific assessments, particularly for complex moves, restricted access properties or where specialist equipment is required.

Safe systems of work will be developed and followed, including clear methods for lifting and carrying, use of trolleys and other aids, safe stacking of items in vehicles and arrangements for communicating and coordinating movements between team members.

Manual Handling and Safe Lifting

Manual handling is a central part of removal work, and poor technique can lead to serious injury. We provide instruction in safe lifting methods, including assessing the weight and shape of items, working as a team where necessary and using appropriate mechanical aids. Staff must never attempt to lift loads that exceed their capabilities and should request additional assistance when required.

Where items are especially heavy, bulky or fragile, the job will be planned in advance to ensure sufficient personnel and equipment are available. Extra care will be taken on stairs, uneven ground and narrow access routes.

Use of Equipment and Vehicles

All vehicles and equipment used for removal services must be fit for purpose, properly maintained and suitable for the work being carried out. This includes vans, tail lifts, ramps, trolleys, straps, blankets and other moving aids. Regular inspections will be carried out to ensure equipment is in good working order and any defects are promptly reported and rectified.

Only competent and authorised personnel may drive vehicles or operate lifting equipment. Loads must be secured to prevent movement during transit and arranged to avoid overloading or obstructing the driver’s view.

Driving and Road Safety

Safe driving is essential to protect our staff, customers and other road users. Drivers must follow all traffic laws, comply with speed limits and adjust driving in line with weather, traffic and road conditions. Vehicles must not be driven when the driver is fatigued, unwell, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or otherwise unfit to drive.

Journey planning will take account of realistic travel times, loading and unloading durations and rest breaks. Drivers must carry out basic vehicle checks and report any defects that may affect safety.

Customer Premises and Public Areas

Our work often takes place in customers’ homes, offices, communal areas, streets and shared spaces. We will take reasonable steps to minimise disruption and prevent accidents in these environments. This may include managing access routes, controlling trip hazards such as loose packing materials, and ensuring that the public is kept away from moving or suspended loads where possible.

Team members will be respectful of property and surroundings, taking care not to damage fixtures, fittings or vehicles parked nearby. When working in multi-occupancy buildings or busy areas, particular attention will be given to coordinating movements to reduce risks to others.

Training, Information and Supervision

We are committed to providing appropriate information, instruction and training to all workers so that they can carry out their tasks safely and competently. This includes induction training for new starters, job-specific guidance, refresher training when needed and toolbox talks on relevant safety topics. Supervision levels will be appropriate to the complexity of the job and the experience of the team members involved.

Accident, Incident and Near-Miss Reporting

All accidents, incidents and near misses must be reported as soon as practicable. This allows us to investigate what happened, identify root causes and implement measures to prevent a recurrence. Records of such events will be maintained and reviewed periodically to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Health, Welfare and Wellbeing

We recognise that health and safety extends beyond avoiding accidents. We will seek to minimise the risk of long-term musculoskeletal issues arising from manual handling, encourage good lifting posture and promote reasonable workloads and rest breaks. Workers are encouraged to raise any concerns about their health or fitness for particular tasks so that adjustments can be made where appropriate.

Consultation and Continuous Improvement

We value feedback from workers and customers on health and safety matters. Suggestions for improvements, identification of hazards or concerns about unsafe practices will be taken seriously and considered as part of our ongoing review process. This policy and associated procedures will be reviewed regularly and updated when necessary to reflect changes in legislation, technology, industry practices or the nature of our services.

By following this Health and Safety Policy, Man With a Van Walthamstow aims to deliver reliable removal services while protecting everyone involved in or affected by our work.