The Hygiene Bank is committed to ensuring that its activities are safe and it will do whatever it can to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all volunteers and staff ensuring that risks are minimised at all times.
Health and safety is a collective task shared between The Hygiene Bank, staff and volunteers.
The charity will observe the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (“HASAWA”) and all relevant regulations and codes of practice made under it. There is a separate Safeguarding policy for adults and children.
To comply with legislation and to promote the health, safety and welfare of volunteers, instruction will be provided as follows:
• Guidance to available free training re manual handling at volunteer inductions and in The Volunteer Handbook
• Manual handling and Health & Safety posters visible in storage units and available to all volunteers
• When training needs are identified
Where a project is run out of a coordinators home, the Project Coordinator and volunteers have shared responsibility for health and safety regarding collection, storage and distribution of products and for ensuring that The Hygiene Bank fulfils its legal responsibilities.
Where a storage unit is being used, the designated volunteer Warehouse Manager will ensure that posters regarding Health and Safety, Manual Handling and First aid will be visible. It is the responsibility of the volunteers to adhere to these guidelines. Assessments will be repeated when there is a:
• An event to organise
• change in legislation
• change of premises
• significant change in work carried out
• or any other reason which makes original assessment not valid.
Care should be taken when lifting or carrying heavy items, ensuring the back is kept straight and knees bent when lifting. Any item over 25kg must not be lifted manually and assistance sought with a trolley device. A young person or child must not engage in lifting heavy objects. Volunteers and staff should be aware of their own limitations when lifting (a history of back problems will affect ability to lift many items).
For further information, please see: Manual Handling
http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/manual.htm
Floors and passages should be kept clear of any obstacles and spilt liquids cleared up immediately.
It is the Project Coordinator or Warehouse Manager’s responsibility to ensure distributed products are new, unopened and in-date and inadequate donations are disposed of responsibly.
Volunteers should be aware of all fire procedures. If a volunteer identifies anything which they think could be in any way unsafe, they will report it.
The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of health and safety procedures with all volunteers and recommending changes where necessary to the Trustee Board.
All accidents or unsafe incidents will be investigated by the relevant supervising coordinator and then reported to Head Office.
The Hygiene Bank recognises that it is the duty of the trustees, staff and volunteers to uphold this Policy and to provide the necessary funds and resources to put it into practice.
Version: September 2019