Health & Safety Policy

General Policy

Introduction

Wells Cathedral School attaches the utmost importance to the safety, health and welfare of its employees and pupils. The School will comply with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all subsequent regulations, including those implementing EC Directives. The School governors bear ultimate responsibility to provide leadership and day to day responsibilities are delegated to the Head and the Bursar.))

The senior leadership team will take steps so far as is reasonably practicable to ensure that the workplace is a safe and healthy environment in which its employees, pupils, contractors and other persons affected by the School operations can work.

The senior leadership team will make the necessary assessments, identify safety training and provide information and supervision for employees at all levels. It will consult on a regular basis with all employees and their representatives with regards to health and safety issues. It will provide the necessary safety devices and protective clothing, provided that a safer working environment cannot be achieved by any other means.

Focus

The School’s work programmes will, so far as is reasonably practicable, adopt good safety practices. These will include:

• the safe use, storage, handling and transport of articles and substances.
• the provision of adequate information, instruction, training and supervision for employees including temporary employees and contractors.
• the provision of safe machinery and equipment regularly maintained, including the operation and maintenance of plant and systems of work.
• the provision of a safe and healthy place of work, including access and egress to and from the premises, and adequate facilities and arrangements for the welfare of employees at work.
• consider the safety of pupils, parents, contractors and any others accessing the premises including those who hire or undertake leisure activities.

Co-operation

All aspects of health and safety remain a management responsibility. However a safe and healthy workplace can only be achieved with the full co-operation of every employee.

Employees are duty bound to act responsibly and to do everything possible to prevent personal injury to themselves and to others. They must also safeguard all persons to whom the School owes a duty of care, namely people who may come into contact with their work; pupils, parents, visitors etc. To achieve this employees must:

• obey all the safety rules and procedures, including the wearing of protective clothing and the use of protective devices if they are specified by the school/college risk assessments.
• exercise their awareness, alertness, self-control and common sense at work.
• report promptly to their department head or manager all hazards, potential hazards, defects in equipment and any shortcomings in the School’s work systems or procedures.

Employees should not be in any doubt that the School will apply disciplinary procedures to any employee who is in breach of the School’s health and safety policy. This includes any specific safe systems of work, instructions, training and procedures laid down for the protection of those involved in the School’s operations, and for those who may become involved in them.

Policy Review

This policy will be regularly revised, by the Bursar, as necessary (but at a minimum of one year intervals).  In conducting the policy reviews, due regard will be given to the following:

Planning: The elimination of risks in the workplace by careful selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes, together with effective control measures and training for employees.

If appropriate, the School will consider the risk to safety involved in:

• dealing with physical, chemical and biological hazards, such as machinery safety, chemical safety, asbestos in the school building, water quality, and the use of radioactive material;
• contractors in schools;
• vehicle movements within the school grounds;
• workplace arrangements, including housekeeping;
• school trips;
• centres licensed by the Adventure Activity Licensing Authority;
• work experience arrangements;
• violence to staff;
• school security;
• stress management;
• letting of school premises to outside bodies;
• pupils with special needs, i.e. manual handling;
• any other site specific issue, e.g. swimming pools, golf courses etc.

Organisation:  A review of the School’s organisation including changes to ensure that responsibilities for health and safety are clearly defined at all times to all employees at every level.

Control:  Ensuring that the safety requirements are implemented throughout the School by all employees and that training is regularly conducted in support of those standards.

Monitoring and Review:  All job specifications will contain safety requirements and instructions highlighting health and safety responsibilities. Regular safety audits will be carried out and a safety report completed each quarter. These documents will form the basis for monitoring and review, to ensure that a credible standard of health and safety is achieved.

Health & Safety Management

The School’s Governors have overall responsibility for the implementation of the policy and will ensure that sufficient finance provision is made available to support the policy.

In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the health and safety policy these issues will be brought regularly to the attention of the School’s Governors and senior leadership team management and board meetings.

There is a School Health & Safety Committee, membership being as follows:

• Bursar (Chairman & Secretary)
• Deputy Head
• Deputy Head of the Junior School
• Deputy Head of Music Faculty
• Head of Science Faculty
• Head of IT/DT Faculty
• Head of Sport
• Head of Drama
• Senior House Parent
• Facilities Manager
• Catering Manager
• Domestic Services Manager
• School Nursing Sister

The Committee meets at least once per term, minutes being sent to all members of the senior leaderships team, the Governor responsible for overseeing safety and all members of the Committee.  The functions of the Committee are to co-ordinate and oversee implementation of the policy on safety, to monitor action, identify priorities and to make recommendations.  However, the Head, Head of the Junior School, Bursar, Heads of Faculties and Departments, House parents etc. remain responsible for initiating action and making arrangements for safety measures within their areas of responsibility.

For the purposes of fire safety, the school site is divided into a number of fire zone.  A trained member of staff is appointed as the fire zone leader for a particular zone and is responsible for maintaining the fire safety risk review, routine testing of the alarms, conducting fire evacuation drills and taking charge in a real emergency.  In addition, the fire zone leader is responsible for ensuring that the other necessary risk assessments for the offices, classrooms and other spaces within the zone are also completed and kept updated.

A copy of the policy will be given to all employees when they join the School.  When changes have been made to the policy, copies will be placed on the School’s Intranet.

The Dean of Wells, Chair of Governors

The Head

Last Review:  November 2014

Next Review: November 2015