Health and Safety Policy — Commercial Waste Addlestone

Purpose and scope: This document defines the health and safety policy for our commercial rubbish collection operations across the service area. It applies to every employee, contractor and visitor involved in the provision of commercial waste and bin collection services. The objective is to protect people, property and the environment by setting clear responsibilities, safe working practices and monitoring procedures for all commercial waste management activities.

Policy commitment: Our management team is committed to maintaining a systematic approach to occupational health and safety. We will ensure adequate resources, training and supervision for staff engaged in commercial waste removal, refuse collection and container maintenance. All staff must follow this policy, report hazards, and cooperate with improvement measures. The policy is regularly reviewed to reflect changes in operations, equipment or regulations.

All personnel involved in commercial bin service Addlestone operations must be competent for their roles. We will provide role-specific instruction for drivers, operatives, loaders and depot staff, emphasizing manual handling, vehicle safety and safe use of lifting equipment. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, high-visibility clothing, safety boots and eye protection is mandatory where risk assessments indicate need.

Risk assessment and controls

Risk assessments are carried out for routine tasks including collection rounds, skip loading, street-level collections and waste transfer activities. Controls are implemented using the hierarchy of risk management: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE. Regular vehicle and equipment checks, secure waste containment and safe traffic management are core controls for protecting operatives and the public.

Specific hazards addressed include lifting injuries from manual handling of sacks and bulky items, sharps and hazardous waste segregation, vehicle movement and reversing incidents, and risks associated with compactors and mechanical lifting gear. Procedures are in place for reporting and isolating hazardous loads, and for emergency response to spills, fires or serious injury.

Safe systems: We implement documented safe systems of work for all higher-risk activities. Permit-to-work, toolbox talks and dynamic risk assessments are used on-site to ensure practical control measures are followed. Supervision ensures that compliant behaviour is maintained and corrective actions are taken when necessary.

Training, competence and communication

Training programmes cover driver CPC where applicable, manual handling, first aid, fire safety and environmental awareness for waste handling. Competence is verified through observed practice and periodic refresher training. Clear communication channels support reporting of near misses and incidents, with lessons learned shared across the rubbish removal and commercial waste teams.

Emergency procedures include immediate first-aid response, vehicle immobilisation, spill control and incident escalation. Designated first-aiders and trained incident coordinators are available during operational hours. Incident records are retained and investigated to prevent recurrence.

Monitoring and continuous improvement: Management carries out routine inspections, audits and performance reviews of commercial refuse services. Key performance indicators for safety include accident frequency, near-miss reports, and completion of safety checks. Corrective actions and improvement plans are tracked to closure to strengthen the waste collection service and overall safety culture.