Health and Safety General Policy
At The Institute of Export & International Trade (IOE&IT), we recognise our duties under current health and safety legislation. Whilst we aren’t accredited to ISO 45001:2018 we endeavour where possible to operate to this standard and we will endeavour to meet the requirement of this legislation to maintain a safe and healthy working environment. This is to ensure that we keep all our team members safe and limit the possibility of an adverse health and safety incident. Our Executive Committee and any applicable deputies and/or managers are informed of their responsibilities to ensure they take all reasonable precautions, to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of those that are likely to be affected by the operation of our organisation. Team members of the IOE&IT are all made aware and recognise that they are all responsible for their own welfare and that of others that may be affected.
As part and parcel of communicating our obligations in relation to health and safety and raising awareness and competency, we as an organisation carry out the following activities:-
- Online health and safety training which is mandatory for all new team members joining the organisation
- 2 yearly refresher training for all Team Members within the organisation
- 3 yearly refresher training for all first aiders
- Yearly refresher training for all fire marshals
- Health and safety presentation for all new team members including a site tour to raise awareness of policies and procedures and potentially ‘higher risk areas’
- A monthly Health and Safety toolbox talk included in the monthly organisation newsletter.
- Regular blogs, posts and informative videos, useful documentation and risk assessments on the dedicated health and safety page on the organisations intranet, LoopedIn.
- A yearly audit through Worknest Health and Safety to consult with us in relation to our health and safety processes – the intent of this is to highlight our strengths and what we are good at – but also to identify any potential weaknesses in the system and to make recommendations to allow us to continuously improve
- Weekly fire alarm tests on both of our sites amend to all 3 of our sites, Export House, Trade House and London office.
- Quarterly health and safety audits across the London and Peterborough offices.
- DSEs for all team members upon induction and thereafter bi annually or when there is a requirement to do so
- Annual PA testing of electrical equipment within the London and Peterborough offices.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our team members we recognise that mental wellbeing is just as important as physical wellbeing. So one of the objectives that we have set ourselves as an organisation is to really focus on mental wellbeing and what that means – with the intention to ‘erase the stigma’ surrounding mental health.
We have endeavoured to set out some of the ways in which we have tried to achieve this over the past year:-
- Trained 7 mental health first aiders
- We run an employee assistance programme (EAP) which is available 24/7 - this launches on the day that a team member starts there is no probationary period for this – including up to 6 free therapy sessions available to all team members should they require them
- AXA Health App available to all team members with daily wellbeing updates
- Guest speakers regularly attend our Monday morning meetings to speak about various health issues including the importance of mental health
- AXA Private Medical Insurance for all Permanent Team Members after passing probation
- A segment in the monthly newsletter, discussing mental health matters and personal stories from team members
In addition to this we recognise that it is our responsibility to consistently review our offerings and to continuously improve as we evolve as an organisation. Therefore our aims and objectives for 2024 onwards are:-
- Further training and/or support for managers in relation to mental health awareness so that they can proactively identify when a team member may be struggling and how to react and offer support if appropriate
- We want to be more visual as an organisation so are looking to include literature regarding charities which can offer additional assistance and to highlight what’s on offer throughout the organisation.
As well as all the very positive impactful work we are doing as an organisation to look after the physical and mental wellbeing of our team members, we have also identified some of the hazards and risks created during our usual operating as an organisation.
We therefore also recognise our duty, so far as is reasonably practicable to:
- Meet our legal obligations to maintain safe and healthy working conditions.
- A commitment to fulfil legal requirements and other requirements.
- A commitment to eliminate hazards and reduce Occupational Health and Safety risks
- A commitment to consultation and participation of workers, and, where they exist,
- workers’ representatives.
- To provide adequate control of the health and safety risks identified
- To consult with our team members on matters affects their health and safety.
- To ensure that all workers are competent to do their work, and to give them appropriate training
- To prevent accidents and cases of works related ill health.
- To seek continuous improvement in our health and safety performance and management through regular review and revision of this policy and
- To provide the resources required to make this policy and our Health and Safety arrangements effective.
We also recognise:
- Our duty to co-operate and work with other employers when we work at premises or sites under their control to ensure the continued health and safety of all those at work; and
- Our duty to co-operate and work with other employers and their workers, when their workers come onto our premises or sites to do work for us, to ensure the Health and Safety of everyone at work.
To help achieve our objectives and ensure our Team Members recognise their duties under Health and Safety legislation whilst at work, we will also inform them of their duty to take reasonable care for themselves and for those who might be affected by their activities. We achieve this by explaining their duty and setting out our organisation’s Health and Safety rules within the induction process which is made available to every Team Member employed by us on our organisational intranet.
Signed Director & Coo: Kelly Shaw
Dated: 13/02/2024