Health & Safety Policy — Commercial Waste Heston

This Health and Safety Policy sets out the commitment of Commercial Waste Heston to protect employees, contractors, clients and the public involved in commercial waste and rubbish operations. It applies to all aspects of our commercial waste and rubbish collection activities across our service area. The policy is designed to ensure compliance with statutory obligations and to establish clear expectations for safe working practice in a commercial rubbish service environment.

Scope and Objectives

The policy covers duties, responsibilities and control measures for routine refuse collection, waste transfer, skip services and other commercial waste services. Our objectives are to: reduce harm and incidents; minimise environmental impact; and ensure that waste handling, transport and disposal are performed safely. We will integrate risk assessment and continual improvement into everyday tasks to maintain a reliable waste management regime.

Responsibilities are assigned at all organisational levels. Senior management has the overall duty to ensure resources, training and monitoring are in place. Supervisors are expected to enforce safe systems of work, and all staff must follow safe procedures, report hazards promptly and participate in training. Key responsibilities include:

• Risk assessments for site, vehicle and manual handling tasks
• Provision and maintenance of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Safe segregation and containment of different waste types

Risk Assessment and Control Measures

Risk assessments must be conducted for every work activity in the rubbish company service area, including waste collection routes, yard operations, and customer sites. Controls include clear traffic management, mechanical aids to reduce manual handling, and procedures for dealing with sharps or hazardous materials. We favour the hierarchy of controls — elimination, substitution, engineering, administration and PPE — to minimise exposure to risk.

Safe vehicle operation is central to waste removal safety. Drivers and loaders must be competent and medically fit for duty; vehicles are to be inspected daily and maintained to a high standard. Load security, correct weighing and avoidance of overloading are mandatory. We monitor driver hours and foster a culture of safe driving to reduce road risk across the service area.

Segregation and handling procedures are in place for general refuse, recyclable materials, and controlled wastes. Any substance suspected of being hazardous must be isolated and reported; the company will engage authorised contractors for specialist disposal where necessary. Training covers identification, packaging and documentation to ensure legal compliance and safe transfer.

Emergency procedures include spill response, fire safety, medical emergencies and incident notification. All incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions must be reported through our internal reporting system so corrective action can be taken. We maintain first aid provision, emergency equipment and communication protocols proportionate to the commercial rubbish service activities being performed.

Training and competence are essential components of this policy. New employees receive induction training on operational hazards, manual handling, PPE use and vehicle safety. Ongoing refresher courses, toolbox talks and role-specific instruction ensure staff remain competent to execute their duties in a safe manner. Contractors working on our behalf must demonstrate equivalent competence and follow our safety standards.

Monitoring, review and continuous improvement close the safety loop. Performance is measured through audits, inspections and analysis of incident trends to inform changes to procedures. Management will review this policy annually or after any significant change to operations. All employees are encouraged to contribute to safety discussions so that Commercial Waste Heston sustains a proactive and accountable safety culture in its rubbish collection and waste management operations.