You’re entitled to a working environment where your health, safety and welfare is the number one priority. We pledge to take all reasonable measures to achieve this for everybody. To learn more about our legal obligations and your own responsibilities, please read the government’s Health and Safety Law leaflet.
The nature of your work means that you aren’t based at our premises, so we need your support (and that of your recruitment agency and workplaces) to ensure that appropriate health and safety provision is always made for you. This policy explains what that means for you.
Us, your agency & your workplace
We work closely with your recruitment agency to ensure that health and safety risks at the workplaces you will be attending are identified and managed.
Your agency will provide you with details of any specialist skills or qualifications needed to carry out a particular assignment, together with relevant health and safety information. If they do not, you must ask for it prior to starting your assignment. If they provide us with any information like this, we will pass it to you without delay.
Your workplace will provide you with their health and safety policy and fire procedure, which you should comply with at all times whilst working there. If they do not, you must ask for it prior to starting your assignment. Should your recruitment agency provide you with any additional instructions at any point, it’s important that you comply with those too.
If your individual circumstances place you at increased risk, tell us and your recruitment agency so that it can be taken into account in any risk assessment.
We expect all recruitment agencies and workplaces you work with to:
- Assess health and safety risks and record the result of the assessment
- Provide you with information on health and safety risk and measures
- Provide you with any safety equipment and protective clothing necessary for the job and ensure that it’s used
- Tell you the name of their health and safety representative
- Co-operate and co-ordinate with you on health and safety matters
- Treat you as they would their own employees for all health and safety matters and ensure that there is a safe system of work at all times
- Record any accidents or injuries in their Accident Record Book and report to the Health & Safety Executive in accordance with current requirements
- Tell you what to do in the event of a fire or other emergency
- Have appropriate first-aid arrangements in place
- Provide a healthy, safe and dignified working environment with appropriate facilities, including toilets, hand-washing facilities, drinking water and suitable lighting
At your workplace
While you’re at a workplace, take reasonable care for your own health and safety, and also the health and safety of other people who may be affected by your actions. Comply with all safety instructions and directions given to you by either us, your agency or the workplace.
Co-operate on health and safety matters. This includes wearing any protective clothing and using any safety equipment that has been provided. If you are not given any items that you consider to be necessary, you must request them.
Assess any risks to your own health and safety that you’re exposed to. If you identify any shortcomings in the health and safety arrangements, raise it as soon as possible. Stop working immediately if you consider that your working environment is unsafe. You should report any concerns to your recruitment agency and workplace. Please also make us aware.
Do not use the facilities at your workplace for any purpose other than what you have been authorised to do.
Remember to take any rest breaks you are entitled to.
If you work alone or at other peoples’ homes, you can get advice on personal safety from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
Fire and other emergencies
At the start of each assignment, make sure that you know:
- How to raise the fire alarm
- The fire evacuation procedure
- The location of fire extinguishers and how to use them
- The location of all fire exits
- The fire representative for your area of work (if appropriate)
While you’re at your workplace, take care not to block any fire escape or fire escape routes, or to cause any obstruction to staircases, passages, walkways, entrances and exits or other parts of the site. Take part in any drills organised by your workplace.
Computers
When using computers, sit directly facing the screen and keyboard. Make sure that the screen is clean and that the focus, brightness, contrast etc. is adjusted to given the best picture quality. Your seating position is also important and this means having your back supported and as near to vertical as possible.
If your job involves a lot of input into your computer, attempt to break up intervals of computer use by alternating it with other tasks.
If you work with display screen equipment daily, you are entitled to regular eye tests.
If you feel that you are having health problems associated with the use of your computer you should in the first instance discuss with your recruitment agency. If problems persist, please contact us.
If you have any concerns
If you have any health and safety related questions or concerns at any stage, please talk to your workplace, recruitment agency or us without delay. For example, if you believe you need training or special equipment to perform your role safely.
Reporting
If you have an accident or injury, ensure that you receive first aid treatment immediately.
Employers and workplaces have an obligation to record and report certain types of workplace accidents, injuries, dangerous occurrences and diagnoses of occupational diseases. To allow this to happen, report all incidents of this nature, no matter how small, to the health and safety representative at your workplace and also report it to us. Do this without delay.
We will record the details and if necessary, report it to the Health and Safety Executive under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. We’re required to report it if you are left incapacitated for more than seven days or have certain types of serious injury or occupational disease.
Failure to comply
If you fail to comply with any aspect of health and safety procedures, rules or duties given to you by either us, your recruitment agency or your workplace, it will be regarded as misconduct and dealt with under our disciplinary procedure. Serious breaches or blatant disregard of health and safety procedures will be considered gross misconduct for which the appropriate penalty is summary dismissal.