Health and Safety policy

Colliers Wood Removals Health and Safety Policy

Colliers Wood Removals is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, customers, contractors, and members of the public who may be affected by our removal and relocation services. This Health and Safety Policy outlines our approach to managing risks, preventing accidents, and promoting a culture of safety across all stages of our operations, from planning and packing to lifting, loading, transport, and delivery.

1. Policy Aims and Scope

This policy applies to all employees of Colliers Wood Removals, as well as agency workers and contractors working on our behalf. It covers all removal activities, including domestic moves, office relocations, packing and unpacking, storage handling, and related logistics and transport operations.

Our aims are to prevent injury and ill health, comply with applicable health and safety legislation and industry best practice, and continually improve our safety performance in all service areas where we operate.

2. Management Responsibilities

Senior management has overall responsibility for ensuring that effective health and safety arrangements are in place and that this policy is implemented, maintained, and reviewed. Management will:

Provide appropriate resources to manage health and safety, ensure that risk assessments are carried out and control measures implemented, set clear safety objectives and communicate them to all staff, and monitor performance, investigating incidents and taking corrective action where required.

Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for day-to-day implementation of health and safety procedures on site and during transport, ensuring that work is carried out in accordance with safe systems of work and that staff are properly briefed before each job.

3. Employee Responsibilities

Every employee of Colliers Wood Removals has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions. All staff must:

Follow the training and instructions provided, use equipment and vehicles safely and correctly, report hazards, near misses, and accidents without delay, cooperate with managers and supervisors on health and safety matters, and refrain from any reckless or unsafe behaviour that could endanger themselves or others.

4. Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work

We conduct suitable and proportionate risk assessments for our activities, including manual handling, use of vehicles, loading and unloading, working in and around customer premises, and handling fragile, bulky, or heavy items. These assessments identify significant hazards and the measures required to eliminate or reduce risk to an acceptable level.

Safe systems of work are developed on the basis of these assessments and are communicated to staff through training, briefings, and written procedures. Where necessary, site-specific or job-specific assessments are carried out before work begins to address access issues, parking, restricted spaces, shared areas, and any special customer requirements.

5. Manual Handling and Safe Lifting

Manual handling is a core aspect of our business and is managed carefully to reduce the risk of injury. Colliers Wood Removals will:

Provide manual handling training for all removal staff, promote safe lifting techniques and team lifting for heavy or awkward loads, use appropriate handling aids such as trolleys, dollies, and straps where reasonably practicable, plan loading and unloading to minimise unnecessary carrying or twisting, and avoid asking staff to move items that exceed safe lifting limits or cannot be moved safely with the equipment available.

6. Vehicles, Driving, and Transport Safety

Safe operation of vehicles is essential to our removal services. We ensure that our vehicles are maintained in a roadworthy condition, with regular checks and servicing. Drivers must be competent, hold the appropriate licence, and follow all road traffic and safety regulations.

Drivers and crew members must conduct pre-use checks on vehicles, secure loads properly to prevent movement during transit, use safe loading and unloading techniques, and consider other road users and pedestrians when manoeuvring, parking, or operating near residential and commercial premises.

7. Equipment and Personal Protective Equipment

We provide and maintain appropriate work equipment, such as lifting aids, ramps, straps, blankets, and tools needed for safe removals. All staff must use equipment only for its intended purpose and report defects immediately so that faulty items can be removed from use.

Where identified by risk assessment, suitable personal protective equipment will be provided, such as safety footwear, gloves, and high-visibility clothing. Employees are required to use this equipment as instructed and keep it in good condition.

8. Customer Premises and Public Safety

Our teams work in a variety of environments, including houses, flats, offices, and shared commercial buildings. We are committed to protecting customers, visitors, and members of the public from risk arising from our activities. This includes maintaining clear walkways and access routes where possible, using warning signs or verbal warnings where work creates temporary hazards, controlling doors, stairways, and lifts during moves to prevent accidents, and keeping noise, obstruction, and disturbance to a minimum during operations.

9. Training, Communication, and Consultation

Health and safety training is provided to all new staff as part of induction and is refreshed periodically or when work processes or equipment change. Training covers topics such as general health and safety awareness, manual handling, vehicle safety, use of equipment, and incident reporting.

We encourage open communication on health and safety matters. Employees are consulted about changes that may affect their safety and are encouraged to raise suggestions for improvement. Toolbox talks and briefings are used to discuss specific risks relevant to upcoming removal jobs or seasonal conditions.

10. Incident Reporting and Emergency Procedures

All accidents, injuries, near misses, and hazardous situations must be reported promptly to a supervisor or manager. These reports are recorded, investigated, and reviewed so that underlying causes can be identified and appropriate measures implemented to prevent recurrence.

Emergency procedures are in place for incidents such as fire, serious injury, road traffic collisions, and spills. Staff are briefed on what to do in emergencies, including how to contact emergency services, the importance of preserving safety at the scene, and notifying management.

11. Monitoring, Review, and Continuous Improvement

Colliers Wood Removals monitors health and safety performance through incident statistics, inspection findings, feedback from staff and customers, and periodic policy reviews. This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as necessary to reflect changes in legislation, industry standards, or the nature of our operations.

All employees and contractors working with Colliers Wood Removals are required to cooperate with this policy so that we can maintain a safe and professional removal service for every customer we serve.