Storage Plaistow Health and Safety Policy
Storage Plaistow is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our employees, contractors, visitors and customers. This Health and Safety Policy sets out the principles and procedures we follow to prevent accidents, protect people and property, and support safe operations across our storage and removal services.
We aim to meet or exceed all relevant health and safety legislation and industry best practice. Everyone on site, including visiting customers and drivers, shares responsibility for working safely and reporting any concerns.
Policy Objectives
The main objectives of this policy are to prevent injury and ill health, protect property and stored goods, maintain safe working conditions in offices, warehouses and loading areas, promote safe systems of work for handling, lifting and transport, ensure suitable training and supervision for all staff, and continuously review and improve our health and safety performance.
These objectives apply to all activities carried out by Storage Plaistow, including storage operations, removals and transport, customer access, and routine maintenance work.
Management Responsibilities
Senior management holds overall responsibility for health and safety within Storage Plaistow. This includes providing appropriate resources to implement this policy, ensuring that clear health and safety arrangements are in place, appointing competent persons to advise on health and safety matters, reviewing risk assessments and safe systems of work, and monitoring performance through inspections and incident reviews.
Managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that staff follow procedures, use equipment correctly, and work safely in all operational areas, including storage units, loading bays, corridors, stairways and vehicle routes.
Employee Responsibilities
Every employee has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions. Staff must follow safety instructions and training, use personal protective equipment where required, report hazards, accidents, incidents and near misses, keep work areas tidy and free from avoidable obstruction, and cooperate fully in any investigation or review of working practices.
Failure to follow safe systems of work, deliberate misuse of equipment or neglect of safety instructions may lead to disciplinary action.
Customer and Visitor Safety
Storage Plaistow aims to provide a safe and accessible environment for customers and visitors. All visitors must follow displayed safety signs and any instructions provided by staff, take care when moving goods, boxes or furniture on site, use trolleys and handling aids correctly, park and drive safely within designated areas, and report any hazards, spillages or damage to a member of staff immediately.
Children must be supervised at all times while on the premises and are not permitted in loading or operational areas unless strictly necessary and under direct adult control.
Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work
We carry out regular risk assessments to identify hazards and implement control measures. These assessments cover manual handling and lifting of customer goods and equipment, operation of trolleys and other mechanical aids, vehicle movements, loading and unloading, storage layout, stacking and access to units, fire safety, emergency evacuation and security, and office workstations and common areas.
Safe systems of work are developed based on these assessments and communicated to staff through training, signage and supervision. These systems are reviewed periodically and following any significant change or incident.
Manual Handling and Storage of Goods
Safe handling of goods is essential for the wellbeing of staff and customers and for the protection of stored items. Storage Plaistow promotes the use of correct lifting techniques, mechanical aids such as trolleys and dollies where appropriate, and suitable stacking of items to avoid collapse or obstruction.
Heavy or bulky items should be stored at a safe lifting height, and weight should be distributed evenly to maintain stability. Aisles, walkways and fire exits must be kept clear at all times. Any item that appears unstable, damaged or unsafe to move must be reported to a member of staff who will arrange an appropriate response.
Vehicle Movements and Loading Areas
Our loading bays and vehicle routes are managed to minimise the risk of collision, trips and falls. Drivers, staff and customers must follow the site traffic rules, speed limits and parking restrictions, and give priority to pedestrians in shared areas.
Loading and unloading must be carried out with care, using appropriate equipment and ensuring that ramps, tail lifts and steps are stable and free from obstruction. Reversing should be avoided where possible or assisted by a trained banksman when necessary.
Fire Safety and Emergency Procedures
Storage Plaistow maintains fire detection and alarm systems appropriate to the premises. Fire exits and escape routes are kept clear and clearly marked. Fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment are provided and inspected regularly.
Staff are trained to respond to alarms, assist with evacuation where safe to do so, and guide customers and visitors to the nearest assembly point. Customers must comply immediately with any instruction to evacuate and must not re-enter the building until authorised by a responsible person.
Training, Information and Supervision
We provide health and safety induction for all new employees, together with job-specific training relevant to their role. Refresher training is delivered periodically or when new equipment, procedures or risks are introduced.
Information about health and safety procedures is communicated through briefings, signage and written guidance. Supervisors monitor working practices to ensure that training is applied and that any unsafe behaviour is corrected promptly.
Accident, Incident and Near Miss Reporting
All accidents, incidents and near misses, however minor, must be reported as soon as possible. This enables us to provide support to any injured person, investigate the cause, take corrective and preventive action, and record information in accordance with legal and company requirements.
Cooperation with investigations is expected from staff and, where relevant, from contractors or customers. We do not apportion blame without evidence and focus on learning and improvement.
Welfare, Health and Wellbeing
Storage Plaistow recognises the importance of general welfare and wellbeing at work. We provide suitable welfare facilities, encourage good housekeeping and safe personal conduct, and support staff in raising concerns about workload, stress or any health issue that could affect safety.
We take reasonable steps to adjust work tasks or environments where this is required to protect the health and safety of individuals.
Contractors and Third Parties
Contractors working on our premises are required to comply with this Health and Safety Policy and any site-specific rules. They must ensure that their activities do not put our staff, customers or visitors at risk and must provide evidence of competence and appropriate insurance when requested.
Contractors are expected to carry out their own risk assessments and cooperate in any joint planning where work activities overlap.
Review and Policy Communication
This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed regularly and whenever there are significant changes to our operations, facilities or legal requirements. Updates are communicated to employees and significant changes are explained through briefings or additional training.
By using our storage and removal services, customers and visitors agree to follow the safety rules and instructions in place. Together we can maintain a secure environment and reduce risks for everyone at Storage Plaistow.
