Storage Woodside Health and Safety Policy
Storage Woodside is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, customers, contractors and visitors. This policy sets out our approach to managing health and safety across our storage, handling and removal operations, and reflects our aim to continually improve our safety performance.
1. Policy Statement
The management of Storage Woodside recognises that effective health and safety management is an integral part of running a responsible storage and removal business. We will take all reasonably practicable steps to prevent injury and ill health arising from our activities, including packing, loading, unloading, transporting and storing goods.
We will ensure that health and safety considerations are given equal priority with other business objectives. Our goal is to create a culture in which everyone understands their responsibilities, follows safe systems of work and feels empowered to raise any concerns.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all Storage Woodside employees, regardless of role or location, and to agency staff, contractors, subcontractors, customers and any other visitors who enter our premises or are affected by our activities. It covers all areas of our work, including offices, warehouses, storage facilities, vehicles, loading bays and customer premises visited by our teams.
3. Management Responsibilities
Senior management is responsible for establishing, implementing and maintaining effective health and safety arrangements throughout Storage Woodside. This includes allocating sufficient resources, reviewing performance, and ensuring that competent persons are appointed to assist in meeting our obligations.
Managers and supervisors must lead by example, promote safe working practices and ensure that risk assessments, method statements and safety procedures are in place, understood and followed. They are responsible for ensuring that staff are properly trained and equipped for the tasks they perform, particularly for manual handling, working in storage areas and operating vehicles and equipment.
4. Employee Responsibilities
All employees have 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. Employees must cooperate with Storage Woodside in implementing this policy and must:
Follow all safety procedures and instructions given by supervisors.
Use equipment, tools and vehicles in accordance with training and guidance.
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment where required.
Report hazards, unsafe conditions, accidents, incidents and near misses as soon as possible.
Refrain from any behaviour that could endanger themselves or others, including misuse of equipment or working while unfit.
5. Risk Assessment and Safe Working Practices
We will carry out regular and systematic risk assessments covering all significant hazards associated with our storage and removal operations. This includes manual handling of furniture and boxes, use of trolleys and lifting aids, vehicle movements, loading and unloading, stacking and racking, working at height and use of any mechanical equipment.
From these assessments we will develop safe systems of work, including clear procedures for lifting and carrying, securing loads, moving items through confined spaces and operating within storage aisles. These procedures will be communicated to staff and reviewed periodically, or following any significant change in work processes or incidents.
6. Training, Information and Supervision
Storage Woodside is committed to providing suitable and sufficient health and safety training for all employees. Induction training will be given to new starters, covering emergency arrangements, site rules, manual handling, hazard awareness and reporting procedures.
Task-specific training will be provided for employees involved in driving, lifting operations, customer removals, warehouse work and use of any specialist equipment. Refresher training will be arranged as necessary to maintain competence and awareness.
Clear information and instructions will be communicated through signage, briefings and written guidance. Supervisors will monitor working practices to ensure that training is applied and that standards are maintained.
7. Workplace and Storage Safety
We will maintain our premises, storage units and vehicles in a safe condition. This includes keeping walkways clear, ensuring adequate lighting, maintaining secure and stable racking systems, and controlling access to operational areas where necessary.
All equipment and vehicles will be inspected and maintained in line with manufacturers recommendations and applicable standards. Any defective equipment will be taken out of use until it can be safely repaired or replaced.
8. Manual Handling and Removals
As a company providing storage and removal services, manual handling is a key part of our work. We will minimise manual handling risks through planning, use of mechanical aids such as trolleys and dollies, team lifting and appropriate packing methods.
Employees will be trained in safe lifting techniques and in assessing the weight, size and stability of items before moving them. Where an item is too heavy or awkward to move safely, alternative methods or additional support will be used.
9. Fire Safety and Emergency Procedures
We will maintain appropriate fire safety measures at our premises, including alarms, extinguishers and clearly marked escape routes. Fire risk assessments will be carried out and reviewed periodically.
Emergency procedures, including evacuation routes and assembly points, will be clearly communicated to employees and visitors. Regular drills will be undertaken so that everyone knows how to respond in the event of an emergency.
10. Reporting, Investigation and Continuous Improvement
All accidents, incidents, near misses and dangerous occurrences must be reported promptly. We will investigate these events to identify underlying causes and implement measures to prevent recurrence.
Health and safety performance will be monitored through inspections, audits, feedback from employees and review of incident data. Lessons learned will be used to update risk assessments, procedures and training.
11. Consultation and Communication
Storage Woodside believes that employee involvement is essential for effective health and safety management. We will consult with employees and, where applicable, their representatives on matters affecting their health and safety.
Employees are encouraged to raise concerns, offer suggestions for improvements and participate in discussions about safe working practices. No one will be disadvantaged for reporting hazards or safety issues in good faith.
12. Policy Review
This Health and Safety Policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it remains appropriate to the nature and scale of our storage and removal activities. It will also be reviewed in response to significant changes in operations, legislation, guidance or following serious incidents.
Updated versions of this policy will be communicated to all employees and will be made available to customers, contractors and other interested parties on request.
By working together and following this policy, Storage Woodside aims to maintain a safe, healthy and secure environment for everyone who works at or visits our sites or uses our storage and removal services.
