IHC is committed to providing an environment that is safe for all staff, service users, contractors, volunteers, visitors and any other persons present in our work-places.
Risk management
Keeping people safe requires identification of anything that could put the health and safety of any person in our workplaces at risk. Our risk management processes will be used to ensure all likely hazards / risks associated with the work we carry out are identified and all reasonable practical measures to eliminate (or minimise) these risks are implemented and monitored.
Compliance with legislation
All staff, contractors, volunteers, visitors and any other person(s) present in our workplaces must comply with the specific duties required of them under the Health and Safety at Work Act and associated regulations, codes of practice and standards. This includes ensuring their own actions never put the health and safety of themselves or others at risk and compliance with all IHC policies and procedures.
Individual accountability – safety is everyone’s responsibility
- Any person in one of our workplaces is responsible for keeping themselves safe. This involves ensuring that none of their behaviours or actions (including inactions) do not put at risk the health and safety of themselves or others in the workplace.
- IHC will assist everyone to keep themselves safe by ensuring procedures are in place to identify all hazards associated with the work we carry out. People entering our workplaces will be made aware of hazards and the potential risks to their health and safety and include what they need to do to keep themselves safe.
- Early reporting of pain and discomfort is encouraged to ensure all staff who may be injured while at work can gain quick access to treatment and a rehabilitation plan for a safe, early and sustainable return to work.
Participation and involvement
Managers will contribute to the creation of a healthy and safe working environment by encouraging open communication between themselves, staff, Health and Safety representatives and other workers on all health and safety concerns, initiatives, improvements and procedures. Open communication is seen as fundamental to achieving effective worker engagement and participation in health and safety.
- All staff, contractors and volunteers will be expected to contribute to a healthy and safe working environment by proactively raising any health and safety concerns and the identification of solutions for improvement.
- All staff, contractors and volunteers will be responsible for reporting all incidents, near misses, injuries and hazards in a timely manner.
Reporting, monitoring and continuous improvement
- Managers will be responsible for ensuring that the controls that have been identified to prevent risks to health and safety are in place across the areas for which they are responsible.
- Managers will be responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of these controls and taking corrective action where risks are not being managed to the accepted level.
- Incidents will be investigated to identify contributing factors and formulate corrective actions.
- The performance of managers will be reviewed against their health and safety responsibilities.
- Continuous improvement in health and safety will be supported through at least two (2) yearly reviews of our safety performance, policies and procedures. This will include reviews to ensure compliance against relevant health and safety legislation, regulations, codes of practice and standards.
