It is the aim of the London Borough of Bexley to provide safe and healthy working conditions for the prevention of work-related injury and ill-health and to protect and promote the health, safety, and well-being of Council employees and those who may be affected by the Council’s activities. The Council believes that meeting the commitments set out below is the most effective way of achieving this overall aim.

Policy Commitments

The Council’s Corporate Leadership Team is committing to:

Setting Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) objectives.

To meet this commitment the Council will:

• set objectives in consultation with employee representatives
• allocate the resources required to achieve the annual objectives
• monitor progress on achieving objectives
• take corrective action when objectives are not being met

Fulfilling legal and other requirements

To meet this commitment the Council will:

• determine and have access to up-to-date legal and other requirements that apply to the occupational health and safety hazards, risks, and management system.
• determine how occupational health and safety legislation and other requirements apply to the organisation and what needs to be communicated to our staff and residents
• take the legal and other requirements into account when establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving the occupational health and safety management system

Eliminating hazards and reducing OH&S risks following the hierarchy of controls

To meet this commitment the Council will:

• seek to eliminate the hazard wherever possible
• minimise hazards by implementing less hazardous processes, operations, materials, or equipment
• use technical or organisational controls and reorganisation of work
• use administrative controls, including training
• use appropriate personal protective equipment

Continually improving the OH&S management system

To meet this commitment the Council will:

• promote a culture that supports the achievement of occupational health and safety aims and objectives
• promote the participation of workers in implementing actions for the continual improvement of the OH&S management system
• communicate the relevant results of continual improvement to staff and staff representatives
• maintain documented information as evidence of continual improvement
• review the health and safety policy annually as part of the management review 

Consultation and participation of workers and where they exist workers representatives

To meet this commitment the Council will:

• provide mechanisms, time, training, and resources as necessary
• provide information about the OH&S management system
• identify and remove obstacles to participation
• promote the consultation and participation of all workers

Managers’ responsibilities:

• day-to-day responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice
• see the management structure

Worker’s responsibilities:

• take reasonable care of their own and other people’s health and safety
• co-operate with their manager on health and safety matters
• tell someone (manager or health and safety representative) if they identify a risk to anyone’s health and safety
• follow the health and safety training they have received

Signed: Jackie Belton
Date: 14 October 2021
Chief Executive and Director appointed as being responsible for Occupational Health and Safety

Signed: Paul Thorogood
Date: 14 October 2021
Director of Finance & Corporate Services and Director appointed as being responsible for Occupational Health and Safety