Health & Safety Policy for House Clearance Kenton

Policy statement: This Health and Safety policy sets out the commitment of our house clearance and rubbish removal operations to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, contractors, clients and the public across our clearance service area. The aim is to minimise risk during household and commercial clearances while maintaining a consistent, legally compliant approach to waste removal and disposal.

Scope and application: This policy applies to all activities associated with clearance, rubbish collection and waste management carried out by our teams in the service area. It covers manual handling, site set-up, transportation of discarded materials, segregation of recyclable and hazardous waste, and interaction with clients and third-party contractors. All employees, temporary staff and subcontractors must adhere to these principles.

Responsibility and accountability: Senior management retains overall responsibility for implementing this policy and ensuring adequate resources are available. Operational managers and supervisors are responsible for day-to-day enforcement, while individual workers are accountable for following safe systems of work. Everyone engaged in clearance operations must report hazards, near-misses and incidents promptly so that corrective action can be taken.

Risk assessment and control

Risk assessment is the foundation of safe clearance and rubbish collection activities. Before starting work on any property, a documented assessment will be carried out to identify hazards such as unstable structures, sharps, biological contamination, asbestos risks, hazardous liquids, pests and manual handling hazards. Controls will be proportionate to the identified risk and recorded.

Control measures include, but are not limited to:

• Safe systems of work and method statements for complex clearances.
• PPE (gloves, eye protection, hi-vis, respiratory protection where needed).
• Mechanical aids for heavy loads and team lifting protocols.
• Segregation and labelling of rubbish, recyclables and controlled waste.
• Vehicle load security and safe access arrangements for collection points.

Training and competence

All staff will receive induction training and role-specific instruction relevant to house clearance, rubbish collection and waste removal tasks. Training covers manual handling, use of equipment, hazardous materials awareness, and incident reporting. Refresher training and competency checks will occur regularly to ensure ongoing compliance and safe performance in the service area.

Equipment and vehicle safety: Vehicles and clearance equipment will be maintained to a safe standard, with regular inspections recorded. Tools, trolleys and lifting aids must be used as intended and stored securely when not in use. Drivers and operatives must follow safe loading and unloading procedures, ensuring loads are contained to prevent spillages and road hazards during transit.

Handling hazardous waste: Where hazardous or controlled waste is identified, appropriate containment, segregation and disposal routes must be used in line with regulatory requirements. Operators will not remove materials suspected to contain asbestos or other controlled substances unless they are specifically trained and authorised. In such cases the matter will be escalated to licensed contractors.

Emergency procedures: A clear incident management process is in place for accidents, spills, or health emergencies encountered during clearance operations. First aid provisions, communication protocols and incident recording systems will be maintained. All incidents are investigated, and lessons learned are integrated into risk assessments to prevent recurrence.

Contractors and subcontractors: Where external contractors are engaged to support clearance or rubbish removal activities, they will be required to demonstrate compliance with this policy and provide evidence of appropriate insurance, training and safe working methods. Coordination arrangements ensure that responsibilities are clear and that joint risk assessments are completed for shared workspaces.

Insurance, liability and legal compliance: The organisation maintains insurance appropriate to clearance and waste removal operations and complies with applicable health and safety and environmental legislation. Records of waste consignment, disposal certificates and vehicle documentation will be retained. Managers will ensure legal obligations are met and that operations within the rubbish service area are conducted responsibly and transparently.

Implementation, monitoring and review: This policy will be communicated to all staff, made available at workplace hubs and reviewed annually or after any significant incident or change in operations. Performance will be monitored through inspections, audits and safety meetings. The objective is continuous improvement in health and safety standards for house clearance, rubbish collection and all associated services delivered by our teams. By following these measures, we commit to a safe, lawful and professional clearance service.