Barking House Clearance Health and Safety Policy

This document sets out the health and safety policy for Barking House Clearance, describing the responsibilities, risk controls and operational standards for our house clearance and rubbish removal operations. Our aim is to provide a safe, compliant and sustainable rubbish collection and clearance service without over-specifying local legal provisions. The policy applies to all staff, contractors and visitors engaged in house clearance, furniture removal and waste management across our rubbish company service area.

Scope and Objectives

We commit to protecting the health, safety and welfare of our team and the public during house clearance activities. Key objectives include: preventing injury, minimising environmental harm and ensuring that waste is handled in accordance with recognised good practice. This policy covers manual handling, hazardous items, vehicle safety, site hygiene and the safe segregation and disposal of waste produced by our rubbish clearance operations.

Leadership and Responsibilities

Senior management holds overall accountability for health and safety strategy, while supervisors are responsible for implementing day-to-day controls in the house clearance and rubbish collection service. Every employee has a duty to follow safe systems of work, report hazards and wear appropriate PPE. We emphasise shared responsibility: managers provide training and resources; employees adopt safe behaviours and notify supervisors of unsafe conditions.

Risk assessment is central to our approach. Before each job, a recorded assessment identifies hazards such as sharps, asbestos-suspect materials, unstable structures, biological waste and heavy items. Controls are selected proportionately and may include elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative steps and PPE. The process is designed to be practical for the everyday requirements of a house clearance and rubbish removal provider operating in a diverse service area.

Training and competence are essential. All operatives receive induction training, periodic refreshers and task-specific instruction for high-risk work such as handling bulky waste, electrical items and hazardous household chemicals. Safe lifting techniques, the use of mechanical aids and correct stacking in vehicles are standard parts of our training syllabus. We keep training records and assess competence before assigning solo tasks.

Operational controls include safe vehicle loading, secure load restraint, route planning to reduce time on busy roads and the use of suitable waste containers. We implement permit-to-work systems where necessary and require that any contractor working with us demonstrates equivalent safety standards. Our rubbish collection teams use designated PPE, visible high-visibility clothing, gloves, eye protection and appropriate footwear to reduce risk.

Incident management: all accidents, near misses and dangerous occurrences are reported, investigated and documented. Investigations identify root causes and corrective actions to prevent recurrence. We maintain an incident log and review trends to improve controls across the house clearance and rubbish removal service. Rehabilitation and support for injured staff are provided where needed.

Hazardous materials and segregation: Some clearances involve potentially hazardous household waste such as batteries, solvents, paints, asbestos-containing materials, medical sharps and pressurised gas cylinders. These items are identified during assessment and segregated for specialist disposal. We do not dispose of certain controlled wastes without accredited handling and where necessary, we arrange transfer to licensed facilities. Environmental protection is a priority and we adopt waste minimisation and reuse where appropriate.

Vehicle and site safety measures include pre-use vehicle checks, daily toolbox talks, traffic management at clearance sites and clear exclusion zones when heavy lifting or demolition tasks are required. For customer properties, we take care to protect floors, stairs and communal areas, and to communicate any limitations or restrictions before work begins. Our approach balances efficiency with the wellbeing of residents and the safety of our crew.

Control of contractors and supply chain standards: we require that subcontractors engaged to provide specialist services share our safety values and provide proof of competence and appropriate insurance. Contract work is monitored and reviewed, and persistent non-compliance with safety requirements will result in cessation of the contract. We also promote sustainability in waste handling by ensuring responsible downstream processing of recyclable materials.

Monitoring and continuous improvement: regular audits, inspections and performance reviews are carried out to ensure the policy is effective. Key performance indicators for safety include near-miss reporting rates, training completion, vehicle defect resolution times and incident frequency. Findings from monitoring drive action plans, resource allocation and policy updates.

Policy review and communication: this policy is reviewed at least annually or when significant changes occur in operations, legislation or industry practice. The policy is communicated to all personnel and is available to interested parties on request. By maintaining this framework, Barking house clearance and rubbish removal teams ensure that health and safety is an integral part of every job, from small clean-outs to large clearances across our service area.

Final statement

Safety remains a core value for our house clearance service and rubbish company operations. Management pledges to provide the resources necessary to implement and uphold this health and safety policy. Employees and contractors are expected to cooperate fully and to take personal responsibility for their own safety and that of others.

Key commitments

• Prevent harm: reduce risks through assessment and controls;
• Train and inform: ensure competence for all clearance tasks;
• Respond: investigate incidents and learn from them;
• Comply: meet applicable safety standards and good practice.

Through these measures, our rubbish collection and clearance teams work to deliver a safe, reliable and responsible service. This policy provides the framework for consistent, measurable actions that protect people and the environment while supporting the efficient delivery of house clearance services across our service area.