Health & Safety Policy for Business Waste Removal Crystal Palace

Policy statement: Business Waste Removal Crystal Palace is committed to protecting the health and safety of our employees, clients, and the public in all rubbish removal and commercial waste services we provide. We will conduct operations in a way that minimises risk of injury and environmental harm. This policy applies across our service area and covers all activities associated with waste clearance, skip management, bulk removals and business rubbish removal operations. Our approach is preventive, systematic and proportionate. The policy sets out responsibilities, safe systems of work, and the standards our teams must meet every day to deliver safe, compliant services.

Roles and responsibilities: Senior management is responsible for ensuring that adequate resources are in place to deliver safe business rubbish removal. Managers will implement and maintain safe systems of work and ensure staff receive competent supervision and training. Employees must follow safe working procedures, wear appropriate personal protective equipment and report hazards promptly so that risks can be managed. Contractors engaged for commercial waste removal must be assessed, monitored and demonstrate equivalent standards before being permitted to operate on our behalf.

Risk assessment and control: We will undertake written risk assessments for all typical operations in our rubbish collection service area including manual handling, vehicle movements, loading and unloading, segregating recyclable materials and managing bulky waste. Controls will follow the hierarchy of risk reduction: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE. High-risk activities such as dealing with contaminated waste, sharps or suspected asbestos will require specific method statements and specialist handling and disposal arrangements. Risk assessments will be reviewed periodically and when work activities change.

Operational controls and safe systems

Vehicle and site safety: All vehicles used for commercial waste removal are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure safe operation. Drivers must be trained in secure loading, safe reversing, and working near pedestrians. Before each job crews will conduct site checks for access, surface conditions, overhead hazards and traffic flow. Sites where we operate will be assessed for traffic management, safe access and fall risks. Equipment such as lift gates, trolleys and restraint straps will be used to minimise manual handling injuries and to secure loads during transit. Vehicle safety policies include speed limits, immobilisation procedures and daily pre-start checks.

Training and competence: Staff will receive induction training and ongoing refresher training that covers health and safety principles for a rubbish company, safe handling of waste, hazardous substance awareness and emergency procedures. Training records will be kept and competency assessed. Supervisors are responsible for on-the-job coaching and ensuring that training translates into safe behaviour. Lone working protocols and communication systems will be in place for remote collections and late-night commercial waste removal tasks; these include check-in procedures, lone worker devices and clear escalation routes.

Waste segregation and hazardous materials: Our teams will separate recyclable and non-recyclable materials and follow legal obligations for hazardous waste. Controls include:

• Identification of hazardous items such as batteries, chemicals and suspected asbestos-containing materials;
• Use of labelled containers, sealed bags and secure storage to prevent leakage and cross-contamination;
• Prompt removal of hazardous loads by licensed carriers to authorised facilities where required and clear documentation of transfer notes and waste codes.

Emergency procedures, reporting and monitoring

Incident reporting and investigation: All accidents, near-misses and dangerous occurrences must be reported immediately and recorded. Investigations will identify root causes and corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Where necessary, we will liaise with regulators and follow statutory reporting requirements. Remedial actions will be tracked to completion and lessons learned will be shared across teams to improve safety standards for rubbish removal operations throughout the service area.

Occupational health and welfare: We recognise the importance of employee wellbeing in maintaining safe operations. Measures include health surveillance where appropriate, safe manual handling training, and support for staff recovering from injury. Personal protective equipment is provided to all staff and supervised use is enforced during all business waste removal tasks. Managers will ensure PPE is suitable, available and maintained. Mental health awareness and access to support services will be promoted so that crews are fit and able to perform their duties safely.

Review, legal compliance and continuous improvement

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and whenever there are significant changes to activities, legislation or following a serious incident. We will comply with applicable statutory duties and industry standards relevant to commercial waste, rubbish clearance and business waste services. Continuous improvement will be driven by monitoring results, audits, employee feedback and best practice benchmarks to ensure safe, responsible and reliable waste collection and clearance for businesses across our service area. The organisation commits to resourcing these activities and to clear communication of policy to every employee. The policy is endorsed by senior leadership and forms part of contractual expectations for the delivery of professional commercial rubbish removal services.