Health & Safety Policy — House Clearance Herne Hill

This Health and Safety Policy sets out the commitment of our house clearance operations to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, contractors, visitors and the public while performing clearance and waste removal services. The policy applies to all work undertaken on properties and in communal areas, and to associated transportation and disposal activities across our rubbish company service area and related waste clearance zones. Compliance with applicable legislation and recognised good practice is a core requirement.

Our principal objectives are to prevent injury and ill health, to minimise environmental impact, and to maintain safe systems of work for all house clearance and junk removal projects. These objectives apply equally to routine household clearances, specialist removals of bulky items, and targeted rubbish removal service-area contracts. All staff must observe safe working practices and participate in continuous risk control measures.

Scope and applicability

This policy covers: a) on-site house clearance operations including handling, sorting and loading of waste; b) internal rubbish collection and removal from properties; c) transportation and delivery to authorised waste transfer or disposal facilities; and d) interaction with third-party waste handlers within the wider waste clearance service region. The policy avoids local administrative detail but is intended to be enforceable and auditable across any operational service area where we provide clearance and removal of domestic and commercial refuse.

Responsibilities and organisational arrangements

Management bears the ultimate responsibility for health and safety policy implementation, ensuring adequate resources, training and oversight. Supervisors and team leaders must ensure that all operatives follow safe systems of work, that risk assessments are current, and that personal protective equipment is available and used. Individual workers have a duty to take reasonable care for their own safety and that of others, to report hazards, and to cooperate with safety procedures relevant to the house clearance and skip hire removal tasks carried out within our rubbish removal territories.

Risk assessments will identify hazards such as manual handling, sharp objects, asbestos, hazardous household chemicals, slips, trips, falls and vehicle movements. Control measures include mechanical aids, clear segregation of materials, safe lifting techniques, secure stacking and load restraint, and strict exclusion procedures for suspected hazardous waste. Safe disposal pathways must be followed to ensure environmental protection and regulatory compliance throughout the waste clearance service area.

Training and competence are mandatory. All staff will receive induction training, periodic refresher courses and task-specific instruction aligned to their roles. Records of training, qualifications and toolbox talks will be maintained. Supervision, competency checks and performance monitoring are used to confirm that operatives maintain the standards required for effective house clearance, rubbish collection, and recycling activities within the wider rubbish company service area.

Operational controls and safe systems of work

Work procedures are established to manage hazards during clearances: written safe work method statements for heavy or complex removals; pre-job planning; site-specific risk briefings; and use of appropriate PPE such as gloves, eye protection, high-visibility clothing and sturdy footwear. Vehicle safety protocols govern loading, securement, reversing procedures and roadworthy checks when transporting collected waste between properties and transfer sites in our house clearance network.

Waste segregation and handling protocols prioritise recycling and reuse where feasible and enforce correct classification and containment of hazardous items. Prohibited items (such as uncontrolled asbestos and certain chemical wastes) are isolated and referred to authorised specialists. Documentation, including waste transfer notes and manifests, is kept for audit purposes to demonstrate proper handling across the waste clearance and rubbish removal service area.

Incident reporting, emergency response and first aid arrangements are in place. Accidents, near misses and environmental incidents must be reported immediately and investigated to establish root causes and corrective actions. First aid trained personnel and appropriate kits are provided at depots and on larger clearance sites. Periodic drills and review of emergency procedures ensure readiness for medical or environmental incidents during clearance work.

Monitoring, review and continual improvement

Performance monitoring uses routine inspections, audits and key performance indicators to evaluate compliance with this policy. Records of risk assessments, training, incidents and corrective actions support a continuous improvement approach. Internal audits and management reviews will be undertaken at defined intervals to ensure the policy remains effective and proportionate to operational risk profiles across our house clearance and rubbish removal territories.

Enforcement and corrective action measures are defined to address non-conformances. Failure to comply with safety procedures may result in disciplinary action, retraining or suspension from duties until competence is re-established. Where systemic issues are identified, management will implement process changes, additional controls or investment in safer equipment to reduce risk exposure across the service area.

Policy acceptance: all employees, contractors and agents engaged in house clearance operations are required to read, understand and apply the terms of this Health and Safety Policy. The policy will be maintained as a living document and updated in response to legislative change, incident learnings and operational developments affecting our waste clearance and rubbish company service area.