Storage Mottingham Health and Safety Policy
This Health and Safety Policy sets out how Storage Mottingham manages the safety and wellbeing of employees, customers, contractors and visitors across our storage and removal operations. Our aim is to provide a safe and healthy working environment and to prevent accidents, injuries and damage to property at all times.
Our Commitment to Health and Safety
Storage Mottingham is committed to managing health and safety as an integral part of our storage and removal services. Senior management accepts overall responsibility for health and safety performance and for ensuring that appropriate resources, training and supervision are provided. Every employee and contractor is required to work safely, follow procedures and take reasonable care of themselves and others.
We seek to continually improve our safety standards by reviewing our procedures, learning from incidents and adopting best practice relevant to storage facilities and removal activities.
Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Storage Mottingham will comply with all applicable health and safety legislation, regulations and approved codes of practice relevant to storage premises, manual handling, transport and removal operations. We will review legal requirements regularly and update our procedures when regulations or recognised industry standards change.
Responsibilities and Roles
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. Specific duties within Storage Mottingham include the following:
Management is responsible for setting health and safety objectives, ensuring risk assessments are completed and reviewed, providing suitable equipment, maintaining the storage facility in a safe condition, appointing competent persons where needed and responding promptly to identified hazards or incidents.
Supervisors are responsible for implementing safe systems of work, checking that staff follow safe practices, organising training and inductions and carrying out routine inspections of storage areas, access routes, vehicles and equipment used in removal and handling operations.
Employees and contractors are responsible for following training and instructions, using equipment correctly, wearing any required personal protective equipment, reporting hazards, near-misses and incidents, and cooperating fully with any investigation or corrective action.
Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work
Storage Mottingham will identify, assess and control risks arising from our storage and removal activities. This includes consideration of:
Use of trolleys, lifting aids and removal equipment, movement of goods in and out of units, loading and unloading vehicles, access to storage areas and loading bays, on-site traffic movements, manual handling, working at height for stacking or retrieving items, and security-related risks that could affect safety.
We will develop and maintain safe systems of work for common tasks, such as lifting and carrying, packing and unpacking, securing loads, operating equipment, guiding vehicles, and managing customer access to storage units. These procedures will be communicated clearly to all relevant staff and contractors.
Manual Handling and Lifting
As a company involved in storage and removal services, manual handling is a significant part of our operations. Storage Mottingham will minimise manual handling risks by:
Providing handling equipment such as sack trucks, dollies and pallet trucks where appropriate, arranging loads to avoid unnecessary lifting, training staff in safe lifting techniques and team handling, and planning removal jobs to reduce the need to carry heavy or awkward items over long distances or on stairs.
No employee or contractor should lift items beyond their capability, and assistance or equipment should always be sought when needed.
Workplace Environment and Housekeeping
Storage Mottingham will maintain a clean, tidy and well-organised workplace. This includes keeping walkways and fire exits clear, ensuring floors are in good condition and free from slip or trip hazards, storing materials safely and securely, and managing lighting, ventilation and temperature so that conditions remain safe and comfortable.
Good housekeeping is essential in storage environments where goods, packaging materials and moving equipment are frequently in use. All staff are expected to return equipment to designated areas and to report any damage or defects immediately.
Equipment Safety and Maintenance
All equipment used within Storage Mottingham, including handling aids and any vehicles used in removal work, will be properly maintained, inspected and tested in line with manufacturer instructions and relevant regulations. Defective or unsafe equipment will be taken out of service without delay and only returned to use once it has been repaired or replaced and confirmed as safe.
Training, Information and Supervision
Storage Mottingham will provide suitable health and safety training to employees and, where appropriate, to contractors. This may include general safety inductions, manual handling techniques, safe use of equipment, emergency procedures, and specific training relating to removal operations and storage facility procedures.
Information on hazards, risks and control measures will be communicated clearly and updated when procedures change. Adequate supervision will be provided, particularly for new or inexperienced staff or where higher-risk activities are carried out.
Emergency Preparedness and First Aid
Storage Mottingham will maintain emergency procedures appropriate to our storage and removal activities. These include arrangements for fire safety, evacuation, incident reporting and first aid. Fire routes and emergency exits will be clearly marked and kept unobstructed at all times. Staff will be informed of emergency assembly points and their responsibilities in an evacuation.
Suitable first aid provisions will be available on site, and appointed persons will be identified to manage first aid arrangements and ensure that supplies are maintained.
Incident Reporting and Investigation
All accidents, injuries, near-misses and unsafe conditions must be reported promptly to management. Storage Mottingham will investigate incidents to identify causes and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Records of incidents, actions taken and lessons learned will be kept and used to improve our health and safety management system.
Consultation and Continuous Improvement
Storage Mottingham encourages open communication regarding health and safety matters. Employees are invited to raise concerns, suggest improvements and participate in discussions about safe working practices, particularly those affecting storage units, moving and handling and vehicle loading activities.
We will review this Health and Safety Policy regularly and whenever significant changes occur in our operations or relevant legal duties. Updated versions will be communicated to all employees and made available to customers and contractors upon request.
By following this policy, Storage Mottingham aims to provide safe, secure and professionally managed storage and removal services for all who work with us and use our facilities.
