Health and Safety Policy

Participating Businesses must:

1. identify hazards and assess risk before work begins;
2. plan, organise, control, monitor and review work;
3. appoint competent people and provide appropriate supervision;
4. provide suitable information, instruction, training and equipment;
5. consult workers and encourage the reporting of hazards and near misses;
6. coordinate with customers, contractors and others sharing a workplace;
7. maintain emergency and first-aid arrangements appropriate to the work;
8. investigate incidents and complete corrective action; and
9. stop or refuse work where risk is not adequately controlled.

Where activities involve regulated, specialist or higher-risk work, the Black & White business applying this policy confirms competence, permissions, equipment, safe systems and supervision before delivery. This includes work involving electricity, gas, asbestos, fire safety, lifting, pressure systems, refrigerants, hazardous substances, work at height and other controlled activities.

No Group document authorises an individual or business to undertake work outside its competence, insurance or legal permissions.

Suppliers are selected and monitored according to risk. They must provide appropriate competence, insurance, risk information and evidence and must cooperate with site rules and incident reporting.

Each Participating Business names its own responsible person and maintains business-specific arrangements. Performance is reviewed through inspections, incidents, feedback, compliance checks and corrective actions.

Before work is accepted, the responsible business considers the task, location, people at risk, interfaces with the customer and other contractors, required competence, plant, substances, access equipment, isolation needs and emergency arrangements. Suitable and sufficient risk assessments and, where needed, method statements are prepared, communicated and revised when conditions change. Work requiring a permit, statutory appointment, specialist licence or regulated competence is not started until the requirement is satisfied.

The hierarchy of control is applied: eliminate the hazard where reasonably practicable, then reduce risk through substitution, engineering and organisational controls, with personal protective equipment used as the final layer. Workers have authority to stop and report work they reasonably believe is unsafe. No commercial instruction overrides safety law or an effective control.

Customers provide known site hazards, asbestos information, access restrictions, welfare arrangements, emergency rules and information about activities that may affect the work. Contractors cooperate, coordinate and provide equivalent information. Young persons, lone workers, new or expectant mothers, disabled people and others needing additional consideration receive a specific assessment where applicable.

Proportionate controls cover inductions, competence verification, equipment inspection, hazardous substances, manual handling, work at height, electricity, hot work, fire, driving, lone working, safeguarding, occupational health and public protection. Records may include RAMS, permits, briefings, inspection and maintenance evidence, training, photographs, attendance, incidents, near misses and completion checks.

Accidents and dangerous occurrences are made safe, assisted, recorded, investigated and reported under RIDDOR where the legal criteria are met. Lessons are converted into corrective actions and communicated to affected people. This public policy is supported by task-specific procedures and does not replace them.

Approved by David Swaddle, Founder, on 30 August 2026.