Health and Safety policy
Wimbledon Movers Health and Safety Policy
Wimbledon Movers is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for our employees, customers, contractors and members of the public affected by our work. This Health and Safety Policy sets out our approach to managing risks associated with removals, packing, loading, transportation and delivery of household and commercial goods.
We recognise our duty to comply with relevant health and safety legislation and to follow industry best practice for moving and handling operations. Health and safety is an integral part of our planning and decision-making, and we expect every person working with us to contribute to maintaining safe standards.
Policy Aims and Responsibilities
The primary aims of this policy are to prevent injury and ill-health, to protect property and to minimise disruption caused by accidents or unsafe practices. We seek to identify hazards, assess associated risks and implement appropriate control measures for all stages of our removal services.
Overall responsibility for health and safety lies with the company management, who ensure that adequate resources, training and supervision are provided. Supervisors and team leaders are responsible for implementing this policy on site, monitoring working practices and reporting any concerns or incidents. Every employee has a duty of care to themselves, their colleagues and customers, and must follow our safety procedures at all times.
Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work
Before undertaking removal work, we assess the risks associated with the property, access routes, items to be moved and any specific customer requirements. This may include consideration of stairs, lifts, parking, narrow access, heavy or awkward items and time constraints.
Where significant risks are identified, safe systems of work are established and communicated to the team. These may include the use of additional equipment, changes to the number of staff assigned, adjustments to the route taken through a property or sequencing of tasks to minimise manual handling and congestion.
Risk assessments are reviewed periodically and following any incident, near miss or significant change in working practices, to ensure control measures remain effective and relevant.
Manual Handling and Equipment Use
Safe manual handling is essential in the removals industry. All staff receive training in correct lifting and carrying techniques, including team lifts, maintaining good posture, assessing loads before lifting and recognising when mechanical aids or additional assistance are required.
We provide appropriate equipment such as sack trucks, dollies, furniture blankets, straps and ramps to reduce the risk of injury and prevent damage to property. Only trained and authorised staff may use specialist equipment, and all equipment is inspected regularly to ensure it is in good working order. Any defect or fault must be reported immediately and the equipment taken out of use until repaired or replaced.
Vehicle Safety and Driving Standards
Our vehicles are maintained in a roadworthy condition and subject to regular checks, servicing and inspections in line with legal and manufacturer requirements. Drivers are responsible for carrying out daily visual checks before use and for reporting any concerns promptly.
Loads are secured safely using appropriate restraints and methods to prevent movement during transit. Weight distribution is carefully managed to avoid overloading and to maintain vehicle stability. Drivers must follow all road traffic laws, drive considerately and adjust their driving to weather, traffic and local conditions to ensure the safety of passengers, other road users and pedestrians.
Customer and Public Safety
We take care to protect customers, visitors and members of the public from risks arising from our work. This includes maintaining clear access routes where reasonably practicable, using warning signs or verbal warnings where necessary and avoiding leaving trip hazards such as loose packing materials, straps or tools in walkways.
When working in shared areas such as corridors, entrances, loading bays or pavements, our teams remain alert to other users and take steps to minimise obstruction. We aim to complete tasks efficiently while maintaining a safe and controlled working environment.
Training, Information and Supervision
All employees receive appropriate induction and ongoing training covering health and safety responsibilities, manual handling, use of equipment, vehicle safety, incident reporting and emergency procedures. Training needs are reviewed regularly and when new processes, equipment or legislation are introduced.
Supervisors provide on-site guidance and supervision to ensure that safe working methods are followed. Where less experienced staff are involved, additional supervision and support are provided until competence is demonstrated.
Accident, Incident and Near Miss Reporting
All accidents, injuries, incidents and near misses must be reported as soon as reasonably practicable. This enables us to provide appropriate support, investigate the circumstances and take corrective action to prevent recurrence.
Records of incidents are maintained and reviewed to identify trends or repeating issues. Where necessary, we update our risk assessments, working procedures or training programmes in response to lessons learned.
Workplace Welfare and Fitness for Work
We recognise the physical nature of removal work and the importance of staff welfare. Employees are expected to attend work fit for duty, free from the influence of alcohol or drugs, and to report any health conditions that may affect their ability to carry out tasks safely.
We encourage staff to take regular breaks, stay hydrated and use correct techniques to reduce strain and fatigue. Any concerns about workload, stress or fitness for work should be raised with a supervisor or manager so that appropriate support can be provided.
Continuous Improvement and Policy Review
Wimbledon Movers is committed to continuous improvement in health and safety performance. We monitor our working practices, incident data and feedback from employees and customers to identify opportunities for improvement.
This Health and Safety Policy is reviewed regularly and updated when necessary to reflect changes in legislation, guidance, our operations or lessons learned from incidents. The current version of the policy is made available to all employees and can be provided to customers on request.
By following this policy and working together, we aim to deliver professional removal services while protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone involved.
