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Craig Bowyer Discotheques Ltd (hereinafter referred to as "the company") recognises the importance of providing a working environment which is safe and healthy for all employees, partygoers, staff of venues, other contractors and any members of the public, both at the company’s own premises and whilst working on site at venues.
The company undertakes to comply with all relevant legal requirements.
This Health & Safety Policy is designed to enable all company employees and others to go about their everyday business in the certain knowledge that they can do so safely and without risks to their health. Safety is achieved when all the risks which we face in the course of our everyday life are properly assessed and managed to a level that is acceptable. Whilst company directors accept their responsibility to create the safe environment that is required, it is only by each and every one of us giving the most careful attention to both the theory and the practice of safety that we will succeed in achieving our objectives.
This Policy confirms our commitment to establishing a positive safety culture throughout all of our activities, and it creates the framework on which the structures for safety can be established at our premises and on site (at gigs). It will be constantly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains effective.
Ultimate responsibility for Health & Safety lies with the directors of the company, and specifically, practical issues are the responsibility of the managing director. The managing director is responsible for design and implementation of safe working practices and procedures throughout the company’s activities.
In the workshop and company office the service engineer is expected to take responsibility for daily implementation of safety matters generally, and is responsible for ensuring that the company health & safety policy is complied with, within the areas under his control.
At venues, the disc jockey is expected to take responsibility for implementation of safety matters, and is responsible for ensuring that the company health & safety policy is complied with both on stage and in other areas where company staff and equipment are employed. All members of staff and all subcontractors are individually responsible for immediately notifying either the service engineer or the managing director of any breaches of the company’s health & safety policy.
It is the intention of the company to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of persons using or coming into contact with company premises or equipment. The company will, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide a safe environment, and ensure that premises, equipment and substances provided are safe and without risk to health.
Employees, contractors, visitors and self-employed persons must:
Take reasonable care of themselves or others who may be affected by their acts or omissions and co-operate fully with other company employees, other contractors and staff or management of venues at which they work.
Comply with the company safety policy and associated safety regulations and codes of practice in respect of health and safety matters.
Report all accidents and dangerous occurrences to the service engineer or managing director.
The company has adopted the approved practices and techniques for electrical safety covering the use, testing and repair of electrical equipment in installations and for portable appliances as laid out by the Health & Safety Executive in information sheets SS28/M50 ‘Maintenance of Portable Electrical Equipment’, IND(G)160L ‘Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment’ and HSE492/2 ‘Electrical Safety of Independent Generators and Connected Equipment’. All company electrical equipment is the subject of a current portable appliance test (‘PAT Test’) carried our to a periodic schedule by the service engineer, who is trained and qualified in this area.
It is the responsibility of the service engineer to ensure that only items which have a current test certificate are used either on or off company premises.
If any item of equipment that a DJ or engineer uses looks in any way dubious, is observed to be ‘out of test’ or blows a trip or fuse when connected, then it must not be used and should be reported immediately to the service engineer. Any items considered suspect or unsafe should be marked with a black PVC tape cross over the mains inlet socket and a knot tied in the mains lead.
Safety of Leads (trip hazard)
Leads which cross the floor anywhere that either employees, sub-contractors or the public might walk, including behind the DJ or lighting console, must be gaffered securely down and marked with white or ‘hazard striped’ gaffer to highlight a potential trip hazard.
Speakers & Stands (trip hazard)
Speakers, lighting and their associated tripod stands are potentially dangerous in their ability to trip people up, or topple over. DJs or engineers must ensure that the legs of tripod stands are in the least prominent position and are not protruding into public areas or fire escape routes. Where the set up arrangement makes it necessary to show a leg, they should bring this to the attention of venue management and endeavour to protect this by putting a small table, rope & posts, or other protection in front of it. The leg itself, and the floor beneath it should be marked with white gaffer tape to draw attention to the potential hazard.
If any employee or sub-contractor considers that the positioning of a tripod stand leg is potentially dangerous, this must be brought to the attention of the duty manager of the venue, or if none, to the client’s attention, and an alternative position agreed before public are given access to the room.
If instructed by the client or venue management to set up in a position which will interfere in any way with a fire exit or escape route, DJ’s or engineers must ask to be repositioned to a safer location.
If the client insists that equipment is to be set up in front of a fire exit door or escape route, then the DJ or engineer must assure himself that there are sufficient suitable alternative escape routes, by seeking advice from a qualified person (usually the venue manager or safety officer). If a DJ or engineer is still in any way uncomfortable about the safety implications of where equipment is to be positioned, both the client and venue management must be advised of his concerns and a note taken of the full names of the person(s) who authorised equipment to be set in such a position.
Where items of equipment are to be suspended from either T-bars on tripod stands or from trussing, such items may only be attached using an accepted proprietary fixing device such a lighting clamp, or approved flying harness. There must also be a secondary means of support (usually a safety chain or wire bond) attached to all suspended items.
When a booking is repeated on consecutive nights, company equipment is only insured if left in a locked room. DJ’s working two nights running in the same place may not leave equipment on stage set up, unless a signed letter of authority is obtained from the hotel manager taking responsibility for any loss or damage. This condition may only be varied on the direct instruction of a company director.
If company equipment is inside an employee/contractor’s home or premises and doors and windows are locked with insurance approved mortise locks, it is insured. If equipment is left unattended in a vehicle it is not insured. Any equipment borrowed or taken home must be securely stored under lock and key.
Company vehicles and any equipment in them are only insured if the secondary Chubb locks are applied and the alarm is set. Company vehicles must never be left unlocked (both locks on each door) or unalarmed for any reason.
The safe and reliable condition of employee’s and contractors vehicles is entirely the individual’s responsibility. DJ’s, whether employees or sub-contractors must ensure that their car or van is at all times fully roadworthy, MOT tested, properly insured, taxed and that there is sufficient fuel for the journey. The company strongly recommends individuals to become a member of a good motoring organisation with a recovery service. The company has a preferential rate for RAC membership.
The company is not licensed to use pyrotechnics (fireworks, Flutterfetti, streamers, exploding balloons etc.), whether detonated by explosive charged or by compressed gas. DJs, sound or lighting engineers, company employees, or sub-contractors acting on behalf of the company are instructed not to operate pyrotechnic firing equipment nor to assist in any way in the installation of such devices.
Smoke and haze machines carry with them the potential to trigger and in certain cases to permanently damage fire protection systems and other sensitive equipment. Such machines may only be used with the express permission of a named and suitably authorised person representing the management of the venue in which the use is to take place.
It is the nature of our business that we work in a high noise environment. In areas where the equivalent noise level is liable to exceed 85 dB(A) ear protection should be used in the form of foam or individually moulded earplugs (RS 562-261 as a minimum). In practical terms, all DJs and engineers working on stage with monitors should wear earplugs at all times, and if monitors are not in use, earplugs should be worn when the loudspeakers are closer than five metres away.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1988 and 1994 impose duties on employers to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk to health posed to employees and other persons involved in processes using or producing hazardous substances before such processes are undertaken. The Carcinogens Regulations 1992 take the form of an amendment to the COSHH Regulations and the company maintains records of all substances used either at it’s own premises and on site at venues. Since the company no longer uses pyrotechnics, the main areas affected are paints, adhesives and fluid for smoke machines and hazers. Records are kept in duplicate at Crayford workshop adjacent to the COSHH cupboard and with the accident book/first aid kit, and also a back up copy on file at Bexley office.
Formal ‘Risk Assessment’ documents are completed and regularly reviewed for each job role and also for each discrete business activity. These documents cover the majority of situations, but where a contract is substantially different from the company’s usual type of work (such as ‘one-off’ outdoor events, bespoke PA or lighting jobs) an individual risk assessment will be completed for that specific occasion.
No load greater than 25kg may be lifted by a single person. With this in mind, our portable equipment is designed such that no item of regularly used equipment weighs more than 25kg. The exceptions to this are our road trunks used for transporting cables etc. to gigs. When fully loaded these may weigh between 15kg and 200kg. Appropriate measures must be taken such as the use of a ‘tail-lift’ vehicle, or alternatively unloading the contents of the trunk before lifting it.
It is considered that in view of the nature of our work, the Health and Safety at Work Act does not require the blanket use of protective footwear by employees or contractors working in our workshops or on stage at venues. The main requirement for workshop/stage areas is that adequate footwear is worn. This need not necessarily be purpose-designed protective footwear, merely a good strong pair of shoes or boots as opposed to sandals, trainers etc.
Whilst it is clear that there is a constant obligation to protect third parties from risk, it is equally important that our own employees and subcontractors are provided with a safe environment in which to work whilst at our premises in Bexley or Crayford.
In particular this company operates a policy of ‘A Place For Everything And Everything In It’s Place’. All items of hardware, cables and consumables have a designated rack or space. When equipment is being tested, cables must be routed tidily, and personnel escape and access routes must not be blocked. Any equipment used at Crayford must be connected to the mains supply via an RCD electrical protection device. No covers may be removed from electrical equipment unless that equipment is isolated from the mains supply. Lamps may only be changed when equipment is isolated from the mains supply. The use of personal mains powered equipment is forbidden unless a current PAT test certificate can be provided.
Employees and sub-contractors alike are requested to avoid smoking in public areas whilst at work, and instructed never to smoke on stage whilst performing. Whist the company discourages smoking generally, employees are permitted to smoke in their own offices or workshops when working alone.
The Company will not tolerate the consumption of alcohol during or immediately prior to working time. We work constantly with electrical equipment in situations where many guests will have been drinking. The use of alcohol or drugs in connection with our work is wholly inappropriate, and any person who disregards this policy will have their contract terminated without further notice.
The accident report book which is kept at the company’s Crayford premises adjacent to the alarm panel, and must be completed by any employee or subcontractor or his manager as soon as possible following any accident or incident however small. This applies equally to incidents at gigs and to incidents at company premises Details should normally be completed in the report book within twenty-four hours of any accident or dangerous incident occurring.
At the present date (12/05/2007), the name of responsible person is: Managing director: Craig Bowyer 07801 895 178
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