Imperial Coaches Ltd Health & Safety Policy

Mission Statement:

Imperial Coach’s mission is to provide safe, economical, and appropriate transportation. Staff to perform their official duties. To fulfil this mission, Imperial Coaches has established the following goals:

• Acquire the type and number of vehicles necessary and appropriate to meet the needs of our market.
• Organize and train staff to maintain a facility that provides superior service, repair, reservation and administrative support to the customer and each other.
• Establish policies and procedures that reflect the best way to operate the fleet with the safety of customer and others in mind.
• Think independently and competitively.
• Provide and maintain safe vehicles and equipment.
• Provide a safe environment to work for staff and visitors.
• Provide adequate control of the H&S risks arising from our work activities.
• Provide adequate and appropriate training to IOSH managing safely standards that ensures a senior manager has the skills and knowledge necessary to manage the H&S responsibilities of the business.
• Provide adequate and appropriate training to all staff in their areas of responsibility within the business.
• Provide training, information, instruction, and supervision for employees ensuring they are competent to do their tasks.
• Maintain safe and healthy working conditions.
• Review and revise this policy on a yearly basis or when necessary.

HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY BREAKDOWN.

Health & Safety Responsibilities:

• The H&S and welfare of the staff and customers of Imperial coaches is everyone’s responsibility, and it is embedded within all elements of the business operation.
• The Managing Director has overall responsibility for the Health and Safety of the business.
• The Operations Director (Daniel Cooper) has the responsibility for ensuring this policy is put into practice and followed by all staff and visitors to Imperial coaches Ltd, ensuring Health and Safety standards are maintained / improved,
• The following people have daily responsibility in the following areas (See appendix A organization structure)

All employees must:

• Co-operate with supervisors and managers on all Health and Safety matters;
• Not interfere with anything that has been provided or implemented that could risk theirs or other people’s safety
• Take reasonable care of their own and others Health & Safety and Wellbeing
• Report all Health and Safety concerns to the appropriate person (as detailed in this policy)

Health & Safety Policy Conditions:

Risk assessments:

Health & Safety risks arising from work activities:

Risk assessments will be undertaken and reviewed by the designated company Health and Safety officer.

The findings of the risk assessments will be reported to the Operations Director who will then advise the Managing Director of any action to be taken within an acceptable time frame.

• Action required to remove/control risks will be authorized implemented and supervised by the Operation Director
• The Operation Director will check to ensure that the implemented actions have removed/reduced the risks
• Assessments will be reviewed every 12 months, when the work activity changes or if concerns are raised whichever is soonest
• Records will be maintained in the corporate folder and stored within the cloud and a copy will be placed in the relevant location for reference
• The operation director will arrange consultation and provide feedback to employees.

Safe Vehicles and Equipment:

The Operation Director is responsible for:

• Identifying all equipment including vehicles that require maintenance
• Will be responsible for ensuring effective maintenance procedures and appropriate time lines are drawn up in line with manufactures or DVSA requirements.
• Arranging appropriate portable appliance testing (P.A.T) to be carried out every 2 years with and external qualified electrical provider.
• Ensure all identified maintenance is implemented within the appropriate timeframes.
• All concerns identified with equipment including vehicles is reported to the Operation Director, so relevant risk assessments can be carried out in a timely way that will ensure the safety of staff and others is maintained.
• Check that new equipment including vehicle meets Health and Safety standards regardless of cost before it is purchased, hired or used within the business.

Safe Handling and Use of Substances:

The Operation Director is responsible for:

• Identifying all substances that require COSHH assessment and data sheets.
• Undertake relevant COSHH assessments.
• All actions identified within the assessments are implemented.
• COSHH data sheets are maintained within a central location and individual data sheets are stored with the product being used.
• All relevant employees are advised and are aware of the COSHH assessments and data sheets.
• Check new substances can be used safely before they are purchased.
• Assessments will be reviewed every 12 months, when the work activity changes or if concerns are raised whichever is soonest

Information, instruction and supervision:

• The Health and Safety Law poster with relevant information is displayed in Staff Room.
• Leaflets, information and training is provided during the induction period to all staff by the human resource officer and Operations Director and periodic mandatory training is also provided to all staff.
• Appropriate PPE is issues to all staff and must be worn at all times whilst on company business.
• Health and Safety advice is available/provided from the Operation Director upon request or if deemed necessary
• Supervision of young workers/trainees will be arranged / undertaken / monitored by the Operation Director
• The Operation Director is responsible for ensuring that all employees working at locations under the control of other employers is given relevant Health and Safety training and information.

Competency for Tasks and Training:

• Induction training is provided for all employees as mandatory.
• Job specific training is provided or arranged by the Operation Director
• Training records are kept within individual personnel files at our main office.
• Corporate training will be identified by The Managing Director and arranged and monitored by the Operations Director

Accidents, First aid & work-related Incidents/sickness:

Health surveillance is required for employees carrying out the following activities; 

Hosting and security work on vehicles:

• The health surveillance will be arranged by the Managing Director
• Health surveillance records will be kept at the administrative office of Imperial Coaches Ltd
• First aid boxes are kept on board all vehicles. If used they must be checked and restocked. The driver is responsible for checking these boxes on a daily basis.
• Appointed first-aid staff members are expected to be the hosting staff themselves (where possible)
• All accidents and cases of work-related ill health are to be recorded in the accident book.
• The first aid book is kept at the administrative office of Imperial coaches Ltd
• The Operations Director is responsible for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, (RIDDO) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Monitoring:

To check working conditions, and ensure safe systems of work are being followed, Imperial Coaches Ltd will:

• Ensure regular vehicle safety checks, in accordance with the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness. are carried out.
• Adhere to driver-hour regulations.
• React to customer feedback where it is identified a review is necessary.

The Operations Director is responsible for:

• Investigating all accidents and incidents
• Investigating work-related causes of sickness absences
• Acting on investigation findings to prevent any recurrence.

Emergency procedures – fire & evacuation:

The Operations Director is responsible for:

• Ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and implemented.
• Escape routes are checked every 2 months.
• Fire extinguishers are maintained and checked every 2 months.
• Alarms are tested every 2 months.
• Two unscheduled emergency evacuations will be carried out annually.

PASSENGER-BASED HEALTH & SAFETY:

Risk Assessments:

All employees will be appropriately trained and made aware of any Hazard Treatments to undertake in the event of a risk occurring, as identified in the risk assessment in section 6. This will be provided as part of their basic Health and Safety training.

CCTV on board:

Mobile CCTV is installed and used on all vehicles; Passengers will be advised of this upon boarding. The CCTV will be used as a means of evidence gathering to protect staff and passengers in the event of any incident occurring.

Availability and proper use of toilets:

Passengers will have access the toilets. They will be asked to only use toilets whilst the vehicle is not in motion and are not permitted to stay in them for an unreasonable length of time.

Notification of seat belt use and the law:

The driver will reminded passengers once they have boarded the vehicle that it is a requirement by law to use seat belts whilst the vehicle is in motion. Imperial Coaches Ltd will not be responsible for passengers not wearing their seat belts whilst the vehicle is in motion.

TRAINING POLICY.

 Drivers:

All drivers will be assessed via an external training company to ensure they have the required skills and attitude to drive vehicles for Imperial Coaches Ltd.

Should the need ever arise to employ agency drivers to cover sickness leave etc. then the driver will only be selected from an approved transport provider.

Before they commence work the Operations Director will ensure appropriate checks have been carried out to confirm that adequate training has been provided to the drivers in advance and the training schedule for drivers will include the following areas:

• Drivers hours and tachograph training
• Supplemental driver training of the vehicle (for familiarization, inspections, efficient and environmental use etc.)
• CPC training current and up to date
• VOSA basic maintenance courses to comply with the “Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness”
• Health and Safety induction
• First Aid training (where applicable) 

INCIDENT RECORDING AND REPORTING.

Following the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. (RIDDOR).

Management Responsibility for RIDDOR:

The Managing Director retains overall responsibility to ensure the instructions of the HSE are carried out following a RIDDOR incident. He may if he wishes delegate some responsibilities to the Operations Director.

All internal investigation will be led by the Operations Director with the agreement of the HSE. They will be carried out in a systematic manner; whereby data such as date, time, location, vehicle, person(s), causes, effects, etc. will be analysed; with incidents of sufficient note being reported to the Incident Contact Centre (ICC).

Analysis of Developing Trends:

By comparing collected data following RIDDOR events, trends will be sought in terms of repetition, a relationship demonstrating that one incident is a cause or symptom of another, or that existing measures to prevent a known incident (highlighted in the Risk Assessment) are not working.

Records will be kept of any reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence for three years.

Created by:  Daniel Cooper Director: March 13th 2025

Next review date: March 13^th 2026

Appendix 1.

Operational team structure.

All drivers report directly to the Operations Manager for all day-to-day operational issues, including, allocations, late operation and breakdown who then provided a daily update to the Operations Director.

All incidents are reported to the Operations Director and the H&S officer to investigate and compile relevant reports.

All workshop personnel report to the workshop manager who is responsible for all vehicle maintenance, defect managing and servicing of vehicles. All VORs must be reported to the Operations Director.

The allocations officer, Workshop manager and Administration officer report directly to the Operations Director on a daily basis who then holds a formal monthly meeting where all operational issues are discussed.

The Operations Director provides and operational report to the Managing Director on a daily basis.