Equipment Maintenance

 

Safe Use of Work Equipment Policy and Procedure

The Vayyu Foundation acknowledges its responsibilities under The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, in respect of its duties and obligations towards the health, safety and welfare of its staff and individuals we support.
The purpose of this procedure is to enable The Vayyu Foundation to meet its obligations to protect and support employees and individuals we support when using work equipment ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. 

  1. Principles of the Policy 

Work equipment is defined as any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at work.
This includes domestic equipment, ladders, garden tools, “tool box tools” such as litter pickers, bag hoops, multitools etc.

3. Scope 

This procedure will apply to all employees, individuals we support and volunteers of The Vayyu Foundation who use any item of work equipment as defined above. Special consideration should be given to any additional risks which may affect a new or expectant mother or a young person (16-18 years) in the workplace and using work equipment such as a multitool.

4. Related Policy and Procedures 

This procedure should be read in conjunction with the: 

  • ·  Health and Safety Policy; 

  • ·  Safeguarding Policy; 

5. Procedure

This procedure aims to: 

  • ·  Increase employee awareness on the safe use of equipment used in the

workplace; 

  • ·  Ensure that work equipment is suitable for the purpose for which it is to be 

used or has been provided; 

  • ·  Ensure that work equipment is inspected at regular intervals; 

  • ·  Ensure that work equipment is maintained in good working order and kept in a good state repair; 

  • ·  Ensure employees receive relevant information, instruction and training 

(where this is required and/or appropriate) in relation to using work equipment. 

6. Employee Responsibilities 

  • ·  To carry out a visual safety check before using any equipment; 

  • ·  To use the equipment in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions; 

  • ·  Not to use equipment they are unfamiliar with until they have received or 

obtained the appropriate instruction; 

  • ·  To only use equipment for its intended use; 

  • ·  Only equipment purchased by The Vayyu Foundation, we hold no responsibility for equipment you have purchased yourself or brought onto location / site.

  • ·  Not to use faulty equipment; 

  • ·  To report any faults promptly (using Appendix Two); 

  • ·  To remove faulty equipment from use, label it as faulty and ensure it is not  returned to use until it has been repaired or replaced; 

  • ·  Not to alter the specification of equipment, or repair, or attempt to epair, faulty equipment; 

  • ·  To report any incident, injury or near miss occurrence when operating work equipment. 

 

  1. Managers Responsibilities 

    • ·  Ensure all equipment is purchased new from reputable suppliers and a guarantee or warranty is supplied; 

    • ·  An inventory (Appendix one) should be kept of all work equipment where this is not documented on the electrical equipment inventory for PAT test purposes; 

    • ·  Ensure all equipment is inspected and maintained to a safe standard and the necessary records are kept; 

    • ·  Ensure staff receive adequate information and instruction on the safe operation of all equipment in the workplace; 

    • ·  Where staff require specific training this should be sourced e.g.  diving or entering water etc. 

    • ·  Ensure any risks associated with the use of any work equipment are adequately assessed and controlled; 

    • ·  Ensure resources are allocated to repair and maintenance schedules  and replacement of equipment as necessary. 

 

  1. Inspection and Maintenance 

As described in section 2a, staff should carry out a visual check of any equipment before it is used and report any deficiencies.

;This must include a more in depth visual inspection of any equipment that is used infrequently such as quad bikes, marques, flag poles

Not only should the ‘inspector’ be looking for faults, but also for any break in the integrity of the equipment such as rough or sharp edges, faulty mechanisms that may trap fingers, noises not consistent with the normal operating sounds etc... Equipment should be included in the routine workplace inspection schedule. Certain equipment must be inspected and maintained or repaired by a competent contractor (such as, vehicles, electrical systems, alarm systems, boilers, gas appliances etc) and records kept. 

Reference should be made to the Electricity at Work Procedure for Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) cycles and to the Fire Safety Procedure for maintenance and inspection of fire safety equipment.

Logs will be issued by HR.