Health & Safety Policy — Commercial Waste Virginia Water

Commercial Waste Virginia Water is committed to maintaining the highest standards of health and safety for all employees, contractors, visitors and the communities within our rubbish company service area. This policy sets out the principles and responsibilities that govern safe operations for commercial waste collection, commercial rubbish collection and associated waste services. The aim is to prevent injury, protect health, minimise environmental impact and ensure dependable, compliant commercial waste management across our operational footprint.

We recognise that effective safety begins with clear leadership and active engagement. Management will provide the necessary resources, training and organisational support to maintain a safe work environment for our waste collection crews, drivers, plant operators and office staff. Every member of the team has a duty to follow procedures, report hazards and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement in safe rubbish removal practices.

Scope and Application

This policy applies to all aspects of commercial waste activities undertaken by the company, including but not limited to: vehicle-based collection, bin handling, transfer station operations, hazardous or specialist waste handling, and customer site visits. It also covers third-party contractors engaged to deliver services on our behalf. The scope is descriptive of our operational obligations; it does not seek to repeat statutory duties but to demonstrate our internal standards and expectations.

Risk Management and Safe Systems of Work

We are committed to identifying and controlling risks through assessment, design and implementation of safe systems of work. Risk assessments will be carried out for routine and non-routine tasks to identify potential hazards such as manual handling, vehicle movements, exposure to hazardous substances, and working at height. Control measures will be applied using the hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative actions and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Training is a key control measure. All staff receive induction training and role-specific refresher courses for tasks like lifting techniques, safe bin handling, vehicle safety systems and spill response. Training records are maintained and reviewed. Supervisors monitor competence and ensure that commercial waste collection activities are performed safely and consistently.

Operational Controls include mandatory vehicle checks, secure loading procedures, clear segregation of general and specialist wastes, and the use of appropriate containment. Our vehicle fleet is maintained to industry standards, and drivers are required to follow route risk assessments, use seat belts, and apply safe access and egress procedures. All operational staff must wear the specified PPE and adhere to signage and containment protocols at customer sites.

Incident Reporting, Investigation and Learning

We require immediate reporting of incidents, near misses and unsafe conditions. A structured incident investigation process determines root causes and identifies corrective actions. Learning from incidents is shared with teams to prevent recurrence and to strengthen our waste services safety performance. Records of incidents, corrective actions and outcomes are maintained and reviewed by management.

We support a no-blame reporting culture to encourage transparency and continuous improvement. Where appropriate, we will engage independent expertise to review complex incidents and implement best-practice changes. Internal audits and periodic safety reviews verify that controls are effective and are updated when operational changes occur.

Health, Wellbeing and Occupational Health Employee wellbeing is integral to safety. We provide access to occupational health services, promote mental health awareness, and implement measures to manage workload, fatigue and stress. Manual handling policies, immunisation guidance for relevant roles, and clear procedures for dealing with sharps and potentially contaminated waste support the physical health of staff working in a rubbish company environment.

Responsibilities and Accountability

Responsibility for health and safety is shared across the organisation. Senior management are accountable for policy delivery, resource allocation and leadership. Supervisors are responsible for supervising safe work, ensuring training and monitoring compliance. Employees are expected to work safely, use PPE, follow instructions and report hazards. Contractors must comply with our safety standards when working on site or performing contracted services.

Key elements of the policy are summarised below in actionable commitments:

• Compliance with applicable legislation and recognised industry standards for commercial waste handling and commercial rubbish collection.
• Risk assessment and review of all operational activities to reduce exposure to hazards.
• Provision of appropriate training, equipment and supervision for safe performance of tasks.
• Effective incident reporting, investigation and dissemination of learning.
• Promotion of health and wellbeing initiatives and access to occupational health support.

We will regularly review this policy to reflect operational changes, emerging risks and improvements in best practice for waste management. The policy is communicated to all staff and contractors and is available to stakeholders as part of our commitment to transparent, responsible rubbish collection and commercial waste management. Ongoing monitoring, performance metrics and safety objectives help ensure we remain a reliable and safe provider of commercial waste services within our service area.