At Oxford Instruments, we strive to provide a safe workplace, and working environment, for all employees, wherever they work, from our manufacturing sites and offices to the vehicles for our occupational drivers. Our approach is based on the ongoing identification and control of risk. We focus on preventative measures to remove hazards before they can escalate into accidents or near misses.
Our Commitment
We are committed to achieving, promoting and maintaining a high standard of health and safety for all our employees and everyone involved in, or affected by, our activities. We design our products and services to comply with all relevant health and safety standards. All sites and employees have a moral and legal duty to comply with local and national health and safety legislation and failure to do so is unacceptable. There are no acceptable reasons for an unsafe work environment.
The application of safe working practices and the active co-operation of employees, visitors and sub contractors helps us to achieve a safe working environment. This is supported by structured health and safety management systems, which are externally audited where appropriate. All of the above assist with continuous improvement in our management of health and safety at work.
Push for Zero – our continuous improvement programme
On every Oxford Instruments site, health and safety is a priority. We continue our Push for Zero programme with the objective of a sustained reduction in accident levels across the Group. As part of Push for Zero we have introduced the SHIELD health and safety software platform where accidents and safety observations can be recorded, and corrective action taken, to prevent reoccurrence. This platform is being rolled out to all employees.
Pandemic - ensuring a safe workplace.
Considerable effort has been made to adapt our workplaces, and our working practices in supporting our customers, to make them COVID secure. We will maintain the control measures that were put in place at the height of the pandemic whilst they continue to protect employees against the risk of infection where infections in the community remain high. Where appropriate we have also provided additional screening and changed workstation layouts.
We recognise that the pandemic has changed the way that many of us work and the additional burden that the impacts of the pandemic have placed on many of our employees. Oxford Instruments will continue to provide resources and support to help all employees whose mental health and wellbeing has been affected by the pandemic.
Ian Barkshire
Chief Executive
November 2021
Document No. HSPOL-007-21
Issue 21
1. The responsibility for implementation of this policy rests with the members of the senior management team who will ensure, through effective leadership, that the policy is deployed across all Company sites. Senior management are expected to ensure that the "Push for Zero" programme is implemented within their site(s).
2. The successful implementation of the policy requires commitment from all employees.
3. Managing health and safety issues is an integral part of a management role and function, and we will monitor performance of our managers through the annual health and safety audit process.
4. Every employee within the Company has a responsibility for their own health and safety as well as for that of others who may be affected by their work or behaviour.
5. We will assess the risks of all potentially hazardous tasks and take action to reduce or eliminate the identified risks. Employees are required to notify their manager, team leader or safety representative of any hazards, accidents, near misses or unsafe working conditions as and when they arise. All identified hazards must be recorded on the SHIELD health and safety platform.
6. We will investigate all serious accidents, incidents, dangerous occurrences and cases of work-related illness and take appropriate action to prevent recurrence.
7. We will comply with all applicable health and safety laws and local legislation. Wilful failure to comply with local or national legislation, or local health and safety policy, will be treated as a disciplinary issue. There are no acceptable reasons for an unsafe work environment.
8. All employees must co-operate with management to enable statutory duties to be complied with. Competent people will be appointed to assist us in meeting our policy and statutory duties, which may include outside specialists if required.
9. The health and safety management system will be utilised to control and manage identified risks and to improve health and safety performance year on year. Continuous improvement in health and safety performance is expected from all Oxford Instruments’ sites and employees
10. Where products or processes are brought into Oxford Instruments by virtue of acquiring or merging with another Company, Oxford Instruments will conduct detailed safety assessments of these products and processes.
11. We will set key objectives and performance targets within each site that can be measured and assessed, reporting results in a clear and consistent way both internally and externally.
12. The executive management of each site will carry out regular reviews to ensure that these objectives are being achieved
13. We will provide such documentation, information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure a safe workplace, effective implementation of the health and safety management system and compliance with relevant legislation.
14. The Managing Director or the Executive responsible for the safe running of the site, will report annually to the Management Board Director responsible for Health and Safety that they have personally inspected their site and that they are satisfied that there are no risks that could lead to severe injury or loss of life.
15. This policy will be reviewed annually by the Board to ensure that its objectives continue to be relevant to the business and that those objectives are being met by all sites.
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