Health and Safety Policy for Removals to Scotland

This Health and Safety policy explains how we manage the safety and wellbeing of our employees, clients and members of the public during all stages of removals to Scotland. It applies to every move we undertake, including packing, loading, transport, unloading and related services carried out at homes, offices and storage locations.

Our Commitment to Health and Safety

We are committed to maintaining high standards of health and safety across all removal activities. Our objectives are to prevent injury, protect health, comply with relevant legislation, and promote safe working practices for moves within Scotland and to Scotland from other regions.

Management accepts overall responsibility for health and safety performance and provides adequate resources, training and supervision to support this policy. Every employee and contractor is required to cooperate with our procedures, follow instructions and act with due care at all times.

Roles and Responsibilities

Company management is responsible for establishing this policy, reviewing it periodically, and ensuring that appropriate risk control measures are in place. Supervisors must communicate safe systems of work, check that they are followed, and report any concerns or incidents promptly.

Removal crew members are responsible for using equipment correctly, following manual handling guidance, wearing required protective equipment, and immediately reporting hazards, near misses and injuries. Drivers must operate vehicles safely, observe road traffic regulations, and ensure that loads are secure before starting any journey.

Clients also have a part to play in maintaining safe working conditions at collection and delivery addresses, for example by keeping access routes clear and informing us in advance about any known risks at the property.

Risk Assessment and Planning

We carry out risk assessments for our removal operations, including assessments for specific properties, routes and seasonal conditions when moves are planned to or within Scotland. These assessments consider factors such as access routes, stairs, lifts, parking restrictions, weather conditions, traffic risks, and any unusual or fragile items to be moved.

Where significant risks are identified, we will implement control measures such as additional staff, specialist equipment, revised vehicle choice, or alternative access arrangements. Our work plans and move schedules are designed to allow adequate time to carry out tasks safely, without the need for unsafe shortcuts.

Manual Handling and Use of Equipment

Manual handling is a key part of removal work and a major focus of our health and safety arrangements. We train our staff in safe lifting and carrying techniques, team lifting for heavy or bulky items, and the use of equipment such as trolleys, dollies, furniture sliders and lifting straps.

Employees are instructed to assess the load before moving it, to avoid lifting items that are beyond their capability, and to ask for assistance when required. Staff must use appropriate equipment where provided rather than attempting to carry heavy items by hand over long distances or up and down stairs.

All equipment and vehicles are inspected regularly and maintained to support safe operations. Any equipment found to be defective must be taken out of service and reported immediately.

Vehicle Safety and Load Security

We operate our vehicles in line with road safety requirements and industry good practice. Only authorised, trained and competent drivers are permitted to drive our vehicles. Drivers must complete basic safety checks on vehicles and report any defects before starting a journey.

Loads are packed and secured to minimise movement during transit, with particular attention to heavy items, tall furniture, appliances and fragile goods. Weight distribution is managed to ensure vehicle stability and compliance with weight limits. During journeys to and within Scotland, drivers are expected to adjust their driving to suit weather and road conditions.

Household and Office Environment Safety

Our teams take care to protect both people and property at collection and delivery addresses. This includes using floor protection where appropriate, planning safe routes through the building, and avoiding unnecessary risks on stairs, landings and tight corners.

We may temporarily restrict access to certain areas while heavy items are being moved. Clients are asked to keep children, pets and other occupants away from working areas to reduce the risk of accidents. Any pre-existing damage or structural issues that could affect safety should be reported to our team before work begins.

Personal Protective Equipment

Where necessary, we provide and require the use of suitable personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety footwear and high visibility garments when working near traffic or in shared access areas. Employees must use such equipment as instructed and keep it in good condition.

Training, Supervision and Communication

All removal staff receive induction training covering our health and safety rules, safe lifting techniques, vehicle safety and incident reporting procedures. Additional training is provided where work involves specialist tasks or equipment.

Supervisors monitor working practices on site, particularly on complex or large-scale moves to or within Scotland, and provide guidance where needed. We encourage open communication about safety concerns and welcome suggestions from employees and clients for improving safety standards.

Incident, Accident and Near Miss Reporting

All accidents, injuries, near misses and dangerous occurrences must be reported to a supervisor as soon as possible. We investigate such events to identify causes and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.

Records of incidents and remedial actions are kept and reviewed regularly as part of our commitment to continuous improvement in health and safety performance.

Review of this Policy

This Health and Safety policy for removals to Scotland is reviewed periodically, and whenever there are significant changes in our operations, legislation or best practice guidance. Updated versions will be communicated to employees and made available to clients on request.

By following this policy and cooperating with these arrangements, we aim to ensure that every move to or within Scotland is carried out as safely and efficiently as reasonably practicable.