Health and Safety at Extraspace Solutions
Extraspace Solutions are committed to providing incident-free and zero-harm environments. Health & Safety is one of our highest priorities and we work closely with our clients to ensure that only the highest safety standards are maintained.
As Health and Safety is a key consideration for the company, we endeavour to maintain safe and healthy workplaces, operate safe systems of work and ensure the safety of our clients, staff and the public. This philosophy of our health and safety focus carries throughout all levels of our organisation, from top management to site operatives.
See our Health and Safety Policy < H&S Document>
“Nothing that we do, is so important, that it cannot be done safely”
H&S Management System
OHSAS 18001 is an assessment system used to assess an organisations occupational health and safety management systems.This requires external audits to be completed to ensure that the system complies with the standard. In 2011, Extraspace Solutions successfully achieved OHSAS 18001:2007 certification. This official acknowledgement of the safety management system demonstrates our objective of continuing improvement in this area.
The award of the OHSAS 18001 certification provides Extraspace Solution’s clients with confirmation that the service that they are buying is to a very high standard whilst delivering a competitive advantage.
Demonstrating our commitment and aims further, we have also become certified to both the ISO 14001:2004 and the ISO 9001: 2008 standards for Environmental and Quality Management systems respectively.
Extraspace Solutions also has received the following accreditations:
- CHAS Certification Download our Chas certification (PDF 1.8MB)
- Safe T Cert Certification Download our SafeTCert (PDF 597KB)
- Constructionline Certification Download our Constructionline Certifcate
- EXOR – Gold Level Accreditation
Download our Exor Certificate
Training
Our most important resource is our employees, and Extraspace Solutions is committed to the ongoing training and development of each employee’s skillset to deliver its industry leading services. Ongoing training is of critical importance in maintaining a safe workforce and we use regular structured courses and toolbox talks to reinforce this message.
We periodically carry out an organisational training needs analysis of all activities to establish minimum competency levels and identify where any training requirements need to be met. Following this review, appropriate training programmes will be developed to fulfil those minimum competency levels.
Training for competence at Extraspace Solutions is divided into several categories:
- Induction
- Management & Supervisory Skills
- Fire & Emergency Training
- Quality / Environmental
- Plant & Equipment Training, e.g. MEWP, abrasive wheels.
- Health & Safety, e.g. manual handling,
- Modular, e.g. toolbox talks, task-specific briefings.
Job Specific, e.g. CPCS, CSCS, IPAF.
On Site
When acting as a Principal Contractor
When you walk onto an Extraspace Solutions site, you will see a well-planned, tidy site, carefully laid out with clear signage, excellent welfare facilities and designated pedestrian walkways.
A comprehensive Construction Phase H&S Plan is produced and communicated to all relevant parties to ensure the smooth running of the project from site establishment to practical completion and handover.
Extraspace Solutions health and safety initiatives on site include:
- Detailed Site Inductions for all operatives before commencing work on site.
- Establishing excellent welfare facilities for all staff, subcontractors and visitors.
- Health, Safety & Environmental inspections carried out by Extraspace Solutions Management on site at least weekly.
- Worker engagement programmes on site including toolbox talks, site meetings and newsletters.
- All subcontractors risk assessments and method statements are reviewed for suitability prior to them commencing work on site.
- Dedicated Site Files are maintained on site containing statutory inspections, construction phase plan, training records, etc.
Health and Safety Manager
Extraspace Solutions employs a dedicated in-house Health & Safety Manager.
Warren Donnelly has recently joined Extraspace Solutions and ensures the highest health and safety standards are implemented in all our projects.
Warrens qualifications include a higher diploma in health, safety and training from University College Dublin plus is qualified with a British Safety Council. Warren has over 10 years experience in ocupational health and safety risk managment, overseeing building and civil projects.
Warrens Qualifications:
- Higher Diploma in Occupational Safety & Health- DipOSH
- Certificate in Safety & Health at work
- National Certificate & Diploma in Civil Engineering
The Extraspace Solutions system for Health & Safety on projects include the preparation of a risk assessment, transport & cranage method statement and the development of a construction phase Health & Safety plan.
Extraspace Solutions audits all sub-contractors for Health & Safety prior to project commencement with weekly and fortnightly inspections occur on site by Warren.
Supply Chain
Extraspace Solutions has a strict procedure for the selection, appointment and evaluation of subcontractors used on its projects. All subcontractors are required to complete a Competency Questionnaire to ensure that they met the required health and safety standards and have suitable experience to perform their role. Evidence must be provided from subcontractors that they have suitable arrangements in place for managing safety such as training, auditing, incident investigation and employee consultation.
Extraspace Solutions audits all sub-contractors for Health & Safety prior to project commencement and periodic inspections occur on site by Extraspace Solutions Management.
Project-specific Construction Phase
We deal with all risk assessment issues in a detailed project specific construction phase plan, including method statements related to construction phase hazards.
At this stage we identify and deal with all major risks associated with the project.
This plan demonstrates the consideration given to the choice of our subcontractors, our communication with them and our procedures to ensure that all subcontractors are aware of any and all site-specific hazards. These procedures include:
- Vetting of subcontractors’ health and safety statements and any relevant method statements required
- Checking that all subcontract personnel have passed the required training standards
- Site induction for all site personnel
- Tool box talks for any unique / one-off event
- Reporting of all accidents
- Full site supervision incorporating monitoring and recording the due performance of all predetermined procedures
The site-specific plan identifies all procedures for both fire prevention and actions to be taken in the event of a fire.
Our experience has shown that a clean site helps prevent any accidents. To this end Extraspace Solutions employs one operative on site whose sole responsibility is to ensure that the site is spotless at all times, thus ensuring the safety of all site personnel.
