Brook Creative Therapy's Health and
Safety Policy
1. Statement of Intent
Brook Creative Therapy's
policy on health and safety is based on the
1.1 Brook Creative Therapy
undertakes, so far as is reasonably practical, to ensure the health, safety and
welfare at work of all its employees and subcontractors as well as its clients,
supervisees and trainees.
1.2 Brook Creative Therapy
seeks to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as is
necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of its employees and
subcontractors.
1.3 Brook Creative Therapy
will ensure as far as possible that the place of work is safe and without risks
to health, and it will provide and maintain means of
access and exit from its premises that are safe and without risks to health.
1.4 Brook Creative Therapy
will ensure that it provides and maintains a safe working environment for its
employees and subcontractors and its clients and trainees that is safe, without risks to health and adequate as regards
facilities and arrangements for their welfare at work. Brook Creative Therapy
employees and subcontractors visiting private offices or public buildings to
conduct their work will check before they begin work that fire exits are clear
and marked and that any clients they see will feel as safe as is reasonably
practical.
1.5 It is the duty of Brook
Creative Therapy employees and subcontractors to take care for the health and safety
of themselves and others. Employees and subcontractors will ensure, so far as
is reasonably practicable, that people not in their employment are not exposed
to risk of health or safety.
2. Organisation
2.1 Under the UK Safety
Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, safety representatives
will be appointed to investigate potential hazards and complaints from
employees or subcontractors concerning the health, safety and welfare of
employees and subcontractors. These representatives will be expected to attend
meetings of safety committees as and when required.
2.2 Brook Creative Therapy's
joint owners, Roger Day and Christine Day, will have the ultimate
responsibility for the health and safety of Brook Creative Therapy's staff. The
line of responsibility then moves down from direct employees to subcontractors.
3. Arrangements
3.1 Each therapist within Brook
Creative Therapy will be responsible for his/her own
health and safety as well as that of visiting clients under his/her care. This
safety will take into account codes of practice drawn up by professional bodies
such as the European Association of Transactional Analysis, Play Therapy
International, the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapists and the
3.2 Elements of safety to
consider include fire safety, noise control, physical safety, and adequate
warmth and lighting. In addition, therapists must ensure their own safety in
working with clients known or believed to be violent or engaged in inappropriate
sexual behaviour. They are expected to familiarise themselves with any
available panic buttons and they are also strongly advised to undergo training
in self-defence, restraint or breakaway techniques.
3.3 Therapists in particular
will ensure that they have a safe environment free from interruption in which
to conduct their therapeutic work with clients. Special attention needs to be
made to telephones and public address systems and to windows that are
accessible to members of the public or other personnel.
3.4 Brook Creative Therapy
will take note of other health and safety regulations in the following
Health and Safety
Information for Employees Regulations 1989
Reporting of Injuries,
Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985
Health and Safety (Display
Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
Health and Safety (First
Aid) Regulations 1981
4 Review
4.1 Brook Creative Therapy’s
health and safety policy will be reviewed every three years. The next review
will be in September 2012.
Roger Day
Director
Brook Creative Therapy
September 2009