Health and Safety Policy

1. Policy Statement

Falcon Greencare is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all its employees, agency workers, candidates, contractors, clients, service users and any other persons who may be affected by its activities. As a healthcare recruitment company supplying staff into regulated health and social care settings, Falcon Greencare recognises its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation, and its duty to support compliance with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Fundamental Standards.

This policy sets out Falcon Greencare’s arrangements for managing health and safety and demonstrates our commitment to providing safe systems of work, competent staff, and a positive health and safety culture.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

All Falcon Greencare employees (permanent, temporary, and agency)
Agency workers and candidates placed by Falcon Greencare
Contractors and visitors
Activities undertaken at Falcon Greencare offices and during recruitment, training, and placement activities

3. Legal Framework

Falcon Greencare complies with all relevant UK health and safety legislation, including but not limited to:

Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2022

In addition, Falcon Greencare supports compliance with CQC regulations, particularly:

Regulation 12: Safe Care and Treatment
Regulation 15: Premises and Equipment
Regulation 18: Staffing

4. Responsibilities

4.1 Directors / Senior Management

Senior management has overall responsibility for health and safety and will:

Ensure adequate resources are available to implement this policy
Promote a positive health and safety culture
Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
Review this policy annually or following significant change

4.2 Health and Safety Lead

Falcon Greencare will appoint a competent person to:

Oversee health and safety arrangements
Maintain risk assessments and policies
Monitor incidents, accidents, and near misses
Liaise with clients, regulators, and enforcing authorities where required

4.3 Employees

All employees are required to:

Take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others
Co-operate with Falcon Greencare on health and safety matters
Follow policies, procedures, and training provided
Report hazards, accidents, incidents, and near misses promptly

4.4 Agency Workers and Candidates

Agency workers supplied by Falcon Greencare must:

Comply with Falcon Greencare policies and client health and safety procedures
Use equipment and PPE correctly
Report concerns or incidents to both the client and Falcon Greencare

5. Risk Assessment and Management

Falcon Greencare will:

Undertake suitable and sufficient risk assessments for its office-based activities
Obtain and review health and safety information from client organisations
Assess risks associated with placing staff into healthcare environments
Implement control measures to reduce identified risks

Risk assessments will be reviewed regularly and when there are changes to working practices or environments.

6. Training and Competence

Falcon Greencare is committed to ensuring staff are competent to work safely. This includes:

Health and safety induction for employees
Mandatory training verification for agency workers (e.g. moving and handling, infection prevention and control, safeguarding, basic life support)
Ongoing monitoring of training compliance
Providing guidance on client-specific risks and procedures

7. Infection Prevention and Control

As a healthcare recruitment company, Falcon Greencare recognises the importance of infection prevention and control (IPC). We will:

Ensure candidates have up-to-date IPC training
Promote compliance with standard precautions
Support the appropriate use of PPE
Communicate client-specific IPC requirements to agency workers

8. Manual Handling

Falcon Greencare acknowledges the risks associated with manual handling in healthcare settings and will:

Verify that agency workers have received appropriate manual handling training
Ensure workers are aware they must follow client policies and use equipment provided
Encourage reporting of unsafe manual handling practices

9. Accidents, Incidents and RIDDOR

All accidents, incidents, near misses, and work-related ill health must be reported to Falcon Greencare promptly. Falcon Greencare will:

Record and investigate incidents
Take appropriate corrective action
Report incidents to the relevant enforcing authority under RIDDOR where required

10. Lone Working

Falcon Greencare recognises that some roles may involve lone working. We will:

Assess lone working risks
Provide guidance to employees and agency workers
Ensure appropriate communication and escalation arrangements are in place

11. Stress and Wellbeing

Falcon Greencare is committed to promoting mental health and wellbeing. We will:

Monitor workloads and working arrangements
Encourage open communication about wellbeing concerns
Signpost support where appropriate

12. Consultation and Communication