Health and Safety

General Health and Safety Policy Statement

1. The primary duty of care for health and safety of learners and staff is the responsibility of the provider organisation contracted with the County Council to deliver adult and community learning through a funding agreement (‘The Provider’).

2. Hampshire County Council will work in partnership with all relevant stakeholders and providers through its appropriate departments and in particular, through its Adult and Community Learning Unit, to promote and secure the concept of the “safe learner” in respect of health and safety on funded programmes.

3. Hampshire County Council, through its Adult and Community Learning Unit, will ensure that health and safety will be facilitated by providers as follows:

• The inclusion of a safety element in all Adult and Community Learning contract documents, which places the primary duty of care with the provider.
• All providers take such precaution as is reasonably practical to provide and maintain safe and healthy working/learning conditions for learners and staff.
• All providers to provide
• Proof of risk assessment
• A regular update and audit of safety related documentation
• A monitoring programme of compliance, based on a variety of risk factors
• Proof of completion of the safety criteria within the provider performance review process
• The recording and quality assurance of all relevant accidents to learners
• Promotion of provider responsibility and continuous improvement
• Regular communication on health and safety issues with learners.

4. All providers will have their own health and safety policies, and these should include practical steps that will achieve the objectives of this policy statement by providing and maintaining high standards of health and safety for learners and staff, as far as is reasonably practicable.