This statement sets out the policy of the company in respect of “Refusal to Work on the Grounds of Health & Safety” by all employees (or subcontractors, if appropriate) in line with the principles of NR’s “Worksafe Policy” as detailed in NR/L2/OHS/00112. A copy of the referenced document is available should a fuller interpretation be required and forms the basis for the following synopsis.

All persons referred to above are to be made aware of the contents of this policy and become familiar with the conditions laid down.

Responsibility

Hercules Site Services will take all reasonable measures to ensure that those persons referred to above are made aware of the contents of this policy and that it will not affect their continued employment by the company in the event of any invoking of this policy.

Hercules will take all reasonable measures to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, any invocation placed on any person by this policy by planning safe working conditions and taking all factors into account.

Employees of the company will at all times exercise diligence in monitoring their safe working environment for themselves and other persons in the working area

Criteria for Invoking the Policy

It is a condition of employment with the company that all persons referred to above shall comply with the following:

• If any situation arises which an employee believes will or has resulted in an unsafe working environment for some or all they must immediately draw it to the attention of their direct line manager so he can investigate and resolve the issue locally, if possible via completion of the appropriate “Refusal to Work” report form.
• If line management cannot be immediately contacted then in a safe manner stop or do not commence any working operations subject to the risks identified and warn others in danger of the concerns you have.
• Double check that there are no instructions or information available locally to resolve the issue.
• If the line manager does not support your concerns ask for a “second opinion” to either verify the line manager’s findings or support your concerns.
• Ensure that you are clear in describing what the concerns or issues are.
• Providing the concern is genuine, even if it is ultimately seen to be unfounded then the employee will not be the subject of any detrimental action by the Company.

CIRAS Reporting

Further to the company’s processes for refusal to work on the grounds of health and safety, all staff have a facility for reporting any safety concerns into a central, confidential reporting system, CIRAS (Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis System). To comply with the RISQS and CIRAS reporting procedure, the company will subscribe as a membership levy for a 12-month rolling renewable contract.

CIRAS is an alternative way for staff to report safety concerns that they feel unable to report through company safety channels. It is a completely independent and confidential way to report safety concerns without fear of recrimination.

You can now contact CIRAS by calling Freephone 0800 4 101 101, writing to Freepost CIRAS or texting 07507 285887 (standard text rates apply), or via the CIRAS Website at www.ciras.org.uk.

The responsibility for the implementation of this policy lies with the CEO.

The CEO shall review this policy annually or following significant changes.