Health and Safety Policy

SPM Development Services Limited Health and Safety Policy September 2026

Reviewed and Updated: September 2026
Next Review: September 2027, or sooner if legislation or statutory guidance changes.
Approved by: Simon Piper-Masha

Introduction

At SPM Development Services Ltd, we are committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all individuals associated with our organisation. This policy outlines our approach to managing health and safety to provide a safe and secure environment for our staff, self-employed tutors, learners and visitors. Health and safety is part of our wider safeguarding responsibilities, and any health and safety concern that could put a child at risk will also be treated as a safeguarding matter and referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

Policy Statement

We recognise our legal and moral responsibility to establish and maintain a safe working and learning environment. Our primary objective is to prevent accidents, injuries and workrelated illnesses. We will achieve this by:
  • Identifying and assessing potential health and safety risks.
  • Implementing control measures to eliminate or minimise risks.
  • Providing adequate training and information to staff, tutors, learners and visitors.
  • Complying with all relevant health and safety legislation and regulations, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Responsibilities

The Head of Centre has overall responsibility for health and safety arrangements, ensuring risks are managed and providing appropriate information, guidance and support.
Staff, self-employed tutors, mentors and contractors must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their work. They must follow risk assessments and safe working procedures, report hazards and incidents promptly, and cooperate with SPM’s health and safety arrangements.
Tutors and mentors working alone, in learners’ homes or in community settings must also follow SPM’s Lone Worker and Home Visit Policy (2026) and Risk Assessment Policy (2026).
Learners must follow reasonable safety instructions and report hazards or concerns.
Parents and carers are expected to provide relevant information about known risks within the home or relating to the learner and cooperate with reasonable safety arrangements.

Risk Assessment

SPM will use proportionate risk assessments to identify hazards, assess risks and put appropriate control measures in place. Risk assessments may be generic, placement-specific or individual, depending on the activity and level of risk.
Risk assessments will consider home-based tuition, lone working, online delivery, community and off-site activities, equipment, travel, learner needs and any known risks within the environment.
Where tutors share a learner or venue, relevant risk information and control measures will be communicated to everyone involved. Tutors must report new hazards, changes in circumstances, incidents or concerns so that risk assessments can be reviewed and updated.

Training and Information

We will provide relevant health and safety training to all staff and tutors at induction and through ongoing updates. Training will cover emergency procedures, hazard identification, lone working, safeguarding links, and safe working practices.

Travel and Driving

Tutors and mentors who drive for work are responsible for holding a valid driving licence and ensuring that their vehicle is roadworthy, taxed, appropriately insured for the journey and used safely.
Journeys should be planned with reasonable consideration of weather, road conditions, fatigue and time pressures. No one should drive where they believe it would be unsafe to do so.

Emergency Procedures

Tutors and mentors must familiarise themselves with the emergency arrangements for each location in which they work and know how to contact SPM and the emergency services.
For home visits, lone working and community activities, tutors must follow the agreed communication and emergency arrangements recorded in the relevant risk assessment.
Where a session takes place at another organisation’s premises, its emergency and evacuation procedures must be followed.
If there is an immediate risk of serious harm, the emergency services must be contacted first and SPM informed as soon as it is safe to do so. Any safeguarding concern must also be reported under SPM’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

Reporting and Investigation

All accidents, incidents, near misses and significant hazards must be reported to the Head of Centre as soon as possible and recorded in SPM’s incident records.
SPM will review the circumstances, take any immediate action required and update risk assessments or control measures where necessary. The Designated Safeguarding Lead will be informed where the matter also raises a safeguarding concern.
SPM will notify the relevant enforcing authority of any reportable work-related accident, disease or dangerous occurrence where required under RIDDOR.

Continuous Improvement

SPM is committed to continuous improvement in health and safety performance. This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if legislation, statutory guidance or commissioning authority requirements change.

Communication

This policy will be shared with all staff, tutors, learners and visitors and made available on the SPM website.

Conclusion

A safe and healthy environment is essential for the well-being and success of our learners and staff. By working together, we will maintain a culture that values and prioritises health and safety across all of SPM’s activities.