Exterior & Boundary Safety Management

Overview Of Management & Colleague Responsibilities

Manager Responsibilities

Below is an overview of the responsibilities which is intended to support managers in identifying their key duties that need to be taken to comply with the requirements of this document and the safety management systems of National Ice Centre.

  • Managers need to implement a suitable housekeeping regime for the exterior of any premises they manage to minimise or reduce risk;
  • Managers need to have a implement a system of recording those checks completed to the exterior and boundary;
  • Managers must ensure any external structures such as conservatories, outbuildings or garages are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure they remain in a safe condition;
  • Managers must ensure that risk assessments of any water features including ponds, streams and other water courses within their area of control have been completed and appropriate controls have been implemented;
  • Managers need to be able to identify all people who may access the grounds and external structures and the consider potential risks that they may present;
  • Managers need to ensure that all locations where a wall, flat roof, or other area at height is used or can be accessed and could lead to a potential fall from height have been properly assessed and controls implemented.

Employee Responsibilities

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 section 7 requires all employees to consider their own health & safety and the safety of others. 

As an employee of National Ice Centre, if you have concerns in relation to health & safety that is likely to cause you or someone else, injury or ill health then you must ensure that the concern is communicated to your manager immediately.

You are also required to co-operate with the management of National Ice Centre to ensure compliance with the health & safety arrangements, policies and procedures and work to the requirements identified within this document.

Introduction

Date:              October 2023

Issue:              No. 4

Subject:         Exterior & Boundary Safety Management

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact the NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

Delegated Responsibilities

The delegated responsibility for the day to day management of the premises, grounds and associated services will lay with the manager of those premises.

Additional support and advice can be provided by city council colleagues including grounds maintenance teams, conditional survey and structural engineers or other professionals but this support will not absolve the manager from their duties to maintain a safe environment.

Any inspection regime must consider the potential for change and deterioration of external structures and therefore must include a formal review period for a re-inspection. 

It is recommended that any re-inspection period should not exceed more than 12 months.

Managers need to be satisfied that the risks arising from unauthorised entry to the site and illegal use of the premises or associated equipment, particularly outside of normal operational hours has been be identified and appropriate controls have been implemented.

Managers need to ensure that any outstanding maintenance issues have been raised with the appropriate budget holder for consideration and action. 

Any issues regarding outstanding maintenance issues must also be raised with the direct person for the service or area being inspected.

External Premises & Boundary Checklist

To assist managers and others involved in the management of the external areas / boundary of their premises and the potential risks, a ‘Boundary and Exterior Management Checklist’ is in place and may be used to identify compliance to manager responsibilities and support completion of a risk assessment.

The checklist is not a risk assessment but gives useful information to assist managers in what could be considered within the relevant risk assessment for external and boundary management.

Click to download a copy of the ‘External Premises and Boundary Checklist’,