Health and Safety

Health & Safety at our coworking spaces

HQCoworking Space Ltd acknowledges and accepts the responsibilities placed on it as ‘Employer’ by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. 1974 and other relevant legislation.

All our member businesses, including Self-Employed Sole-traders and Remote Workers are required to make themselves aware of their own obligations under the relevant Health & Safety Regulations. Particularly, our members who are themselves employers of other people utilising our Coworking Hubs are required to inform themselves and accept the responsibilities placed on them as an ‘Employer’ by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. 1974 and other relevant legislation

HQcoworking Space Ltd considers the health, safety and welfare of staff and members to be of paramount importance, and that a safe and healthy working environment is a prerequisite to achieving our objectives as a creative & collaborative work community.

Through the implementation of the Health and Safety policy, management at our coworking spaces are committed to achieving the following objectives:

• • Prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health by managing the health and safety risks in the workplace
  • Provide clear instructions and information, and adequate training, to ensure employees & members are competent to do their work
  • Engage and consult with employees & members on day-to-day health and safety conditions
  • Implement emergency procedures – evacuation in case of fire or other significant incident.
  • Maintain safe and healthy working conditions, provide and maintain plant, equipment and machinery, and ensure safe storage/use of substances

All employees, members & visitors, have the following legal responsibilities under ‘The Safety, Health & Welfare Act 2005”:

• • To take reasonable care for the safety of themselves and others at work who may be affected by their acts or omissions;
  • To co-operate with the coworking space management and others in fulfilling statutory responsibilities;
  • To notify their HQCoworking Space Ltd management immediately of any situation which they have reason to believe might present a serious and imminent danger to their own or others’ safety (in the context of the coworking space this means notifying us by contacting us directly in person, submitting an email to HQCoworking Space Ltd management info@hqtralee.com and/or submitting an incident form); and
  • To notify HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management of any shortcomings or perceived shortcomings in their health and safety arrangements, even when no immediate danger exists, so that appropriate remedial action can be taken.

HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD coworking spaces require all employees, members & visitors to fulfil the legal responsibilities set out above by cooperating in all matters concerning health and safety by:

• • adhering to the HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD’s arrangements and procedures for fire and other preventive and protective measures put in place to control and manage risks to the health and safety of employees, members and visitors. Members must adhere to the HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD’s fire and emergency procedures, by evacuating the building if the fire alarm sounds and going to the emergency assembly points as outlined in the Fire & Emergency Procedures. They must also follow any instructions given to them by fire wardens or building management;

• reporting any accident, incident of verbal or physical abuse, near miss or equipment damage immediately to HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management so that appropriate remedial action may be taken;
• notifying HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management if they experience ill health that they have reason to suspect may be work-related, e.g. musculoskeletal problems as a result of seating in HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD or lifting, skin conditions from using cleaning chemicals etc.;
• carrying out, as appropriate, regular visual checks of equipment before use, to identify any obvious defects such as worn leads or cables, damaged covers/guards or plug tops. After taking any remedial steps they themselves can safely take, members should report any defect in equipment, plant etc. to HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management, who will be responsible for taking the necessary steps to ensure that the equipment is removed and or repaired (for reporting defects in building-wide equipment please contact building management at info@hqtralee.com);
• using any equipment or items provided for work correctly and in accordance with manufacturers’ or suppliers’ instructions and any training received; and
• treating fellow members and other persons with whom they interact during the course of their work with consideration, respect and dignity. It is important that members appreciate that their own actions and performance could be the source of stress to their fellow members.

HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management expects all members to co-operate with its efforts to protect their health, safety, and welfare.

Members must take reasonable care of their own safety and not place others at risk by their actions.

Members must not engage in reckless or careless behaviour that might compromise HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD coworking’s preventive and protective measures (such as letting off fire extinguishers without good cause, or maliciously setting off the fire alarm).

Members must not intentionally damage or misuse any equipment, such as wedging open fire doors in common areas and must report defects or unsafe situations to HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD management.

By using HQCOWORKING SPACE LTD coworking you agree to abide by these arrangements.

• You can find details of our latest health & safety assessment here: HQCOWORKING Risk Assessment Jan24
• Incident reporting form HQ Incident Report Sheet
• First-aid boxes are made available in the Canteen, along with Fire Blankets
• If you have any heavy deliveries, a trolly can be provided to assist with moving any equipment. You can view videos on manual handling here.
• For ensuring you have a good posture when at work, you can check out this helpful videos here .

Fire Safety related

• Emergency Fire Plans:
  • HQ1 Abbey St Fire Exit Plan
  • HQ2 Dominick St Fire Exit Plan
  • HQListowel Fire Exit Plan
  • Workbase ABBEYFEALE Fire Exit Plan
  • Workbase MACROOM Fire Exit Plan
  • The Phoenix Fire Exit Plan
• Fire extinguishers are available throughout our buildings. Consult with our designated fire wardens for details.
• In all instances the Fire Alarm is by the main entrance, with access points throughout our buildings.