Howarth Environmental

About Howarth Environmental Ltd

Stuart and Tracey Howarth have many years experience within the wood recycling sector and their names have become synonymous with quality and service. Having first hand experience within a large and progressive wood recycling facility they believe they have the capabilities to deal with all aspects of this fast paced, growing industry.





Stuart has a vast array of knowledge and technical ability and has become an expert in the field of wood recycling. Today he is recognised throughout the UK and Europe and understands waste wood and the products that can be produced from this valuable commodity. He also understands the markets for the future and Biomass technology. His business development skills are second to none and he would prove a valuable asset to any business.

Tracey has substantial experience in administration and provides excellent back up support in terms of systems and procedures. She is fully conversant with all types of administration duties, including duty of care and environmental legislation. Her skills include sales and marketing campaigns, telesales, exhibitions, enquiries, quotations, controlled waste transfer documentation, contamination issues, reports and finance. She has also helped plan, develop and deliver training.


Howarth Environmental Ltd can offer you a viable option on a short or long term basis. Their aim is to investigate your needs and work closely with you to establish areas where improvements can be made both financially and productively.

The company is based on morals and ethics and all work undertaken will be carried out under confidentiality.









INDUCTION POLICY AND CHECKLIST
POLICY STATEMENT

1. GENERAL
The Company believes that all new employees MUST be given timely induction training. This training is regarded as a vital part of staff recruitment and integration into the working environment. This policy, associated procedures and guidelines define the Company’s commitment to ensure that all staff are supported during the period of induction, to the benefit of the employee and Company alike.
2. AIM
It is the aim of the Company to ensure that staff induction is dealt with in an organised and consistent manner, to enable staff to be introduced into a new post and working environment quickly, so that they can contribute effectively as soon as possible. This induction policy, associated procedures and guidelines aim to set out general steps for Managers and Staff to follow during the induction process. It is expected that all Managers and Staff will adhere to this policy.

The Company expects that the implementation of good induction practice by Managers/Supervisors will:
• Enable new employees to settle into the Company quickly and become productive and efficient members of staff within a short period of time.
• Ensure that new entrants are highly motivated and that this motivation is reinforced.
• Assist in reducing staff turnover, lateness, absenteeism and poor performance generally.
• Assist in developing a management style where the emphasis is on leadership.
• Ensure that employees operate in a safe working environment.
• Will reduce costs associated with repeated recruitment, training and lost production.

3. THE COMPANY’S COMMITMENT
The Company Personnel Department / Head Office will:
• Issue guidelines to familiarise Managers and Staff with the induction process.
• Maintain and update an Induction Policy.
• Provide a checklist for managers and Staff to follow during the induction period.
• Ensure there is effective monitoring of the induction process particularly in the first three months.
• Deal with any problems promptly providing an efficient service for both Managers and Staff.
• Review all policy, procedure and guideline documents on a regular basis.
• Provide relevant formal training courses necessary to assist the induction process.





GUIDELINES FOR MANAGERS/SUPERVISORS
1. GENERAL
Starting a new job is a demanding and often stressful experience. Quite apart from the obvious challenge of tackling new tasks, there is also the need to become accustomed to a new organisation, a new environment and new colleagues. The purpose of induction is to support new employees during this difficult period and to help them become fully integrated into the Company as quickly and as easily as possible.
Induction has benefits for all involved in the process. Employees who settle quickly into the Company will become productive and efficient at an early stage and in turn will experience feelings of worth and satisfaction.
It is generally recognised that new employees are highly motivated and an effective induction process will ensure that this motivation is reinforced.
2. BENEFITS OF INDUCTION
The advantages of an effective and systematic induction process are as follows:
• To enable new employees to settle into the Company quickly and become productive and efficient members of staff within a short period of time.
• To ensure that new entrants are highly motivated and that this motivation is reinforced.
• To assist in reducing staff turnover, lateness, absenteeism and poor performance generally.
• To assist in developing a management style where the emphasis is on leadership.
• To ensure that new employees operate in a safe working environment.
• To reduce costs associated with repeated recruitment, training and lost production.
3. INDUCTION CHECKLIST
The Induction checklist is a very useful way of ensuring that information is imparted to new employees when they are likely to be most receptive. It avoids overloading employees with information during the first weeks whilst ensuring that all areas are covered. Managers/Supervisors should ensure that these matters have been properly understood whilst the checklist is being completed, perhaps in the form of a weekly chat with the new entrant. Arrangements should also be made for the employee to visit any relevant departments with which they have regular contact in the course of their duties. At the end of the process the induction checklist should be signed by the relevant parties and placed in the member of staff's personnel file.
4. FIRST DAY OF EMPLOYMENT
Preparations should be made for the arrival of the new entrant well in advance, for example, arrangements should be made to provide desk, equipment and lockers etc.
Most new employees tend to be concerned primarily with two matters:
a) whether they can do the job and
b) how they will get on with their new colleagues.
It is therefore important to introduce them to their new workplace and colleagues at the earliest opportunity. An introductory talk will be appropriate at this time and can be combined with the provision of general information and exchanging any necessary documentation. This talk should be as brief as possible, because the employee is unlikely to be receptive to detailed information at this stage, and should be conducted by someone who is well prepared and has sufficient time available. Managers/Supervisors should refer to the Induction Checklist and use it as a basis for discussion thus ensuring all documentation is complete.
A tour of the workplace should be arranged for the new entrant allowing the Company / Division to be viewed as a whole and the recruit to see where he/she fits into the organisation.
The new entrant will want to get to know his/her colleagues and quickly become part of the team and time should be made for this process. Colleagues should be briefed on the new entrant’s arrival. If possible one of the new entrants colleagues should be nominated to ensure that he/she has every assistance in settling in quickly.

5. INDUCTION PROGRAMMES
Induction programmes must be geared to the individual’s needs. Some of the more obvious new members of staff requiring special attention are as follows:
School Leavers
For most new employees, induction is concerned with getting accustomed to a new job. For school leavers, however, it is about adjusting to a whole new way of life - the world of work. Consequently, school leavers are likely to need more support than other groups. Wherever possible, induction and subsequent training should relate to knowledge and skills which go beyond the employee’s own particular job. School leavers will need guidance on wider issues, such as career planning, acquiring qualifications, coping with the routine and discipline of work and managing money.
It would also be helpful for school leavers to be introduced to an approachable person to whom they could take any queries they might have.
Graduates
Graduates tend to have a high level knowledge but may not have the skills relevant to the job. They will want to feel that they are making a contribution from early on and to understand the organisation of the Company and their role within it. Also they will want to have a clear picture of future career prospects and to gain broad experience with this in mind. The Trust should provide the graduate recruit with an adviser - such as a senior manager - who can organise the necessary breadth of experience and offer advice and support in relation to career progression.
Managers
Whilst many of the points in the checklist apply equally to all new managerial staff, in most cases individual induction programmes will be necessary. These should be drawn up in consultation with new managers, taking into account their backgrounds and experience and the nature of their new roles. Priority should be given to helping new managers establish and maintain relationships with management colleagues and opportunities should be provided for them to spend time in other relevant departments to facilitate this process. This will help managers quickly to gain an understanding of the Company’s philosophies, strategic plans and business plans.
Ethnic Minorities
In some cases, it may be necessary to design induction programmes with the special needs of ethnic minorities in mind. Language problems and attitudes amongst existing staff may be areas requiring particular attention. This is preparation that should be completed before any member of staff joins the Company. The Company will not tolerate racist or prejudiced behaviour in any form.
Long-term Unemployed
Previously long-term unemployed people who have been recruited may have been absent from the working environment for some time so it will be helpful to recap on some of the issues relating to school leavers. these should, of course, be adapted to suit older workers, who may need to build up confidence and the induction process can be used to update knowledge of basic office technology (photocopiers, fax machines, telephone systems, etc. as well as computers).
Other Groups
Other groups that may need special attention include disabled employees and women returning to work after having raised a family.These groups will also require the induction procedure as women returning to work may, like the long-term unemployed, be out of touch and lacking in confidence. Disabled employees may have all or a combination of induction needs, but these needs may be compounded by their disabilities. Part of the induction process for disabled employees will involve checking such things as wheelchair access to parts of the workplace, toilets and lifts etc. The necessary reasonable adjustments to the workplace required to accommodate the disabled individual should be completed prior to them commencing, and carried out in discussion with the individual or their adviser.
COMPLETING THE INDUCTION PROCESS
Induction can be said to end when the individual become fully integrated into the organisation. Of course, there is no set timescale within which this will happen and follow up is essential. Giving new employees the opportunity to ask questions several weeks into employment can be useful, and the induction checklist will provide this opportunity. In some areas, such as understanding wider aspects of the organisation, follow up after a number of months may be appropriate.
________________________________________


INDUCTION PROGRAMME FOR NEW STAFF

DEPARTMENT......................................................................

NAME OF EMPLOYEE........................................................

JOB TITLE..............................................................................

DATE COMMENCED........................................................
This is a checklist of information for Induction which managers / supervisors should use with new staff as part of their induction programme within the first few days, and certainly within the first two weeks of employment. Health and Safety items should be identified immediately. The new employee should be asked to tick each subject as he/she has been informed about it, and sign the end of the form. The manager / supervisor then sends the form to the Personnel Department / Head Office for inclusion in the employee’s personnel file.
Not all the following subjects are applicable. Should this be the case, record N/A.
Please read the guidance notes below before completing this form.
Guidance Notes
Certain groups of staff have specific induction needs. the main groups are detailed below, with particular points to take account of, highlighted.
ITEMS SPECIFIC TO THE FOLLOWING GROUPS OF STAFF
Staff with Disabilities
Disabilities include for example physical handicap, deafness, blindness, mental handicap. consider the following for discussion:
1. Confirm the nature of the disability.
2. Clarify if the employee has any special needs relating to disability.
3. Check whether employee has any particular concerns regarding the workplace.



Graduates and College/School Leavers
These staff may have no previous work experience and will need careful integration into the department. Discuss the following:
1. Role within the department.
2. Reporting responsibilities.
3. Allocation and prioritisation of work.
Staff Returning to Work after a Period of Absence
This includes staff who were previously unemployed, women returning after starting a family, or after any other prolonged period of non-employment. Discussion should include, for example:
1. The difference between the employee’s previous working environment and this new one.
2. Changes in skills required for this area of work.
3. Requirement for training to update skills.
Managers and Professional Staff
These staff need a broader induction to put their post in context.
1. Structure and culture of department.
2. Role in relation to Department / Company as appropriate.
3. Training course in supervisory and management skills, if required.

ITEMS TO COVER WITH EACH NEW EMPLOYEE
The Department
1. Department function
2. Introduction to colleagues
3. New entrant’s own job
4. Supervision
5. General layout - entrances and exits
6. Telephone system, bleeps and intercom systems

Conditions of Employment
1. Information on hours of work, including duty rotas, shift systems "on-call" breaks
2. Time recording, flexi-time
3. Bonus scheme, allowances
4. Probationary periods of employment
5. CompanyPension scheme and eligibility
6. Reporting in when sick including when on leave
7. Arrangements for requesting leave: annual leave, unpaid leave, compassionate leave
8. Issue of uniforms, and uniform policy, protective clothing, replacement, laundry arrangements
Health and Safety, Security, Fire
1. Health and safety information relevant to the department
2. Issuing of fire instructions and procedure
3. Location of fire-fighting equipment
4. Accident reporting
5. First aid facilities/pre-employment health screening/role of Occupational Health / Company Doctor
6. Loss of personal effects
7. Security of department/building
8. Arrangement for keys, passes, ID Badges etc.
9. Violence and aggressive behaviour
10. Management of monies/valuables
11. Major Incident procedures

Conduct
1. Personal presentation
2. Disciplinary procedures
3. Courtesy to the customer and the public
4. Confidentiality
5. Noise Control
6. Acceptance of gifts
7. Statements to the Press
8. Local rules regarding smoking
9. Private use of telephones
10. Standards of Business Conduct

Facilities
1. Cloakroom, lockers, lavatories
2. Canteen

Education, Training, Promotion
1. Study leave
2. Means of advancement, promotion opportunities
3. Employee appraisal, review systems

Employee Involvement and Communication
1. Employee or Trade Union representative
2. Communication arrangements
3. Information sources, e.g. notice boards, circulars etc.
4. Food and Health Policy
5. Handling Complaints

Items Specific to Department
1. Pay
2. Notice of termination of employment
3. Sick certificates
4. Waste disposal
5. Control of infection
6. Lifting and handling


OTHER RELEVANT ISSUES SPECIFIC TO DEPARTMENT






I have been informed about and understand the above items.

Signature:.....................................Date:..............


I confirm that the above Induction Programme has been completed for the above member of staff.

Signature of Head of Department/Designated Officer
___________________ Date____

















Application For Employment

Job Applied For:
Personal Details

Title Mr Mrs Miss

First Name(s) Surname
Address Daytime Telephone Number

Evening Telephone Number

National Insurance No.


E-Mail Address Date of Birth
|
Please State Driving Licences Held (Include any Points on your Licence and the reasons for them)


Work History (Incllude any dates when you were not working)
Employer Dates Position Held & Reason for Leaving
From To Description of Duties












Qualifications / Skills



Any Other Information Relevant to your application


References
1 2



Position Position
Declaration: I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the information given on this form is correct
Signed Date








Wood News Back to index
£750,000 wood recycling plant opens in Yorkshire
09-10-2007
A wood recycling consultant from Manchester has opened a £750,000 chipping facility in West Yorkshire off the back of his best-selling autobiography.
Stuart Howarth, who was catapulted to fame this summer through his book "Please daddy, no", has opened a 4 acre site in Kinsley near Pontefract.

Howarth Environmental has already started processing 15,000 tonnes of waste wood in West Yorkshire
Capable of processing up to 30,000 tonnes of waste wood a year, the business has already secured 15,000 tonnes of wood from local authorities and industry and has secured almost £100,000 funding through the development agency Yorkshire Forward.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com on Friday, Mr Howarth said: "We are taking all grades of non-hazardous wood which we will recycle into a number of products including Biomass wood chip, horse bedding, cattle bedding and particle board.
"The area was selected due to the lack of wood recycling facilities in the Yorkshire and Humber region and that much of the wood waste travels away from Yorkshire towards the particle manufacturers in the North West and North Wales," he explained.
Plant
At the Kinsley facility, which is close to the M1, M62 and A1, Mr Howarth has invested in new plant including a shredder and cleaning system from technology firm Doppstadt, which has been secured through ‘Blue Machinery Company'.
As a former wood pallet grinding business, the site is already established and a waste management exemption is in place from the Environment Agency.
Mr Howarth explained that he had identified the West Yorkshire as a key area many years ago, which was further confirmed whilst working as a wood recycling consultant for small and medium businesses under the banner of Howarth Environmental Ltd.
Related links
• Howarth Environmental
Before this, Mr Howarth worked as a Commercial Director for Hadfield Wood Recyclers in Manchester - during which he wrote "Please daddy no" about his relationship with an abusive father, which spent over 8 weeks in the UK top ten best sellers list peaking at No1.
In the long term, Mr Howarth hopes to use the proceeds of the new wood recycling business to open a treatment centre for people who have suffered abuse and to help them recover from their dysfunctional pasts.
He explained: "We want to develop a business that is built on quality and service and to provide a professional operation that protects and enhances the environment."




General Risk Assessment Form


Date: (1)
Assessed by: (2)


Checked / Validated* by: (3)
Location: (4) Assessment ref no (5) Review date: (6)
Task / premises: (7)




Activity (8) Hazard (9) Who might be harmed and how (10) Existing measures to control risk (11) Risk rating (12) Result (13)






















Action plan (14)
Ref No Further action required Action by whom Action by when Done









Notes to accompany General Risk Assessment Form

This form is the one recommended by Health & Safety Services, and used on the University’s risk assessment training courses. It is strongly suggested that you use it for all new assessments, and when existing assessments are being substantially revised. However, its use is not compulsory. Providing the assessor addresses the same issues; alternative layouts may be used.

(1) Date : Insert date that assessment form is completed. The assessment must be valid on that day, and subsequent days, unless circumstances change and amendments are necessary.

(2) Assessed by : Insert the name and signature of the assessor. For assessments other than very simple ones, the assessor should have attended the University course on risk assessments (link to STDU)

(3) Checked / Validated* by : delete one.

Checked by : Insert the name and signature of someone in a position to check that the assessment has been carried out by a competent person who can identify hazards and assess risk, and that the control measures are reasonable and in place. The checker will normally be a line manager, supervisor, principal investigator, etc. Checking will be appropriate for most risk assessments.

Validated by : Use this for higher risk scenarios, eg where complex calculations have to be validated by another “independent” person who is competent to do so, or where the control measure is a strict permit-to-work procedure requiring thorough preparation of a workplace. The validator should also have attended the University’s risk assessment course or equivalent, and will probably be a chartered engineer or professional with expertise in the task being considered. Examples of where validation is required include designs for pressure vessels, load-bearing equipment, lifting equipment carrying personnel or items over populated areas, and similar situations.

(4) Location : insert details of the exact location, ie building, floor, room or laboratory etc

(5) Assessment ref no : use this to insert any local tracking references used by the school or administrative directorate

(6) Review date : insert details of when the assessment will be reviewed as a matter of routine. This might be in 1 year’s time, at the end of a short programme of work, or longer period if risks are known to be stable. Note that any assessment must be reviewed if there are any significant changes – to the work activity, the vicinity, the people exposed to the risk, etc

(7) Task / premises : insert a brief summary of the task, eg typical office activities such as filing, DSE work, lifting and moving small objects, use of misc electrical equipment. Or, research project [title] involving the use of typical laboratory hardware, including fume cupboards, hot plates, ovens, analysis equipment, flammable solvents, etc.

(8) Activity : use the column to describe each separate activity covered by the assessment. The number of rows is unlimited, although how many are used for one assessment will depend on how the task / premises is sub-divided. For laboratory work, activities in one particular lab or for one particular project might include; use of gas cylinders, use of fume cupboard, use of computer or other electrical equipment, use of lab ovens, hot plates or heaters, use of substances hazardous to health, etc

(9) Hazard : for each activity, list the hazards. Remember to look at hazards that are not immediately obvious. For example, use of a lathe will require identification of the machine hazards, but also identification of hazards associated with the use of cutting oils (dermatitis), poor lighting, slipping on oil leaks, etc. The same activity might well have several hazards associated with it. Assessment of simple chemical risks (eg use of cleaning chemicals in accordance with the instructions on the bottle) may be recorded here. More complex COSHH assessments eg for laboratory processes, should be recorded on the specific COSHH forms (link).

(10) Who might be harmed and how : insert everyone who might be affected by the activity and specify groups particularly at risk. Remember those who are not immediately involved in the work, including cleaners, young persons on work experience, maintenance contractors, Estates personnel carrying out routine maintenance and other work. Remember also that the risks for different groups will vary. Eg someone who needs to repair a laser may need to expose the beam path more than users of the laser would do. Vulnerable groups could include children on organised visits, someone who is pregnant, or employees and students with known disabilities or health conditions (this is not a definitive list).

For each group, describe how harm might come about, eg an obstruction or wet patch on an exit route is a hazard that might cause a trip and fall; use of electrical equipment might give rise to a risk of electric shock; use of a ultraviolet light source could burn eyes or skin.

(11) Existing measures to control the risk : list all measures that already mitigate the risk. Many of these will have been implemented for other reasons, but should nevertheless be recognised as means of controlling risk. For example, restricting access to laboratories or machine rooms for security reasons also controls the risk of unauthorised and unskilled access to dangerous equipment. A standard operating procedure or local rules (eg for work with ionising radiation, lasers or biological hazards) will often address risks. Some specific hazards may require detailed assessments in accordance with specific legislation (eg COSHH, DSEAR, manual handling, DSE work). Where this is the case, and a detailed assessment has already been done in another format, the master risk assessment can simply cross-reference to other documentation. For example, the activity might be use of a carcinogen, the hazard might be exposure to hazardous substances, the existing control measures might all be listed in a COSHH assessment. Controls might also include use of qualified and/or experienced staff who are competent to carry out certain tasks; an action plan might include training requirements for other people who will be carrying out those tasks.

(12) Risk Rating : the simplest form of risk assessment is to rate the remaining risk as high, medium or low, depending on how likely the activity is to cause harm and how serious that harm might be.

The risk is LOW - if it is most unlikely that harm would arise under the controlled conditions listed, and even if exposure occurred, the injury would be relatively slight.
The risk is MEDIUM - if it is more likely that harm might actually occur and the outcome could be more serious (eg some time off work, or a minor physical injury.
The risk is HIGH - if injury is likely to arise (eg there have been previous incidents, the situation looks like an accident waiting to happen) and that injury might be serious (broken bones, trip to the hospital, loss of consciousness), or even a fatality.

Schools or administrative directorates may choose to use other rating systems. Typical amongst these are matrices (of 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 or even more complex) which require the assessor to select a numerical rating for both “likelihood that harm will arise” and “severity of that harm”. These may give a spurious sense of accuracy and reliability – none are based on quantitative methods. There are methods of estimating risk quantitatively, and these may be appropriate for complex design of load bearing structures and the like. Advice on methods of risk assessment is available from HSS. Whatever system of assessment is adopted, it is essential that the assessor has received suitable training and is familiar with the meaning of the terms (or numbers) used.

(13) Result : this stage of assessment is often overlooked, but is probably the most important. Assigning a number or rating to a risk does not mean that the risk is necessarily adequately controlled. The options for this column are:

T = trivial risk. Use for very low risk activities to show that you have correctly identified a hazard, but that in the particular circumstances, the risk is insignificant.

A = adequately controlled, no further action necessary. If your control measures lead you to conclude that the risk is low, and that all legislative requirements have been met (and University policies complied with), then insert A in this column.

N = not adequately controlled, actions required. Sometimes, particularly when setting up new procedures or adapting existing processes, the risk assessment might identify that the risk is high or medium when it is capable of being reduced by methods that are reasonably practicable. In these cases, an action plan is required. The plan should list the actions necessary, who they are to be carried out by, a date for completing the actions, and a signature box for the assessor to sign off that the action(s) has been satisfactorily completed. Some action plans will be complex documents; others may be one or two actions that can be completed with a short timescale.

U = unable to decide. Further information required. Use this designation if the assessor is unable to complete any of the boxes, for any reason. Sometimes, additional information can be obtained readily (eg from equipment or chemicals suppliers, specialist University advisors) but sometimes detailed and prolonged enquiries might be required. Eg is someone is moving a research programme from a research establishment overseas where health and safety legislation is very different from that in the UK.

For T and A results, the assessment is complete.
For N or U results, more work is required before the assessment can be signed off.

(14) Action Plan. Include details of any actions necessary in order to meet the requirements of the information in Section 11 ‘Existing measures to control the risk’. Identify someone who will be responsible for ensuring the action is taken and the date by which this should be completed. Put the date when the action has been completed in the final column.