The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
We acknowledge our duty of care to ensure a safe place to work and visit for our staff, customers and visitors. We will, where reasonably practicable, follow relevant UK laws and standards, as well as ensuring local legal compliance.
Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility as well as being a particular responsibility for all levels of management. The British Council expects everyone to be aware of their role in workplace safety.
We aim to ensure that all staff and those who work with the British Council foster an attitude of good practice and co-operation to achieve high standards of health and safety.
The British Council is committed to:
- achieving and maintaining good standards of health and safety practice
- providing specialist safety, health and fire advice across its global operations
- monitoring and reviewing its health and safety systems and procedures to ensure their suitability, adequacy and effectiveness
- ensuring all staff play their part in meeting the British Council’s health and safety standards
- enabling staff to comply with the British Council’s health and safety standards
- providing suitable and adequate information, instruction, training and facilities to ensure all staff are aware of, and equipped to carry out, their health and safety responsibilities
- ensuring that those contracted to the British Council are aware of, and satisfactorily discharge, their health and safety roles and responsibilities.
We will provide adequate and appropriate resources to implement this global policy statement and will ensure it is communicated and understood.
The British Council will review this global policy statement annually to reflect new legal and regulatory developments and ensure good practice.
This global policy statement was approved by Scott McDonald, Chief Executive, in April 2024 and is due for review in March 2025.