PRIVACY POLICY

QFS Scaffolding Ltd is committed to data protection and data privacy. With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enforceable from 25 May 2018, we have undertaken a GDPR readiness programme to review our entire business, the way we handle data and the way in which we use it to provide our services and manage business operations.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd holds personal data on all our employees to meet legal obligations and to perform vital internal functions.

Introduction

QFS Scaffolding Ltd have issued this privacy notice to describe how we handle personal information that we hold about our staff and job applicants.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd respect the privacy rights of individuals and are committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable law. This notice details the personal data we may retain, process and share with third parties relating to your employment and vital business operations. QFS Scaffolding Ltd are committed to ensuring that your information is secure, accurate and relevant. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have implemented suitable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure personal data we hold.

If you are in any doubt regarding this notice, please contact Human Resources.

Types of Personal Data We Collect.

During your employment with QFS Scaffolding Ltd, or when making an application for employment, we may process personal data about you and your dependents, beneficiaries and other individuals whose personal data has been provided to us.

The types of personal information QFS Scaffolding Ltd may process include, but are not limited to:

• Identification data – such as your name, gender, photograph, date of birth, staff member IDs.

• Contact details – such as home and business address, telephone/email addresses, emergency contact details.

• Employment details – such as job title/position, office location, employment contract, training records, performance and disciplinary records, grievance procedures, sickness/holiday records.

• Background information – such as academic/professional qualifications, education, CV, criminal records data (for vetting purposes, where permissible and in accordance with applicable law).

• Spouse & dependents information, marital status.

• Financial information – such as banking details, tax information, withholdings, salary, benefits, expenses, allowances, pay rises, pension, life insurance and health insurance information.

• IT information – information required to provide access to our IT systems and networks such as IP addresses, log files and login information.

• References relating to previous roles and employment conduct may be undertaken prior to commencement of employment. We will only gather references from referees provided to us by the employee, or prospective employee.

Sensitive personal data (‘special categories of personal data’ under the General Data Protection Regulation) includes any information that reveals your racial or ethnic origin, religious, political or philosophical beliefs, genetic data, biometric data for the purposes of unique identification, trade union membership, or information about your health/sex life.

Where QFS Scaffolding Ltd process Sensitive Personal Data of information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political options, religious and philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, biometric data or sexual orientation, QFS Scaffolding Ltd will always obtain your consent to those activities unless this is not required by law or the information is required to protect your health in an emergency. Where QFS Scaffolding Ltd are processing data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.

As most of personal data is stored on laptops and computers it is important to ensure that this data is as secure as possible to avoid any GDPR breaches. QFS Scaffolding Ltd employ a third-party computer company who assist in ensuring that all computers/laptops are password protected this includes subfolders on our servers for example only the HSEQ Department can access their section on the server, and this is blocked to others who try to access it. They ensure every machine has the most up to date virus scanning software and are on call for emergencies in case a virus is sent from an outside source. For extra protection, we have also undertaken Cyber Protection Insurance.

Where necessary QFS Scaffolding Ltd may keep information relating to your health, which could include reasons for absence and GP reports and notes. This information will be used in order to comply with our Health & Safety and Occupational Health Obligations – to consider how your health affects your ability to do your job and whether any adjustments to your job might be appropriate. QFS Scaffolding Ltd will also need this data to administer and manage statutory and company sick pay, health insurance or life insurance policies.

Purposes for Processing Personal Data

Recruitment

If you are applying for a role with QFS Scaffolding Ltd then we collect and use this personal data for recruitment purposes – in particular, to determine your suitability for a specific role. This includes assessing your skills, qualifications and verifying your information, carrying out reference checks or background checks (where necessary) and to generally manage the hiring process and communicate with you about it. 

If you are accepted for a role with us, the data collected during the recruitment process will form part of your ongoing employee record.

Employment

QFS Scaffolding Ltd collect and process personal data relating to our employees to meet our obligations under the employment contract and to comply with our legal obligations. QFS Scaffolding Ltd take the security of your data seriously and are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data.

Once you become an employee, QFS Scaffolding Ltd collect and use this personal information for managing our employment or working relationship with you – for example, your employment records and contract information (so we can manage our employment relationship with you), your bank account and salary details (so we can pay you), and details of your spouse and dependents (for emergency contact and benefits purposes).

QFS Scaffolding Ltd have policies and controls in place to try to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed without authorisation and only accessed or used for specific legal purposes. 

You have some obligations under your employment contract to provide the organisation with data. You may also have to provide the organisation with data in order to exercise your statutory rights, such as in relation to statutory leave entitlements. Failing to provide this data may mean that you are unable to exercise your statutory rights.

Legitimate Business Purposes

QFS Scaffolding Ltd may also collect and use personal information when it is necessary for other legitimate purposes, such as to help us conduct our business more effectively and efficiently – for example, for general IT security management, accounting purposes or financial planning. We may also process your personal information to investigate violations of law or breaches of our own internal policies.

The IT Department will record and monitor usage of all our IT equipment, user activity, voice traffic, email and Internet usage as deemed necessary. The IT Department will observe the strictest confidentiality when undertaking these activities. They will make their report directly to the Managing Director & Human Resources who will determine the actions that may need to be taken in any particular case.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd Head Office and client’s sites are protected by CCTV systems throughout their premises as deemed necessary and employees should expect all areas (other than those where use would contravene common decency) to be visible on a television monitoring system. Any information obtained from systems will be used with strict adherence to GDPR. Information will be used for the prevention and detection of crime and to ensure compliance with our policies and procedures and our legal obligations. This may include using recorded images as evidence in disciplinary proceedings.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd will also monitor company telephone use and all company vehicles will have tracking devices fitted to them, information from these tracking devices may be used to verify weekly time sheets or may service at any stage as evidence concerning individual conduct and where there are concerns or clear breaches of policy, this data may be used as evidence in disciplinary proceedings.

Legal Purposes

QFS Scaffolding Ltd may also use your personal data where QFS Scaffolding Ltd consider it necessary for complying with laws and regulations, including collecting and disclosing employee personal information as required by law (e.g. for tax, health and safety, anti-discrimination laws), under judicial authorisation, or to exercise or defend our legal rights.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

QFS Scaffolding Ltd legal basis for collecting and using the personal data described above will depend on the personal data concerned and the way we collect it. QFS Scaffolding Ltd will normally collect personal data from you only where we need it to perform a contract with you (i.e. to manage the employer/employee relationship), where we have your freely given consent to do so, or where the processing is in our legitimate interests and only where this interest is not overridden by your own interests or fundamental rights and freedoms.  In some cases, we may also have a legal obligation to collect personal information from you or may otherwise need the personal information to protect your vital interests or those of another person.

Any processing based on consent will be made clear to you at the time of collection or use – consent can be withdrawn at any time in writing by contacting Human Resources.

Who We Share Your Personal Data With?

QFS Scaffolding Ltd take care to allow access to personal data only to those who require such access to perform their tasks and duties. This could be information within departments in QFS Scaffolding Ltd, clients, training providers, medical providers and to third parties who have a legitimate purpose for accessing it. Whenever QFS Scaffolding Ltd permit a third party to access personal information, QFS Scaffolding Ltd will implement appropriate measures to ensure the data is used in a manner consistent with this notice and that the security and confidentiality of the data is maintained.

Transfers to Third-Party Service Providers

In addition, QFS Scaffolding Ltd make certain personal data available to third parties who provide services to us. QFS Scaffolding Ltd do so on a "need to know basis" and in accordance with applicable data protection and data privacy laws. For example, some personal data will be available to our employee benefit providers or third-party companies that provide QFS Scaffolding Ltd with employment law advice.

Transfers to other Third Parties.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd may also disclose personal data to third parties on other lawful grounds, including:

• To comply with our legal obligations, including where necessary to abide by law, regulation or contract, or to respond to a court order, administrative or judicial process

• In response to lawful requests by public authorities (including for national security or law enforcement purposes)

• As necessary to establish, exercise or defend against potential, threatened or actual litigation

• Where necessary to protect the vital interests of our employees or another person

• To training providers where they require personal information to book you on courses

• To sub-contracts where vetting is required prior to site inductions or to provide Safety Critical Medicals

• In connection with the sale, assignment or other transfer of all or part of our business; or

• With your freely given and explicit consent

Transfer of Personal Data Abroad

QFS Scaffolding Ltd may need to transfer personal data to countries outside of the United Kingdom. When QFS Scaffolding Ltd export your personal data to a different country, QFS Scaffolding Ltd will take steps to ensure that such data exports comply with applicable laws.

Data Retention

Personal data will be stored in accordance with applicable laws and kept for as long as needed to carry out the purposes described in this notice or as otherwise required by law. Generally, this means your personal information will be retained until the end or your employment, employment application, or work relationship with us plus a reasonable period of time thereafter to respond to employment or work-related inquiries or to deal with any legal matters (e.g. judicial or disciplinary actions), document the proper termination of your employment or work relationship (e.g. to tax authorities), or to provide you with ongoing pensions or other benefits.

Your Rights

You may exercise the rights available to you under data protection law as follows:

• The right to be informed.

• The right of access.

• The right to rectification.

• The right to erasure.

• The right to restrict processing.

• The right to data portability.

• The right to object.

QFS Scaffolding Ltd respond to all requests we receive from individuals wishing to exercise their data protection rights in accordance with applicable data protection laws. You can read more about these rights at:

https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/is-my-information-being-handled-correctly/

To exercise any of these rights, please confirm in writing to Human Resources.

Issues and Complaints

QFS Scaffolding ltd try to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. QFS Scaffolding Ltd encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. QFS Scaffolding Ltd would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures.

This notice was drafted with clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of our collection and use of personal information. However, QFS Scaffolding Ltd are happy to provide any additional information or explanation needed.

If you want to make a complaint about the way QFS Scaffolding Ltd have processed your personal information, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office in their capacity as the statutory body which oversees data protection law – www.ico.org.uk/concerns.

Contact Details

QFS Scaffolding Ltd is the controller and processor of data for the purposes of the DPA 18 and GDPR 3.

If you have any concerns as to how your data is processed, you can contact:

The Human Resources Department at hr@qfscaffolding.com or you can write to us using the following address:

QFS Scaffolding Ltd

Westminster House

Denton Wharf

Mark Lane

Gravesend

Kent

DA12 2PL