To achieve success in health and safety management, there needs to be effective communication up, down and across the organisation including communicating your policy to all employees.
A health & safety policy is a document stating the company's commitment to the health & safety of employees and to the public, and is endorsed by top management. If you have less than five employees, it is not a legal requirement to have a written health & safety policy although it is good practice to have one in place, especially if your business is expanding.
What should a policy include?
1. Statement
The statement will in simple terms, outline how the business will manage health & safety in a clear and concise manner. Many policies will refer to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) and other legislation applicable to the industry the business is in. The statement will also set out the general aims and objectives of the business such as:
- Prevent accidents and cases of work related ill-health.
- Provide clear instructions and information, and adequate training, to ensure employees are competent to do their work.
- Maintain safe and healthy working conditions, provide and maintain plant, equipment and machinery, and ensure safe storage/use of substances or chemicals.
2. Organisation
This section will allow the business to outline who has responsibility and accountability for health & safety within your organisation. You may also identify the different roles for health & safety with key individuals or their appointments named and their responsibilities defined. In a small business this might be just one person.
Whilst the overall responsibility for health & safety is owned at the highest management level, all individuals at every level will have to accept degrees of responsibility for carrying out the policy.
3. Arrangements (systems and procedures)
The arrangements section will generally be the largest section of the policy as this will set out how the business will manage the various risks faced by all areas of work, by outlining the systems and procedures for ensuring employees’ health & safety, relevant legislation applicable, and how the business will meet the legislation requirements
In larger firms, or those with complex processes, one possible approach is to set these out in fairly general terms in the safety policy and to refer the reader to other documents for full details, such as
- Risk Assessments
- Safe Systems of Work (SSOW)
- Accident reporting (including RIDDOR)
- Checklists
- Operating procedures
The detailed arrangements for controlling accidental loss, specific procedures and information may also be set down in a safety manual or handbook.
Ensure your Policy evolves with the business
The policy should be regularly reviewed, at least annually or more often if there are changes in the business or legislation that affects the business. To demonstrate top level commitment the policy will need be signed off and approved by the person with overall responsibility in the business, and communicated to all staff.
A health & safety Policy does not need to be over complicated with hundreds of pages, it should explain what the business does in terms of workplace health & safety, what the risks are, and how you will manage them.