A health and safety policy sets out your general approach and commitment together with the arrangements you have put in place for managing health and safety in your business. It is a unique document that says who does what, when and how.
The policy is usually made up of three parts: –
A Statement of Intent (what you intend to do) – A written policy statement which shows your staff, and anyone else, your commitment to health and safety.
Organisation details (who will be involved) – This section names those who will have responsibilities for health and safety matters in your company.
Arrangements (how you will put it in place) – This section explains how you will control the main hazards that have been identified in your risk assessment.
Your health and safety policy will only be effective if it is acted upon and followed by you and your staff. It should be reviewed regularly (at least annually) or sooner if there are changes to work processes, plant, equipment or staff.
It doesn’t matter what size your company is, you will need a policy which sets out certain arrangements, procedures or rules in place to make sure that accidents are prevented during the course of your day-to-day business. It is good practice to record all of these details in a policy document. If you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down.
Should you require a discussion about your health and safety policy, please contact us.
