Every organisation must have a health and safety policy by law. When there are five or more employees, the policy must be written down. In this article we discuss what you should include and provide a health and safety policy sample to help you.
How to write a health and safety policy
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommend that a health and safety policy covers three areas:
- Statement of intent,
- Who has responsibility for health and safety,
- Arrangements for health and safety (the actions that will be taken to ensure the organisation’s health and safety aims are achieved).
Statement of intent
A statement of intent is a formal declaration made by an organisation at the beginning of the policy document which outlines a commitment to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of employees and anyone impacted by the organisations activities.
The statement of intent expresses:
- Leadership commitment. It demonstrates the commitment of senior management to prioritising health and safety, showing that the leadership is actively engaged in promoting a safe working environment.
- Setting objectives. The statement explains the broad objectives for health and safety in the organisation, which will be to prevent workplace injuries and illness, comply with health and safety legislation and continuously improve safety standards by ensuring appropriate risk assessment, training, supervision and equipment is in place and emergency procedures are implemented.
- Guiding principles. It sets out the organisation’s principles which are likely to include responsibility, compliance, accountability and monitoring. It might include a commitment to consulting employees on health and safety matters.
- Health and safety culture. It helps set the tone for the organisation’s safety culture, indicating that health and safety is integral to the organisation’s operations and embedded in everyday practices.
- A commitment to review the health and safety policy at least annually.
Essentially, the statement of intent is a pledge by an organisation to uphold and continuously improve health and safety standards, ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of the importance of maintaining a safe working environment.
Responsibilities for health and safety
This section of the policy names those who have overall responsibility for health and safety in the organisation, and those who are responsible for ensuring the health and safety policy is put into practice day-to-day.
Specific duties may be listed next to each person’s name, which may include:
- Developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive health and safety policy.
- Ensuring the policy is aligned with health and safety legislation and reflects best practices.
- Organising risk assessments to identify potential hazards in the workplace and implementing measures to mitigate identified risks.
- Monitoring risk mitigation strategies to ensure they are continually effective.
- Clearly communicating health and safety policies and procedures to all employees.
- Providing adequate resources including people, time, and funding to support health and safety initiatives.
- Ensuring that health and safety equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) is available and maintained.
- Organising regular training sessions to educate and refresh employees on health and safety practices, including the correct use of equipment and emergency procedures.
- Ensuring that new employees receive safety induction training before starting work.
- Ensuring that employees have easy access to health and safety manuals and resources.
- Monitoring health and safety compliance through audits and inspections.
- Reporting on health and safety performance to relevant authorities as required and using this data to improve safety measures.
- Establishing procedures for reporting accidents and near-misses.
- Ensuring that all incidents are reported and investigated thoroughly to understand their causes and prevent recurrence.
- Consulting with employees about matters affecting their health and safety, possibly through establishing safety committees or appointing safety representatives.
- Keeping informed about current health and safety legislation and best practices.
This section will detail employees’ responsibilities to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others (as covered in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974). It will also state that they are expected to cooperate with managers on health and safety matters.
Arrangements for health and safety
Under this section all the arrangements an organisation has for health and safety are listed, as in the example below:
Risk assessment
- Regular risk assessments will be conducted to identify potential hazards in the workplace.
- Actions will be taken to mitigate identified risks to a reasonably practicable level.
- Assessment findings will be documented and reviewed annually or after significant changes in the workplace.
- Personal protective equipment will be provided as needed.
Training
- All employees will receive health and safety induction training upon commencement of employment, including training that is appropriate to their work such as Asbestos Awareness, Electrical Safety and Working at Height.
- Additional training will be provided when new equipment is introduced or when working practices change.
- Refresher training will be conducted to ensure ongoing competence in health and safety practices.
Consultation
- Employees will be consulted regularly on health and safety matters affecting their work.
- Employee consultations will be facilitated through regular meetings and through the appointment of employee health and safety representatives.
Evacuation procedures
- Escape routes will always be clear and well signposted.
- Clear evacuation procedures will be established and communicated to all staff.
- Evacuation drills will be conducted annually to ensure that all employees are familiar with evacuation routes and assembly points.
- Special arrangements will be made for the evacuation of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
Free download – health and safety policy sample
Please download our free example health and safety policy to see how our health and safety experts create policies that comply with health and safety legislation, meet HSE guidelines and are tailored to an organisation’s specific requirements.
As part of our Helpdesk service, we provide you with a health and safety policy template that meets regulatory requirements which we can support you to customise to your organisation’s needs.
(Link to example health and safety policy PDF when created)
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