health and safety policies
The health and safety policy statement should contain the aims of the organization or company. Aims will probably remain unchanged during policy revisions, whereas objectives will be reviewed and modified or changed each year. The statement should be written in clear and simple language so that it is easily understandable. It should also be fairly brief and broken down into a series of smaller statements or bullet points. The statement should be signed and dated by the most senior pension in the organization. This will indicate the frequency with which the policy statement is reviewed. The policy statement should be written by the organization and not by external consultants since it needs to address the specific health and safety issues and hazards within the organization. In large organizations, it may be necessary to have health and safety policies for each department and site with an overarching general policy incorporating the individual policies. Such an approach is often used by local authorities and multinational companies.
The following points should be included or considered when a health and safety policy statement is being drafted :
- The aims should cover health and safety policies, welfare and relevant environmental issues.
- The position of the senior person in the organization or company who is responsible for health and safety policies.
- The names of the health and safety policy adviser and any safety representatives.
- A commitment to the basic requirements of the health and safety policies at work act.
- A commitment to the additional requirements of the management of health and safety policies at work regulations.
- Duties towards the wider general public and others.
- The principal hazards in the organization.
- Specific policies of the organization.
- Specific targets for the immediate and long term future.
On the notice boards the health and safety policies statement should be posted.
The arrangements section of the health and safety policy comprises details of the means used to carry out the policy statement. This will include health and safety rules and procedures and the provision of facilities, such as a first aid room and wash rooms. It is common for risk assessments, particularly for those hazards referred to in the policy statement. It is important that arrangements for fire and other emergencies and for information, instruction, training and supervision are also covered. Local codes of practice should be included.
The following list covers the more common items normally included in the arrangements section of the health and safety policies :
- Employee health and safety code of practice.
- Accident and illness reporting and investigation procedure.
- Emergency procedures, first aid.
- Electrical equipment.
- Control of hazardous substances, manual handling.
- Machinery safety, lifting and pressure equipment.
- Permits to work procedures.
- Health and safety inspection and adult procedures.
- Procedures for contractors and visitors.
- Catering and food hygiene procedures.
- Terms of reference and constitution of the safety committee.
It is important that the health and safety policies are monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. For this to be successful, a series of benchmarks needs to be established. Such benchmarks, or examples of good practice, are defined by comparison with the health and safety performance of other parts of the organization or the national performance of the occupational group of the organization. The health and safety policy executive publishes an annual report, statistics and bulletins, all of which may be used for this purpose. Typical benchmarks include accident rates per employee and accident or disease causation.
In conclusion, a successful health and safety policies are likely to lead to a successful organization or company.
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