What is a Safety Policy?
A safety policy is simply a written document that details how your business organises its health and safety responsibilities. The document need not be long but it should be specific to your business, set out your general policy for protecting the health and safety of your employees whilst at work, how this is to be organised and who is responsible.
Do I Need a Safety Policy?
If your business employs five people or more, then you have a legal duty to produce a written safety policy. If you have less than five employees, then you still have a requirement to safeguard the health and safety of your employees but this does not include having a written safety policy.
What Should a Safety Policy Contain?
A safety policy should contain the following:
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Your general policy of health and safety within your business. For instance what your general aims are with regard to your employees' health and safety. You may wish to stress the importance of co-operation and communication in helping achieve your health and safety aims.
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A description of the organisation and arrangements for carrying out the policy. The Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 places a great deal of responsibility on employers and you may wish to delegate, through your safety policy, certain functions to other people, for example managers or supervisors. You may also wish to describe the systems and procedures that you have put in place to ensure employees' health and safety.
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Be signed and dated by an appropriate person, for example a partner or managing director.
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A safety policy must be regularly reviewed to ensure that it remains effective and revised if appropriate. A safety policy may need revising for example when you move premises, purchase new plant or equipment or when your main business activity changes.
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A safety policy must be communicated to all members of staff so that they can read, understand and comply with your health and safety arrangements. This can be achieved, for example, by putting up copies of the policy around the workplace or by placing a short note in employees' wage packets.
A safety policy may seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but a good safety policy is a fundamental document that sets the tone of your health and safety commitment in your business. As such it is extremely important.
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