Written safety policy

Under s.2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 any employer who has five or more employees must produce a written safety policy. The policy must be signed by the senior executive and dated. As it is intended as a living document, it must be reviewed on a regular basis, and revised to account for any changes in the law or in working procedures.

Even where a policy statement in not required by law, smaller organisations are increasingly being required by clients or prospective clients to produce a statement of intent for health and safety, as they require all partners in their business to demonstrate that they operate safely.

Constructing a safety policy

A well constructed health and safety policy sets the direction for the organisation by demonstrating senior management commitment, setting health and safety in context with the other business objectives and making a commitment to continuous improvement of health and safety performance.

The document should identify key responsibilities for health and safety within the organisation for both managers and staff, and identify the Director or key Senior Manager with overall responsibility for formulating and implementing the policy.

The general arrangements for health and safety within the organisation should be outlined in the policy.

Dependent upon the type of organisation and the risks involved, the policy may need to be supplemented by more detailed arrangements, often provided in manual or handbook format.

How can PHSC help?

Our consultants have built up a wealth of experience working with organisations to design and implement effective health and safety policies and procedures.

We can help you with policies in a number of ways:

	Identification of policies needed.
	Writing of bespoke policies for your organisation.
	Designing and delivering training in support of policies.
	Auditing against adherence company policies.
	Reviewing existing policies.

We can undertake all work related to safety policies for your organisation via the Appointed Safety Advisor Service .

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