edpManagement Systems
for Health Safety + Environment
health, safety and environment consultants
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Policy
Your Commitment to
Health and Safety
You must have an occupational health and safety policy that is authorised by your organisation's top management. It should clearly state overall health and safety objectives and a commitment to improving health and safety performance.
It demonstrates your organisation's commitment to care for the safety and welfare of everyone who is impacted by your activities.
It also sets a clear direction for achieving compliance with health and safety law and an ongoing culture of continuous improvement.
The aim is to effectively manage health and safety in a cost effective manner whilst minimising the likelihood of the organisation facing prosecution or compensation claims.
The general policy statement must be signed by the most senior person in the organisation.
However, although overall responsibility resides at the highest level, many duties are delegated to managers and supervisors, all of whom have legal responsibility for carrying out the policy.
Legal Requirements
The most important health and safety statute that applies to virtually all UK organisations is The Health and Safety at Work Act, which states:
"..it shall be the duty of every organisation to prepare … a written statement of his general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of his employees and the organisation and arrangements … for carrying out that policy."
The only exceptions to this requirement are organisations with less than five employees and domestic households.
Stated requirements for a health and safety policy vary slightly according to the standard adopted by your organisation:
HSG 65
The written policy statement must:- Express your general policy on health and safety.
- Describe the organisation and arrangements for carrying out your policy.
- Be revised as and when required by legal changes or changes in your circumstances.
- The policy and all subsequent changes must be brought to the attention of all your employees.
OHSAS 18001
The policy should:
- Be appropriate to the nature and scale of your organisation's Occupational Health and Safety (OH+S) risks
- Include a commitment to continual improvement.
- Include a commitment to at least comply with current applicable OH+S legislation and with other requirements to which your organisation subscribes.
- Be documented, implemented and maintained.
- Be communicated to all your employees with the intent that they are made aware of their individual OH+S obligations.
- Be available to interested parties.
- Be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains relevant and appropriate to your organisation.