We hear  lots about how organisations need  ’policies’.  Firstly, if you have less than 5 employees, you don’t need a written health and safety policy but you still need to adhere to the basic principles stated in it – so you might as well write one!

To help people who are new to the area, this blog aims to give you  a quick overview of what one actually looks like! A  H&S policy is the document that tells the world how you’re going to manage your health and safety. It doesn’t have to be long, but it should contain the following:

• Your ‘statement of intent’ – in which you say what you’re going to do and how you are going to do it (shouldn’t really be more than one side of A4!)
• It says who is responsible for what and where the budget will come from  – every business has a budget for the important stuff and  health and safety is important - it needn’t cost an arm and a leg  but it should be sufficient for your type of business.
• It says what will happen in different scenarios – eg first aid, fire, driving, lone working, risk assessments, accident reporting and so on

That’s essentially what is in a policy but attached to the H&S policy (and made available to all staff) are the nuts and bolts of health and safety such as risk assessments – these are key documants that identify what the significant hazards are in our businesses and how we control them – such as working with computers, dealing with chemicals, lone working, working at height.

A H&S policy is a dynamic document which needs to be kept updated (at least once a year) to reflect any changes in the business and how it operates. The key to success with your policy is – KIS your health and safety policy!  – Keep it simple and  understandable – so that everyone buys in to it.

If you need any advice on writing a policy please get in touch.

Sian MacGowan

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