PART 1 - YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY DOCUMENT

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a. Employers with five or more employees, must have a written health and safety policy statement.

b. Every employer must have arrangements (the safety management system, SMS) to implement the policy. These are arrangements for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing safety (MHSW Regs), which should be documented for employers of five or more persons. A summary and source reference should be given.

c. This is not a specific requirement in safety law. Nevertheless ultimate responsibility for safety rests with the most senior management. Some statement of general commitment should be included.

d. This is not a specific requirement in law. However if signed by the Chief Executive on site, appropriate authority is given to the document. The dating of the document assists with review.

e. The statement must be brought to the attention of employees (HASWA). This can be by individual issue, placing on the notice boards or by other appropriate means.

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• The policy sets the direction for health and safety, but on its own it is limited without the means to deliver it: this is what we mean by 'organisation.' It could be described as 'how you make sure that things get done.' It includes, 'who does what,' the relationships between individuals, and the management activity. There are several activities to consider: - Control. This is how commitment is obtained from employees and managers to what you are trying to achieve, IT is about people at all levels taking responsibility for things which could have an impact on health and safety. You may need to draw up written systems and rules, to clarify the way tasks should be done.
• Co-operation. Participation by employees is vital to success in managing health and safety: it encourages 'ownership,' and taps the knowledge of those with the first hand experience of tasks. Consultation is also required buy specific regulations.
  
• Communication. Without effective communications, effort is wasted. Behaviour of senior managers is one of the most powerful means of communicating the seriousness with which the company views health and safety. Written communications play a part, as do face-to-face discussions such as team briefings, toolbox talks etc. - Competence. If all employees are to make a full contribution, arrangements should be in place to make sure they are competent. This includes training as well as experience of applying skills and knowledge under adequate supervision

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• The control of risk requires all activities relevant to the management of health and safety to be identified and planning to achieve the implementation of risk controls. The planning function should ways of eliminating hazards and ways of reducing risks by the use of physical controls, or as a last resort, through systems of work and personal protective equipment. The policy should identify those activities that require managing (the health and safety programme) and summarise the arrangements for developing and implementing standards appropriate to each activity.

• Planning should address hazard identification and risk assessment.

• Planning should address design and construction of plant/equipment including procurement.

• Planning should address the design of tasks, processes, products and services.

• Planning should address safe systems of work and maintenance of plant.

• Planning should address management of change to plant process and staff.

• Planning should address the control of non-employees.

• Planning should address procedures for responding to serious and imminent danger.

• Planning should address co-operation with neighbours and contractors.

• Planning should ensure that the requirements of relevant health and safety regulations are incorporated into the safety management standards.

• Planning should address the setting of health and safety targets for managers and supervisors.

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• Monitoring health and safety performance is essential to provide management with information about the effectiveness of the SMS. The policy should summarise the arrangements for both active and reactive monitoring.

• Active monitoring involves regular measurement of performance against safety management standards and targets.

• Active monitoring utilises several separate, but complementary methods such as safety inspections, safety tours (by middle and senior management) safety surveys and safety audits (including SMS audits).

• Reactive monitoring involves the reporting and investigation of incidents and accidents, whether these relate to people, process, property or any combination of these.

• The results of both types of monitoring should identify inadequacies in risk control and be used to improve this.

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a. A review of the SMS enables senior management to learn from experience and improve an organisation's health and safety record (middle management are assumed to be involved in review of local safety management arrangements under their direct control). The policy should summarise the SMS review arrangements.

b. The review takes the results of monitoring activities, changes to legislation, information from other industries, technical developments etc. and evaluates them to identify what changes to the system, if any, are required.

c. Changes to some (policy, organisation planning and control etc.) or all of the SMS elements may be necessary. Agreed changes are recorded on an action plan. Another important function of the review is the tracking and completion of actions.