What is a Health & Safety policy?
A health and safety policy sets out how an organisation intends to manage health and safety. It explains the organisation's commitment to protecting employees and others who may be affected by its activities, who is responsible for health and safety, and the arrangements in place for managing workplace risks.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have duties to manage health and safety. If you employ five or more people, your health and safety policy must be written down. If you employ fewer than five people, you are not required to record the policy in writing, although the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that it is useful to do so. The policy, and any revisions to it, must be brought to the attention of employees.
Having a written policy does not, by itself, make a business legally compliant. The important part is putting the policy into practice. Employers must identify and manage workplace risks and have effective arrangements for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing health and safety.
A clear, documented policy can also provide useful evidence of how an organisation manages health and safety. This may be relevant following an accident, enforcement action or an employers' liability claim. Under civil law, an employee who is injured or made ill through their employer's negligence may be able to claim compensation.
Appropriate records, such as risk assessments, training records, inspection records and evidence that identified controls have been implemented, can help demonstrate how risks have been managed.
The HSE recommends that a health and safety policy covers three main areas:
1. Statement of intent
This sets out the organisation's overall commitment to managing health and safety and its main aims and objectives. It should be signed by the employer or most senior person in the organisation.
2. Responsibilities for health and safety
This identifies who has responsibility for health and safety and clearly defines individual roles and responsibilities.
3. Arrangements for health and safety
This explains the practical arrangements used to manage health and safety and achieve the commitments made in the statement of intent. Depending on the organisation, this may include risk assessment, training, consultation, workplace inspections, maintenance, emergency arrangements and other relevant control measures.
The policy should be kept up to date and reviewed regularly. It should also be reviewed when there are significant changes to the workplace, work activities, organisation or processes, or where accidents, near misses or other information indicate that existing arrangements may no longer be effective. An annual review is sensible good practice for many businesses, but it is not a specific legal requirement to review the policy every 12 months.
The HSE provides free guidance, examples and a health and safety policy template to help employers prepare an appropriate policy.
