Every employer in Great Britain must have a policy for managing health and safety, and those with five or more employees must put it in writing. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires the policy to set out the organisation’s general approach, identify who is responsible for specific health and safety matters, and describe the practical arrangements in place. Northern Ireland has separate legislation and guidance.
This article explains what each section of a health and safety policy should contain, with a closer look at the roles and duties that typically feature in the responsibilities section.
HSE guidance provides a downloadable health and safety policy template and states that a policy should cover three areas:
- Part 1: Statement of Intent
- Part 2: Responsibilities for Health and Safety
- Part 3: Arrangements for Health and Safety
The Statement of Intent should set out the organisation’s general approach, commitment and aims for managing health and safety. The employer or most senior person should sign it and review it regularly.
The second section explains how specific health and safety responsibilities are allocated within the organisation. It should list the names, positions and roles of the people with overall, day-to-day or specific responsibility for health and safety.
The third section of a policy covers the arrangements for health and safety. This area provides details regarding the management systems, work procedures and protective measures that have been developed by the organisation.
The responsibilities section should identify who has overall, day-to-day or specific health and safety responsibilities and explain the general duties of employees. Depending on the organisation, it may describe the roles of:
- Directors and Managers
- Supervisors
- Employees
- Safety Advisers
- Safety Representatives
- Specialists
- First Aiders
- Fire Marshals
The roles that need to be identified depend on the organisation’s size, structure, activities and risk profile. Responsibilities should be clearly allocated and supported by appropriate authority, resources and reporting lines.
Everyone given a health and safety responsibility should understand what it involves. Where responsibilities overlap, the policy should explain how the people involved will cooperate and coordinate.
Let’s look more closely at how these responsibilities may be described in a health and safety policy.
The employer has overall responsibility for preparing and maintaining the health and safety policy. In a company, directors and senior managers provide leadership and oversight. They approve appropriate resources for health and safety management, set organisational objectives and monitor progress towards them.
Supervisors communicate relevant procedures, provide appropriate day-to-day supervision and address or report unsafe conditions and practices within the areas for which they are responsible.
Employees must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. They must cooperate with their employer, follow relevant training and instructions and report health and safety concerns through the organisation’s procedures.
Safety advisers provide competent assistance on health and safety law, risk management and the organisation’s health and safety arrangements. The employer retains its underlying legal duty to manage health and safety when using an adviser. The adviser’s responsibilities depend on the duties assigned to them and should be defined clearly.
Safety representatives represent employees during consultation with management. Depending on how they are appointed or elected, their functions may include raising concerns, making representations, investigating hazards and incidents and inspecting the workplace. Their representative role does not transfer the employer’s health and safety management responsibilities to them.
Specialists, such as occupational health professionals, electricians or hazardous-substance advisers, work with an organisation to provide more insight into a particular issue, such as the proper use of equipment or substances. Specialists’ responsibilities depend on their competence, employment or contractual role and any applicable legislation. Using a specialist does not remove the employer’s duty to manage the associated risks.
First aiders are people who have completed an appropriate level of training identified through the employer’s first-aid needs assessment. They provide immediate assistance when someone is injured or taken ill at work. Some lower-risk workplaces may need only an appointed person to manage first-aid arrangements rather than a trained first aider.
The relevant fire-safety dutyholder is responsible for establishing appropriate emergency procedures and nominating sufficient competent people to help implement them. Fire marshals or wardens may assist with evacuation, but their appointment does not transfer the dutyholder’s overall responsibility. The applicable fire-safety legislation differs across the UK.
Depending on the organisation’s activities and risks, the arrangements section may cover:
- Inspection, maintenance and repair of work equipment, where required
- Recording and investigating accidents, and reporting incidents where required
- Health surveillance, where indicated by the risk assessment or specific legislation
- Health and safety information, instruction, training and supervision
- Employee consultation, including a health and safety committee where required or otherwise appropriate
- Cooperation and coordination with contractors, other employers and organisations sharing the workplace
- Health and safety risk assessments
- First-aid and emergency arrangements
- Fire safety and evacuation arrangements
- Monitoring and review of health and safety performance
The people named in a health and safety policy — whether directors, supervisors or first aiders — need to understand what their responsibilities actually involve. Employers must provide employees with appropriate information, instruction, training and supervision, including additional training when they take on extra responsibilities.
The training selected should reflect the work and risks involved and be supplemented with practical instruction and supervision where necessary.
Human Focus offers online health and safety training across a wide range of topics, suitable for employees, managers and senior leaders. All courses can be completed at the learner’s own pace, and a certificate is issued on completion.
