Policy – THE PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF SETTING POLICY FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

(a) Outline the purpose of the three main sections of an organisation’s health and safety policy.

(b) Give reasons why the health and safety policy should be signed by the most senior person in an organisation, such as a Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer.

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Part (a) of this question is intended to test candidates‟ understanding of health and safety policies and their structure.

Initial referral to the „statement of intent‟ which both demonstrates management’s commitment to health and safety and sets goals and objectives for the organisation,

Moving on to the „organisation‟ section, the purpose of which is to allocate health and safety responsibilities within the company and to ensure effective delegating and reporting and

Finally the “arrangements” section which sets out in detail the systems and procedures that show how the policy is to be implemented.

Those who do not do so well outline the contents of the sections rather than their purpose.

For part (b),

The signature of the most senior person in the organisation would demonstrate management commitment and this would give authority to the policy or that the person concerned ultimately had responsibility for health and safety in the organisation.

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SIGNING OF THE POLICY STATEMENT

Explain why a health and safety policy should be signed by the most senior person in an organisation, such as a Managing Director or Chief Executive and include the signing date.

• The statement should be signed and dated by the most senior person in the organisation.

• This will demonstrate management commitment to health and safety and give authority to the policy.

• It will indicate where ultimate responsibility lies and the frequency with which the policy statement is reviewed.

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IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY

Outline why it is important that all persons in an organisation are aware of their roles and responsibilities for health and safety.

Ensuring that all persons in an organisation are aware of their roles for health and safety will assist in defining their individual responsibilities and will indicate the commitment and leadership of senior management.

A clear delegation of duties will assist in sharing out the health and safety workload and will ensure contributions from different levels and jobs

Defining roles and responsibilities will help to set up clear lines of reporting and communication as well as assisting in defining individual competencies and training needs particularly for specific roles such as first aid and fire.

Finally, making individuals aware of their own roles and responsibilities will indicate to them that health and safety is seen as a core function of the job, will increase their motivation and help to improve the health and safety culture within the organisation as a whole.