Health and Safety Policy

“Health and safety policy is a business plan for safety”.

It should clear directives to achieve the goal of loss control and continual improvement.
A policy should cover:
- aim of the organization.
- objectives of the OSH.
- Commitment to manage OSH.
Objectives
- protect the people.
- Comply with legal requirement.
- Managing in a cost effective way.
There is no universal policy suitable for all organization. It should consist of three section:

1. Statement of intent (Purpose): Commitment to managing safety and health.

It’s a formal statement of commitment to continuous improvement in health and safety by
demonstrated leadership, effective management and provision of resources.
It communicates the importance of health and safety to all stakeholders, e.g. employees, investors,
customers.
Its is signed by most senior accountable person within the organization e.g. chief executive, director,
chairman.
Contents of statement:
Good statement should contain:
a) a statement establishing the importance of health and safety in relation to other business
objectives.
b) A declaration (announcement) of the managements intention to provide safe and healthy working
conditions, and work activity do not harm employee, public, contractor.
c) A commitment (promise) to:
- leadership in health and safety from top management personnel.
- A system of health and safety management system based on recognized models.
- Continuous improvement in health and safety.
- Meeting the requirement of all legislation as a minimum standard.
- Resources (man, material, money, time).
- An annual plan outlining targets for improvement.
- IITS.
d) recognition of the support required from all personnel to achieve the objectives.

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2. Organisation: Role and responsibility.

The role and responsibility of everyone in the organization have to be defined. This is the driving
force of the organization. Responsibility should be allocated throughout the organization by position.
Its good practice to include organization chart.
Responsibilities are measurable and should be taught about how to perform, training should be
provided for effectiveness of responsibilities.
e.g. manager should know how to inspect the work site, what to see, how to use tool.

Role and responsibility should:

a) identify:
- the person responsible.
- Health and safety director at board level.
- Health and safety advisor/representatives.
b) define role and responsibilities of line and functional management.
c) Identify a competent person:
- provide support and advice, to monitor health and safety performance.
- Deal with emergencies, first aid, fire, evacuation.
d) define role and responsibilities of workers.
e) Role of health and safety committee.
f) Specific training required at each level to be identified.
g) External sources of advice that may be required.
h) Identify external emergency services in disaster planning.

3. Arrangement (activities): procedures for carrying out the functions of health and safety
management.
A health and safety policy which allocates aims, objectives and responsibilities should detail about
how responsibilities are to be carried out. Arrangement should have a procedure to:
a) Plan:
Develop annual health and safety plans for implementing the policy/management system
requirements and reducing accidents and ill health.
b) Organise:
- consult with employees or their representatives and the health and safety committee.
- Communicate with stakeholders and interested parties e.g. employees, enforcement agencies,
media.

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 - Develop emergency and disaster plan.
- Provide health and safety training.
c) Control:
- identify the hazards, assess risk and develop safe system of work.
- Develop permit to work.
- Control risk from activities : purchase of new equipment, hazardous substances, manual
handling selection and control of contractors, provision and use of P.P.E., use of equipment
and machinery.
d) Monitor:

** Active monitoring:

 monitor and record performance in e.g.

- use of P.P.E.
- pre shift machine guard checking.
- Workplace noise level.
- Work place inspection.
 test emergency and disaster plans.
 Audit safety management systems.

** Reactive monitoring:
 report near miss, accidents and ill health.
 Investigate accidents and ill health.

e) Review:

Review annual performance.

Health and Safety policy in decision making

The health and safety priorities identified in the policy should influence all activities, including selection
of people, the way they are managed. It provides how leadership can be achieved. It enables training to be
provided manager to perform his duties such as work place inspection, accident investigation and
sickness absence interviews.

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Targets:

The policy is the basis of a plan for action to achieve objectives. Quantified targets, in the form of an
annual plan, are essential to measure the implementation of the health and safety policy, to learn lessons,
and feed them back into the organization.

Objective:
An objective is a general goal- an unquantifiable statement of intention.
A target allocates detailed performance requirements and functions as a route marker on the way to
achieving an objective. Target should be SMART.

Specific:
Measurable:
Agreed:
Realistic:
Time framed.

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a priority target allocated to an individual or a business unit.
The target will outline the steps that will be made to achieve the reduction in accidents and ill health. E.g.
risk assessment, safe system of work and procedure to be written and reviewed, training, campaigns,
inspection.

Benchmarking:

Benchmarking is also a useful management tool, which takes key performance indicators and compares
externally with similar organization or internally with other business units.

Advantages:

 Identifies key performance indicator.

 Ensures monitoring procedures are effective.
 Feeds in to continuous improvement cycle.
 Avoid making mistakes by learning lessons.
 Generates management focus, interest.
 Gain the confidence of stakeholders.

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Challenges in benchmarking:
 choosing a company with similar activities, but should not be competitor.
 Assuring accuracy of data.
 Using common definitions.
 Accessing data, which may be spread across several department.
 Gaining commitment to a time consuming exercise.

Review of Health and Safety Policy:

Policy needs to be reviewed if:

 if it is no longer valid.
 If there is significant change:
- structure of organization.
- In working procedure, arrangement.
- Change of work premises.
- When new technology, process or work method is introduced.
- Change in legislation occur.
 as a result of monitoring and reviewing management system e.g.:
- to reflect consultation with the work force.
- Follow the outcomes of an accident investigation or ill health.
- If enforcement action reveals weaknesses or specifically requires a review.
- In response to audit findings.
 periodically after a reasonable period of time e.g. annually.

Ineffective Health and Safety Policy

 minimal leadership by top management.

 No annual objective set to implement the policy.
 Health and safety not give priorities.
 Resources are not provided.
 Aim and intentions are not clearly understood by the personnel.
 The policy puts too much emphasis on employee responsibility and is not management led.
 No measure for achievement of objectives.
 Management receive no training to enable them to implement action required.
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 STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY

1. National standards:

The ILO Occupational safety and health convention C155, sets principles for the national policy of
members, with the aim of preventing accidents and injury to health arising out of , linked with, or
occurring in the course of work, by minimizing so far as is reasonably practicable,
 formulate, implement, review national policy on OSH.
 Take account of national conditions and practices.
 Develop the policy in consultation with the most representative organization of employers and
workers.
Member’s Accountability:

 The design, testing, choice, substitution, installation, arrangement, use and maintenance of work
place, environment, tools, machinery and equipment, chemical, physical and biological
substances.
 Relationship between the man and material/equipment.
 IITS.
 Communication and cooperation at different level of working group.

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

1. Guidelines on OSH MS, ILO-OSH 2001:

It requires the employer in consultation with workers and representatives should set out in writing an
OSH Policy which should be:
 specific to the organization and appropriate in size.
 Cleary written, signed and dated by top personnel of the organization.
 Communicated and readily acceptable to all personnel at work place.
 Review and continuing suitability.
 Made available to relevant external parties.

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2. OHSAS 18001:

The policy should:

 be appropriate to the nature and scale of the organization.

 Include commitment to continual improvement.
 Comply with legislation.
 Be documented, implemented, maintained.
 Be communicated.
 Be available to interested parties.
 Be reviewed periodically.

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