The 10 mistakes to avoid in Health and Safety Policies

Developing an effective safety and health management system begins with a well-considered health and safety policy. Unfortunately, these essential documents often fail to meet our expectations. Their lack of detail, absence of relevant safety information, incorrect compilation, or generic nature may make them useless. It’s not uncommon for such exercises to be created with the sole purpose of ticking boxes and then left to sit on a shelf.

You can improve health and safety policies in these 10 areas.

1. STATEMENT OF INTENT NOT PROVIDED

A written statement of intent should be included in every workplace policy that sets forth your general approach to managing workplace hazards and risks. A one-page document is usually signed by the most senior member of the organisation and can be supported by the board chair.

The document is often either missing or not signed by senior managers, which can lead to a lack of commitment. The culture of health and safety is affected as a result. It is also critical to include stress, mental health, and wellbeing in a statement of intent.

In your statement of intent, you should explain your goals and provide performance indicators. Many organisations overlook the importance of setting clear and measurable objectives.

2. DOESN’T SPECIFY HOW HEALTH AND SAFETY IS ORGANISED

As part of your health and safety policy, you should outline your organisation’s structure as well as key roles and responsibilities. Without this, wires can easily cross, preventing things from getting done. If you don’t do it, you risk creating a culture of ‘it’s not my job’.

Your organisation’s health and safety management system can be visualized through an organisational chart. This can then be supported by role/job descriptions defining responsibilities.

It is important to capture who:

• Ensures your organisation’s health and safety is managed effectively

• Ensures your policy is followed on a daily basis

• They play an instrumental role in the implementation and review of your health and safety policy.

Health and safety is very much a team effort, and your policy should reflect this.

3. COVERAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL AREAS OF HAZARD

The health and safety policy should include arrangements for managing relevant health and safety risks. With a focus on the specific hazards in your environment, this section should form the majority of your policy.

Employers sometimes miss obvious and significant hazards, which result in weaknesses and opportunities for development. The arrangements typically cover asbestos, consultation, evacuation, risk assessments, and training.

Your policy should cover all the significant dangers you, your employees, and others face during the course of their work. This is done by creating an index of all hazards related to your organisation. This will also help to ensure that your policy isn’t generic – another common downfall.

It may be more appropriate to have shorter policies that cover specific areas such as display screen equipment, first aid and working at height.

4. NO PARTICIPATION BY THE WORKERS

It is common for companies to produce health and safety policies without involving their employees, if at all. Employee involvement in policy creation and review is a great way to increase risk awareness and ownership.

A handbook that translates your policy into the relevant information employees need to work safely is a smart idea.

It is not a requirement by law for every organisation to have a health and safety handbook. This can be a serious flaw, since it can mean the contents of your policy aren’t properly communicated. The chances of employees digesting a jargon-free 20-page handbook are much higher than a 50-page policy.

5. EVIDENCE OF COMMUNICATION AND READING OF POLICY IS MISSING

Employees are often given policies by employers, but employers do not know whether they have read them. The policy and any subsequent amendments should be communicated to staff, and ideally you should obtain documented evidence that they have been read, understood, and received the information. If you fail to do so, you may need to prove the employee was informed of your health and safety rules and procedures in the event of an accident. Make this part of your induction process by using physical signatures or digital systems that send notifications when shared documents are accessed. In the event of an incident, this will strengthen your defence.

6. NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE

Policy details should not be masked in mystery. Your organisation should make it readily available to both internal and external stakeholders. The document should also be easily accessible to employees, perhaps via the intranet, to eliminate any excuse for not reading it.

7. IT’S TOO LONG

In some policies, important information is missing, while in others, it is much longer than it needs to be. Despite covering all bases, policies should be concise and purposeful. People shouldn’t have to wade through a dense, intimidating document to get to the information they need.

8. NOT DISCUSSED WITH OTHER OCCUPIERS/ORGANISATIONS

It is imperative to consider how you will cooperate and coordinate with any other employers with whom you share premises. In addition to being a legal requirement, failing to do so could result in a lack of control – both parties may assume the other controls certain risks, when neither does.

9. NOT REVIEWED ANNUALLY

It is important to review your health and safety policy frequently – at least once a year. There is a common misconception that creating a health and safety policy is a one-time task, when in reality it’s about effectively managing risks. In order to maintain your policy, continuous improvement is essential.

When incidents (accidents or near misses) occur or significant changes occur in your organisation, you should refer to the policy.

10. WRITTEN BY THE WRONG PEOPLE

Health and safety policies can be written by organisations themselves, and professionals are not required. According to the GB Health and Safety Executive, policies should be written by someone within the organisation. This is because they need to reflect the organisation’s values, beliefs, and commitment to safety.

While these documents are extremely vital, creating them can seem daunting, especially if you’re not the most safety-savvy, pressed for time, or don’t know where to begin. You can benefit from enlisting the help of specialists.

Combined with their expert industry knowledge, your policy will benefit from your unmatched understanding of your company and its risks. In this way, you will ensure that your policy is robust, fit for purpose, and reflects best practices. This is also the safest way to avoid the many common mistakes described here.

If you would like support with your policies within your organisation, contact Temple QMS today. Our industry experts can help you create and implement the right approach for your industry and business requirements.