Law And Management: Reason For Having A Health And Safety Policy

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY
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Health and Safety Policy
Part A
A policy statement is a written statement that consist of three key elements:
* A statement part, which details the management of the safety as well as the commitment of the organization to health and safety rules and regulations.
* Organization part, which details how the allocation of responsibilities and the position of employees within the organization. In large firms, this part may include other documents such as safety work systems.
* Arrangements part, which details the management of certain functions and activities. This section may include various matters such as hazardous substances, fire safety, electrical safety, manual handling, accident reporting, first aid and other issues related to the work environment (Hughes and Ferrett, 2011).
Reason for having a health and safety policy
The law requires that organizations that employ five or more employees to have a written Health and safety policy statement that covers all of its aspects and be relevant to its labor force. The policy and safety policy statement demonstrates the commitment of a firm to its health and safety obligations. A proper health and safety policy demonstrates how those who are likely to be affected by the activities of an organization are protected from any harm or injury. The length of the policy should be appropriate and be relevant to the size and activities of the organization.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that every organization must prepare its own statement and present it to all employees and it should be reviewed and revised often when the need arises. On legal grounds, the policy requires that the organization addresses the health and safety issues that are related to its employees only, but it is important to consider the safety of those who are likely to be affected by the activities of the company such as contractors, volunteers as well as the general public. However, whether an organization has a written or oral policy, they have an obligation to protect their employees and general public from any harm or injuries that may result from its work activities.
Developing a health and safety policy
The health and safety policy is supposed to be prepared by people within the organization because they have a better understanding of the organization and how it operates. However, if the internal stakeholders of the organization lack the skills of preparing it, it is advisable to seek external advice and assistance, but it should be written in accordance with the needs of the firm. In preparation of the health and safety policy, the employees of the organization should be involved to provide their day-to-day experiences to get their commitment to the goals of the policy.
Setting out the policy
The management of the organization is responsible for deciding how the policy should be set out. The set out should be in a manner that is clear to every stakeholder of the organization of what is expected of in complying with the policy requirements. However, in small companies, it is advisable to have a simple statement and have few names since they will be responsible for most activities.
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