Why you need a Health and Safety Policy
Keeping an office a safe place to work needs be high on an employer’s agenda, and we’ve all heard tales of claims people have made from accidents at work!
Employers have statutory and common law duties placed on them staff and having a health and safety policy in place is an absolute must. Get in touch with our friendly experts below if you're looking for guidance on Health and Safety Policies.
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What is a Health and Safety Policy?
Training, equipment, first aid officers, fires, manual handling – all of these points and many more need to be included in a Health and Safety policy.
There can be no 'one size fits all' Health and Safety policy as each business has different needs. For instance, if your staff work more from a desk, then screen fatigue and back issues will need to be addressed. If you work with hardware installation then, manual handling and electricity safety will need to be top of the agenda. Aside from recognising individual safety points details about risk assessments and who carries them out, must be included too.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often should a Health and Safety policy be reviewed?
A: According to the statutory code of practice created by the Equality and Human rights commission, Policies such as the Health and Safety should be reviewed at least annually.
Q: Who must create a workplace Health and Safety policy?
A: With a Health and Safety policy, the highest position in the company has the over all responsibility. However, the role to oversee its day-to-day management, creation and review is often delegated to another member of the company; that person is generally known as the Health and Safety officer. This is quite an important responsibility, so it should go to a competent person!
Q: Is a Health and Safety policy a legal requirement?
A: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 states that all businesses with more than 5 employees must have a Health and Safety policy and ensure that their employees are aware of it. There are also many common law and statutory duties placed on employers to take reasonable steps to ensure employee health and safety.
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