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NEBOSH

Week 1 – ELEMENT 2

Setting Policy for

Health and Safety
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Purpose of Safety Policy

To set out:
 Management Commitment to Safety
 Organisation and Arrangements for
controlling work related hazards
 Protect people from injury and ill-health
 Comply with legal requirements
 Manage health and safety on a cost
effective basis

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Safety Policy
Safety Policy consists:

1) General Statement
Declaration of intent
What
2) The Organisation
Responsibilities
Who
3) Arrangements
Procedures
How
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Statement of Intent
Demonstrates Management’s
commitment to health and safety and
sets goals and objectives
Signed by most senior person in organisation
because:

a)Shows management commitment

b)Gives policy authority
c)Person who signs it has ultimate responsibility

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Organisation
To identify health and safety responsibilities and
reporting lines within the company
Directors and Senior Managers – setting policy and objectives
Line Managers – Implementing policy in their department
Supervisors – Checking compliance with the policy
Safety Advisors – Advising company on accident and
safety compliance
Employees – Responsibility for own and others safety
Fire Marshals – Ensure evacuation of building and roll calls
First Aiders – to provide first aid

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Arrangements
Set out in detail the specific systems and procedures
for implementing the safety policy
• Risk Assessments
• COSHH Assessments
• Safe Systems of Work
• Permits to Work
• Policies & procedures e.g. Fire, First Aid,
• Training Programmes, e.g. Manual Handling, DSE,
Fork Lift Trucks
• Maintenance of Plant
• House keeping © TWI Gulf WLL 2008
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NEBOSH
Arrangements (con’t)
Set out in detail the specific systems and procedures
for implementing the safety policy
• Storage, Transportation or Handling of
Hazardous Substances
• Radiation, Dust, Noise & Fume
• Safety of New Articles and Substances
• Personal Protective Clothing/Equipment
• Working At Heights
• Confined Spaces
• Manual Handling
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Review/Revision
a) Accidents / Incidents
b) Changes in Organisation
c) Processes
d) Materials
e) Premises
f) Legislation
g) Work Patterns
h) Risk Assessments
i) Prosecution
j) Enforcement Action
k) Compensation Claims
l) Policy Review
m) Professional Advise
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Communicating the Policy

Employers must bring the policy to
Employees attention. This can be done by:

• Displaying it on notice boards

• Introducing it on induction and training session
• Considering it at team briefings and tool box talks
• Using newsletters
• Inserts in wage slips
• Posters
• Build into safe systems and codes of practice
• Managers to discuss with workforce

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Objectives and Targets
Objectives are General goals
Targets are Specific performance requirements

Importance to an organisation of setting targets:

Gives evidence of Management commitment

and motivates staff by giving them something to
aim for

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Targets in Health and Safety
• Reduce/Zero Accidents
• Zero Prosecutions
• Reduced sickness absence
• Reduction in compensation claims
• Improve reporting of near misses
• Improve reporting of minor accidents
• Increase numbers trained in health
and safety
• Improve audit scores
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Targets should follow

SMART Goal Setting
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timescale
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Benchmarking
Advantages:
a) Identifies key performance indicators
b) Ensures monitoring procedures are effective
c) Feeds back into continuous improvement
d) Helps by learning lessons from others

Essential to:
a) Choose a suitable organisation to benchmark
b) Ensure accuracy of data used
c) Both organisations use common definitions
d) Accessing data
e) Commitment to the process
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Issues that could be used to benchmark

a) Existence and quality of health and safety policy
b) Accident/near miss records
c) Staff roles and responsibilities clearly outlined
d) Documented health and safety plans measured
e) The quality of risk assessments
f) Type and quality of training provided
g) Level of monitoring i.e. reactive and pro-active

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Ineffective Health & Safety Policies

• No commitment or leadership
• No annual objectives
• Health and Safety not given enough priority
• Insufficient resources provided
• Personnel do not understand aims
• Too much emphasis on employee
responsibility
• No measurement of performance
• Management unaware of their role
• No training of management in their
responsibilities
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