Writing and Updating your Health & Safety Policy

Writing a Health & Safety Policy from scratch

How to get started

Any organisation with five or more employees is legally required to have a written Health & Safety Policy (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 section 2(3)). It shouldn't be a complicated document but it does need to be a concise summary, stating how your business manages safety.

If you're thinking about writing your own Health and Safety Policy there are a few things you'll need to consider. Your Policy should clearly set out how you manage Health and Safety, who is responsible and when things must be done. Starting a policy from scratch isn't easy, particularly if you haven't written one before and you don’t have access to professional advisors.

Some of the things you need to consider are:

• A general statement
• Responsibilities
• Health and safety risks
• Consultation with employees
• Safe plant and equipment
• Safe handling and use of substances
• Information, instruction and supervision
• Competency for tasks
• Accidents, first aid and work related ill health
• Monitoring - accidents and work related sickness
• Emergency procedures

mhl can provide your business with the support you need to help get you started. If you were considering writing a Health and Safety Policy yourself, we'll be able to save you time and money by preparing one for you.

Our specialist Health and Safety advisors have written Health and Safety policies and managements systems for almost every industry; from construction through to care homes and retail to restaurants. You can be sure that our teams have a wealth of experience to be able to produce a comprehensive policy specifically for your organisation.

Updating an existing Health & Safety Policy

What needs to be reviewed?

Once a Health and Safety policy has been written it's important that it’s regularly reviewed and not just left on the shelf. This should be done whenever changes occur within the business and on a regular basis (at least annually).

Examples of when a Health and Safety Policy will need reviewing include:

• If the work process changes
• At the introduction of new technology or equipment
• When any organisational changes occur
• When Changes in legislation occur

If you need help writing a Health and Safety Policy or reviewing one that you have already written, contact one of our advisor's today. We'd be delighted to tell you how we can help your organisation to stay compliant, at the fraction of the cost of managing things internally.

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