Safety policy statement employees

Writing a health and safety policy statement is more than just a legal requirement - it is your commitment to planning and managing health and safety. It is the key to achieving acceptable standards, reducing accidents and cases of work-related ill health and it shows your employees that you care for their health and safety. 

The safety policy statement is a substitute for repetitive management decisions and is mandatory. This is the guiding document in a safety system and perhaps the most important in implementing a change in safety culture. Although the concept safety should appear in the vision and mission statements of the organization, the safety policy statement is the declaration of the company s safety intent, commitment, and responsibility to constantly promote a safe and healthy work enviromnent. This policy should be extensively publicized and displayed on all notice boards, on the company website, in the employee safety handbook, and in prominent positions throughout the workplace. 

A safety policy statement is only as good as the employees knowledge thereof. Safety policies should be short, to the point, and most important the employees must be aware of the safety policy. The safety policy statement should be revised regularly to ensure that it is kept updated and current with organizational changes. 

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the employer is responsible for ensuring that adequate instruction and information is given to employees to make them safety conscious. Part 1, Section 3 of the Act instructs all employers to prepare a written health and safety policy statement and to bring this to the notice of all employees. Figure 1.2 shows a typical Health and Safety Policy Statement of the type which will be available within your company. Your employer must let you know who your safety representatives are, and the new Health and Safety poster shown In Fig. 1.3 has a blank section into which the names and contact information of your specific representatives can be added. This is a large laminated poster, 595 x 415mm, suitable for wall or notice-board display. 

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the employer is responsible for ensuring that adequate instruction and information is given to employees to make them safety conscious. Part 1, Section 3 of the Act instructs all employers to prepare a written health and safety policy statement and to bring this to the notice of all employees. Your employer must let you know who your safety representatives are. 

Safety policy — By developing a clear management safety policy statement, you help all employees at all levels of the company understand the importance of safety in relation to other organizational values (e.g. production and results vs. safety and health). A comprehensive safety policy provides an overall direction or vision while setting a fi amework fi om which specific goals and objectives can be developed. 

A mission statement communicates the broad goals and the organization s commitment to safety, to employees, and to the public. A common theme found in safety policy statements is that of ongoing safety performance assessment and improvement. It is through the safety policy statement that an organization establishes the safety climate. 

Employers who have a sincere interest in reducing employee injuries and illnesses will welcome discussions on how their safety and health management systems can be improved. A good number of companies have issued safety policy statements in which they affirm that they will comply with or exceed all relative laws and standards. Those employers, particularly, will want to implement provisions in the standard that are not a part of their safety and health management systems. 

Any action used to introduce the safety policy statement must be done after consideration of current and past policies, actions, and events that have been implemented. If other policies are not enforced, then the safety policy statement may also follow the same fate. In addition, be aware of resistance to following policy in the form of cynical comments by employees that can indicate lack of acceptance or rejection. The key to a successful safety policy statement is to periodically involve all employees in its review. 

In communicating the safety policy statement, the manner in how it is presented is crucial. What you do, or fail to do, speaks louder than words A nod or gesture at a critical point in the discussion of the statement can communicate the perception that what is being said is not really to be taken seriously. The tone and method used to introduce the statement signal whether the message will be received well by employees. 

To be effective, once you have defined your goals and objectives, they must be communicated to all employees to ensure that everyone understands the level of expectation desired. As with the safety policy statement, goal communication will reaffirm the leadership team s commitment to safety (Roughton Mercurio, 2002 Safety Pays, ad.). 

A brief, written safety policy statement should be issued from the utility director or manager. The statement defines upper management s interest in employee welfare as well as in the efficient operation of the utility. The policy should cover these issues... 

Management commitment must be demonstrated by the most effective means. For most contractors, the law requires that this is done by issuing a safety policy statement, a document signed and dated by the most senior member of the management team. The continuing role of management Is then to ensure that the requirements of the policy are actively carried out by managers, supervisors and employees alike. 

By section 7, employees must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. They must also cooperate with their employer so far as is necessary to enable the employer to comply with his duties under the Act. By section 8, it is an offence for anyone intentionally or recklessly to interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare. Members of management, who are also employees, are vulnerable to prosecution under section 7 if they fail to carry out their health and safety responsibilities (as defined in the safety policy statement), in addition to their liability under sections 36 and 37 as noted above. 

Where specialist knowledge is required, the relevant aspects should be clearly established and the respective persons made aware of such. This expertise can be obtained, for example, from the company s safety officer, chemist, etc. Finally, the policy statement should make clear the level of responsibility of every employee. 

You should consult your employees (through safety representatives, if you have any) about the policy statement. Everyone should be able to see from the policy statement exactly who is responsible for different things, such as advice, reporting an accident, and first aid. 

Your policy statement should describe your arrangements, ie the systems and procedures you have in place for ensuring employees health and safety. 

This guidance is split into three parts. It contains a statement of general policy based on your legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Then you can record your organisational responsibilities and your arrangements to ensure the health and safety of your employees. Notes are included alongside each section to help you. Some useful publications are listed in the notes and at the end of this guidance. 

Most organizations with a written Health Safety Policy contain statements that hazards will be identified and controlled. It is generally recognized that managers and scientists have, as part of their work, the responsibility to see that all prudent actions are taken to ensure their operations do not lead to unacceptable risks to the health and safety of the organization s employees, customers or to the environment. 

Policy Ashland does not see the policy statement to be important enough to include in the CER, although it is on its website, i.e In recognition of the company s responsibility to protect and maintain the quality of the environment and the health and safety of employees and the public, it is Ashland s policy to ... 

Policy the CER includes an environmental policy statement that begins The Company intends to guarantee the safety and health of employees, populations, contractors and customers, as well as to safeguard the environment and protect public welfare. . . It then continues by identifying seven guiding principles it considers mandatory. 

For employees, the policy statement is the declaration of an intent to achieve a goal. However, employees are skeptical of bureaucratic policies and look for more solid evidence of management commitment. Thus, the timing and sequence of health- and safety-related decisions demonstrate how the policy will be implemented and the importance of health and safety considerations. A health and safety pohcy with no follow-through is worthless and in fact may be damaging to employee morale by showing employees a lack of management commitment. This can backfire and can lead to poor employee safety attitudes and behaviors. Thus, an employer has to put the money where the mouth is to demonstrate commitment. If not, a policy is an empty promise. 

Safety policy should be broken into two parts. The first is a short and concise statement of the safety values of the corporation and what is expected from employees with respect to safety. Details about how the policy will be implemented should be separated into other documents. 

The Health and Safety Executive recommend that employers should devise their own policy statement in cooperation with school management teams and other employees. An adopted policy, for example, Be Safe (ASE, 1990) in science or Safe Practice in Physical Education (BAALPE, 1996), might not reflect the individual circumstances of each school. However, some LEAs might insist that their policy statements should be used, in which case it is recommended that schools annotate such documents and/ or add appendices to prescribed guidelines that specify the needs of the school. 

Is upper management s commitment to employee health and safety clear What policy statements communicate this ... 

Management must develop a written safety and health policy statement. The policy dociunent must be issued and signed by the safety leadership team and should be communicated to all employees in the following manner ... 

A safety and health policy statement has many advantages and is a clear indication to employees that management is serious about their safety and health. This is the guiding document upon which the safety system is created and maintained. 

Policy Did the organization have a clear, well-written, widely distributed policy statement outlining management s commitment to safety and the corporate safety philosophy Are the rights and responsibilities of employees included Was the policy statement current and signed by the appropriate manager Were well-defined safety goals and objectives included ... 

The policy statement should be communicated and made readily accessible to all employees and should be reviewed and revised by top management as often as necessary. An example of a policy statement can be found in Appendix E. In developing a chemical safety and security policy, laboratory management should establish a credible and strong compliance program, complete with accountability and consequences for noncompli-... 

Most companies have rules about safety and health for employees, customers, products, and use of equipment. These may take several forms policy statements, rule books, operating procedures and manuals, assembly or maintenance... 

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