Safety policy statement managers

Your health and safety policy statement sets out how you manage health and safety in your organisation. It is a unique document that shows who does what and when and how they do it. 

The health and safety policy statement is your starting point to managing health and safety in the workplace. By law, (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 section 2(3)) if you employ five or more people you must have a written health and safety policy. This contains your statement of general policy on health and safety at work and the organisation and arrangements for putting that policy into practice. 

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. 

A safety policy statement should include statements about management involvement rather than the typical management commitment. ... 

Occupational safety and health policies are systems of codified decisions established by an organization to support the safety and health functions within the organization. Setting safety policies is when a manager develops standing safety decisions applicable to repetitive problems that may affect the safety of the organization. These are also referred to as safety and health standards to distinguish them from the safety policy statement. 

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. 

The safety policy statement is a substitute for repetitive management decisions and is viewed as mandatory. This is sometimes referred to as the occupational health and safety policy. This is the gniding document in a safety system... 

Management system problems can occur in three primary areas. First, the policy can be less than adequate. Actually, most organizations have carefully worded safety policy statements signed by the appropriate manager. Problems are much more likely to occur in one or both of the other areas. 

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. 

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. 

The primary goal for any safety management system to be successful is to clearly articulate the overall vision/mission, safety policy statement, and stated goals and objectives to everyone in the organization. When this is done properly, the probability of acceptance and gaining greater support and commitment is improved. 

Now that the safety policy statement has been developed, you are ready to define your goals and objectives. A goal defines where you want to be, your final destination. It provides insight on the direction that you need for your safety management system (Safety Pays, n.d.). Refer to Figure 4.3, Setting Goals . 

Policies and procedures for overall management and administration of the organization Safety policy statement, other safety policies, and procedures in similar format and incorporated in business policies and procedures... 

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... 

Develop, sign, and publish an organizational safety policy statement Describe key expectations related to accomplishing safety-related objectives Ensure that all organizational members can explain the major objectives Develop methods to track progress and provide feedback to aU organizational members Require managers and supervisors to visibly support established objectives... 

An up-to-date safety policy statement, which specifies the means used to audit and monitor the policy and activities on site, and the means of showing compliance with the Management Regulations 1999. For most contractors, this requires recording of the arrangements made to effectively plan, organise, control, monitor and review the preventive and protective measures... 

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. 

As you know from the policy statement distributed last month, we recognize continuous improvement in process safety management (PSM) as a company priority. 

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. 

The Policy Statement should reflect the commitment of management to a high standard of readiness of critical equipment and should give high priority to the inspection and test program. The Purpose Statement should explain the unique importance of the program to safety, the environment and property protection. The Scope Statement should describe the classes of equipment and components included in the program. 

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. 

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. 

All class teachers and coordinators need to be familiar with the school policy contents and procedures and link the school aims with curriculum-specific policy statements. This will create an appreciation of the wholeness of health and safety management. It will also help to ensure that class teachers, at the heart of the teaching and learning proces, are well informed with expected practice. Similarly, school management, governors and head teachers, will need to ensure needs arising out of health and safety poHcies feature as priority items in the school development plan. 

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

The most important step in the culture change process is the declaration of management s commitment to safety by declaring, issuing, and publicizing the company safety and health policy statement. As Jim Montanaro (2007) put it ... 

The communication of the policy should assist in d onstrating the conunitment of top management and the organization to safety and health. It will increase awareness of the commitments made in the policy statement by explaining why the safety system is established and maintained, and also guide individuals to understanding their safety and health responsibilities and accountabilities. 

Whilst it is clear that a good set of policies, statements and briefings from management is a good first step to a successful safety culture, the investigation into the Clapham Junction disaster emphasized that effective leadership is more than just words, (p. 9)... 

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 ... 

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