2.1.2 Maximising staff involvement
Those organisations that involve their staff in planning and managing safety issues in the workplace not only are complying with the requirements under the RRFSO to consult with staff, but will also reduce the fi re risks associated with their undertaking. Well-organised com-panies manage all their functions effectively and rec-ognise the key role that effective health and safety management has in terms of business development and survival.
A clear, effectively communicated, policy that has involved staff and those who may interact with it (contract-ors, co-employers, etc.) will make an organisation more effi cient in the day-to-day decision-making process that refl ects and supports the management system in which they are made.
When a line manager who is responsible for a high risk process in a petrochemical plant is empowered to make safety critical decisions and the same manager is aware of the company’s safety policy and the ethos behind it, the decisions made for undertaking the process are more than likely to refl ect the safety of the site personnel, visiting contractors and the effects on members of the public in addition to the production schedules that need to be met.
The best safety policies are integrated with human resource management, acknowledging that people are a key resource in the management of both safety and production. Human resource management policies can
be undermined by poorly written, poorly structured safety policies.
However, organisations that experience higher out-put, higher quality of service delivery and an enhanced, motivated workforce do the same things, they:
➤ Recognise the benefi ts of a competent, committed, enthusiastic and fi t workforce
➤ Establish arrangements for the promotion of accident-free work practices
➤ Positively promote ill-health management systems.
An effective safety management system and the policy contained within have a direct bearing upon an organ-isation’s safety culture and therefore how a policy is written will have a signifi cant effect.
When conducting safety audits and reviews, which take an in-depth look at an organisation’s safety manage-ment system, the initial documanage-mentation that is likely to be requested will be a copy of the safety policy. The policy and the statement of intent itself are generally seen as being an underpinning requirement of any successful safety management system. Therefore a well-written, well-presented policy is also likely to attract business opportunities, particularly when work is being contracted out, as in the case of the construction industry sector.
2.1.3 Avoiding loss
A clear, effective safety policy will aid the prevention of human suffering and fi nancial loss as a result of the work activities of any organisation.
The safety culture of an organisation will refl ect the safety policy. Thus a well-written policy will enable the organisation and those within it to identify hazards and Figure 2.2 Maximising staff involvement
Figure 2.1 ACoP of Management of health and safety at work
risks before they cause injuries, ill health or other loss outcomes. As has been discussed earlier in this chapter, avoiding fi nancial losses attributed to safety failings is one of the many factors of business success.
For example, in the event of fi re in the workplace, following the response procedures contained within a safety policy will mitigate the potential effects of the emergency situation, e.g. shutting down a process safely, preventing injury to persons or damage to the equipment or machinery.
2.2 Key features of a safety policy
In order to satisfy the legal requirements of section 2(3) of HSWA and guidance contained in HSE, DCLG and BS 5588 Part 12 (managing fi re safety), to ensure that the safety policy is effective it must include the following:
➤ Policy statement – statement of intent
➤ Organisation
➤ Arrangements.
2.2.1 Statement of intent
The statement of intent can be seen as an organisation’s
‘mission statement’ for effectively managing safety. The policy statement will set the direction that the organ-isation will take; it will establish standards upon which to measure performance. In addition the policy will set objectives and targets on which to measure the success of the management of safety and the system itself.
In HSG65 the HSE consider that written statements of policy should, at the very least, set the direction of the organisation by demonstrating senior management commitment, placing safety in the context with other business objectives and make a continuous improve-ment in safety performance.
The statement is likely, therefore, to include naming the director or senior manager with overall responsibility for both the formulation and the implementation of the policy and that the document is duly signed and dated by the director or chief executive. The policy statement briefl y explains the responsibility of all persons from board level through to staff members, which also recognises and encourages the involvement of all employees and safety representatives.
Included in this statement will be an outline of the basis for effective communications and how adequate resources will be allocated. It will also commit the organ-isation’s senior management and leaders to plan, review and develop the policy. The need to ensure that all staff are competent and where necessary that external competent advice will be sought, should also assist the
organisation in developing a framework for managing safety.
The policy statement will need to be made avail-able to a wide variety of groups that will include staff members and their representatives, contractors and other persons who may be affected by the organisation’s activities or undertakings. It often forms part of vetting procedures when considering whether to engage an organisation in tendering processes.
A large proportion of organisations therefore ensure that the policy statement of intent is displayed on safety notice boards within the organisation. The policy can also be included in team briefi ngs and toolbox talks, during induction or refresher training courses. Some companies issue individual copies of the policy in booklets and include reference to it in newsletters and e-mails. The policy is also discussed as an agenda item in a variety of safety meetings including those of a safety, health and welfare committee.
The policy itself can be enhanced by setting clearly defi ned Specifi c, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time oriented (SMART) safety objectives.
For an example of a policy statement please refer to Appendix 2.1.
2.2.2 Organisation
This section of the policy is quite often confused with the ‘organising for safety’ element of a safety manage-ment system. This is due to a large number of similar-ities between the two.
Figure 2.3 Health and safety policy document
The organisation element of a safety policy should clearly identify and defi ne the roles and responsibilities for all levels of management and operatives within an organisation. It may be the fact that different sections of the policy, specifi cally fi re, may have differing organisa-tional structures due to the need to outsource some of the competent person duties due to a lack of ‘in-house’
expertise.
It is generally acknowledged that the role of safety adviser, whether fi re or health and safety, is to provide support to managers and staff alike. Those to whom they are likely to provide support, advice and guidance are:
➤ Management board
➤ Safety director
➤ Human resources/personnel
➤ Managers and supervisors
➤ Fellow competent persons, i.e. fi rst aiders, fi re wardens
➤ Safety committee and employee representatives
➤ Employees.
Each of the above groups should have clearly identifi -able roles and responsibilities allocated to them as part of the policy and should be refl ected in job descriptions appropriate to the role.
Additional roles and responsibilities will also need to be assigned for other key areas such as:
➤ Fire wardens/marshals
➤ First aiders/other emergency response team members
➤ Safety event (accident/incident) investigators
➤ Occupational health departments
➤ Chairperson of the safety committee
➤ Procurement/purchasing department.
With clearly allocated roles and responsibilities those employees and groups with specifi c roles and respon-sibilities will be able to fulfi l their functions effectively.
Additionally allocating specifi c roles to individuals facili-tates the monitoring of performance of those individuals against the expectations of their role.
2.2.3 Arrangements section
Supporting both the statement of intent and the organ-isation for safety is the arrangements section of the pol-icy. This section details the guidelines and procedures for the implementation of the safety management system.
Dependent upon the nature of the activities of the organisation, the arrangements section can be either one, that is, included with both the statement and the organisation, section (as a complete document), or a framework section identifying where further guidance for implementation may be found.
Regardless of the mechanism that is used, i.e.
integrated or framework, many core elements remain the same. The following bullet pointed list is indicative of the areas included in an arrangements section:
Some or all of the above arrangements in larger or more complex organisations may have their own individ-ual policy, organisation and arrangements sections.
Regardless of whether each element of the arrange-ments section is included within the overall health and safety policy or whether it is an independent policy and/or set of procedures, a critical issue is that those persons nominated in the organisation section of the policy are aware of the arrangements for which they have responsibility.
Fire safety policy
The fi re safety policy of an organisation should be struc-tured along the same lines as the general health and safety policy, i.e. it should have a statement of commit-ment, roles and responsibilities of persons charged with implementing the policy and detail arrangements.
The arrangements detailed below will invariably be included in any fi re arrangements section; however, in order to fully appreciate whether all areas are covered the completion of a fi re safety review or fi re risk assessment will help to identify any shortcomings in the arrangements
➤ Access and egress ➤ Housekeeping
➤ Accidents/incidents ➤ Lone working
➤ Alcohol/drugs ➤ Manual handling
➤ Asbestos ➤ Noise at work
➤ Consultation with ➤ Personal protective
employees equipment
➤ Control of contractors ➤ Permit to work
➤ Display screen health ➤ Plant and machinery and safety ➤ Offi ce equipment
➤ Electrical safety ➤ Ladders and other access
➤ Employment of devices young persons ➤ Risk assessment
➤ Environmental safety ➤ Security and staff safety
➤ Hazardous substances ➤ Signage
(COSHH) ➤ Smoking
➤ Health surveillance ➤ Stress
➤ Fire and emergency ➤ Temporary and casual staff arrangements ➤ Training/information
➤ First aid ➤ Utilities and services
➤ Food hygiene ➤ Visitors
➤ Safety inspections ➤ Waste disposal and safety tours ➤ Working at height
➤ Hours of work ➤ Working environment
Safety policy
section, e.g. if contractors are seen conducting hot work operations without a hot work permit this will identify either that no such arrangement exists or that the arrangements are inadequate.
Specifi c elements that may be included in the fi re safety arrangements section therefore may be as indicated in Table 2.1.
remains valid regular reviews are seen as ‘best practice’
in line with each of the previously mentioned standards (BS 8800, OHSAS 18001, HSG(65)) and in ‘Health and Safety in Annual Reports: Guidance from the Health and Safety Commission (HSC)’ available on the HSE’s web-site at www.hse.gov.uk
Changes in circumstance that may affect the validity of a safety policy are numerous and therefore policies could be reviewed under the following headings:
➤ People – may include a change in management structure, director, or the reporting lines within an organisation; may also include change in persons employed, or visiting the premise, such as young people and those with disabilities
➤ Place – may include changes to the types of premises being occupied, or the number of premises being operated out of, or operating in shared accommodation
➤ Plant – may include changes in the type, numbers, or risks attributed to the plant and machinery used by the company, such as moving from air powered tools to battery operated units
➤ Processes – may include changing the process activities of a company relating to the risk level such as moving from construction operations into facilities management activities, or using less harmful prod-ucts such as water-based paint instead of solvent-based paint
➤ Enforcement action – may include reacting to enfor-cers’ guidance, serving of notices, or prosecution
➤ Legislation and standards – may include changes to legislation, approved codes of practice, or guidance issued by the DCLG, HSC or HSE; may also include changes to British or European Standards
➤ Audit/review results – may include reacting to fi nd-ings of both internal and external audits which may identify areas of weakness
➤ Consultation – following discussions during safety committee meetings with representative bodies or employees direct
➤ Adverse safety events – may include fi re, false alarms, personal injury accidents, ill-health occurrences, damage-only incidents or near miss incidents.
These are but a sample of such changes and there may well be many more that will affect an organisation’s policy validity.
2.3 Case study
Following a fi re risk assessment, an offi ce-based organ-isation whose headquarters operated out of a three-storey
Actions in the event of a fi re Fire safety and electrical equipment
Catering fi re safety Fire safety furnishings
management and fabrics
Contingency planning Fire safety inspections, reviews and audits Emergency lighting systems Fire safety training and
instruction Emergency planning Fire service liaison Evacuation exercises Fixed fi re fi ghting
equipment/installations Highly fl ammable liquids – Management of contractors transportation storage and hot work permits and use
Fire alarms and detection Means of escape (fi re doors
systems and routes)
Fire investigation and Personal emergency reporting (false alarms and evacuation plans
incidents) (disabled persons)
Fire plans (the production of) Portable fi re fi ghting equipment
Fire risk assessment Security against arson
Table 2.1 Elements of a fi re safety arrangements section
While it will be necessary for all staff members to be aware of key elements within the arrangements section, namely actions in the event of fi re, evacuation exercises and means of escape, specifi c personnel with allocated roles and responsibilities will need to have a far greater and in-depth knowledge of specifi c arrangements, e.g.
for those involved with assisting the escape of disabled persons or those involved in conducting and reviewing fi re risk assessments.
2.2.4 Review and revision
To ensure that the safety policy remains up to date and refl ects the organisation’s safety management systems and the risks associated with the organisation’s activ-ities, the policy should be subject to regular review and, where necessary, revision. To ensure that the policy
Safety policy
detached building, which included offi ces, meeting rooms, a plant room and roof-mounted equipment, identifi ed a number of areas in which improvements could be made.
The fi re action plan produced from the risk assess-ment identifi ed that no one in the organisation had been allocated the responsibility for coordinating a fi re incident procedure (gathering information from fi re wardens) or providing information to oncoming fi re crews. This was addressed by allocating a role and responsibilities for an incident controller, nominating staff members and the introduction of formulating plans and information sheets to be provided to oncoming fi re crews.
During the risk assessment process it was also identifi ed that the installation of IT cabling had breached a number of the fi re compartment walls (fi re resisting) as no one had been allocated the responsibility for review-ing the works undertaken by contractors. This was addressed by reviewing the roles of the facilities manage-ment team (FMT) to incorporate this aspect and provid-ing the FMT members with appropriate trainprovid-ing.
2.4 Example NEBOSH questions for Chapter 2
1. (a) Outline the legal requirements whereby employers must prepare a written
statement of their health and safety policy. (2)
(b) Outline the circumstances that may give rise to the need for a health and
safety policy to be revised. (6) 2. Outline the issues that are typically included
in the arrangements section of a health
and safety document. (8)
3. (a) Explain the purpose of the ‘statement
of intent’ section of a health and safety policy. (2) (b) Outline the circumstances that would
require a health and safety policy
to be reviewed. (6)
4. Outline the issues that are typically included in the fi re safety arrangements section of a
health and safety policy document. (8) 5. (a) State the legal requirements whereby
employers must prepare a written
statement of their health and safety policy. (2) (b) Outline the various methods for
communicating the contents of a
safety policy to the workforce. (6)
Policy statement General statement
ACME Corporation acknowledges their legal responsibilities as an employer under current national and European legislation and will, as far as is reasonably practicable, provide a safe and healthy environment for staff and visitors to its premises.
The standard set by the legal requirements is seen as the absolute minimum standard by which ACME Corporation will operate, we will strive to meet the highest standards of occupational safety and health.
We will take steps to ensure that our statutory duties are met at all times, including the provision of suf-fi cient funds and facilities to meet the requirement of this policy.
The maintenance of a safe and healthy environment in which to work is seen as an equally key objective as the generation of income-related business.
Each employee will be given such information, instruction and training as is necessary to enable the safe performance of all their work activities.
We also fully accept our responsibility for other persons who may be affected by our activities and will seek to provide those others with appropriate information to ensure their safety.
Bill Bloggs has been appointed the director responsible for health and safety to whom issues related to health, safely and welfare management should be addressed.
It is the duty of management to ensure that all processes and systems of work are designed to take account of health and safety and are properly supervised at all times.
Adequate facilities and arrangements will be maintained to enable employees and their representatives to raise issues of health and safety.
Competent persons will be appointed to assist us in meeting our statutory duties including, where appro-priate, external specialists.
Fundamental to the success of this policy is the responsibility and cooperation of all employees for health and safety at work.
Each individual has a legal obligation to take reasonable care for their own health and safety, and for the safety of other people who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Full details of the organisation and arrangements for health and safety will be set out in Chapters 2 and 3 of this document.
Affi liated health and safety policies are listed at Annex A.
Key health and safety objectives
The key objectives contained within this policy will assist us to ensure:
➤ The health and safety of all employees, visitors and others who may be affected by our undertaking;
➤ That all employees have a clear understanding of their individual and collective responsibilities regard-ing health and safety;
➤ The adequate and appropriate training of all employees;
➤ Effective monitoring of policies/procedures by inspection/audit;
➤ Employees are actively involved via the localised consultation process;
➤ All health and safety policies and procedures are regularly reviewed; and
➤ That standards are set with regard to health and safety management within the organisation.
Chapter 3 of this policy document outlines ACME Corporation’s arrangements for health and safety for staff, visitors and others.
This policy will be regularly updated to refl ect operational and legislative changes and any ‘lessons from experience’. A copy of this policy is available to all ACME Corporation’s members of staff and consultants, contractors, other building users and their employees.
We request that all our visitors and those who may come onto our premises respect this policy, a copy of which can be obtained on demand.
Signed:
(Director) Date: