HEALTH AND

SAFETY POLICY
Health and Safety Guidance Note
INTRODUCTION WHAT DOES THE HEALTH AND
The term “health and safety policy” simply SAFETY POLICY NEED TO SAY?
means a description of your business’ The health and safety policy should normally
commitment to managing the health and be in three parts:
safety of your employees and others affected
• Statement of General Policy;
by your work activities.
• Organisation; and
Every business is required to have a health • Arrangements.
and safety policy, and if you employ five or
more people the law requires this to be in The policy should be signed and dated by
writing. However, there are advantages to a senior official of the business – this would
having a written policy regardless of the size normally the most senior person (e.g. Owner,
of your business as amongst other things it Managing Director, or the Partners etc.).
will help to:
An example Health and Safety policy template
• Show a firm commitment to the health,
can be downloaded for free from the HSE
safety and welfare of your employees and
website. See Further Resources below.
others (e.g. your customers, contractors, the
public etc.);
• Clarify where responsibilities lie for health STATEMENT OF
and safety;
GENERAL POLICY
• Help to build confidence in your business
when submitting tenders or seeking new The General Statement of Policy is a
contracts for work. declaration of intent, detailing your
commitment to ensure the health and
A good health and safety policy doesn’t need safety of all employees and others
to be lengthy or complicated as long as it affected by your work activities. This
is specific to your business, and clearly sets should be reinforced by specific
out who does what and how with respect to provisions and objectives relevant to the
managing health and safety. The policy must organisation, such as:
be kept up to date by reviewing it whenever • Allocation of sufficient resources to
appropriate (e.g. annually; following a change ensure a safe and healthy place of work;
in management structure or expansion • Provision of appropriate information,
of the business etc.) and then brought to instruction, training and supervision;
the attention of all your employees and • Promotion of employee consultation on
other relevant parties (e.g. contractors, sub- matters affecting health and safety.
contractors, etc.).
An example Statement of General Policy is
included at the end of this guidance note.

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 ORGANISATION The following list is not exhaustive, and
This section should be appropriate to equally may not all be relevant for your
the size of your business, and reflect the business, but the headings may be helpful in
way in which it is organised to carry out identifying your arrangements:
the aims and objectives of the health and • Risk Assessment;
safety policy. In a small business this • Safe Systems of Work;
may simply be a case of one individual • Consultation & Communication;
taking responsibility for co-ordinating
• Information, Instruction, Training and
health and safety. In more complex
Supervision;
businesses, key individuals / job titles
should be identified wherever possible • Emergency Procedures;
and their roles and responsibilities • First Aid;
defined (e.g. the responsibility • Accident Reporting;
for training or carrying out risk • Hazardous Substances;
assessments).
• Occupational Health;
This section should also be used to • Manual Handling;
describe the way in which employees will • Personal Protective Equipment;
be consulted on health and safety issues. • Welfare Facilities;
Once again this should reflect the nature
• Lone Working;
and size of the business and may range
from informal meetings and the use of • Work Equipment/Statutory Inspections;
noticeboards, to formal consultation and • Noise and Vibration;
committees involving elected safety • Display Screen Equipment;
representatives or appointed trade union • Workplace Traffic Management and
representatives. Transport Safety;
• Occupational Driving;
• Fire Safety;
ARRANGEMENTS • Electrical Safety;
This section should describe how your • Waste Management;
business will meet the commitments made in • Legionella and Water Quality;
the General Statement of Policy. Depending
• Asbestos;
on the size and nature of your business this
may be one detailed section of the health • Work at Height;
and safety policy document; or an index of • Confined Spaces;
separate procedures. • Third Parties;
• Management of Contractors;
However it is set out, it should detail the
systems and processes in place for complying • Safety Signage;
with the various legislative requirements that • Monitoring and Review.
apply to your business; and provide detail on
how you will ensure the health and safety of
your employees and others affected by your
business by eliminating or reducing, so far as
is reasonably practicable, the risks posed by
the hazards in your workplace.

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MONITORING & REVIEW
A system of monitoring the effectiveness of
your arrangements and for reviewing safety
performance as a whole should be developed.

Reviewing the health and safety policy itself

FURTHER GUIDANCE
• H SE website: Prepare a health and
safety policy
www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/
policy/how-to-write-your-policy.htm
• INDG449 Health and safety made
simple, The basics for your business
www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg449.pdf

This document is available to download

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STATEMENT OF GENERAL POLICY
This is the Health and Safety Policy Statement of:

NAME OF BUSINESS

We recognise and accept our responsibility to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health
and safety of all our employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public who may be affected
by our employee activities. Health and Safety is a key element and contributor in the overall
success of the business. It therefore has equal priority with other aspects of management and will be
managed with the same determination and commitment. Any decisions made by the business will
take full account of any Health and Safety implications for all our employees and those under our
control. We will endeavour to ensure the health and safety of all others who could be foreseeably
affected by activities under our control.

It is our aim to promote, set and maintain the highest standards for health, safety and welfare
matters. This will be achieved by:
• Providing adequate control of health and safety risks arising from the activities we undertake;
• Consulting with employees and contractors on matters affecting health and safety;
• Providing and maintaining safe premises, machinery and equipment;
• Maintaining safe systems of work;
• Ensuring safe handling and use of substances;
• Providing information, instruction and supervision for employees;
• Providing information for visiting members of the public;
• Ensuring all employees are competent to do their work;
• Maintaining safe and healthy working conditions;
• Reviewing and revising this Policy as necessary at regular intervals; and
• Putting measures in place to prevent accidents and cases of work-related ill health.

Health and Safety is viewed as “everyone’s business”. To achieve a high standard of health and
safety, the active co-operation of all employees is essential. This policy and associated documents
will be revised annually, or after any significant change or legislation likely to affect the policy.
This policy will be publicised and available to third parties on request.

Signed:

Job Title:

Date:

Review Date:

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This guidance is provided for general information purposes only. This guidance does not constitute,
nor should it be construed as constituting, legal or other professional advice. No warranty, whether
express or implied, is given in relation to this guidance. We shall not be liable for any technical,
typographical or other errors or omissions within this guidance and shall not be responsible for
any action or decision taken as a result of you or others using the guidance. You should consult a
professional adviser for legal or other advice where appropriate. We assume no responsibility for
the availability or content of any linked websites. The inclusion of any link should not be taken as
endorsement of any kind by us of the linked website or any association with its owners.

This guidance is provided on the strict understanding that you accept, without limitation, that
you retain sole responsibility for compliance with health and safety legislation and regulations, all
other legislation and any warranties/conditions attached to your insurance policies. We have not
conducted any site visits as part of producing this guidance and we have not, and are not, providing
any guidance in relation to your specific set up.

This guidance note contains public sector information published by the Health and
Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence.

nfumutual.co.uk/rms

NFU Mutual Risk Management Services Limited (No 350057). Registered in England. Registered Office: Tiddington Road,
Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7BJ. A member of the NFU Mutual Group of Companies.
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VERSION: 2 – 0421