Writing a health and safety policy

Your health and safety policy describes how you will manage health and safety in your business, and if you employ 5 or more people, you have a legal requirement to record this in a document.

A health and safety policy is usually made up of at least the following three sections:

Statement of general policy

A general statement on your commitment to manage health and safety, and what you are aiming to achieve.

Responsibilities

This section sets out who is responsible for what and who reports to who. You should identify who will conduct risk assessments, carry out workplace and site inspections and ensure safety when tasks or activities are carried out.

Arrangements

This section will detail how you will meet the commitments you've made in your statement of general policy.

Arrangements might include:

• Training
• Carrying out risk assessments
• Fire safety
• First aid
• Welfare facilities
• Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)
• Hazardous chemicals
• Accident reporting
• Dust
• Noise

Helping you get started

If you aren't sure where to start, the template document you can download includes some examples to give you some ideas.

This template is by no means complete so make sure you add all the information relevant to your business and the work you carry out.

HSE website is a good resource for further information on writing a health and safety policy.