HEALTH & SAFETY
MANUAL
What is a Health and Safety Manual?
A health and safety manuals are documents that outlines policies and procedures related to Health and Safety in an organisation. Health and Safety manuals are typically found in the following sections:
- Company Background
- Health & Safety Policies
- Organizational Structure
- Business Planning, Review and Communication
- Continual Improvement
- Human Resources
- Document Control
- Supplier and Contractor Management
- Emergency Preparedness
- Accidents and Incidents
- Hazard Management
By making these manuals available to all employees in the organization, everyone will have the same understanding of health and safety at work.
How do you write a health and safety manual?
First, you must decide what elements need to be included in a health and safety manual. Consider including flow charts, diagrams, photos, tables, or charts that will help to explain what the manual is trying to accomplish. It is also imperative to write in plain English. Ensure the sentences are concise and short, using everyday words. Any technical language used should be explained. The manual should be written in an easy-to-read format, with bold headings and a table of contents that allows the reader to jump straight to the topic of interest.
What is a health and safety policy?
The health and safety policy describes the commitment, responsibilities, expectations, and intentions of your organization regarding health and safety at work. When creating a health and safety policy, some key considerations are:
- Management’s commitment
- Employee involvement
- Promotion of employee health and safety
- Preventing workplace hazards
- Comply with laws
The following tips will help you write a health and safety policy:
- Review it regularly – Legislation for your industry might change frequently.
- Use terms and words that are easily understood by employees from all levels of the organization when writing the policy.
- Be sure that the H&S policy is displayed at the appropriate levels of the workplace.
Use SHEQ software
To design and implement a Quality Management System, SRM and many of our clients use Mango Compliance Software – www.mangolive.com Mango makes it easier to obtain and maintain ISO 9001:2015 certification.
SRM is ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certified. Contact our consultants today. Let us know if we can help you with the development and implementation of your Quality Management System.