Workplace Safety: A Guide to Health and Safety Policies and Procedures #2

In our first article on health and safety policies and procedures, we covered the following key points:

• Legal Foundation: Grounded in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, these policies help UK employers comply with legal standards and provide a safe work environment.

• Policy Framework: Includes essential procedures like risk assessments, emergency responses, first aid, equipment use, and incident reporting to create a comprehensive safety management system.

Challenges Addressed:

• Compliance complexity and legal navigation difficulties

• Limited resources, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises

• Engagement issues with staff leading to underutilisation of policies

• Adaptation challenges in rapidly changing work environments

• Gaps in necessary health and safety knowledge and expertise

• Overload of information and regulation updates

• Difficulties in monitoring and enforcing policy compliance

Strategies for Maintenance:

• Staying informed through legal updates and industry networks

• Engaging in continuous professional development

• Conducting regular internal compliance reviews

• Designating a dedicated policy champion

Next we are moving forward with best practices.

Best Practices in Policy and Procedure Management

In essence, best practices are important to minimise the risk of workplace accidents and illnesses. They provide structured and standardised guidance on the safest ways to perform tasks, which helps you comply with health and safety laws and regulations.

The net result is that you will optimise their processes, leading to more efficient use of resources, better quality control, and reduced costs associated with accidents and illnesses, such as medical expenses, legal fees, and insurance premiums

Let’s explore our tips:

Effective Management of Health and Safety Policies and Procedures

Centralised Document Management

Use a centralised digital document management system where all policies and procedures are stored. If you have an LMS system, you could extend this to create a knowledge management system where these are held and accessed. Naturally, you would organise documents in a clear, logical manner.

This ensures that updates are instantly disseminated and that employees can access the latest versions.

Accessibility

Ensure policies and procedures are accessible to all employees, including those with disabilities. Consider using accessible formats and languages as necessary to accommodate a diverse workforce. Read our article Getting Started With Health And Safety Disability

Communication Channels

Consider how you can use multiple channels to communicate policies and procedures, such as email, intranet, meetings, and physical notice boards. Regular reminders about where these documents can be found and their importance should be part of routine communications. Because let’s face we often ‘forget’ where stuff is…

The Role of Training and Ongoing Support

It goes without saying that offering training will improve understanding and acceptance of your key policies and procedures, particularly for new employees or when significant updates are made. These sessions should be interactive and include practical examples or scenarios. Don’t forget to hold regular refresher sessions and find ways to address questions easily.

Nothing is perfect, so consider creating a mechanism for employees to provide feedback on policies and procedures. This can help identify areas for improvement and increase employee engagement with health and safety initiatives.

Reviewing and Updating Policies and Procedures

One of the dustiest parts of an organisation is surely the vault where the policies and procedures are stored. At a minimum, we recommend an annual review of all health and safety policies and procedures. This ensures that they remain relevant and compliant with current legislation. And, of course, people who originally wrote your policies may have left, often long ago.

In addition to scheduled reviews, policies and procedures should be reevaluated in response to specific events, such as changes in legislation (e.g. The Building Safety Act), after an incident or when new risks are identified.

You probably have a review team with representatives from various levels and departments. If you don’t, now is a great time to implement this. These people can also become your health and safety champions, who are responsible for assessing the effectiveness of policies and making recommendations for changes.

Use this team to consult with employees, health and safety committees, and external experts as part of the review process. This ensures that the policies are practical and grounded in real-world conditions.

As always, communicate and train your employees on the new policies and procedures.

Overcoming Non-Usage of Policies and Procedures

Things like policies and procedures may not get looked at. It is human nature to file things away in the recesses of our minds if they don’t seem important day to day.

Some of these reasons are:

• Policies and procedures that are overly complex or difficult to understand can discourage use.

• Documents that are perceived as irrelevant or outdated are likely to be ignored.

• Employees may not be aware of existing policies or where to find them.

• A workplace culture that does not prioritise health and safety can lead to non-compliance.

What can you do?

Some of these we’ve already discussed…

• Simplify the language and format of policies to make them more accessible and understandable. This makes the policies and procedures comprehensible to all employees, regardless of their background.

• Incorporate diagrams, flowcharts, and images to illustrate key points, making complex information easier to digest.

• Organise content logically with headings, subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists to make information easy to find and follow. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know how to do this.

• Regularly update policies to ensure they are relevant and reflect current practices and technologies.

• Increase the visibility of policies through regular communications, training, and easy access.

• Ensure documents are accessible to individuals with disabilities by adhering to accessibility standards. This includes offering text-to-speech options and ensuring all visuals have descriptive alt text.

• Engage employees in developing and reviewing policies to increase buy-in and compliance.

• Recognise and reward compliance and positive health and safety behaviours to reinforce the importance of following policies and procedures.

• Create success metrics and share success stories. These metrics provide tangible evidence of where the current strategies are effective and where they might need adjustments.

And Finally

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

This proverb is often used to emphasise the importance of taking action on important tasks as soon as possible rather than delaying.

Call Ligtas, which has a team of experts dedicated to helping you ensure that you are compliant in all aspects of health and safety, including your policies and procedures.

Where do you want to go today?