HASAWA - Policy

How to write health and safety report

Hasawa / May 4, 2022

Health and safety reports are an integral part of every company consisting of various kinds of activities which have potential hazards and could be a source of accidents. Developing a safety report is a legal requirement and international standards recommend the same to be maintained promptly. The report could be monthly, quarterly, half yearly or yearly. The report consists of the details of recorded incidents that happened due to floors, roofs, falling objects, vehicles, unguarded machinery, equipment, overhead power cables, power tools, heat and other different activities. The report also consists of the employee information as how many average employees are present daily and the total number of work hours. Further the report will have to be written about the project safety activities like inspection conducted, risk assessment conducted and the outcome of the same. It is the ultimate responsibility of the employer to develop a proper standard procedure for maintaining the health and safety report department wise or the project or activity wise. This is done at the different levels like supervisor will develop a report of the area under his purview and this leverages to the manager till director for health and safety. Define the Objective of the safety report first The report starts with an introduction on the issue to be reported. It summarizes the whole report on the particular issue. The maintenance of the equipment or explanation of the accidents at the workplace and standard procedures that need to be followed. A safety report covers almost every aspect that a person needs to know about the workplace. The report also includes about the interviews and discussions he had with the employees during the inspection. Any safety report must follow a proper format which should be in a proper presentation with simple and precise language with easily understandable terminologies without less or no jargon. One of the drawbacks of the safety reports is filling up the content which is not required much. While writing a report we need to consider the background of the employees and their understanding of the language. The report need not necessarily be in English rather the language which the majority of the employees understand. Report writing is a team work explaining the scope of the report along with the interviews, surveys, inspections and questionnaires used if any. Even a small mistake sometimes could lead to an accident major or minor depending on the instructions given and even legal procedures be initiated if a report is not maintained properly. Goals of the writing a health and Safety Report is to demonstrate: A clear accident prevention policy maintaining a health and safety management system That a proper procedure is followed in writing about the possible accidents and their preventive measures so that consequences could be minimized. That a proper inspection has been done in the workplace including the equipment, machinery, hazardous areas and the operations that happen in the workplace. To elaborate the emergency measures that are intact and as per the emergency evacuation measures plan and procedures. To maintain the report very precise, neat and clear for the Health and safety officials as and when inspection happens.

Policy

Health and safety advice for small businesses

Hasawa / January 4, 2022

The matter is not whether a company is small or has a smaller number of employees. What matters is the life of the workers though working in less numbers. Health and safety in small and medium businesses is a must and is a legal requirement however, the process of implementation may vary compared to large organizations. Ultimately it’s the responsibility of the employer to implement the health and safety in small businesses. Every company has various types of hazards like electrical, chemical, mechanical, physical and biological. The company has to implement the health and safety step by step which could be done flexibly as per the workplace circumstances. Developing policy is a must even if the company has five employees or a small one. Policy is to define the goals and objectives that the company wants to achieve and ultimately goal is to achieve zero accidents. Policy should consist of roles and responsibilities of the employer and the employees too. Roles and responsibilities should cover every aspect that an employer and employee will have to implement. For this a detailed program has to be developed by the employer in which a clear agenda will be present as to how the accidents and injuries shall be avoided or eliminated. Employer’s role is to appoint a competent person in the company even if it’s a small one or the employer can train one of his employees in health and safety and deploy the responsibility of implementation of health and safety in the company. Regular risk assessments, forming teams among the employees to check the health and safety procedures to be followed during the work. Employers must play a proactive role in implementing health and safety among the employees and develop a system of inspection from time to time. The risk assessments and inspections should also consist of the recommendations to control the risk. Complying with the health and safety standards and laws isn’t a big deal even if the company is small provided that the employer has the commitment to the safety of the employees. Opting employers’ liability insurance will help the company to overcome the burden of compensation if any employee gets injured. Apart from the regular activities being carried on there may be specific hazards activity like work at height, lone working or noise and vibration or more. Employers have the responsibility to develop specific control measures for such specific hazards which might have high risk. Formal training for the technical persons, awareness training for the whole employees from time to time will motivate the workers to follow health and safety effectively. Maintaining a proper procedure for accident reporting and encouraging the employees to report even if its minor injury is a must in small businesses as today’s minor injury may lead to major one which can prove a huge burden for the small businesses. Employers must take advice from the standard bodies like National Safety Council where they’ll be guided in all the aspects of health and safety with a minimal fee keeping in view the number of employees that a company has.

Policy

Workplace health and safety policy

Hasawa / September 16, 2014

A workplace health and safety policy statement is basically a document issued by the organization showing its commitment towards health and safety at workplace. It gives an overview of the safety operations in place to meet those commitments and the people responsible for implementing the policy. The document may differ between companies and industries. A workplace safety policy template for a manufacturing company may be different to a policy statement for a construction company. But all the policies mostly comprises of: The commitment the organization shows (it’s vision) towards workplace and individual health and safety. How it plans to implement this policy. Who is responsible to act? Categorized responsibility of managers, workers etc. Who should be contacted when needed for complaints / suggestions / feedback etc. A workplace health and safety policy statement acts as the basis for a company’s safety programs. The policy is put into practice by implementing different safety procedures, regular staff training and operational safety programs that all the people involved need to follow. The policy might need to be updated as the company grows and there are changes in its functioning or based on new laws by the governments. New clauses and points may be added and old ones might be updated in the policy. It is always recommended to regularly revisit/check the workplace policy and make any necessary corrections.