Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
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➤
health 
surveillance
➤
monitoring of plant and equipment and its 
maintenance
➤
liaison with external agencies
➤
management and/or employee safety committees – 
the management committee will monitor day to day 
problems and any concerns of the employee health 
and safety committee.
The role of the health and safety adviser is to provide 
specialist information to managers in the organization 
and to monitor the effectiveness of health and safety 
procedures. The adviser is not ‘responsible’ for health 
and safety or its implementation; that is the role of the 
line managers.
Finally the job descriptions, which defi ne the duties 
of each person in the health and safety organizational 
structure, must not contain responsibility overlaps or blur 
chains of command. Each individual must be clear 
about his/her responsibilities and the limits of those 
responsibilities.
2.3.3 Arrangements for Health and Safety
The arrangements section of the health and safety policy 
gives details of the specifi c systems and procedures used 
to assist in the implementation of the policy statement. 
This will include health and safety rules and procedures 
and the provision of facilities such as a fi rst aid room and 
wash rooms. It is common for risk assessments (including 
COSHH, manual handling and PPE assessments) to be 
included in the arrangements section particularly for those 
hazards referred to in the policy statement. It is important 
that arrangements for fi re and other emergencies and for 
information, instruction, training and supervision are also 
covered. Local codes of practice (e.g. for fork lift drivers) 
should be included.
The following list covers the more common items 
normally included in the arrangements section of the 
health and safety policy:
➤
employee health and safety code of practice
➤
accident and illness reporting and investigation 
procedures
➤
emergency procedures, fi rst aid
➤
procedures for undertaking risk assessments
➤
control of exposure to specifi c hazards (noise, vibra-
tion, radiation, manual handling, hazardous sub-
stances etc.)
➤
machinery safety (including safe systems of work, 
lifting and pressure equipment)
➤
electrical equipment (maintenance and testing)
➤
maintenance 
procedures
➤
permits to work procedures
➤
use of personal protective equipment
➤
monitoring procedures including health and safety 
inspections and audits
➤
procedures for the control and safety of contractors 
and visitors
➤
provision of welfare facilities
➤
training procedures and arrangements
➤
catering and food hygiene procedures
➤
arrangements for consultation with employees
➤
terms of reference and constitution of the safety 
committee
➤
procedures and arrangements for waste disposal.
The three sections of the health and safety policy are 
usually kept together in a health and safety manual and 
copies distributed around the organization.