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Health and safety manuals, Why do I need one?
Health and safety legislation places emphasis on the responsibilities on employers to ensure the safety of their staff.
As an employer, you need to consider the possible ways employees may be harmed and take steps to minimise these risks. Employers also need to consult staff on health and safety matters, provide proper safety training and communicate effectively about the possible work risks and how to avoid them.
What should a health and safety manual contain?
Having a written health and safety policy is a legal requirement.
Safety compliance is best achieved by having a full health and safety manual specific for your workplace. Having the safety manual alone is not enough. The onus is on ensuring its contents are communicated to staff. Staff also need acknowledge that they have read and understood its contents.
Typical Health and Safety manual contents
They are likely to include:
• Health and safety policy
• Fire safety procedures
• First Aid procedures
• Accident and incident reporting (including RIDDOR)
• Safety risk assessment
• Health and safety training
• Emergency procedures
• Control Of Substances Hazardous To Health (COSHH)
• Electricity at work – electrical safety
• Manual handling
• Smoking policy
• Working at heights
• Personal protective equipment
The safety manual will need to include any guidance for risks specific to the type of work an employee does such as
• Display screen equipment risk assessments
• Safe driving
• Homeworking
We can create a health and safety manual specific for your business - contact us now
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