Wednesday, 21 May 2014

HOW TO WRITE A HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT



ABC NIGERIA Plc is committed to have a systematic approach to Occupational Health and Safety management designed to
- Ensure compliance with the law
-  Achieve continuous performance improvement and
-  Ensure employees work in the healthiest and safest conditions that are reasonably practicable to provide.
The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for seeing that this policy is carried out.
To this end, the Board has delegated specific responsibilities to ensure that appropriate arrangements and procedures are in place.
 Prime responsibility for the day to day activities lies with every individual employee and contractor who should do everything possible to prevent injury to one or others.
-Management ranks Health & Safety equally with other responsibility such as quality, cost control, production, etc. This means that everything reasonably practicable is done to improve conditions in the design, construction and operation of all working areas, buildings and equipment, so as to provide a safe and healthy workplace and environment not only for our employees, but also for the community and members of the public who may visit our premises.
-  To achieve this, management will
-  Set targets for improvement
-  Measure, appraise and report performance
-  Require contractors to manage Health and Safety in line with this policy.
-  Include Health and Safety performance in the appraisal of all employees.
  Specific details out lining the means whereby the aims of this policy will be achieved are contained in our :
-  Safety Manual, ABC  Nigeria Plc, Organization and Arrangement
-  This safety manual also defines the specific responsibilities of managers, and staff, working practices and procedures. It is issued to every employee and is updated and revised by the company as and when circumstances require.
-  The Board of Directors approved this policy in December 2002, and has revised it in November 2011. The Board will monitor performance at least annually by means of a review by the Company’s Safety Committee.
-  The policy applies to departments and agencies, contractors, visitors, e.t.c

A commitment to set up a viable safety and health management system
 Departments must implement the requirement of the Factories Act, 1990 and comply with this policy, establish and maintain effective health and safety programme consistent with company policies, standards and procedures.
Commitment to provide facilities, employ appropriately skilled personnel and maintain continued training programme for them.
- Commitment of reasonable budget to finance safety and health services
Commitment to share all relevant information that will help to enhance the safety and health of all workers.
Commitment to comply with national standards as a minimum base
National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health
Key features of a national policy on occupational safety and health
The policy reflects tripartite participation, ie. There were input from employers’ and workers’ organization as well as from government and others involved in the area of occupational health and safety.
The policy is consistent with national developmental objectives and policies as a whole.
The policy promotes the right of workers to decent, safe and healthy working conditions and environment.
The policy includes ways of promoting adequate public awareness and eliciting political endorsement at the highest level of Government.
-  The policy should promote the development of a national preventive safety and health culture that include information, consultation and training
- The policy should include a plan for mobilizing the necessary institutional and financial resources
Coordination among all concerned institution should be fostered as an inherent element of the policy.
All available means of action should be used consistently.
-  The policy should encourage voluntary compliance at enterprise level.
- The policy should be reviewed regularly.

National Strategy
-  Increasing the commitment of employers and workers in the field of OSH
-  Enhancing the roles and functions of all sectors in the implementation of OSH
-  Enhancing employers’ and workers’ ability, understanding, attitude, and behavior in relation to OSH culture
-  Implementing OSH through risk management and the management of risky behavior  conclusion
A good H & S Management as required by legislations
- Ensures H & S compliance & conformance with standards, legislations
Ensures staff is trained to manage in-house H & S programme on daily bases.
Makes provisions for accident investigation services & root course analysis should an accident occur.
Controls workplace hazards via “elimination, isolation and minimization” to reduce workplace risks to employees

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