Employers of 5 or more staff

If you employ five or more people you must, by law, have a written statement of your health and safety policy. This should be your own statement, specific to your firm, setting out your general policy for protecting the health and safety of your employees at work and for putting that policy into practice.

Under section 2 (3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The written statement must:

State your general policy on health and safety

Describe the organisation and arrangements for carrying out your policy

Be brought to the notice of all your employees

Be revised whenever appropriate, and every revision must be brought to your employees' attention.

Checklist

The following checklist is intended as an aid in writing and reviewing your safety policy statement. There may be additional points, which you may wish to cover. If you cannot tick then you may need to take action.

General

Does the statement express a commitment to health and safety and are your obligations towards your employees made clear?

Does it say who is responsible for seeing that the policy is implemented and for keeping it under review and how this will be done?

Is it signed and dated by you (or a partner or senior director?)

Does it is say who is responsible for the following matters and specify their duties?

recording (and reporting) of accidents?

fire precautions, fire drill, and evacuation procedures?

first aid?

training and safety matters?

Ensuring legal requirements are met, for example regular testing of lifts and notifying accidents to the Environmental Health Officer?

Arrangements to be considered

Is the workplace, including staircases, floors, ways in and out, washrooms etc kept in a safe and clean condition by cleaning, maintenance and repair?

Are maintenance and checks on equipment such as tools and ladders carried out?

Is there maintenance (including formal visual checks and inspection) of portable electrical appliances?

Is there maintenance of electrical installation (system)?

Is there prevention of unauthorised entry into certain areas?

Have you considered the lifting of heavy or awkward loads?

Are there arrangements for protecting the employee against assault either in the store or when handling or transporting employer's money or valuables?

Emergencies

Are there arrangements for:

Ensuring that fire exits are marked, unlocked and free from obstructions?

Organising annual checks on fire extinguishers etc, fire drills and evacuation procedures?

First aid including name of person responsible (+ deputy) and the location of the first aid box?

Communication

Is there: -

A system for giving your employees information about their general duties under the HSW Act and specific legal requirements relating to their work?

Arrangements for liaison with contractors who may work on site?

Details of training arrangements, supervision and checks which may be made of the workplace, machinery or working methods?

Risk Assessment

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 which came into force in 1993, introduced a requirement that employers of 5 or more staff must make a written record of the significant risks to employees or others (e.g. customers) and the procedures in place to guard against or protect against those risks.

Every day risks (such as driving around Nottingham!) need not be recorded. The sorts of risks that may need to be considered in retail premises may be:

Violence to staff

Risks to customers and staff from changes in floor levels or space heating appliances etc.

Use of equipment e.g. trailing lead from a vacuum cleaner.

Risk of injury to staff from lifting heavy or awkward items

Risks from hazardous substances such as chemicals

Other risks you may identify.

In order to carry out an assessment yourself, walk around your workplace and look afresh at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. Ask your employees what they think. They may have noticed things, which are not immediately obvious.

When you have identified a risk, consider how it is controlled or could be controlled. Ideally, you should eliminate it altogether. Make a record of the risk and the control measures. e.g. risk of burning by contact with the hot surface from a space heater. Control measure: increase central heating system so heater not required; or relocate heater where contact is very unlikely; or provide a guard to the hot surface to prevent accidental contact.

Further information can be obtained form the Health and Safety Executive leaflet Five steps to risk assessment