The ‘Health, Safety & Welfare Policy’ Statement is a legal requirement for all large organisations.

This statement sets out the primary responsibilities for Health, Safety and Welfare arrangements within the National Ice Centre.

• NIC Health, Safety & Welfare Policy Statement

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) identifies that a health and safety policy sets out the general approach, objectives and the arrangements that need to be put in place for managing health and safety within the organisation.

It is a unique document to any organisation that identifies who does what, when and how safety is managed within the otganisation.

How should it look?

The HSE identifies that any written health and safety policy does not need to be complicated but should inform staff and others about the organisation’s commitment to health and safety. It should also simply describe how this will be implemented and what arrangements are in place to monitor the health and safety controls.

It is also important to recognise that this policy statement is very different from a risk assessment.

• Policy: general vision and arrangements for the whole business
• Risk assessment: a regular review of how you remove or control hazards, and whether you are doing enough, or if you require further controls.

A policy is only effective if all employees act on it, follow it through and it is reviewed it on a regular basis.

A copy of both the ‘Corporate Policy Statement’ and the HSE’s ‘Health & Safety Law’ poster must be displayed within your premises in a visible location where all employees can see it.

Health & Safety Law Poster