Between 2021 and 2022, no less than 565,000 UK workers suffered work-related injuries. That may seem like a small figure. But consider this: in the same period, 1.8 million people suffered ill-health related to work, resulting in 3.6 million lost working days and costing the UK economy £18.8 billion.
These alarming stats from the HSE shed more light on the situation of the average UK worker and how their plight affects not only them but the country as a whole. Therefore, if you’re an employer of labour, preventing such accidents and protecting the health and well-being of your workers becomes of paramount concern, not least because of self-preservation but from a legal standpoint as well.
By UK law, every company or organisation must comply with set health and safety legislation. An indispensable aspect of keeping with these regulations is having the appropriate safety documents in place. On the one hand, these documents demonstrate your commitment to safety. On the other, they serve as safety guides for employees and contractors working in your industry.
This article examines five essential safety documents, considering their scope and impact on different industrial sectors.
1. Health and Safety Policy
Evident in the name, a health and safety policy goes beyond a written document. For many companies, the health and safety policy is a mark of trust that tells employees, “We care about your service and we’ll do all in our power to keep you safe, hale, and hearty while you’re here”.
So, what is a health and safety policy document? A health and safety policy document is a written statement outlining your company’s general approach to safety and highlighting your business’ objectives regarding workers’ health in the workplace.
Are you mandating all employees to carry CSCS or SOLAS certification cards? If so, how much is a CSCS card? Will they have to procure these cards by themselves, or will the company be procuring the cards in batches for them? These questions should all be addressed in your safety policy.
Your policy document should specify the safety roles and responsibilities of different parties within the company, from managers to supervisors, employees and contractors.
However, per the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, only employers with five or more employees are legally obligated to have a written health and safety policy. This doesn’t negate its necessity; it is still good practice to have one, as you never can tell how fast your company will grow.
2. Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is a fundamental health and safety document every company must possess. Unlike the health and safety policy, conducting a risk assessment is a legal obligation embedded in section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
However, before you can lay your hands on a document detailing the extent of risk your business is exposed to, the risk assessment process comes first.
This assessment process is undertaken by a risk assessor who investigates and identifies safety risks such as fires, electric shock, slip-prone areas, complex machinery, hazardous chemicals, and height falls that may be present in your establishment.
Subsequently, they suggest measures to control hazards that may arise from the work activities or environment. These potential hazards and possible mitigation measures are detailed in a risk assessment document to be assessed and reviewed as needed.
3. Method Statement
The method statement details the safest and most efficient ways to carry out a particular task on a specific project. It describes the steps, resources, tools, work scope, testing, references, and processes workers must use in achieving a product or project; this comes in especially handy when tackling high-risk projects such as in construction or industry.
Although a method statement is not legally required as part of a company’s safety measures, clients, contractors, and regulators often require it as part of a tendering or contracting process. In this regard, they may be called varying names, e.g., work procedure, work instruction, work method statements, standing procedure, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), or safety statement. All allude to the same document.
4. Safe System of Work
A Safe System of Work (SSoW) is a formal procedure that comes about as a result of hazard identification during an in-depth risk examination. These documents are usually required in work situations where all hazards are impossible to be eliminate, and some risks cannot be done without.
Ideally, SSoW should be communicated to all relevant employees, and the risk level and work complexity should determine the details of procedure and responsibility in the document. For instance, high-risk undertakings carrying a risk of severe injury or fatality must have documented SoW that are stringently supervised and implemented.
The rationale behind SSoW stems from the fact that most accidents arise due to a combination of varied factors (machinery, faulty wiring, inexperience, or lack of supervision). Hence, preventing such occurrences should be based on an holistic approach and not by dealing with each factor separately.
5. Accident Report Form
An accident report form records the details of any work-related accident, injury or illness occurring in the workplace. Why record past accidents in a document? So, you can use this document as a blueprint of things to fix and avoid to prevent the reoccurrence of such events. An accident report form typically includes the following:
- Date, time and location of the incident
- Personal details of involved persons
- Nature and extent of the injury
- Cause and circumstances of the incident
- Witnesses’ statements
- Follow-up actions or recommendations
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013, an accident report form is a legal requirement that must be documented and up-to-date for at least the past three years.