Too many employers allow their health and safety policies to gather dust when they should be regularly reviewing and updating them, Norwich Union has warned.
As part of a new “simply safety” campaign, (Simply Safety: The Health and Safety Policy) the insurance firm’s liability risk manager Phil Grace said policies were often not communicated effectively or simply filed away somewhere once they had been created.
“Implementing the policy is the key to managing risk successfully, so it should be communicated clearly to those affected by it, or with responsibilities arising from it,” he said. “Full copies of the policy should be made available for use and employees should be made aware that it exists,” he advised.
“To ensure the policy is effective, it must also be monitored to ensure it is being applied appropriately. A high number of accidents are caused by management failures, therefore it is important for employers to identify risks on an ongoing basis and ensure the policy is a live document,” he added.
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At the same time, Norwich Union has urged companies to put in place online risk management resources if they are serious about reducing workplace risks.
Its poll of more than 200 businesses has found that virtually all use, and refer to, online risk management resources in their operations, indicating that such resources have become a vital tool for the modern workplace.
