OH&S policy boards
Some companies have manuals available in the supervisor’s office or on a shelf in the safety department. Others have their OH&S policy statements on-line, but not everyone has access to a PC.
Others still produce leaflets and distribute them to staff. Some of them might get read but virtually all will get binned or lost. It’s not the most exciting reading material after all.
Cerealto UK has developed a format where the details of a specific OH&S policy, are shown on one side of a piece of paper and posted at the entrance to every department, a very public demonstration of the company’s commitment. People are only interested when they’re interested, but when they are they have immediate access to the company policy which states very clearly, who is going to do what to protect people from … you name it … fork lift trucks, hazardous chemicals, lifting equipment, pressure systems etc. etc.
Each OH&S Policy is consulted widely before it is accepted as the standard and posted. If issues arise, they’re an excellent source of reference and the perfect focal point for a conversation about what needs to happen.
And if you’re thinking about certification to BS EN 45001, this approach is relevant to so many clauses including OH&S Policy (clause 5.2), Organisational Roles and Responsibilities (5.3), Determination of legal requirements and other requirements (6.1.3), Planning action (6.1.4), Communication (7.4), Operational Planning and Control (8.1) and Evaluation of compliance (9.1.2b) and perhaps more besides.
