What are the 4 steps to successful health and safety at work?

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HSG65 uses the Plan, Do, Check, Act approach which achieves a balance between the systems and behavioural aspects of management.

Plan:

This is about determining your policy and planning for implementation. At this point, you should be thinking about where you are now and where you would like to be. You should think about who has various responsibilities and how you will measure your success.

Do: 

This involves assessing risks within your workplace and identifying hazards that could cause harm, who could be harmed, how and what could be done to manage the risk. Responsibilities must be communicated, so that everyone is clear what is required of them.

You should also implement the plan and make decision regarding the preventative and protective measures that are required. Employees must also be trained and instructed to ensure that everyone is competent to carry out their responsibilities.

Check:

Performance must be continuously measured to ensure that what is being done is sufficient and that you are compliant with relevant legislation. Performance must also be measured so that you can assess how well you are meeting the aims set out in your policy. Investigation of accidents, incidents and near misses must always be carried out.

Act:

This is where you will review your performance. You will also demonstrate that you have learnt from accidents, incidents and errors. Risk assessments, plans and policy documents must be reviewed to determine whether they require updates.

Assurity Consulting is the UK's leading independent compliance consultancy specialising in workplace health, safety and environmental solutions. We have over 30 years' experience of helping customers of all sizes, from across all sectors, manage their compliance responsibilities, making sure that their organisation is compliant, their employees are safe, their processes are cost effective and their management team is in control.

This guide is of a general nature; specific advice can be obtained from Assurity Consulting by calling tel. 01403 269375 or by email [email protected]

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