Rank: New forum user 
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We have been having a discussion in our team about which H&S policies are required by legislation. Whilst acknowledging the duties of the employer under Section 2 of the HSWA and the MHSWA, is it not possible for an overarching H&S Policy to be in place that includes a Statement of Intent signed by the CEO, and then have a series of procedures and safe methods of work for the tasks undertaken by employees?
If these procedures adequately specify the arrangements for carrying out the work in a safe manner, there would be no need to have individual policies for subjects such as accident reporting, noise and vibration, lifting operations etc.
I would be grateful if anyone can state which actual policies an organisation is required to have.
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Rank: Guest
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Yes, but don't forget you'll also need the 'organisation' for implementing it. Eg include top level organisation with Statement and require each head of department (or whatever) to prepare their own.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I don't follow why documenting safe methods of work means you don't need arrangements for dealing with accidents - or isn't that what you mean? Do you just mean "Does it matter whether the heading is 'Accident reporting and investigation policy' or 'Accident reporting and investigation procedure'?"
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Rank: Super forum user
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Your CEO should sign and H&S policy statement, which sets out your employers commitment to H&S in the workplace. The statement being signed should not detail an exhaustive list of policies. You could compliment the signed statement with an H&S policy manual which would list all your relevent policies, which should be unique to your business operations. A couple of examples:- We have DSE...DSE policy! We use chemical...COSHH policy! We use FLT's...Traffic management policy! We use extaernal contractors...Control of contractor policy! We have noisey machiney...Noise at work policy! I could literally go on and on with examples but you really need to look at what you do on your site and take it from there. Worth a read: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg259.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg65.pdf
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I agree with you 100%. Overarching Policy Statement of intent for managing risk, descriptor /organogram of duty holders and responsibilities, then description of appropriate arrangements for managing discrete areas of risk.
Writing "policy" for managing DSE, COSHH etc. is a real waste of effort.
Policy for Environment, Purchasing =yes
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Rank: Super forum user
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Guru, another view:
We have DSE...DSE procedure!
We use chemicals...COSHH procedure!
We use FLT's...Traffic management procedure!
We use external contractors...Control of contractor procedure!
We have noisy machiney...Noise at work procedure!
As long as it's covered it doesn't matter what you call it.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Indeed Kate....time to start dressing up my street for the big part tomorrow!
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Rank: Super forum user
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The approach I have used for many years is to have an overall safety policy signed off by the CEO as the main policy of the company to state the aims of its safety management system. This was reviewed on at least an anuual basis to ensure it remained appropriate to the company and what it did. This normally was a single sheet of overall intent as to ensuring the company operated in a safe and proper manner. The arrangements were in a separate manual and covered all the relevant issues that faced the company from management of risk to DSE and noise etc. This manual was subject to revision as and when changes were necesary due to incidents and changes in law such as updates of legislation and was not tied to the CEO but was signed off at the business director level on behalf of the executive team. This proved to be far more revisable than waiting for the evecutive to under right or accept the policy and still met the principle of the H&S Policy as signed by the CEO.
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Rank: Super forum user
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We could just have a policy stating that we will comply with all relevant legislation as a minimum and then set out other policy objectives as well. It could be just like what the HASAWA required us to do!!! What a novel idea.
Multiple policies for everything are bread and butter to me as an auditor because I know there will be gaps for me to spot with relative ease:-)
Bob
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