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Managing directors, directors, managers responsibilities etc for health and safety
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Folks I am in the process of revising and updating my heallth and safety at work policy manual i.e. organisational structure, responsibilities and arrangements. We are multi site organisation who are in the business of transport and engineering. I want my manual to cover all. Can anyone advise me what is the best way to go about this process from the writng of it to cover all sites, selling it to directors and then throughout the workforce. I want to hold all levels of management responsibile and make them aware of this responsibility. I would like to asign specific responsibilities. Does anyone have a list of responsibilities for managing director, directors, managers, supervisors and employees. Even specific responsibilities for eg purchasing i.e. COSHH ETC. Would anyone like to share their structure i.e. were policies and procedures fit in within the manual. Any help be appreciated. Eddie eddie@bpmckeefry.com
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Rank: Super forum user
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That is a big ask Eddy.
The answer will take some time to compile.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Why not do what I did
Get an organogram, decide on key levels using a committee meeting and include a board member / HR function - as believe me the politics in this can quickly become fun.... that's not my job, will be said a lot :)
next - write down what they are doing then - what they should be doing + identify gaps
This will make it VERY specific to your organisation, and that will result in a policy that reflects your own procedures and responsibilities, the work involved in doing this will also help to identify culture issues and informal reporting lines etc etc which will be amazingly useful
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Rank: Super forum user
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Have a look at the IOD/HSE leadership model INDG417 and some of the other resources available via this very Site. Plenty of food for thought there.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Eddy wrote:.... I want my manual to cover all. ..... I want to hold all levels of management responsibile and make them aware of this responsibility. I would like to asign specific responsibilities. Try to include some idea of what part you will play, apart from simply dumping responsibility on everyone else. You work there too! Think about making yourself part of the team
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Rank: Forum user
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Eddy: some good advice from teh_boy. It's not really 'your safety policy' is it? Neither is it for the safety adviser to tell others what their job is, which is how such policies come across.
Everyone has (or should have) some kind of job description. H&S accountabilities are so often not included - I mean proper ones, such as 'carry out a monthly safety tour', not the bland all-inclusive 'comply with H&S requirements' which is fairly meaningless.
You need the HR and operational management to take this on, otherwise it will, frankly, be ignored, however comprehensive you draft responsibilities. The policy should only be broad brush, in levels of responsibility, but then made specific through the organisational JDs.
If it's not in someone's job, they won't / can't be made accountable. If they aren't accountable, it's not important (to them or their manager). If it's not important it won't get done.
I think we all fall down a bit on the way this has tended to be approached: the safety policy should not be a separate supplement to peoples' job roles. Everything they need to know about their job responsibilities should be evident in their JD.
There is quite a bit to this project, to tie up the broad brush 'policy' layers with practical real accountabilities, which can be and should be part of a performance management system. I have rarely seen it done, only in my dreams . .
Maybe if you do it successfully you can share in some way.
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Rank: Forum user
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Thanks for reply everyone
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