The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAW) makes it a legal requirement for employers to prepare and, as often as is necessary, review and revise a written health and policy statement. An employer is also legally obliged to bring the policy (and any revision to it) to the attention of employees.
Notwithstanding this, the Employers’ Health and Safety Policy Statements (Exception) Regulations 1975 exempts organisations with fewer than five employees from the requirement to have the policy documented. Therefore, if you employ fewer than five employees (including part-time workers). then you do not need a written health and safety policy.
However, at Ambeck Associates Ltd, we believe that it makes good business sense for all organisations to have a written health and safety policy, irrespective of their size or operations. Having a written policy helps to focus attention on important health and safety issues and can help to enhance a company’s reputation amongst new and prospective customers, employees, insurers and enforcement bodies alike.
For those organisations with fewer than five employees, the policy need only be short and simple.