Work place policies and procedures

Any company is responsible for doing their own risk assessments and deciding what is safe and unsafe, therefore if you use to do something at a previous job it’s no guarantee that you be allowed to do the same thing at a new company.

A policy will be how the business deals with things and a procedure will show how something is done. These will be different in all workplaces and unique to that workplace or business as they assess things differently and the level of the policies and procedures will reflect this.

Companies may have special policies such as not using mobile phones and other personal devices, using phones on stairs or making sure contact with handrails is done when going up and downstairs. Other companies may not worry about the use of mobiles.

An example may be that some companies have a requirement for all employees to reverse into their parking spaces. The reason for this is that after a days work when you are feeling tired, it’s less likely you will have an accident when leaving, as you don’t have to focus on as many tasks e.g., looking in rearview mirrors, wing mirrors etc. This can be most beneficial when leaving work at night as your visibility won’t be as reduced when manoeuvring.

When you are at work, be open-minded, have a good look for potential accidents, read risk assessment, policies, procedures, warning signs and understand them- if you have any question ask your manager or supervisors.

When you’re working, be vigilant and look out for potential accidents and do mini risk assessments when undertaking new tasks at work.

The whole idea of Health and Safety training is to make you aware of risks and minimise them. If you see something that is being done wrong, mention it, and try to create a health and safety culture in your workplace.