Each business is required by law to display certain documents in their premises. Having them displayed in highly focal point is not only best practice. It also presents you as an Employer who understand and put Health and Safety aspect at first. This image is of great value to Employees and your Clients. Most tender processes value H&S as percentage of overall score in your bid. Your approach to safety matters as image of business, it also gives additional financial benefits in potential new contracts.
Below is the list of documents with short description, which you should have on your notice / information board.
1. Health and Safety Law Poster
If you are an employer, you must display the Health and Safety Executive’s health and safety law poster. An alternative to this is to provide each person in your organisation with a copy of an approved leaflet or an equivalent pocket card. It’s much more effective, much cheaper and far less work to display your health and safety law poster on a noticeboard where your workers can easily read it.
Health and Safety Law Poster can be bought directly from HSE website, link below
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/lawposter-a3.htmApproved leaflet is available to download here or directly from HSE website
2. Health and Safety Policy
If your organisation has 5 or more Employees, you are required to have written Health and Safety Policy. It’s good practice to display your company’s health and safety policy on notice board. Depending upon the size and type of your business, this could run into hundreds of pages. This might not be particularly practical to display on a noticeboard in its entirety. However, what many businesses do, is displaying the first part of the policy, the statement of intent. This lists the company’s aims for health and safety in a clear and simple way. The policy is signed and dated by the person who is responsible for health and safety is in the workplace.
Health and Safety Executive have prepared a step by step guide of how to prepare compliant H&S policy. A link below will provide such information:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/policy/index.htm3. Employers Liability Insurance
As an employer, you should display one or more valid copies of your employer’s liability insurance at your premises or notice boards. This shows that your insurance is fully up-to-date. It also shows to your employees and your Clients that you are a business that takes its health and safety considerations seriously and has valid insurance in place.
4. First Aiders and First Aid points
As an employer, you are required by law to make appropriate first-aid arrangements in your workplace. You must display clear information who is responsible for first aid and where the first aid point with equipment is located. For example, the arrangements for a small office will be much different from a construction site where the health and safety risks are higher. One of the key things to do is to have fully trained and appointed first aiders and display these clearly on your noticeboard. In the event of an accident, a trained first-aider can be quickly contacted to give vital first aid whilst a qualified Emergency response unit arrives.
5. Fire Evacuation Plans and Fire Warden details
It is essential that your workplace noticeboards display fire precautions and fire evacuation routes in the event of a fire. The information that you should provide must include general instructions of what to do in the event of a fire, the nearest escape routes, details of personnel who are appointed fire wardens or fire marshals. It is also critical to display maps or diagrams of where the nearest assembly points are.
