Getting Started

The Health and Safety Management System

Our Health and Safety Management System provides us with the means to manage health and safety in an efficient and effective way.

The documents contain our plans, policies, procedures, organisation, arrangements and risk management tools.

The documentary system is divided into the following elements:

  • Health and Safety Manual
  • Forms – and includes checklists
  • Guidance Documents

Health and Safety Manual

In this part we declare how we will manage health and safety, stating our Policy on the range of issues that affect us. We support these stated intentions with internal arrangements such as the procedures to be followed, training requirements and records to be kept. We identify our organisational structure for health and safety and designate individual responsibilities to staff, to ensure that we are all aware of the duties that we hold to create and maintain a safe working environment.

Forms

This section also includes checklists that assists us to track and document our progress and ensures that we possess evidence of good health and safety practices should we undergo an audit or be required to produce such evidence for various questionnaires from clients and/or insurance companies.

Guidance Documents

Contains information that supports our Policy and procedures, helping us to understand why we need the Policy and procedure and how to implement it.

ACTIONS REQUIRED

Save this manual on your computer and then work your way through the manual completing each step. To assist you the action steps have been outlined below:

  1. Section 0 – page 1:  ‘The Company’ – enter your company name to replace these words.
  2. Section 0 – page 7:  Company details – name and address. Your company will be referred to as “The Company” through the entire H&S Manual.
  3. Section 0 – page 7:  Owner / Manager details. Nominate either the owner or manager if the owner is not directly involved in the business.
  4. Section 0 – page 7:  Emergency Preparedness. Nominate a worker who generally remains on site as a Warden. A Deputy Warden is required in event of sickness or annual leave etc.
  5. Section 1 – page 2:  1.3 – Health and Safety Policy. Enter your company name to replace the words ‘(your company name)’.
  6. Section 1 – page 2:  1.3 – Health and Safety Policy. Owner / Manager to sign and date, then display on staff noticeboard.
  7. Section 1 – page 3:  1.4 – Health and Safety Documentation. Enter in ‘your location’ of where your Health and Safety manual is kept.
  8. Section 1 – page 3:  1.6 – Specific Health and Safety Objectives. You should set Health and Safety Objectives annually. An example appears in the manual and there is further information under ‘Guidance Documents’.
  9. Section 1 – page 4:  1.7 – Annual Management Review. Complete a review of this Health and Safety manual on an annual basis. Additional information may be added to the form. The Owner / Manager shall ensure that records of the annual review are retained.
  10. Section 1 – page 4:  1.8 – Document Control. Enter in ‘your location’ of where your Health and Safety Policy and also your Emergency Procedures are located.
  11. Section 1 – page 5:  1.10 – Health and Safety Legislation. To ensure regulations and legislation are being met, the Owner / Manager visits the WorkSafe Regulations website quarterly to ensure that changes to Acts and Regulations are obtained as soon as they are issued.
  12. Section 2 – page 1:  2.0 – Responsibilities. Owner / Manager to sign and date, then display on staff noticeboard. You can create more detailed responsibilities for panel and paint foreman roles. If this is done these detailed roles will also need to be added into the Employee handbook as well.
  13. Section 3 – page 1:  3.1 – Prestart Production Meetings. Held at the start of each day and minutes kept and maintained. The Owner / Manager shall place them on the staff noticeboard following the meeting for the reference of absent workers and then retained for 2 months for reference and auditing purposes. You may like to use the ‘Prestart Production Meeting Minutes’ template and modify to suit your workplace.
  14. Section 3 – page 1:  3.2 – Health and Safety Meetings. Choose one option for this section and delete the other two options. This option reflects how your H&S meetings are structured eg. All workers, H&S Representatives or H&S Committee. All H&S meetings are held bi-monthly and minutes kept and maintained. The Owner / Manager shall ensure that minutes are retained and available for workers to view after the meeting. Placing them on the staff noticeboard from month to month for the reference of absent workersis effective. You may like to use the ‘Health & Safety Meeting Minutes’ template.
  15. Section 4 – page 1:  4.0 – Accident / Incident (Near Hit) Reporting. No immediate action required but become familiar with this section and know what to do when an incident that could have been serious occurs and take the attitude to investigate and put in place preventative measures to prevent reoccurrence.
  16. Section 5 – page 1:  5.0 – First Aid Facilities – First Aid Notice. Complete this notice with First Aider name and location of First Aid Kit. Post notices in all work areas.
  17. Section 5 – page 2:  5.3 – AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). Complete all details in regards to nearest AED location then display on staff noticeboard.
  18. Section 6 – page 1:  6.1 – Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification. Encourage all workers to report new hazards using the Hazard Report form.
  19. Section 6 – page 4:  6.3 – Hazard Register. A generic hazard register has been prepared to get you started. Review this document and confirm the presence of the hazards also identify all additional hazards you may have on site.
  20. Section 6 – page 6:  6.5 – Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Some sample SOP’s are available under ‘Guidance Documents’. We encourage you to have SOP’s for all major tasks that are undertaken at your workplace.
  21. Section 6 – page 6:  6.5 – Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). A review of all SOP’s should take place at least annually and/or when there is a change in procedure or a change in the risk assessment due to new information or the result of an incident. This review date and signature of person undertaking the review is to be noted at the bottom of the SOP. Use the ‘Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Review form’ to record this information.
  22. Section 6 – page 6:  6.6 – Workplace Inspections. To ensure that hazards are being identified and track whether existing controls are working, the Owner / Manager or designated person should complete a monthly inspection using the ‘Workplace Inspection Checklist’.
  23. Section 6 – page 7:  6.8 – Plant and Equipment. To ensure that all work equipment is maintained, inspected and tested as required, use the ‘Record of Testing and Maintenance form’.
  24. Section 6 – page 8:  6.10 – Drug and Alcohol Testing. No immediate action required but become familiar with this section.
  25. Section 7 – page 1:  7.2 – Induction Training. Ensure all new workers undergo an induction process, use the ‘Staff Induction Checklist’ form.
  26. Section 7 – page 2:  7.4 – Employee Competency Training. To ensure that all training is recorded, use the ‘Training Schedule’.
  27. Section 8 – page 1:  8.1 – Emergency Response Plan. A generic Emergency Response Plan has been prepared to get you started. Review this document and enter specific details for your site eg. if you are prone to tsunami include this checklist, if you use LPG include this checklist. Also enter in assembly points, contact details and other highlighted areas etc. Be prepared for emergencies which may strike your area. This Emergency Response Plan should be discussed with workers and displayed on the staff noticeboard.
  28. Section 8 – page 2:  8.1.2 – Accident and Emergency. Complete all details in regards to Accident and Emergency details then display on staff noticeboard.
  29. Section 8 – page 3:  8.2 – Fire Evacuation Plan – Fire Action Notice.  Complete this notice and display in all main areas of the building.
  30. Section 8 – page 4:  8.2.2 – Warden’s Responsibilities.  Drills should be conducted 6 monthly and the results recorded using ‘Fire Evacuation Drill Checklist’.
  31. Section 9 – page 1:  9.0 – Customers, Visitors and Contractors. Be familiar with this section. Control must be exercised over customers, visitors and contractors (eg. Auto glazier, paint less dent removal, locksmith, air-conditioning technician) on your premises. Maintain a Sub-Contractors / Suppliers / Visitors attendance register at reception.
  32. Section 9 – page 1:  9.2 – Contractors and Sub-Contractors. Assess all contractors as to whether they are classed as low impact or high impact.
  33. Section 9 – page 2:  9.2.1 – Contractors. All high impact contractors are to be inducted onto site using ‘Contractor Induction Checklist’. Provide your site rules to these contractors as well. You may like to use the ‘Contractor Health and Safety Plan and Rules’ and modify to suit your workplace. All contractors will need to be re-inducted annually.
  34. Section 9 – page 2:  9.2.1 – Contractors. For any off site contractors, as a way of demonstrating that you are taking steps to ensure that they are safe operators, you can complete the ‘Audit for Off Site Contractors form’.
  35. Section 9 – page 2:  9.2.2 – Contractor Performance. Complete a review of all contractors on an annual basis by using the ‘Contractor Annual Performance Review form’.
  36. Section 9 – page 2:  9.2.3 – Preferred Contractor Database. A list of preferred contractors can be maintained by using the ‘Preferred Contractor Database form’.
  37. Section 11 – page 1:  11.2 – Vehicle Management and Maintenance. Records of all maintenance, WOF/COF and repairs relating to all company vehicles (which includes relief vehicles, courtesy cars and tow trucks) to be recorded on ‘Fleet Maintenance form’.
  38. Section 13 – page 3:  13.6 – Hazardous Substances. No immediate action required but become familiar with this section.
  39. Section 13 – page 4:  13.7 – Codes of Practice, Safety Data Sheets, Legislation and Regulations. A completed ‘Hazardous Substance Inventory form’ should be kept with all the current Safety Data Sheets.

For the Health and Safety Employee Handbook – complete the following:

  1. Page 1 – ‘The Company’ enter your company name to replace these words.
  2. Page 2 – Health and Safety Policy. Enter in ‘the location’ of where your Health and Safety manual is kept.
  3. Page 4 – First Aid Facilities. Enter in ‘the location’ of where your First Aid kit is kept.
  4. Page 8 – Fire Evacuation Plan. Enter the Wardens and Deputy Wardens job title or name.
  5. Page 8 – Accident and Emergency. Enter in the nearest Accident & Emergency Clinic information.

For all Forms – complete the following:

  1. Enter your company name to replace these words ‘(Your company name)’ on all forms.

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