Current legislation requires employers to document their policy with regards to health and safety along with their organisational responsibilities and arrangements on how health and safety is to be managed throughout the company. These three areas once combined are more commonly known as a health and safety management system and are the backbone that demonstrates a company’s commitment to managing health and safety within the workplace.
A health and safety management system can in essence be developed in two ways, the first is in compliance with the Health and Safety Executives guidance document HSG65 Successful Health and Safety Management or where a company is seeking external accreditation the system can be developed in line with the OHSAS 18001 standard. Either system will demonstrate legal compliance however the detailed requirements of the OHSAS 18001 standard will mean that a management system developed with the intention of achieving external accreditation will in effect require more time to develop and subsequently greater implementation within the organisation.
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