Statement of Intent
The statement of intent in intended to communicate to all employees the importance of, and the commitment to health and safety
The statement of intent should bear the signature of the owner, managing director, chief executive or other ‘most senior person’ to give weight to the commitment being shown in what is a very important feature of the policy
Outline the three main reasons why manage health and safety and explain which is the most important of those reasons
There are clear, pressing reasons why businesses should effectively manage health and safety, arising from a complex interaction of social, legal, professional, ethical and ergonomic considerations.
Three good reasons to maintaining good standards of health and safety are.
Moral (Humanitarian Reasons): As a human being we all (Employers / Employees) have a moral obligation not to cause harm to others.
Financial (The cost of accidents and ill health): To avoid financial loss such as property damages, ill health, legal penalties etc. The employer must include the hidden cost of accident (reputation).
Legal (To avoid prosecution and compensation claims): To avoid any legal prosecution (like work stoppage etc) employer should complied with local rules and regulation in respect to manage health and safety.
Definitions
Hazard:
Any thing with the ‘potential to cause harm’
Risk
Risk is the ‘likelihood that the harm from one or more particular hazard is realised’
Danger:
Danger is ‘a state or condition in which person injury is reasonably foreseeable.
Accident
An unplanned, unwanted sequence of events which results in loss of some kind
Incident/ Near Miss
An unplanned, unwanted sequence of events which had the potential to result in loss of some kind
Dangerous occurrence:
It is a near miss with serious injury potential. E.g. scaffold collapse, explosion
Occupational ill health:
Harm to a person’s health caused by their work.
