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Creating effective health and safety policies

Your foundation for workplace protection

Understand how to develop occupational safety and health (OSH) policies that work in practice.

Why health and safety policies matter

An OSH policy is a formal statement by an organisation that clearly outlines the commitment to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees, as well as those who may be affected by its activities. The policy is important because it serves as the foundation and communication for all OSH activities.

What can health and safety policies achieve?

  • The business case for a strong health and safety policy

    Together, effective OSH policies set clear direction, reduce risk and improve performance by embedding health and safety into everyday decision‑making and operations.

    • Communicate management’s commitment to employee health and safety, building trust and accountability.
    • Provide a strategy for legal and industry compliance, reducing risks of fines, penalties, and reputational harm.
    • Offer a framework for risk reduction to prevent accidents, injuries and occupational illnesses.
    • Define responsibilities for implementing safety measures.
    • Create a proactive system for monitoring, reviewing, and improving safety performance.
    • Improve operational efficiency.

What makes a health and safety policy effective?

Many policies fail because they are vague, set unrealistic expectations and lack management support. Effective policies balance being aspirational (setting ambitious standards) with being realistic (achievable in practice). This applies to all policies, not just health and safety.

Essential elements of your health and safety policy What does this cover
Statement of intent What the organisation is committed to achieving.
Responsibilities Who is accountable and responsible for different aspects of OSH, such as fire safety, first aid and emergencies.
Arrangements How everyone should work to prevent incidents and to handle those which do not happen.

In addition to the essential elements, you should also include:

  • performance criteria - set clear goals for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment
  • commitment to compliance - make sure you follow the law
  • platform of continuous improvement - establishing a framework for monitoring, reviewing and improvement of OSH performance.

Writing your statement of intent

  • How to write a strong statement of intent

    This is your organisation's public commitment to health and safety. It should inspire action while being credible. Key commitments should include:

    • Protecting the safety, health and wellbeing of workers through a safe and healthy workplace.
    • Meeting legal requirements, and aiming to exceed them where possible.
    • Assessing risks and implementing effective controls.
    • Regularly reviewing and improving OSH performance.
    • Consulting workers on their safety, health and wellbeing.
    • Monitoring workplace conditions and investigating incidents.
    • Providing the training and instruction workers need to do their jobs safely.
    • Striving to achieve good governance and sustainability.

Writing tips

  • Be specific, not generic

    “We will provide monthly OSH training for all new employees”, rather than “we will provide adequate training”.

  • Use active language

    “We will eliminate hazards”, not “hazards should be eliminated”.

  • Keep it relevant and realistic

    Only commit to what you can genuinely deliver.

  • Use clear, concise language

    Avoid legal jargon.

  • Make it proportionate

    Match it to your organisation’s size and complexity.

  • Be consistent

    Consider how the OSH policy will work alongside other policies.

Developing the policy

  1. Planning

    • Consider your organisation's size, location, activities, risks and culture.
    • Review legal requirements specific to your sector or country.
    • Examine existing policies – what works, what doesn’t.
    • Identify key stakeholders who need to be involved.

  2. Drafting

    • Start with a template and customise to make it specific to your organisation.
    • Use clear, concise language and avoid too much jargon.
    • Build in flexibility for future changes.

  3. Consultation

    • Engage senior management to ensure commitment and resources.
    • Consult with workers through representative groups, surveys or focus groups.
    • Involve specialists like occupational health advisors if needed.
    • Test the policy – can people explain what the policy means for them?

  4. Approval launch and communication

    The most senior member of the organisation, or the one appointed as being responsible for the organisation's health and safety, needs to sign the policy as well as the statement.

    Collaborate with other teams to communicate the strategy and provide supporting materials like posters and emails, and conversations from managers to employees.

    Build feedback and review timelines from when it’s been signed off.

Don’t forget to review regularly

Any effective policy requires regular reviewing. This could be when the organisation changes, or there are external factors such as changes in legal requirements, market changes or stakeholder expectations. Build this into its development.

Summary

  • A safety policy is more than words – it’s the foundation for protecting people at work.
  • Setting clear goals helps everyone in the organisation know what 'safe' looks like and how to achieve it. 
  • Following the law isn’t optional; it’s a promise to keep people safe and the organisation compliant. 
  • Safety is never finished – regular checks and improvements keep workplaces healthy and productive.

  • Checklist

    A health and safety policy is a way to keep people safe and healthy at work, making clear promises, setting achievable realistic goals and planning improvements. Creating a workplace that promises to protect people will build trust, keep your organisation compliant, maintain a sustainable workforce – and make it a great place to work.

    • Does your policy clearly say how the organisation will keep people safe?
    • Have you set simple, measurable goals for safety and health?
    • Does it show your commitment to following the law?
    • Are roles and responsibilities easy to understand?
    • Is there a plan to review and improve safety regularly?

Simple policy structure template

  1. Introduction

    Why we have this policy

  2. Our commitments

    What we will do

  3. Your responsibilities

    Who does what

  4. How we deliver

    Key procedures and arrangements

  5. Monitoring and review

    How we check it’s working

This is general guidance only

This guide provides general principles for policy development. Always consider specific legal requirements for your jurisdiction and sector. Seek professional advice for complex organisations or high-risk activities.

Frequently asked questions

  • If you want to check legal compliance, improve safety systems or identify gaps in day‑to‑day practice, an OSH audit is beneficial – especially if you haven’t reviewed your processes recently.

  • Start with major non‑conformances, as these pose the highest risk. Then work through opportunities for improvement and track progress using an action plan.

  • Records should clearly show what changed, when it changed and how it improved safety – such as updated procedures, training logs or measurements showing risk reduction.

  • Reassure them that audits aim to improve safety, not assign blame. Encourage openness and make sure they understand that honest feedback helps address real issues.

  • Policies and procedures should be reviewed and amended as soon as improvements are implemented to ensure all documentation stays relevant and aligned with new practices.

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