What makes a policy statement effective

Some examples of policies include:. The kinds of policies your company institutes speak to the culture of your organization, so plan the policy documents carefully.

For example, if your business develops environmentally friendly clothing and serves an audience segment that values taking care of the environment, it would be wise to institute policies that ensure your business practices are also environmentally friendly. When writing a policy statement for your business, follow the policy writing template to ensure you provide your employees with all the information they need. This can make it easier to track policies, especially ones that may have similar titles or are about similar aspects of the business.

Introduction: Tell the employee what this policy is for. In order for a business policy to be effective, it needs to be written in plain language that specifies how employees can meet the requirements. Always provide a step-by-step procedure if employees need to do a number of things to meet the goals of the policy. Policy statement content should also be actionable. Anam Ahmed is a Toronto-based writer and editor with over a decade of experience helping small businesses and entrepreneurs reach new heights.

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Each employee, on beginning employment, may be given a copy of the policy and informed that it is a condition of employment to follow the policy. The workplace can reinforce its commitment to the policy by having regular safety talks, posting signs at the workplace, by writing articles about the policy in company newsletters, posting on the internal website, sending e-mails, by referring to it in job manuals and so forth. Each workplace will undoubtedly have its own way of keeping its employees informed.

The important thing is to have a plan and to follow through on it. To implement a policy, health and safety activities must be identified and assigned.

While each workplace will do this in its own way, there are some general issues which should be addressed:. Individuals have a responsibility to carry out their assigned duties. For a health and safety program to achieve its desired results, everyone in a workplace must know their responsibilities. The following are samples of assignments of responsibilities designed for different-sized organizations.

Select and customize, or create your own version. Add a badge to your website or intranet so your workers can quickly find answers to their health and safety questions. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current.

CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information. OSH Answers Fact Sheets Easy-to-read, question-and-answer fact sheets covering a wide range of workplace health and safety topics, from hazards to diseases to ergonomics to workplace promotion. Search all fact sheets: Search. Type a word, a phrase, or ask a question. These are some of the major items to consider.

The policy should state the arrangements in place to support and implement it. Such items as safety meetings, safe working procedures, occupational hygiene, and education and training should be outlined. The policy should address the types of hazards associated with the workplace. Depending on the types of tasks performed and the hazards present, it may be necessary for the employer to become fairly specific and detailed in outlining hazards at the workplace.

The policy should discuss active and on-going participation of employees in helping to achieve the objectives. Policy statements need to be amended from time to time. They must keep pace with the changes occurring at the workplace. CSA Z recommends an annual review, and as required. The following are questions that need to be considered for preparation of a policy: What is the goal of the safety program - to have fewer injuries and illnesses than similar operations?

When confronted with conflicting priorities or allocation of limited resources, does safety get more importance? Equal importance? How is this decided? Is safety the responsibility of line management or staff management - who is accountable?

What benefits does management expect to derive from an effective program? Who will be assigned responsibility for coordinating activities? The policy can only be put into effect where: responsibilities are clearly defined and assigned, methods of accountability are established, proper procedures and program activities are implemented, adequate provision of financial and other resources are provided , and responsibilities for carrying out the policy objectives are clearly communicated and understood within the workplace.

For example, a policy could specify: individual responsibilities Outlined in Appendix A , legal responsibilities, accountability systems, promotion of health, safety and well-being awareness, education and training needs, reporting and correcting health and safety deficiencies, and injury and illness control information. Methods of establishing accountability should be designed to monitor the quality and adequacy of workplace procedures, including: inclusion of accountability in the statement of policy, inclusion of health and safety responsibilities and performance objectives in job descriptions, procedures for ensuring that health and health performance is considered as part of performance appraisals and salary reviews, regular health and safety program reviews, and regular reporting requirements built into program elements.

An effective policy for health and safety management must be: clearly defined and communicated, backed up by sound arrangements and put into practice, reflected in day-to-day attitudes and actions of people, and monitored.

Ways in which policy and responsibilities can be communicated include: orientation induction training, policy and procedure manuals, health and safety committees, job descriptions, website, notice board notices and reminders, safety talks, meetings, and refresher training, senior management attendance at safety meetings, and demonstration of senior management commitment through effective response and review to committee recommendation inspection reports, incident investigations, and health and safety program evaluations.

While each workplace will do this in its own way, there are some general issues which should be addressed: The policy should state that the workplace has clear rules for healthy and safe work behaviour. It should clarify who is responsible for developing, observing, and enforcing the rules.

There should be clear guidelines for maintaining and operating equipment and machinery. Again, individual responsibilities must be clarified. The policy should state what type of education or training program will be provided by the company to ensure that employees can meet their responsibilities. This learning could include first day orientation, on-the-job training, and refresher courses.

The means for providing employees with information about basic or specific workplace hazards, and detailed written procedures for hazardous jobs should be outlined. Regular worksite health and safety meetings at all levels of the organization are an essential part of a good safety program. The policy could identify what issues will be discussed at these meetings, what can be communicated verbally, and what should be in writing. Are obligations towards employees made clear?

Does it say which senior officer is responsible for seeing that it is implemented and for keeping it under review, and how this will be done? Is it signed by senior executive?

Have the views of managers and supervisors, safety professionals, and health and safety committees or representatives been taken into account? Were the duties set out in the statement discussed with the people concerned? Do they understand how their performance is to be assessed and what resources they have to carry out their tasks safely? Does the statement make clear that cooperation on the part of all employees is vital to the success of the health and safety policy?

To ensure effective and efficient operations of the University and provide the best possible work environment to employees, the University expects employees to adhere to the attendance standards as outlined in this policy. Please feel free to contact the WSU Policy Office at , for further assistance in drafting policy statements. Example 1 For presidential policies :.