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Build Your Own Health & Safety Policy
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When we talk about a “Health & Safety Policy” we're just saying you have taken time to understand how you are committing to managing the health and safety of everyone who works with you and anyone else who could be affected by your work activities. Farming is a business and every business has to have a health and safety policy. If you employ five or more people the law says that this needs to be in writing. But no matter how big or small your farm may be, it is important to farm safely so, by creating a written policy, you can :

  • show your firm commitment to the health, safety and welfare of your workers and others (e.g. customers, contractors, the public etc.);
  • be clear where the responsibilities lie for health and safety;
  • help to build confidence in your business when submitting tenders or seeking new contracts for work;
  • assist with gaining accreditation or assurance from particular bodies.

Farm safety is mostly common sense - we know that - so we want to make building this Health & Safety Policy as straightforward as possible for all of us. A good Health & Safety Policy doesn’t need to be lengthy or complicated. It just needs to be specific to your farming business, and set out clearly who does what and how. We all know that things can change so it is very important that you keep the policy up-to-date. You can do this by reviewing it whenever appropriate (e.g. annually; following a change in management structure, diversification etc.) and then make sure the new version is shared with everyone who works with you and other relevant parties (e.g. contractors, sub-contractors, etc.).

So, building this Health & Safety Policy will be your commitment to working safely and ensuring you continue to meet safety requirements if you aren't already doing so.

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?What is the business name??Overall and final responsibility for health and safety is that of:?Day-to-day responsibility for putting this Policy into practice is delegated to:?Day-to-day responsibility for following this Policy:All workers, contractors and visitors
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Risk AssessmentsDo you work with:Do you commit to preventing incidents and cases of work-related ill health and to provide adequate control of health and safety risks arising from your work activities on the farm? ?Responsibility is that of:?Do you complete risk assessments for the significant hazards and risks including communicable diseases? ?Do you work with contractors?
Are contractors vetted and added to an approved contractor list? Do you manage contractors on site i.e. monitoring them?
?Do you supervise visitors when on site and ensure their safety? TrainingDo you commit to providing adequate training ensuring employees are competent to do their work? ?Responsibility is that of:?Do you carry out a Health and Safety Induction for all new staff? Have you provided further appropriate training to workers? ?Do you use any machinery/equipment which would require formal training? ?Are training records retained? ?Have you provided staff with appropriate PPE? Occupational HealthDo you commit to engage and consult with workers on day-to-day health and safety conditions and provide advice and supervison on occupational health? ?Responsibility is that of:Do you consult workers on health and safety matters that arise on farm? Do you actively encourage workers to raise health and safety issues with you? ?Do you or your workers perform tasks that create a noise risk? ?Are you or your workers subject to Hand Arm Vibration from power tools? ?Would you or your workers be subjected to a dusty environment or work with soil? ?Do you or your workers perform repetitive tasks or a lot of lifting/carrying pushing or pulling? Emergency ProceduresDo you commit to implement emergency procedures / evacuation in case of fire or other significant incidents???Responsibility is that of:Are escape routes obvious from all buildings and kept clear at all times? ?Please indicate who is the on-site person responsible in a fire situation is??Have you got fire extinguishers on the farm? Working ConditionsDo you commit to maintain safe and healthy working conditions, provide and maintain plant, equipment and machinery, and ensure safe storage/use of substances? ?Responsibility is that of:Is routine services, inspections and checks of all equipment / machinery for safety undertaken? Do you and/or your workers check all equipment before use and ensure any faulty equipment is taken out of use if required? Is action promptly taken to address any defects found? ?Are all statutory inspections needed undertaken? ?Do you have any pieces of lifting equipment? ?Do you have equipment that operates under pressure? ?Do you have Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)? ?Will electrics be maintained? ?Do you ensure the safe storage, handling and use of hazardous substances? ?Do you or your workers work with pesticides, herbicides, insecticides along with soil dust? ?Are toilets, washing facilities and drinking water / welfare facilities readily available for all those who work on the farm? Health and safety posterWill you provide a Health and Safety Law Poster and display it? ?Responsibility is that of:?Do you have a health and safety law poster? First AidDo you commit to providing first aid and recording accidents in an accident book and reporting accidents under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations)? ?Responsibility is that of:?Who is / are your first aiders? Do you have first aid kits? ?Who should all accidents be reported to?Where is the accident book located? ?What is the name of your nearest hospital? What is this hospital's telephone number?What is this hospital's address?Has the hospital got an A&E department?
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