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The importance of the Safety Statement Copy

The Contents of the Safety Statement

  • The Safety Statement is a legal document, every company should have one.
  • At the start it should provide the name of the company and outline who the Safety Statement is for.
  • This is followed by details of the company and emergency contact details. These should include
  • Emergency Service numbers i.e. 999/112
  • Emergency Service numbers in local area e.g. local Garda station, local hospital, local doctor/GP, local fire station etc.
  • The Eircode of the work premises
  • It should provide an introduction of the company i.e. when it was set up, what the company does, background of the company etc.
  • It should contain the organisational chart of the company.
  • Every statement has to have a Statement of Policy. This is a declaration by the director/management that they will provide their employees with a safe place of work, as far as reasonably practical. This should be signed by the directors/chairman/management of the company.
  • It should include the process of consultation. This ensures management has communication with employees where employees can have a say in safety.
  • It should provide a section regarding competent employees. A competent employee knows what they are doing, they are trained, skilled and experienced.
  • The safety statement should outline training and instruction and supervision for its employees. The employer must go through the safety statement and explain it to the employees. It is the foundation for health and safety within the business.
  • It should also outline welfare facilities, smoking policies, waste management policies etc.
  • It should outline Fire Safety for the company. It contains details about fire drills, which must be carried out every six months, fire assembly points, emergency procedures etc.
  • Plant and Equipment must also be catered for in the safety statement.
  • It should contain a section on Health Surveillance and relevant employee medical checks for the company.
  • There should be an intoxicant policy regarding the use of drugs and alcohol.
  • The next section of the Safety Statement contains the Risk Assessment. In a typical safety statement there should be at least 30-40 risk assessments. The employer must risk access everything that could be potentially a hazard in the work place.
  • It should contain an Accident Report Form.
  • It should also contain a Next of Kin Form.
  • The Safety Statement will also contain a support information pack with additional forms such as Pregnancy Notification Form and New mother notification form.
  • Personal Protection Equipment forms which should be signed by employees as proof that PPE was provided.
  • First Aid and the contents of the first aid box.
  • The Safety Statement should be updated regularly at least on a yearly basis or with new additions to the company e.g new equipment etc.
  • After the Safety statement has been shown and explained to the employees they must sign a form that they have read it.