So when did you last use your health and safety policy? Was it simply handed out at an induction for new staff or volunteers, or was it used to inform you how safety should be managed?
I ask this because every organisation will have policies and procedures, even if not written down. They will cover anything from HR to risk management. But they have one thing in common. They are there to be help you. They certainly aren't just for show, so you can tick a box in a funding application. They are living documents designed to help meet your organisation's legal duties and its charitable aims.
Indeed, some policies are required by law; and may be subject to guidance issued by regulators such as the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), and the Charities Commission. Others may be required by a funder before it will consider supporting a particular project. Then there are policies you may need to help run the organisation diligently and smoothly.
But whatever the reason, the policy needs to work. So why do so many policies simply restate the law? The law can not be changed or disregarded by a policy, and it is already written elsewhere, so why repeat it?
Instead your policies and procedures should focus on how you will comply with a particular law or a particular charitable aim. In other words, they should state who in the organisation is responsibile, and how it will be achieved?
Let’s consider Health and Safety again. Your policy should set out how you manage health and safety. It is unnecessary to restate all the duties listed in the Health and Safety at Work Act, they can't be changed. But you must say who is responsible for doing what. For instance, who is responsible for ensuring safety measures are implemented. Then you can add the arrangements and procedures you will take to meet these responsibilities, such as consulting with staff and volunteers, providing training and instruction, investigating accidents, and conducting risk assessments.
In other words, your policies provide a framework for managing your legal duties; out of which you will develop practical operational procedures to deliver your services.
For example, a safety policy should say who, how often or in what circumstances a risk assessment might be undertaken. The practical outcome of this policy will then be a series of risk assessments that should be in daily use. In this way your policy has helped you create a separate set of practical safety measures that are appropriate to whatever tasks need performing.
So next time you review a policy, ask if it truly guides your organisation. Does it say who is responsible and how you will do things? If the answer is no, then a major rewrite is in order.
