Keep your health and safety policy simple

SSS have just finished the repair of a health and safety policy for one client.
This policy, done by another consultancy, ran to 40 pages of close type and our client, understandably, found it unworkable.

A policy should be a short list of intentions. The HSE policy template is only 1 page long; I think that this is a bit short and SSS-written policies are 2 or 3 pages long.  

A policy should have 3 sections:

• A general statement of policy
• The names of people who have specific responsibility, eg the Competent Person
• Short statements of how the general statement will be achieved, eg fire extinguishers will be checked annually by XXX. 

Then, where appropriate, have separate procedures for each topic. For example, have a procedure for fire risk assessment and fire management.

If you follow this route, then you have a system that is understandable and workable.