Management of health and safety
Management of health and safety focuses on how organisations build and run a health and safety management system, not on individual hazards. NGC questions test the policy, organising, planning, monitoring and review cycle, plus the legal framework in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Core rules
- A written policy has three parts: statement of intent, organisation (roles and responsibilities), and arrangements (procedures). The statement should be signed by the most senior person and reviewed.
- Organising requires competence, communication, consultation with workers, and cooperation between employers and contractors.
- Planning applies the hierarchy: avoid, assess, control, record, review. Risk assessment is not a one-off document.
- Monitoring is active (inspections, audits, checks) or reactive (accidents, near misses, complaints). Audit examines the system; inspection examines conditions.
- Review updates the system after change, incident, or audit finding.
Worked example
A warehouse installs automated pallet wrapping. Management must amend the policy arrangements, assess new hazards (entanglement, maintenance, pedestrian interface), train operators and maintenance staff, consult safety representatives, update emergency arrangements, and set active checks plus reactive trend review. Reason shown: each element maps to policy, organising, planning, measuring and review, and to the employer's duty to employees and others under HSWA sections 2 and 3.
Traps
Do not say employers must eliminate all risk; the test is reasonably practicable. Do not confuse a policy with a risk assessment. Do not omit non-employees, contractors, visitors or the public. Do not call an audit an inspection. Do not ignore employee consultation.