Health and safety policy

jojogirly

We run a small family business from home, just me and my husband.

All of our business is done visiting clients premises so we just have a small office to manage all this from home.

We are looking expand and offer more services and as part of that we have to make an application to become registered. As part of the application we have to provide a health and safety policy.

Has anyone done a policy when working from home? Would I have to keep fire extinguishers etc at home? Where do I start with this?

Any advice gratefully received.

Savvy_Sue

Registered as what?

I'd start with google, 'small business health and safety policy' gives some useful links starting with the HSE. You don't legally need a written policy if you have fewer than 5 employees, but obviously there are sometimes other reasons.

Will your employees be working from your home? Visiting your home? That makes a difference to what you need in it.

jojogirly

Registered to offer offsite courses on load management (lorries) They have told us to apply we need a health and safety policy. We regularly write risk assessments for places we visit but it seems a bit strange having a policy for the home.

Its just me and my husband, if it grows to the point we would need employees then we would have to get an office somewhere.

Savvy_Sue

then you need to think about the risks to your health and safety of your work both at home and outside the office. I don't think you need to make it complicated: common sense would indicate, for example, that you provide and wear PPE when visiting sites, and that you each know where the other has gone (in case you don't come back on time ...)

Then you might want to give some thought about what H&S is needed when you actually offering the courses. Look at the HSE links on google.

jojogirly

Fab, thank you

Mistral001

jojogirly wrote: »

Registered to offer offsite courses on load management (lorries) They have told us to apply we need a health and safety policy. We regularly write risk assessments for places we visit but it seems a bit strange having a policy for the home.

Its just me and my husband, if it grows to the point we would need employees then we would have to get an office somewhere.

Registered with whom? Is this a trade or professional body specifically connected with the service you are providing as opposed to a statuary authority such as the Planning Department or local council?

jojogirly

JAUPT and the DVSA

Mistral001

I am familiar with Health and Safety policies in the building industry and those are nearly always written by people who are in the H & S consultancy business related to the construction industry, because they need to be very specific to that industry.

I would try to find a consultant who specialises in your sector. They will guide you on the important aspects of what is needed in such a policy and could help you from putting unnecessary things in it which could expose you to liabilities that you do not need to be exposed to.