Health and safety: best practice

As well as complying with the minimum statutory legal requirements, organisations may want to introduce further policies to safeguard the well-being of their employees:

Smoking

Smoke free law
Advice on smoking at work:
"Employers, managers and those in control of premises will need to display no-smoking notices and take reasonable steps to ensure that staff, customers, members and visitors are aware of the new law and do not smoke in buildings". Source: Advice on smoking at work (Health and Safety Executive website)

Eating facilities in the workplace

Suitable facilities for eating meals must be provided; desks can serve as eating-places if employees are not working with the public. In addition, it is good practice to provide a facility for making a hot drink as well as a means to heat meals, such as a microwave oven, and keep food cool, such as a refrigerator, for the use of employees.

AIDS

Some organisations have found it useful to formulate a policy on AIDS and HIV infection in the workplace.

Indivuduals with HIV or AIDS are covered by existing disability discrimination legislation.

Such a policy might explicitly state therefore that no employee will suffer unfair treatment or discrimination on the grounds of his or her AIDS or HIV status. Additionally, it would provide for protection against discrimination for employees who care for those with AIDS or other chronic life-threatening illnesses.

Organisations where employees run a risk of infection in the course of their duties, such as laboratory staff, doctors, nurses, first-aid workers, and those who care for the elderly, will certainly wish to formulate a detailed code of practice designed to protect its workers. The Health and Safety Executive has produced the guidance Blood-borne viruses in the workplace (PDF).

Bullying

Research has shown an alarmingly high incidence of bullying in organisations across the country. Failure to tackle the problem of bullying may cost organisations dearly in terms of morale and staff loss.

With this in mind, many organisations are creating health and safety policies designed to eradicate or reduce bullying.

Such a policy specifically defines and rejects bullying. For example, it forbids any employee behaving in a manner that is intimidating, demoralising or unfair toward any other employee. It encourages staff on all levels to treat one another with dignity and respect - and spells out the disciplinary consequences for those who breach the code.

These policies should be backed up with systems designed to make it possible for victims to report bullying and, if investigation confirms the bullying, the perpetrator disciplined and/or dismissed.

Allegations of bullying or harassment may also involve investigations into potentially discriminatory behaviour on the part of the alleged harasser.