Enterprise safety and health policy

• Pages: 23-24

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Part II. Framework for safety and health at the

enterprise level

3. Enterprise safety and health policy

91. The management of safety and health should be considered as a high

priority management task. The management of an enterprise involved in forestry

work should be aware of its responsibility for and actively promote safety and

health.

92. As a basis for safety and health management, all enterprises should, in

consultation with the workers concerned, prepare, publish and maintain a policy

which clearly describes the nature of the hazards associated with their forestry

operations and the steps they intend taking to prevent or reduce the effect of such

hazards and work-related accidents.

93. The safety and health policy and related strategic objectives should:

(a) have equal status with the enterprise's other policies and objectives;

(b) be explicit, operational and amenable to monitoring and evaluation. The

enterprise sho uld be committed to meet or exceed all relevant regulatory and

legislative req uirements;

(c) be consistent with the enterprise's general policy and be periodically

reviewed;

(d) aim at fully integrating safety and health into the overall organization and

operations of the enterprise.

94. The safety and health policy and the management system for its

implementation should aim, in the following order of priority, at:

(a) eliminating the risk;

(b) controlling the risk at source;

(c) minimizing the risk by means that include the safe design of work systems and

organization of work;

(d) ensuring that personal protective equipment is used if, in spite of the

provisions above, there is still an element of risk.

95. The extent and precise nature of a safety and health policy will clearly

depend on the size and scope of the enterprise, but certain key components should

be incorporated . These are:

(a) the recruitment and training of personnel;

(b) the identification of those personnel who have been assigned specific

responsibilities in the area of safety and health. This should include the name

or job title of the individual and the precise nature of his or her

responsibilities. The aim should be to avoid ambiguity and to demonstrate the

commitment of the management hierarchy, irrespective of its size and

structure;