Unit Reference Number

H/617/7539

Unit Title

Health and Safety Management Principles and Policy

Unit Level

6

Number of Credits

8

Total Qualification Time (TQT) 

80 hours 

Guided Learning Hours (GLH)

30

Mandatory / Optional

Mandatory

Unit Grading Structure

Pass / Fail

Learning Outcomes- The learner will:

Assessment Criteria- The learner can:

Indicative Content

1. Understand the principles of health and

safety management and its organisational systems.

1.1 Explain the role of performance objectives and targets in effective health and safety management.

1.2 Explain in detail the key aspects of effective health and safety nu.

1.3 Evaluate the use of recording and communication systems to identify, manage, and distribute relevant health and safety information.

1.4 Critically evaluate an organisation’s health and safety management system including its

• SMART objectives and targets for health and safety management, their importance.
• The key aspects of a health and safety management system, eg ILO-OSH-2001 Guidelines on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. ILO, 2001; ISO 45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems).
• The roles of a management system: communicate and manage information at the right time to the right people, recording activities for various roles and

integration with other management systems (eg quality, human resources, etc), and recommend future developments.

responsibilities, managing inputs and outputs of information

•     Advantages/limitations of integration of H&S management system with other organisational systems, eg quality management system, etc.

2. Understand the principles of health and safety policy.

2.1 Justify the moral, legal and financial need for health and safety policies in an organisation.

2.2 Articulate the key impacts of an organisation’s health and safety policies on a range of stakeholders in the organisation.

2.3 Explain the information and consultation required for the purpose of health and safety policy development at all organisational levels.

2.4 Outline the objectives of a health and safety policy document.

2.5 Explain how a health and safety policy document drives a health and safety management system in an organisation. 

• Moral justification for H&S policy: the concept of reasonable care, cultural attitudes. Legal justification for H&S policy: preventative, punitive, the compensatory effects of law, self-regulation. Financial justification for H&S policy: the costs of accidents, incidents and ill-health, insurance, financial benefits of good management.
• Key stakeholders in the organisation (internal and external) and impact of policy on these:

communications, timeliness of communications, systems.

• Information sources (professional bodies, etc) Consultation of staff and stakeholders in policy development
• Key objectives and structure of a health and safety policy document.
• How organisational policy drives the set-up and configuration of management systems.

3. Be able to conduct a critical review of a health and safety policy in an organisation.

3.1 Conduct a critical review of a health and safety policy in an organisation.

N/A

4. Be able to assess internal and external factors that influence health and safety practices.

4.1 Assess the internal and external factors, including change factors, that affect occupational health and safety policies and practice.

4.2 Recommend actions for organisational practice that takes account of the internal and external influencing factors.

• Internal factors affecting health and safety policy in an organisation: Organisation size and type, finance, production targets, trade unions/employee collectives, organisational goals and culture, job role, etc.
• External factors affecting health and safety policy in an organisation: legislation, enforcement, legal tribunals, contracts, customers, contractors, trade unions, insurance companies, cultural/societal attitudes.

Learning Outcomes to be met

Assessment criteria to be covered

Type of assessment

Assessment parameters

1

All

Case study of management system

1500 – 2500 words

2, 3, 4

All

Policy Review 

3000 – 4000 words