HSWA s.2(3) · written policy
Statement of intent, organisation and arrangements — structured the way HSE guidance asks for it. Arrangements link to the modules where work is actually recorded, so the policy is never a stale PDF in a drawer.
Part of Core · £29.00/month ex VAT · unlimited users
Living H&S policy
Statement, organisation and arrangements — linked to live modules.
The legal structure
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2(3), requires employers with five or more employees to prepare a written policy. HSE guidance breaks it into statement, organisation and arrangements. HSEQ Nova follows that same structure.
The director signs a commitment to health and safety. HSEQ Nova keeps the statement versioned so you can show auditors and assessors the current, signed copy at any time.
Who is responsible for what. The organisation section maps directors, managers, supervisors, safety representatives and the competent person. When someone changes role, the policy updates with them.
The practical procedures your company follows — risk assessment, inspections, fire drills, training, accident reporting. In HSEQ Nova, each arrangement links to the live module that does the work.
Why "living"
In a static policy, the arrangements say what should happen. In a living policy, they link to where it is happening.
When the arrangements say 'we carry out workplace inspections', that line links to the inspection module where supervisors actually record the last walkround. Auditors follow the link, not a page reference to a binder.
Add a new first aider or change the competent person and the organisation section reflects it immediately. No rewriting a Word document and re-circulating a PDF.
The arrangement for accident reporting links to the digital accident book. Injuries and near misses are logged in the same system the policy sits in, with RIDDOR triage built in.
The arrangement for competence links to training records. When an employee completes a course, the evidence is already where the policy says it should be.
The arrangement for fire safety links to fire drill records. The date, participants and any issues are logged — so the responsible person can prove drills happen at the expected frequency.
Every edit to the statement, organisation or arrangements is saved with a timestamp and the person who made the change. If HSE or an assessor asks for the version that was live on a particular date, you can show it.
Before and after
Most companies already have a written policy somewhere. The question is whether it reflects what the company is doing today.
Included in Core
The living health and safety policy is part of HSEQ Nova Core. No add-on required. The same subscription includes the accident book, risk assessments, inspections, training records and fire drills.
Answers about the written policy duty under HSWA s.2(3), what a living policy means and how HSEQ Nova structures it.
Under HSWA s.2(3), employers with five or more employees must prepare and keep revised a written statement of their general policy on health and safety, together with the organisation and arrangements for carrying out that policy. Smaller employers are not legally required to write it down, but it is still good practice.
HSE guidance splits the written policy into three parts: a statement of intent (signed commitment from a senior person), organisation (who is responsible for what) and arrangements (the practical procedures the company follows). HSEQ Nova structures the policy this way.
In HSEQ Nova, the arrangements section links to the live modules — risk assessments, inspections, fire drills, training records and the accident book. When a supervisor completes an inspection, the proof sits where the policy says it should. The policy is the table of contents for work that is actually happening.
Yes. You can generate a PDF of the current statement, organisation and arrangements at any time — for a tender, an assessor or a client who wants a copy. The PDF is a snapshot; the live version in the system is the authoritative one.
HSEQ Nova provides the structure and links the arrangements to live modules. You write the statement of intent and define the organisation. The arrangements are partly built from the modules you switch on — if you use the inspection module, the arrangement for inspections is already drafted.
SSIP assessors check that you have a current, signed policy with statement, organisation and arrangements. A living policy in HSEQ Nova gives them a URL or a dated PDF. Arrangements link to the actual evidence — inspections, training, risk assessments — rather than just describing them.
Yes. The living policy is included in HSEQ Nova Core at £29.00 per month excluding VAT, with unlimited users. No extra charge for the policy module.
The living policy is part of Core at £29.00 a month. Unlimited users can read, sign and follow the arrangements to the modules where the work is done.