The documentation should be written in such a
way as to be easily intelligible whosoever will refer
to it. It should be user friendly and avoid the use of
technical jargon as far as possible. Many safe operating
procedures within industry are reproduced as summary
sheets, which are on many occasions posted adjacent
to or on the machinery to which they relate.
Documentary control is an essential part of
managing a successful system and in particular when
introducing a safe system of work. An effective document
management system will ensure that the most up-to-date
system of work is being operated to, particularly when
amendments have been made to reduce the overall risk.
To assist an organization to record and document
its safe systems of work many will adopt a standard
format such as the use of a template. This is particularly
prevalent in the construction industry sector where
templates for the production of method statements exist.
Whichever format is developed it is likely that it will need
to include as a minimum:
➤ The name of the task or operation
➤ The address or location
➤ A brief description of the operation
➤ The sequence of work or operations that are to be
carried out
➤ The plant, tools or machinery involved
➤ Any chemicals or hazardous substances that may
be involved or produced
➤ Foreseeable hazards associated with the operation
(cross-reference to the risk assessments, COSHH
assessments, manual handling assessments, etc.)