What it is
The major accident prevention policy is where the operator writes down its overall aims and principles of action on preventing major accidents, the structure set up to deliver them and the resources allocated. It is required for both lower- and upper-tier establishments.
What it must contain
- the commitment on major accident hazards and where responsibility for it sits,
- the approach to identifying hazards and assessing risks,
- the main elements of the safety management system and who runs them,
- the arrangements for continual improvement and review,
- the resources allocated — without this line a policy is a wish list.
When it is reviewed
The policy is reviewed when something changes the major accident hazard at the establishment, and at regular intervals. That the review happened — and what it concluded — is recorded.
Why it is not enough on its own
The policy says what is intended; the safety management system says how it will be done. They are separate documents but not independent: every sentence promised in the policy with no counterpart in the management system is a gap that cannot be explained at an inspection.
Proportionate to the hazard
The policy must be proportionate to the establishment's major accident hazards. Two pages naming that site's real hazards carry more weight than twenty pages of generic text — and it is the two pages that can be defended.