Policy and Procedure

Policy.

A policy is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an organization. Policies can assist in both subjective and objective decision making. Policies used in subjective decision making usually assist senior management with decisions that must be based on the relative merits of a number of factors, and as a result are often hard to test objectively, e.g. work–life balance policy. In contrast, policies to assist in objective decision making are usually operational in nature and can be objectively tested, e.g. password policy.

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Procedure

Safe Work Procedures are documented procedures for performing tasks. The purpose of a safe work procedure is to reduce the risk to health and safety in the workplace and reduce the likelihood of an injury by ensuring that employees know how to work safely when carrying out the tasks involved in their jobs.