Volume 2 Issue 1
February 2000
Feature Article:
Safety Management
New safety website
OHSAS 18001 Update
Auditing Explained
Risk Assessment Explained
Training Courses
Safety Training Courses
The following are available from Expert Ease International
Confined spaces entry
Law in relation to confined spaces
Permit to work
OHS Auditing
Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment
The two elements stressed are that the system must permit the effective achievement of objectives, and that it should do this as efficiently as practicable for the organisation. Effectiveness is the priority; any system that is not effective will fail at the first hurdle, no matter how efficient it is.
An effective safety management system commences with the stating of safety objectives, of how the organisation is to perform, and the organisation's commitment to and methods for achieving those objectives. This is the policy, the direction which the organisation will follow in developing a safe and health work environment. It commits the organisation to achieving specified targets, to meeting their statutory obligations and to safeguarding stakeholder interests.
Thereafter the effective achievement of the objectives proceeds with the organisation of structures and arrangements within the company that define the roles and responsibilities of all personnel. No-one is omitted from the task of developing a safe and healthy workplace or from contributing to the achievement of the company objectives. The arrangements will include the allocation of resources, competence training and the promotion of channels of communication.
The effective achievement of a safe and healthy workplace requires a systematic approach to determining priorities and setting tasks. This is achieved through the analysis of hazards and the assessment of any associated risks. High risk activities with the severest of outcomes takes priority in the planning and implementation of remedial action, the establishment of effective control measures which eliminate or reduce the risk to acceptable levels.
This is the basic process of managing safety. However, a system for the achievement of objectives requires a feedback loop in order that its effectiveness may be judged. This occurs through the measuring of actual performance against the performance objectives, (as stated in the organisations policy). Measuring performance in this manner permit the company to adjust focus and priorities to areas where achievement is less than specified.
Performance measurement is not in itself always sufficient to determine the cause of shortfall, or indeed performance efficiency, whether or not a shortfall occurs. A process of regular audit and review of the all the arrangements and procedures that a company has established and implemented is an effective form of self-regulation, allowing the company to maintain an actual and effective commitment to the continuous improvement of its policies, procedures and practices.
Details for an effective health & safety management system can be obtained from the Health & Safety Executive's "Successful Health & Safety Management" (HS(G)65) and in the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series, OHSAS 18001:1999, Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems - Specification, the latter being compatible with ISO 9001:1994 (Quality) and ISO 14001:1996 (Environmental), and of wider universal application that HS(G)65.
by Philip McAleenan
Managing Partner Expert Ease International
6 Steps to Successful Auditing
The successful management of health & safety can be achieved by recognising the need to manage health and safety with the same degree of expertise and thoroughness as would be applied to any other core business objective. One element of maintaining and improving the management of risk is learning from experience. This necessitates examining the company’s performance across all key objectives to ascertain the degree of compliance and the development of subsequent programmes of action to improve that performance. In respect of health and safety management this process is the safety audit.The ISO Standards 10011-1 1990 defines audit as:
"a systematic and independent examination to determine whether (quality) activities and related results comply with planned arrangements and whether these arrangements are implemented effectively and are suitable to achieve objectives".
Methodology
1. A safety audit system is established to check that:
- the safety management system helps the organisation meet the required standards of health & safety performance,
- that the organisation is fulfilling its legal obligations, and
- the organisation is achieving what it claims to be achieving.
2. The major outcomes of an audit will be:
- the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the safety management system, and
- recommendations for future action.
3. For an audit to be effective it needs to be a continuing process within an organisation. Since it is not always possible to consider every aspect of the safety management system in any single audit an audit should be carried out across a representative sample of an organisation's activities. This will establish a baseline against which each of the organisation's business units can compare. It is important that consideration is given to compliance with the management arrangements, the risk control systems and the workplace precautions.
4. Audits should be in two parts with the audit questions being developed under the direction of a Senior manager/ auditor. The two parts are;
Documentation audit - an examination of the health & safety management systems (e.g. safety manuals are up-to-date and risk assessments are signed off for local circumstances), and
Compliance audit - a physical inspection of current work activities
.5. Initially a number of sample audits should be undertaken to establish the efficacy of the adopted system. They may be carried out by a safety advisor or by an appropriate line manager(s) under the direction of the safety advisor. What is important is that the auditor fully understands what is required and is familiar with the audit process. Line manager involvement will demonstrate a commitment to health and safety management.
6. After the initial sample audits a more comprehensive rolling programme of audits can be developed, spreading out over a 3 to 5 year period.
"OHSAS 18001 (management systems) and OHSAS 18002 have been produced as a result of extensive customer demand" says British Standards Institute, London. In a notice issued earlier this month Anne Hayhurst, Direct Marketing Manager, Standards sets out the essential applications of the standard inter alia;
- Establishment of an OHS management system,
- Elimination of risk to employees or other parties,
- Implementation, maintenance and continual improvement of the OHS management system,
- Assurance of conformance with stated policy,
- Demonstration of conformance to other parties
- Certification and Registration of OHS management system from an external body,
Both documents are compatible with ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environmental). This will allow organisations to fully integrate their management systems.
web-safety.com the new name on the web. Launched in February 2000 is designed to give small businesses all they need to put a safety management system in place.
Managing Director, Patricia McAleenan is quoted as saying "Safety advice and information all to often comes at a price, a price which many small businesses cannot afford. What we at web-safety.com are offering businesses is information which is theirs as a right."
This new web-site will give the businessman, the safety officer and the ordinary employee information on what they need to do to ensure that their workplace is safe and free from hazards.
If the information isn’t on the site, or they have specific problems in safety, then there is an on-line safety clinic to assist them.
Membership, by annual subscription, is as low as £10 (UK sterling) per year
For further information contact;
or visit the website at;
Hazard analysis and risk assessment are at the heart of good safety management. The purpose is the identification of measures necessary for compliance with health and safety legislation and to enable employers to plan, introduce and monitor those measures to ensure the elimination of or adequate control at all times of particular risks.
A hazard is defined by reference to the consequences of an uncontrolled encounter with it. Similarly the risk is the degree of likelihood of encountering the hazard after the controls have been put in place.
A simple hazard analysis and risk assessment model which would enable employers comply with their legal obligations and at the same time provide an effective tool in managing health and safety would seek to determine:
- where the harm is,
- what is being done to control it, and
- whether that is enough.
Risk assessments can be conducted without recourse to risk rating factors, though they do have benefit when it comes to attaching priorities to any safety improvements. Opting for the simple approach of making a qualitative judgement against set criteria is more likely to be well received by line managers, who have to deal with the safety management issues on a regular basis. A set out the risk ratings and the criteria are detailed below.
Hazard Rating
H = Death, multiple deaths or major explosions
M = Major injuries or disablement
L = Minor injuries or damage only accidents
Likelihood Rating
H = Could occur within 3 months
M = Could occur within 1 year
L = Not expected to occur within the review period
(NB. Risk assessments should be as complex as necessary but as simple as possible).
It is crucial too to involve the people affected by the hazard when dealing with risk assessment. Their input into the solution and their comments on how to present the results will be invaluable. Risk assessment, which involves all those affected by the work process, must take cognisance of the hazard and its consequences in order to determine the correct controls and for workers to understand fully the need for the controls. If the workers were not aware of the consequences of the hazards they may be less likely to put controls in place, or to use those that have been put in place
It is also important is that the information regarding risk control is given in a manner that is clear, concise and appealing to the audience.