Implementing an Effective Health and Safety Management System
For a health and safety management system to be effective and successful, it should follow a formal structure of elements. This includes taking into account the following 7 elements:
- Management involvement and commitment
An organization’s values, vision, and culture is only as strong as the management leading it. To build a safety culture in the workplace, management should be the first people to exhibit a strong commitment to a safe work environment. Health and safety should be just as important as cost, productivity, quality, and employee relations.
Management can show their involvement and commitment by doing the following:
- Allocating resources for health and safety initiatives
- Setting clear directions and expectations with health and safety policies
- Assigning and monitoring health and safety responsibilities
- Directly engaging and communicating with workers
- Hazard identification and assessment
Hazard identification and risk assessments are done to promote awareness of hazards and risk, identify who are affected, and determine how serious these effects are. Identifying a hazard means anything that can cause harm (e.g., chemicals, ladders, etc.) while risk assessments identify the likelihood that someone will be harmed by the identified hazard. Below are a few inspections designed to curb the occurrence of incidents due to workplace hazards.
- Risk assessment
- Job Safety Analysis (JSA)
- Site-specific hazard identifications
- Hazard control
Hazards identified during inspection and assessment are then controlled through set methods, techniques, procedures, and actions. Hazard controls applied vary depending on hazard type, but they can either be any of the below according to the Hierarchy of Controls:
- Elimination or substitution
- Engineering controls
- Administrative controls
- Personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Training
Occupational health and safety legislation requires employers to provide employees adequate training in the health and safety aspects of their jobs. When employees receive proper training, hazards and risks caused by human errors are minimized, along with work-related injuries and accidents.
- Emergency response
A response plan refers to the methods, techniques, procedures, and actions that an organization has put in place in response to potential emergency situations (e.g., medical emergencies, fires, explosions, etc.) Having contingency plans for any emergency helps in proper management of life-threatening situations and minimizes downtime and damage.
- Incident reporting and investigation
Reporting and investigation of an incident should be completed at the soonest possible time. Documentation of such incidents are analyzed to identify trends and requirements that will help prevent recurrence of similar or worse incidents in the future. Data from these investigations also contribute to identifying problem areas so that corrections and improvements can be made.
- Corporate Communication
Management has a legal obligation to effectively communicate health and safety practices to employees. Effective communication ensures that employees understand policies, procedures, and the requirements to perform their jobs safely. Doing so not only minimizes the likelihood of injuries and illnesses but also improves performance. Communication lines are kept open through general meetings; joint workplace health and safety meetings; and informal conversations between supervisors and their employees, contractors, and subcontractors. Effective communication can support and monitor HSMS (Health and Safety Management System) through regular evaluation and proper recordkeeping. Evaluation is done either through audits, assessments, or corrective actions.
Implementing and managing health and safety in the organization doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated, costly, and time-consuming. The process can be simplified with a health and safety software that supports the elements discussed above.
iAuditor is a mobile inspection software that supports health and safety initiatives throughout different industries. Discover how iAuditor has enabled these leading brands in safety and quality:
