INTRODUCTION TO SAFETY MANAGEMENT

Prepared by Prof Newton Amegbey

Course Content

ES 271 Introduction to Safety Management (2, 2, 3)

Basic Definitions: Safety, Accident, Near-miss Accident, Incident, Injury, Hazard and Risk.

Accident Prevention Objectives: Moral, Legal, Economic.

Safety Management Practices, Objectives of Safety Management.

Fundamentals of Safety Management Systems: Commitment, Policy, Organisation, Planning and

Implementation, Performance Measurement, Reviewing Performance and Auditing, Correcting
and Commendation,

Hazard Identification, Analysis, Risk Assessment and Control.

ISO Systems.

BASIC DEFINITIONS
Terminologies commonly used by safety practitioners include the following:

Safety: Control of accidental loss.

Safety is the state of being "safe" or the condition of being protected against physical, social,
spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or
consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be
considered non-desirable.

Safety can also be defined to be the control of recognized hazards to achieve an acceptable level of
risk. This can take the form of being protected from the event or from exposure to something that
causes health or economical losses. It can include protection of people or of possessions.

There are two slightly different meanings of safety. For example, home safety may indicate a
building's ability to protect against external harm events (such as weather, home invasion, etc.), or
may indicate that its internal installations (such as appliances, stairs, etc.) are safe (not dangerous or
harmful) for its inhabitants.

Discussions of safety often include mention of related terms. Security is such a term. With time the

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definitions between these two have often become interchanged, equated, and frequently appear
juxtaposed in the same sentence. This confuses the uniqueness that should be reserved for each by
itself. When seen as unique, as we intend here, each term will assume its rightful place in
influencing and being influenced by the other.

Safety is the condition of a “steady state” of an organization or place doing what it is supposed to
do. “What it is supposed to do” is defined in terms of public codes and standards, associated
architectural and engineering designs, corporate vision and mission statements, and operational
plans and personnel policies. For any organization, place, or function, large or small, safety is a
normative concept. It complies with situation-specific definitions of what is expected and
acceptable.

Using this definition, protection from a home’s external threats and protection from its internal
structural and equipment failures are not two types of safety but rather two aspects of a home’s
steady state.

In the world of everyday affairs, not all goes as planned. Some entity’s steady state is challenged.
This is where security science, which is of more recent date, enters. Drawing from the definition of
safety, then:
Security is the process or means, physical or human, of delaying, preventing, and otherwise
protecting against external or internal, defects, dangers, loss, criminals, and other individuals or
actions that threaten, hinder or destroy an organization’s “steady state,” and deprive it of its intended
purpose for being.

Using this generic definition of safety it is possible to specify the elements of a security program.

Accident: An undesired event that results in harm to people, damage to property or loss to process or
environment.
or
An undesired exchange of energy by contact that results in harm to people, damage to property or
loss to process or environment.

Accident may also be an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally,
typically resulting in damage or injury.

An accident or a mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack
of intention. It usually implies a generally negative outcome which might have been avoided or
prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to
its occurrence.

Accidents of particularly common types (crashing of automobiles, events causing fire, etc.) are
investigated to identify how to avoid them in the future. This is sometimes called root cause
analysis, but does not generally apply to accidents that cannot be deterministically predicted. A
root cause of an uncommon and purely random accident may never be identified, and thus future
similar accidents remain "accidental."

Near-Miss Accident: An undesired event, which under slightly different circumstances could

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have resulted in harm to people, damage to property, loss to process or environment.

Incident: An undesired event that can affect a task. It includes accidents and near-misses.

Frank Bird’s ratio illustrates how the consequences of incidents relate.

Figure 1 Frank Bird’s Incident Ratio

There have been many studies, which relate the number of major injury incidents to minor injury
incidents to property damage incidents to near misses. Frank E. Bird Jr. completed one of the
most widely accepted studies in 1969. This study involved an analysis of 1,753,498 incidents
reported by 297 companies representing 21 industrial groups and 1,750,000 employees. This
study revealed minor injuries as well as serious illness (e.g. death, disability, lost time or medical
treatment). There were 9.8 minor injuries and illness (e.g. first aid cases) for every major or
serious illness. The study also indicated that there were approximately 30 property damage
incidents and 600 near misses occurring for every major illness and injury. It is accepted that even
though this study relates primarily to injuries, illness, property damage accidents and near misses,
many of these events have the potential to produce environmental losses as well. Therefore the
ratio also has significance for environmental incidents. Experience shows that the differences
between the minor and major incidents are often fortuitous. In addition, the same “system” failure,
which causes particular types of incidents (such as injuries) often, causes other types of incidents
as well (such as environmental spills and property damage incidents). The 1-10-30-600
relationship indicates a tremendous opportunity to prevent serious and major events if a process
exists to identify, investigate and correct the system’s problems associated with minor injuries,
illness and property damage incidents as well as near – misses.

Inference of this 1-10-30-600 ratio is that 630 no injury accidents, with 10 minor and 1 major
(serious) injury accidents, provide a much larger basis for many opportunities to prevent any
injury accident. Out of total 641 events, only 10 may result in minor injuries and only 1 in major
injury. But this can happen at any time not necessarily at the end.

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Injury: Consequence of an accident on people.

All accidents do not result in injury.

Hazard: An unsafe act or condition which can result in an accident.

Heinrich's 88-10-2 ratios indicate that among the direct and proximate causes of accidents, 88 percent are
unsafe acts, 10 percent are unsafe mechanical or physical conditions and 2 percent are unpreventable

Risk: The chance or probability of loss occurring,

An evaluation of potential failure,
It is the probability that a hazard will result in a loss, and
It is the product of probability and severity of occurrence.

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 ACCIDENT PREVENTION OBJECTIVES
Accidents are caused and until steps are taken to prevent them and steps taken to achieve set objectives,
accidents will continue to happen. Accidents are generally preventable.

The three (3) main objectives why accident prevention is necessary are:
• Moral
• Legal
• Economic

Moral Objectives

• To prevent harm and injury to others inside and outside the organization for profit or otherwise.
• To raise workers morale through active participation in accident prevention
• To prevent adverse publicity which may weaken community ties, public confidence and
consequent loss of market shares

Legal Objectives

To avoid prosecution for failing to comply with legal safety laws

Economic Objectives

To ensure the continuing financial health of a business and avoid the costs associated with accidents.
Financial losses that may arise include:
• Compensation
• Medical care
• Property damage
• Product delays etc.

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 SAFETY AND THE LAW

The law concerning health and safety matters is a mixture of criminal law set out in statutes; and
known as statute law and common law which provides a means of compensation for injuries or
damage suffered because of failure of another party to comply with statute law or to carry out
any of the duties established by common law over the years.

Criminal Law versus Civil Law

Sources of Law

1. Statutes: These are made by act of parliament and delegated regulations, orders, rules,
supplemented by approved codes of practice, guidance note.

2. Precedent: Stare decisis – let the decision stand. Decisions made by a court are binding on all
lower courts.

Criminal Law

• Offences against the state: The attorney general prosecutes for punishment (fines,
imprisonment)
• Case proved “beyond reasonable doubt”

Criminal Law includes murder, manslaughter, breaches of the Safety Law Act 328 (1970) and
Environmental Protection Agency Act 490 (1994).

Civil Law

• Disputes between individuals: Plaintiff sues defendant for damages

• Case proved on balance of probabilities

Civil law includes breach of contract, breach of trust and tort. There are several breaches of civil
law of which tort is one. Tort is a civil wrong. Examples include nuisance, trespass and
negligence. Although trespass and nuisance have important implications in the broader
consideration of health and safety, negligence is by far the most important.

Statute Law

Statute law is the written law of the land and consists of acts of parliament and the rules and
regulations or order made within the parameters of the acts. Acts of parliament are primary or
principal legislation whiles regulations made under the acts are secondary, subordinate,
delegated legislation. For example the Factories Offices and Shops Acts, 1970, Acts 328 and the
Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994, Act 490 are primary acts of parliament.

Regulations

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Regulations are made by ministers of state where they are unable to do so by an act of
parliament. Regulations have to be laid before parliament but most do not need a vote to become
law.

Orders and Rules

These give the force of law to an executive action

Approved Codes of Practice

These supplement acts and regulations in order to give guidance on the general requirements
which may be set in the legislation. They enable the legislation to be kept up to date without
necessarily altering the law.

Guidance Note

These are documents issued as opinions on good practice. They have no legal force but because
of their origin and the experience employed in their production, they may be “Persuasive” in
lower courts and useful in civil cases to establish reasonable standards prevailing in an industry.

Approved codes and guidance notes can therefore be said to have “Quasi-Legal” status.

Types of Statutory Duty

There are 3 types of duty imposed by statute which allow different responses to hazards. They
are:
• Absolute duty
• Duty to do what is practicable
• Duty to take steps that are reasonably practicable

Absolute Duty

This is known as strict liability. Absolute duty is imposed on employers when the risk of injury is
so high unless steps are taken to minimise the risk of exposure of employees to the risk. In such
cases the acts and regulation place absolute duty on employers to take specific steps to control
the hazard. The words “Shall” and “Must” are used in the act to indicate this. There is no choice
or evaluation of risk or feasibility to be made by the employer.

Practicable

Some regulations specify that steps must be taken “So far as is practicable”. “Practicable” in this
sense means something less than physically possible to decide on whether the requirement can be
achieved. The employer would have to consider current technological knowledge and feasibility.
Not just the difficulty of the task, its inconvenience practice.

Reasonably Practicable

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The phrase “So far as reasonably practicable” allows the employer to balance the cost of taking
action (in terms of time, inconvenience and cost) against the risk being considered. If the risk is
insignificant against the cost then steps need not be taken. Reasonably practicable steps are those
which are best under the circumstances.

Common Law

Common law has evolved over hundreds of years as a result of the decisions of court and judges.
Common principles or accepted standards fill the gaps where statute law has not supplied
specific requirements. The accumulation of common law cases has resulted in a system of
precedents, or decision in previous cases, which are binding on future cases unless over-ruled by
a higher court or by statute.

In England for example, case law on health and safety did not appear until the 19th century,
when the rapid introduction of industrial technology led to an equally rapid rise in work injuries.
In 1840 a young female mill worker successfully sued her employer and was awarded damages
(Cottrell V Stock (1840) Liverpool Assizes).

Common Law Duties

Employers, employee and all persons in general have responsibilities or duties in respect of
common law. Common law duties include:
• Duty of Care
• Vicarious Liability
• Res ipsa loquitur “Let the facts speak for themselves”
• Negligence
• Contributory Negligence
• Breach of Statutory Duty

Duty of Care

Duty of care or a duty is owed to take care to avoid acts or omissions which you reasonably
foresee would injure your neighbour. Your neighbour is any person who is closely and directly
affected by your act that you reasonably ought to have them in contemplation when considering
the act.

Under common law an employer must take reasonable care to protect his employers from the
risk of foreseeable injury, disease or death at work by the provision and maintenance of a safe
place of work, a safe system of work, safe plant and equipment, and reasonably competent fellow
employees. The basis of the employer’s duty to employees derives from the existence of a
contract of employment, but the duty to take reasonable care may also extend to matters which
affect others that are within the employer’s control.

Vicarious Liability

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Vicarious liability is when a person is responsible for the negligent acts of his employees. An
employer is not however responsible for the negligence of independent contractors.

Under common law, an employer can be held liable for the actions of his employees causing
injury, death or damage to others provided the actions were committed in the course of
employment. This liability of the employer is known as Vicarious Liability. Employees have a
general duty of care in common law towards themselves and other people so they can be sued for
anyone injured as a result of lack of reasonable care on their part (in practice this happens rarely,
and the liability is assumed by the employer under vicarious liability). The burden of proof in
common law cases resets with the plaintiff, the injured party. He must show that he was owed a
duty by whoever he is suing. That was a breach of the duty, and that as a result of the breach he
suffered damage.

Res ipsa loquitur “Let the facts speak for themselves”

A plaintiff can be helped by procedural rules of evidence one of which saves him having to show
that there would not have been an accident except because of lack of reasonable care on the part
of the person being sued. This is known as “RES IPSA LOQUITUR” – “Let the facts speak for
themselves”
To avoid common law claims (and to avoid the accidents which prompt them) the employer has
to do what is reasonable under the particular circumstances. This will include providing a safe
system of work, instructions on necessary precautions and indicating the risk if the precautions
are not followed.

Negligence

Negligence is the failure, by act or omission, of an individual to take care of another person
when a duty of care exists. To bring a successful action of negligence against somebody, there
are three things which must be established:
• That the defendant owes a duty of care to the plaintiff
• That the defendant failed in his or their duty of care
• That damage or injury resulted

Contributory Negligence

Under the law reform (contributory negligence) Act 1945, if the plaintiff is one of the causes of
the damage, he can still win damages but they will be reduced in proportion to his own
contribution to the damage.

Breach of Statutory Duty

An alternate to alleging negligence, an injured person can sue damages through breach of
statutory duty if the defendant was under a statutory duty to do something and that duty was not
fulfilled and as a result damage or injury was caused, the plaintiff will win his case without
showing negligence on the part of the defendant.

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Defense against Common Law Actions

Claims at common law were often resisted successfully by employers, especially if there had
been any contribution to the accident by the worker’s own actions or if the worker had claimed
additionally for compensation act. All these restrictions on claims were removed by reforms (but
not after the Second World War) which were completed by the law reform (personal injuries) act
1948.

Damages awarded are difficult to quantify, but they depend upon loss of a faculty, permanent
nature of the injury and its effect on the ability to earn a living. The expenses incurred and the
range of other factors awarded can be reduced by a percentage if there is found to be a
contribution to the injury caused by the plaintiff’s own negligence.

Defense can be raised against common law claims as follows:

• There was no negligence
• There was no duty owed
• The accident was the sole fault of the employee (injured person)
• The accident did not result from lack of care
• There was no contributory negligence by the employee (injured person)
• The employee knowingly accepted the risk (“volenti non fit injuria”).

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 FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF ACCIDENTS

Years ago Du Point and the National Safety Council of U. S. did a study of both direct and
indirect costs of employees lost time injuries. In today’s terms, the average of cost of each
employee injury would exceed $20 000. This translates into the company having to generate
$200,000 in sales/services at a 10% margin or $400 000 at a 5% profit margin to pay for a
$20,000 accident. In many cases, the insurance will cover a portion of the loss, not over the time
the company will pay back, through increased premiums.

Ultimately, the company will pay for all the losses directly and indirectly.

Typical Indirect Costs

(a) Lost and/or reduction of production until the injured employees returns to full time job.

(b) Long time physical restriction (light duty) of employee’s activities from causes such as
carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive work motion problems, back injuries strains etc.

(c) Reduced production until a replacement employee comes to speed with operations, if the
employee’s duties are done by someone else.

(d) Increased insurance costs (insurance companies add a surcharge to the premium in the
money they pay over and above the basic insurance contract)

(e) The total cost of the time lost by the injured employee beyond the actual time of being
away from the job. For example, after the employee returns to work while being treated,
examined, filling out questionnaire, talking about injury to the supervisor or accident
investigation team, short-term high duty etc.

(f) Overtime for the other employees who perform injured employee duties, if a replacement
cannot be found.

(g) Decreased production after a serious accident when the workers may become fearful for
their safety.

(h) Dumps to machinery, equipment product or facility during the accident.

(i) Production interruption. Accident may cause production to stop or decrease (sometimes the
plant or equipment cannot run until the mines inspector have finished with their
investigations.

(j) Delayed filing of production orders or contractual deadlines to complete the work.

(k) The time taken to clean up the area.

(l) Negative publicity by media and public can cause damage to the company’s reputation.
Good employees do not want to work in companies where employees are injured. An
accident can produce negative neighbourhood and community attitudes against the
company.

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(m) Loss of contracts due to lack of effective safety and health programme, resulting in an
average accident and injury record.

The costs of incidents can be illustrated as an iceberg, illustrated in Figure 2. The relatively small
costs associated with insurance and medical expenses are obvious, like the tip of the iceberg,
while the enormous overall costs of incidents are to be found under the surface. It will be noticed
by reviewing the iceberg that for every unit of costs, there are 6 to 53 times that amount of loss
due to property, process, material and miscellaneous costs. The iceberg has been so widely used
and accepted as an illustration of the total cost of loss, that rarely are rationales given for the 6 to
53 ratios. These numbers have been derived by researching insurance cost data which supports
that the costs of losses reported in the transportation industry (e.g. trucking and railroad), and
various manufacturing industries alone is many times the national costs of work related injuries
and illness. In addition, there have been numerous case studies, involving single sites or
companies, which have since been done, which support these numbers as well. For capital-
intensive operations the costs tend to be on the high side; whereas for labor-intensive operations
they tend to be relatively low. These costs must be carefully sought out for or they will go
unnoticed.

ICEBERG ILLUSTRATION
A. INJURY AND ILLNESS COSTS
• Medical
• Lost time
A • Compensation

B. PROPERTY, PROCESS, MATERIAL,

MISCELLANOUS COSTS
(6 - 53 times as much)
B
• Production Loss
• Building Damage
• Plant Damage
• Tool and Equipment Damage
• Material Damage
• Legal Fees
• Emergency Supplies
• Clerical Costs
• Investigation Costs
• Replacement Costs

Figure 2 Illustration of the Costs of Accidents using an Iceberg

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 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, RISK ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL
Hazard

Hazard can be defined as a workplace condition which exists or can be caused in combination
with other variables, which has the potential for accidents, serious injuries, disease and/or
property or environmental damage.

Hazard may be defined in various ways however most of the definitions may be simplified and
stated as a source, situation or an act having potential to cause an accident

Identification of Hazards

Hazards can be identified through:

• experience
• testing
• analysis

Hazard identification through Experience

It includes:
• own experience
• corporate experience
• accident record
• records of industrial standard making organisations (eg. OSHA)
• records of insurance companies
• interview and discussions with designers, engineers, operators, supervisors

Hazard identification by Testing

This involves procedures which measure performance, observing and recording motions and
actions in a process, examination of new equipment, quantitative measurement (eg temperature,
humidity etc)

Hazard identification by Analysis

Analysis involves a very careful study of all the components of a work system in order to detect
problems, and then to understand the relationship between the system and the problem in order to
eliminate the problem and its consequences.

Hazards may be identified by 2 basic thought methods:

• Deductive reasoning based on a list of undesired events then working backwards to
identify component actions which might cause that event.
• Inductive reasoning based upon observed phenomenon such as failure of a machine or
the failure of workers or a combination of both which could result in an accident.

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Practical Application of Hazards Analysis

Ask workers, supervisors and managers to list the ten most hazardous processes or machine on the
plant. Use Pareto's principle (20/80 rule) to select and analyse.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor
sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.
Vilfredo Pareto observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population;
Pareto developed the principle by observing that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of
the peas. It is a common rule of thumb in business; e.g., "80% of your sales come from 20% of your
clients".

Hazard Analysis Techniques

There are a number of techniques for hazard analysis. The most common techniques are:
• Preliminary Hazard Analysis
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
• Hazard and Operability Studies
• Fault Tree Analysis
• Event Tree Analysis

Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA)

A hazard review conducted when all information is not necessarily available for a system. It focuses
on what is already known about the process, products or change. It consists of formulating a list of
the hazards which might be related to materials, plant and equipment, the work environment,
maintenance, the safety equipment required and how to interface with other system components. It
involves asking questions such as “what if?”

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Involves a critical review of a system, a breakdown of the system into all its components and
systematic evaluation of how components might fail and what the effects of these failures might be.

Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOPS)

It is the application of a systematic rigorous examination to a process and the engineering aspects of
a production facility to identify and assess the consequences of foreseeable deviations from its
intended design.

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)

It is a deductive reasoning method which assumes an undesirable event or consequence and

proceeds in a logical manner to examine events or combination of events which must precede the
occurrence of the top event.

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Event Tree Analysis (ETA)

ETA is a forward, bottom up, logical modeling technique for both success and failure that
explores responses through a single initiating event and lays a path for assessing probabilities
of the outcomes and overall system analysis. This analysis technique is used to analyze the
effects of functioning or failed systems given that an event has occurred. This technique may
be applied to a system early in the design process to identify potential issues that may arise
rather than correcting the issues after they occur.

Risk Analysis

Risk is the product of the frequency of occurrence and severity of consequences.

It is done to enable control measures to be devised. It improves ideas on the relative importance of
risks and enhances effective decision making.
Types of Risk Assessment
There are two main types of risk assessment:
• qualitative
• quantitative

Qualitative Risk Assessment involves subjective or personal judgement backed by generalised

data on risks.

Quantitative Risk Assessment produces objective probability estimate based upon known risk
information applied to the circumstances being considered. This is used in cases of high risk,
public concern or where the severity consequences of an accident are felt to be large and
widespread

Risk Ranking

Ranking produces a priority list of hazards to be controlled on a "worst off" basis. It takes
account of the consequence (likely severity) and probability of the event occurring. Estimation of
severity is easier than probability estimation.

Hazard ranking may be done by using the formula:

Risk = Severity Estimate x Probability Estimate

These estimates can be given any value as long as they are consistently used.

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Severity Rating of Hazards

Value Severity Level Consequence (Impact)

4 catastrophic almost certain to cause death or severe loss

3 critical may cause severe injury or major loss

may cause minor injury, minor occupational illness or
2 marginal
minor damage
will not result in injury, occupational illness or
1 negligible
material damage

Probability Rating of Hazards Value

Value Severity Level Consequence

4 Probable Likely to occur immediately or shortly

3 Reasonably probable Probably will occur in time

2 remote May occur in time

1 Extremely remote Unlikely to occur

Risk Matrix

4
8 12 16 4
Frequency or

3
probability

6 9 12 3
2
4 6 8 2
1 2 3 4 1

Severity

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Hazard Control

The priorities in hazard control are the following:

• If possible, avoid risk altogether by eliminating the hazard
• Tackle risks at source - avoid the quick temporary fix or putting up sign where a better
physical control could be used
• Adapt work to the individual when designing work areas and selecting methods of work
• Use technology to improve conditions
• Give priority to protection for the whole workplace rather than to individuals (protect a
roof edge rather than supply a safety harness)
• Ensure everyone understands what they have to do to be safe and healthy at work
• Make sure health and safety management is accepted by everyone and that it applies to
all aspects of an organisation's activities

Hazard Control Methods

The decision as to what methods to be used in controlling hazards are usually based on the
following:
• Classification of hazards
• Probability of occurrence
• Cost of control
• Degree of control
• Alternatives
• Justification

All remedial control of hazards can be considered in terms of their placement with respect to the
hazards. The placements are:
• at source (eg a protective guard for machinery or substitution of a chemical)
• at the receiver - the worker (eg use of PPE and training)
• at the path between the worker and the receiver (eg using remote controls and provision of
ventilation)

It is necessary to remember that some corrective measures are better than others and some are very
ineffective as controls.

The order of effectiveness in controlling hazards is:

i) Hazard Elimination:
eg use of alternative design improvement, change of process

ii) Substitution:
eg replacement of a chemical with another one having less risk

iii) Use of Barriers:

(Isolation or Segregation): This removes hazards from the worker, puts hazards in a box.

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iv) Use of Procedures:
• limiting exposure time
• dilution of exposure
• safe systems of work depending upon human response

v) Use of Warning Systems:

• signs
• Instruction
• labels

vi) Use of Personal Protective Equipment:

This depends upon human response and should be used as a sole measure only when all other
options have been exhausted. The disadvantages of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
are:
• may interfere with job
• may fail and expose worker to hazard
• continued use may mask presence of hazards and result in no further preventive action
being taken

Hazard control measures must be checked to ensure their validity or when reports indicate that
they may no longer be valid. Fresh assessment is required when the risks change as conditions
change and also when new situations are encountered for the first time.

Safe Systems of Work

A safe system of work is a formal procedure which results from a systematic examination of a
task in order to identify all the hazards and assess the risks and which identifies safe methods of
work to ensure that hazards are eliminated or the remaining risks are minimised.

Safe systems of work are needed where risk assessment indicates that hazards cannot be
eliminated completely. Examples of jobs requiring safe systems include:
• cleaning and maintenance operations
• changes to normal procedures, including layout materials and methods
• working alone or away from the workplace and its facilities
• breakdown and emergencies
• control of contractors
• vehicle loading, unloading and movements

Examples of safe systems of work include:

• task procedures
• task practices
• permits to work
• safe operating procedure

Safe systems of work are produced following five (5) basic steps:
• assessment of task

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• hazard identification and risk management
• identification of safe methods
• implementing the system
• monitoring the system

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 SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Safety Management

Safety management is a series of coordinated activities directed to control accidental loss. It

includes the control of personal performance and unsafe conditions.

Practical Objectives of Safety Management

A safety management programme must have the following objectives:

• to gain support from all concerned
• motivation, education and training for all to recognize and correct hazards
• achieving hazard control by design and purchasing
• to ensure hazard control principles form part of supervisory training
• devising and introducing controls based on risk assessments
• compliance with regulations and standards

Safety Management System

A system for the management of safety at workplaces including the organizational structure,
responsibilities, procedures, processes and provisions for the implementation of workplace safety
policies by the works operator, which provides for the control of safety at, and the safe use of,
the workplace.

If we dissect the definition we can find the following useful information:

• There shall be a system, and as a corollary, a systematic approach to safety.
• Safety shall be managed and controlled.
• There must be an organisation with structure and defined responsibilities.
• There must be procedures.
• There must be a safety policy which shall be implemented.
• And the objective shall be safe operations.

Fundamentals of a Safety Management System

A safety management system should show the following fundamental elements:

• commitment
• policy
• organization with structure and defined responsibility
• planning and implementation
• performance measurement
• reviewing performance and auditing
• correcting and commendation

Commitment

A successful health and safety management system involves top management commitment, and

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safety must be given the same priority as other primary business objectives.

Policy

A successful health and safety management demands comprehensive health and safety
policies which are effectively implemented and are considered in all business practice and
decision making.

A typical safety policy

• People are the most important company assets
• Preservation of human and physical resources is an important method for minimising costs
• Safety is a condition of employment and is as important to the company as production,
quality or cost control
• All accidents, occupational illness and incidents are preventable etc.

Other requirements of a policy

• specify how the safety programme will fulfill the requirements of the policy, and how
it will be resourced and implemented
• identify the senior manager with prime responsibility for safety
• state how and by whom implementation will be monitored
• the policy must be signed by the chairman and the local unit/operation head

Communication of the policy

The policy must be communicated to all employees by:
• Including it in rule booklets/safety manuals
• Posting in key locations across the site
• Making reference to it at induction and in safety training programmes

Review of policy
The policy must be reviewed at any time of significant change and on a regular basis
(typically, every 18 months to 2 years) and be revised and re-issued as appropriate.

Organisation

Organistion of health and safety functions involves establishing responsibilities and

workplace relationships to enhance a positive health and safety culture. A senior manager with
prime responsibility for safety must be identified.

Appropriate organisation leads to the following goals being achieved:

• securing control - by ensuring managers lead by example
• encourage co-operation - both of employees and their safety representatives
• securing effective communication - by providing information about hazards, risks
and preventive measures
• ensuring competence - via a suitable recruitment policy and effective training and
provision of advice

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Planning and Implementation

Planning ensures effectiveness of the health and safety efforts. Planning involves establishment,
operation and maintenance of systems which:
• identify objectives and targets which are attainable and relevant
• Set performance standards for management and for the control of risks based on
hazard identification, risk assessment and which take legal requirements as the accepted
minimum standard
• Consider and control risks - both to employees and to others who may be affected
by the organisation activities, products and services
• ensure documentation of all performance standards

Performance Measurement

Health and safety must be monitored like all other business functions (eg finance, production or
sales) to establish the degree of success.

Two types of monitoring system need to be operated. These are:

Active monitoring: to measure achievement of objectives and specified standards before things
go wrong. It involves regular inspection and checking to ensure that standards are being
implemented and that management controls are working properly.

Reactive monitoring: collect and analyse information about system failures. It involves learning
from mistakes.
Reviewing Performance and Auditing

Auditing enables management to ensure that it is having the desired effect. Auditing
complements the monitoring programme. Effective audit systems identify deviations and
highlight good practices.
Two main objectives of auditing
• To ensure standards achieved conform as closely as possible to the objectives set out in
the Safety Policy
• To provide information to justify continuation of the same strategy or change of course

Three things to note with a Safety management system (SMS):

1. The SMS is a tool with which to manage safety.
2. Operational safety is the responsibility of the line organisation.
3. The SMS involves a never ending cycle of setting targets and priorities, education,
auditing and monitoring, analysing the results and striving for improvement.

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 •

ISO Management Systems

Management Systems

A management system describes the set of procedures an organization needs to follow in order to
meet its objectives. In some small organizations, there may not be an official system, just "our
way of doing things", that is mostly kept in the heads of the staff. But the larger the organization,
the more likely that procedures need to be recorded to ensure everyone is clear on who does
what. This process of systemizing how things are done is known as a management system.

All ISO management system standards have the same structure and contain many of the same
terms and definitions. This makes them easier, cheaper and quicker for those companies who use
more than one, not to mention helping out the auditors.

Management System Standards

ISO management system standards provide a model to follow when setting up and operating a
management system. Like all our standards, they are the result of international, expert consensus
and therefore offer the benefit of global management experience and good practice.

These standards can be applied to any organization, large or small, whatever the product or
service and regardless of the sector of activity.

The benefits of an effective management system include:

• more efficient use of resources
• improved risk management, and
• increased customer satisfaction as services and products consistently deliver what they
promise.

Audits

Audits are a vital part of the management system approach as they enable the company or
organization to check how far their achievements meet their objectives and show conformity to
the standard.

In order to help the auditing related to these standards, ISO has released ISO 19011:2011
providing specific guidance on internal and external management system audits.

Benefits of ISO International Standards

ISO International Standards ensure that products and services are safe, reliable and of good
quality. For business, they are strategic tools that reduce costs by minimizing waste and errors
and increasing productivity. They help companies to access new markets, level the playing field

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for developing countries and facilitate free and fair global trade. ISO safety standards promote
safety internationally.

ISO Standards

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) manages more than 18,000 standards
affecting industries around the world. Two safety standards supported and underwritten by the
ISO are ISO 14121-1 and ISO 22000 2005. The environmental standards are given in ISO
14001.

Function

Both ISO 14121-1 and 22000 2005 require businesses to prove ISO safety compliance to an
accreditation or certifying body. The ISO itself does not certify. Each country is responsible
for adopting its own certifying and/or accreditation organizations.

Significance
The value of safety cannot be over emphasized. The lack of machine safety could cause
injury or death to operators as well as ignite law suits against manufacturers of the
machinery. The lack of food safety could have catastrophic consequences on thousands,
potentially millions of consumers.

ISO 14121-1

ISO 14121-1 protects users of machinery, regardless of industry. The standard helps designers
and manufacturers of machinery to incorporate safety into their designs and reduce safety
hazards. It applies to all types of machinery, from simple machines, such as lawn mowers, to
large earth movers used on construction projects.

ISO 22000 2005

ISO 22000 involves food safety. It specifies food safety requirements for every organization in
the food chain, from farmers to food packagers to distributors to grocery stores and restaurants.

ISO 14001

Companies registered to ISO 14001 set a clear example of being responsible which leads to
customer trust. Companies that are environmentally responsible benefit from an improved public
image. This can be used to benefit the company from a marketing perspective. By reducing
waste and using fewer raw materials, costs are reduced. Fewer costs give companies a
competitive advantage. By managing environmental issues before a problem arises, companies
benefit from reduced liability.

OHSAS 18001 Standards

By identifying hazards and evaluating risks, OHSAS 18001 contributes to providing a safer,
healthier work environment. This should help reduce lost time due to illness and injury. The

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management of health and safety becomes more transparent by taking results of investigations
and turning them into action plans to minimize accidents. Fewer accidents and injuries lead to
reductions in liability claims and lower insurance premiums. OHSAS 18001 increases credibility
by having health and safety assessed by an independent party.

BS OHSAS 18001; What is it?

A BS OHSAS 18001 health and safety management system is a systematic and process driven
approach to controlling and monitoring risks that can arise from the company’s day to day
activities. This system is proven to enable the business to be pro-active rather then re-active,
therefore more effectively protecting the health and welfare of your workforce on an on-going
basis.

For example, if a company doesn’t display the Health and Safety Law poster in its office / work
place or give the information to the staff they can risk being fined.

Why BS OHSAS 18001 Certification?

By obtaining the BS OHSAS 18001 Certification you can prove to your stakeholders, customers
and staff that you are aware of your health and safety obligations and are looking to minimise the
risks that are associated. The main benefits of obtaining BS OHSAS 18001 are:

Benefits to you:

• Enhanced reputation as a health and safety conscious organisation.

• Reduced risk of potential litigation cases, for example through reducing the number of
accidents in the work place.
• Improved productivity of the workforce as potential for absenteeism and sickness is
reduced.

Benefits to your customers:

• By conducting rigorous risk and hazard assessments customers are reassured that
products / services are delivered within legal requirements.
• Knowledge that heightened awareness of health and safety codes of practice is promoted
throughout the supply chain.

Benefits to your staff:

• Peace of mind that they are employed by a company that promotes health and safety in
the workplace, and involvement from all staff to ensure it is a safe place to work.
• Ability to take responsibility for hazard identification and risk assessment therefore
contributing to accidents / incident reporting; consequently improving morale.
• Job security improved through enhanced business performance.

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This standard can be used as a tool to support and promote good occupational health and safety
practices to both the workforce and other interested parties. It includes continual improvement by
self-regulation through audit.

The Process to obtain BS OHSAS 18001 Certification:

Stage 1 Initial Assesment:

• Identify areas of non-compliance
• Recommend areas of improvement to meet requirements
• Information is gathered to compile manual

Stage 2: Writing of Manual

• Manual is compiled
• Compulsory procedures are included – in line with current business practices

Stage 3 Presentation of Certificate

• Once all requirements are met presentation of manual and certificateis made
• Company is now certified

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