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Key Elements of A Health and Safety Management System
Key Elements of A Health and Safety Management System
• The ILO-OSH 2001 Safety and Health Management System can be summarised as: Policy, Organising, Planning
and Implementation, Evaluation, Action for Improvement, and Audit.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/
safework/managmnt/guide.htms
Revision Questions
• The health and safety policy of an organisation is an important document that sets out the organisation’s aims
with regards to health and safety, who is responsible for achieving these aims, and how the aims are to be
achieved.
• The policy has a role in the decision-making of both senior management, who formulate it, and middle and
junior management, who are required to implement it.
Revision Question
• A health and safety policy is usually presented in three parts: the General Statement of Intent, the Organisation
section, and the Arrangements section.
• The General Statement of Intent outlines the importance that the organisation places on health and safety and
the commitment that can be expected. It sets aims and objectives for the organisation to achieve. It is signed by
the person in overall control of the organisation.
• The Organisation section highlights the roles and responsibilities that exist at all levels within the organisation. It
shows the lines of responsibility and accountability.
• The Arrangements section provides the detail on how the organisation manages health and safety. It outlines
the general arrangements that relate to health and safety management and the specific arrangements that relate
to individual health and safety topics and issues.
• Health and safety policies have to be reviewed in order to stay current and relevant.
The General Statement of Intent should be: • Provision of adequate resources such as
expert health and safety advice.
• Signed by the person at the top of the organisation
(Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Managing Director • Effective communication and consultation
(MD), etc.) to authorise the policy and indicate that with workers.
the policy commitment comes from the highest (Continued)
level. This person also has ultimate responsibility for
health and safety in the organisation so should be
committed to the policy’s contents.
• Dated, to indicate when the current statement was
prepared and provide a reference point for review.
• Provision of safety-related training. It is good practice to review policy on a regular basis, e.g.
annually. However, there are other circumstances which
• Welfare and first-aid provision. could give rise to reviews.
• Emergency procedures.
• Health surveillance.
• Communication of health and safety matters
including hazards and control measures. Circumstances which might require a review of
• Compliance monitoring, including auditing policy:
of systems but also the measuring of • Technological changes, e.g. introduction of
workplace parameters, e.g. noise, to assess the new plant or processes.
effectiveness of the arrangements.
• Organisational changes, e.g. changes to key
personnel, such as a new CEO or MD, or
All the general health and safety management issues changes to the management structure of the
will be relevant to all workplaces; they are generic issues. organisation.
However, the practical arrangements made for the • Legal changes, such as the introduction of
management of these issues will have to be tailored to new legislation applicable to the organisation.
suit the organisation.
• Changes to the type of work that the
Depending on the workplace, specific health and safety organisation does.
arrangements will also have to be developed to deal with
particular risks. • Where an audit, investigation or risk
assessment suggests the policy is no longer
The list of possible arrangements that might be required effective.
can be long and is dependent on the problems and issues
faced by the organisation in question. For example, a • When requested by a third party, such as an
lorry haulage company will have a set of arrangements insurance company or client.
to manage transport risk, but an office-based company • Following enforcement action.
will not.
• Following consultation with the workforce.
• After the passage of time (e.g. an annual
review is a common practice).
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/
safework/managmnt/guide.htm Revision Questions
http://www.hse.gov.uk