Generalized Elements Of A Workplace Health And Safety Management Program

 

The quality movement and other advances in the management and prevention of occupational safety and health risks made it clear that a comprehensive safety and health management system for abating workplace hazards and improving protections was needed. In addition to the expansion of the conceptual framework underlying accidents from unsafe workers to more realistic systems approach, the need for such a generalized program arose, in part, because even full compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards was less than fully protective. For example, the majority of recognized injuries arose from ergonomic hazards, for which no OSHA standard exists. Further, even if exposures were in compliance with the permitted exposure levels (PELs), chemically related symptoms still would arise. Standards that were developed to address key hazards, like machine guarding, walking and working surfaces, and powered industrial trucks, were incomplete and not specific on allowed and prohibited conditions.

To respond to the perceived need for a comprehensive safety and health management system, OSHA developed its Program Evaluation Profile (PEP), which outlined the key elements in a management system (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1996).

Later, an industry consensus standard entitled Safety and Health Management Systems (Z-10-2005) was developed and ratified under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) (American Society of Safety Engineers, 2007).

The elements of a workplace health and safety management program represented in this standard are generally recognized to be:

 	
management commitment and employee involvement;
 	
worksite analysis;
 	
hazard prevention and control;
 	
safety and health training.

Benchmarks for management commitment and employee involvement are the demonstration that policies and objectives of health and safety in the workplace are established and communicated. There must be visible involvement of top management, and employees must be involved in identifying hazards and solving abatement issues. Responsibility for safety and health must be clearly assigned, and those assigned must have adequate authority to meet their responsibilities. Managers, supervisors, and employees are held accountable in the management system, and program operations must be reviewed at least annually.

The requirements for worksite analysis within the health and safety management system include carrying out a baseline survey of hazards and carrying out a change analysis each time that any change occurs in the work environment that has an impact on the existing occupational health and safety conditions. There must also be ongoing job hazard analysis. Worksite analysis requires that regular self-inspections and routine inspections be made and that each employee know the appropriate person to notify about hazards and how to make such notification. There can be no reprisals for hazard notification. An incident investigation mechanism must be in place, and there must be an established means for analyzing any injuries or illnesses that occur and are related to the workplace environment.

Hazard prevention and control is the requirement that hazards be controlled to the extent feasible and that safe work practices be established that are based on the aforementioned job hazard analysis. It is the obligation of supervision to enforce and reinforce safe practices, but such supervision must include fair disciplinary procedures. In order to be in compliance with this aspect of the standard, hazards must be identified and corrected in a timely fashion and there must be adequate preventive maintenance procedures in place and in practice to ensure that already recognized hazards are controlled and that no new hazards are inadvertently introduced. A prevention and control program must include medical services. Minimally, first aid and CPR must be available on every work shift. There must be adequate preparation for dealing with emergencies, and evacuation routes and emergency numbers must be prominently displayed.

Benchmarks for adequate safety and health training are that employees can explain how and why they do their jobs safely. If employees are required to use personal protective equipment (PPE), those employees must be able to demonstrate knowledge about the appropriate use, care, and maintenance of their assigned equipment. Benchmarks for supervisor safety and health training are that the supervisor must be able to explain the rules and procedures that are in place, including the training and enforcement requirements. It is the obligation of managers to be able to explain the various levels of responsibilities.