Definitions
Welfare = Looking after the
basic needs of people.
Environment = The
surroundings in which the
organization operates
including land, air, water,
natural resources, fauna,
flora and humans and
their inter-relationships.
Ill Health:
Acute =
Short-term exposure with immediate effect, usually reversible.Chronic =
Long-term or repeated exposure with delayed effect, often irreversible.Accident = An unwanted,
unforeseen, unplanned
event which results in
loss.
Incident/Near miss = An
unwanted, unforeseen,
unplanned event with the
potential to result in loss.
Hazard = Something with
the potential to cause
harm.
Physical Chemical Biological Ergonomic PsychologicalRisk = The likelihood that
harm will occur and the
severity of the harm.
Safety Culture = The
product of individual and
group values, attitudes,
competencies and
patterns of behavior that
determine the
commitment to and
proficiency of an
organisation’s Health and
Safety.
Immediate or direct cause
of an accident = The
unsafe act or condition
that caused the accident.
The root or underlying
cause of an accident =
The failure of
management systems
and procedures that
allowed an unsafe act or
condition to occur e.g.
poor risk assessment
procedure, lack of
supervision, no defect
reporting system.
Benefits of Good Health and
Safety Practice:
Increased levels of compliance. Improved production.
Improved staff morale. Improved company reputation. Reduced accidents.
Reduced ill health.
Reduced damage to equipment. Reduced staff complaints. Reduced staff turnover. Reduced insurance premiums. Reduced fines and compensation payouts
Reasons for Good Health
and Safety Practice:
Moral Legal Financial
Employer’s responsibilities:
The employer must provide:Safe environment. Safe buildings.
Safe plant and equipment. Safe systems of work. Competent staff. Adequate supervision. Adequate instructions.
Worker’s responsibilities:
To protect themselves and those around them.
Co-operate with their employer. Report any situation that presents a significant danger. To receive adequate
information, instruction and training.
The worker (or representative) should be consulted by their employer on all aspects of health and safety.
Legal System
Civil Law:
The aim is to compensate an injured party for loss suffered. There are 2 types of civil liability:
a) Fault liability b) No fault liability
Fault liability: Injured party
must prove that:
There was a duty of care owed.
Duty of care owed was breached.
The breach caused the loss/injury/ill health/death.
No Fault liability: The injured
party does not have to prove that the employer was negligent.
Criminal Law:
The aim is to punish and deter individuals and organizations from behaving in a way that is unacceptable to society. Punishment of organizations - usually a fine or restriction of activities.
Punishment for individuals - could be jail, fine, restriction of offices held or all of the above.
Direct costs of Accidents
Lost time of injured worker andany continued payments to worker or family.
Damage to equipment, tools, property, plant or materials. Medical or hospitalization costs. Time and materials to clean up
after the accident.
Indirect costs of
Accidents (hidden costs)
Lost time by other workers(curiosity, sympathy, morale) Lost time – assisting,
investigating, arranging for new staff, preparing reports. Failure to fill customers’ orders
on time.
Hidden Costs of
Accidents:
Accident investigation. Payments to injured person. Payments for non-productive time.
Replacement labour.
Training for replacement labour. Business interruption. Loss of reputation. Repair or replacement of damaged plant. Legal fees. Insurance.
Uninsured costs
(8-36 times greater than insured costs)Sources of Information
Internal Sources:
Risk assessments. Inspection reports. Accident/incident records. Medical reports. Safety representatives. Safety committee reports. Company safety policy. Maintenance reports.External Sources:
Government organizations – Enforcing Authorities
Professional institutions – IOSH World Health Organisation – ILO Suppliers and manufacturers. Consultants and specialists. Insurance companies and workers unions.
Elements of HSG65 Health
and Safety Management
Systems:
POP MR A
Policy:
Sets out Health and Safety aims and objectives of the
organisation and Management commitment.
Safety policy should be signed by the most senior person in the organisation because:
It shows management commitment.
It gives the policy authority. The person who signed it has
ultimate responsibility.
Organisation: 5Cs
Clear roles and responsibilities. Competence. KATE
Control. (policies, procedures) Co-operation obtained through
consultation.
Communication. (Should flow in
all directions)
Planning and
Implementation:
Generate SMART objectives. Identify hazards, assess risks and
decide how risks can be eliminated or controlled. Set standards against which
performance can be measured.
Measuring Performance
Used as a means of determining the extent to which health and safety policy and objectives are being implemented. It should be both:
Proactive. – Safety performance
measurements made before an accident happens
Reactive. – Safety performance
measurements made on information resulting from accidents and ill-health.
Reviewing Performance
Analysing data gathered through monitoring to see whether performance is adequate.
Audit
Systematic critical examination of each stage of an
organisation’s management systems and procedures.
Components of Safety policy:
1 Statement of Intent (WHAT)- Demonstrates Management’s commitment to health and safety and sets the H&S aims and objectives
2 Organization (WHO) - To
identify H&S roles &
responsibilities and reporting lines within the company. This involves Competence Control Co-operation and
Communication
3 Arrangements (WHAT) - Set
out in detail the systems and procedures for implementing the safety policy - for example safe systems of work.
Issues included in
Organization:
Clear roles and responsibilities
for all health and safety responsibilities allocated.
Competence. – From recruitment
through to staff transfers and training. - KATE
Control. – Policies, procedures,
auditing, supervision and management involvement. Allocating responsibilities accountabilities, instruction, supervision to achieve control of H&S.
Cooperation. – is assisted by
consultation and demonstrates management commitment - internally between individuals, groups, departments, including consultation with H&S reps and externally between clients suppliers and contractors.
Communication. – Needs to flow
in all directions. Verbal, written, visible, example
Issues included in
Arrangements:
Sets out in detail how the requirements of the policy will be met This will include procedures and arrangements for planning,
organisation, control, monitoring and review. The procedures might include:
Risk assessments.
COSHH assessments – Control of substances hazardous to health. Safe systems of work.
Permits to work.
Eectrical work, hotwork, confined spaces. Manual handling.
Policies and procedures – Fire, First aid
Training programmes. Maintenance of plant and
equipment. Housekeeping.
Storage, transportation, handling. Radiation, dust, noise, fumes. PPE personal protective
equipment.
The safety policy should be
reviewed:
After:
Prosecutions Enforcement Action Compensation Claims Review period expires Professional Advise Accidents or Incidents. Changes in: Organisation. Processes. Materials. Premises. Legislation. Work patterns. Risk assessments.
Targets
Important because: They give evidence ofmanagement commitment. They motivate staff by giving
them something to aim for.
Ineffective Health and Safety
Policies
No commitment or leadership. No annual objectives.
Health and safety not given enough priority.
Insufficient resources provided. Personnel do not understand the
aims.
Too much emphasis on employee responsibility.
No measurement of performance.
Management unaware of their role.
No training of management in their responsibilities.
Employer’s responsibilities
towards Employees:
Provide safe plant and equipment.
Information, instruction, training and supervision (ITIS).
Safe place of work, access and egress.
Safe environment and welfare facilities.
Provide a Safety policy. Consult and inform employees. Perform risk assessments. Provide effective health and
safety management. Competent health and safety
assistance. Health surveillance.
Precautions for visitor safety
Signing in.
Providing identification badges. Providing personal protective
Site induction e.g. fire precautions.
Escorting visitor to area of work. Remain with visitor back to
reception area.
Signing out visitor and removing badge.
Duties of Employees:
Protect themselves and others from danger.
Co-operation with employer. Not to interfere with anything
provided for safety.
Follow instructions and training given.
Inform employer of dangers and problems with health and safety arrangements.
Requirements of Safety
practitioner:
Knowledge and understanding of the work involved.
Understanding of principles of risk assessment.
Knowledge of current health and safety applications.
Capacity to apply to tasks required.
Ability to identify problems. Ability to assess the need for
action.
Ability to design and develop strategies.
Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies.
Promote and communicate health and safety. Understand current best
practice.
Awareness of own limitations. Willingness to learn.
Membership of a professional body IIRSM IOSH.
Competence based qualification.
Functions of the safety
practitioner
Advise management. Carry out inspections. Investigate accidents. Record and analyze accident
data.
Assist with training. Contact external bodies. Liaison with the work force. Keep up to date with new safety
standards.
Liaison with contractors.
External parties the Safety
practitioner will
communicate with.
The enforcing authority. EHS Fire and rescue service. Insurance company. Contractors.
Consultants and engineers. Manufacturers and suppliers. Clients and customers. Police.
Specialist health practitioners. Public.
Media.
Management strategy for
contractors
Identification of suitable bidders. Checking health and safety
aspects of bids.
Contractors agree to clients rules.
Managing the contractors on site. Identification of hazards related
to job.
Checking contractor work.
Selection of a suitable
contractor
Experience with type of work. Reputation.
Suitable reference or recommendation. Previous work record. Adequacy of safety policy. Enforcement history. Accident and ill-health data. Membership of trade
organisations.
Suitable training for employees. Arrangements for sub
contractors.
Suitable risk assessments etc.
Managing of contractors on
site
Appointment of coordinator. Pre-contract meeting. Progress meetings. Regular inspections. Safety committee. Method statements.Accident and incident reporting. Client set example.
Safety propaganda. Plant documentation. Training competency.
Reducing the risks to
Contractors before and
during the building project
Before:
Careful selection of suitable contractors.
Identification of hazards associated with the job. Checking the health and
safety aspects of the bids. Establishing site rules. Suitable risk assessments. Suitable training for
employees. Method statements. Appointment of co-coordinator. Pre-contract meeting. During: Progress meetings. Regular inspections. Safety committee. Accident/incident reporting. Clients sets an example. Safety propaganda. Monitor training program.
Functions of the Safety
Representative
Investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences. Investigate complaints from
employees.
Make representations on general matters of health and safety to employer.
Carry out workplace inspections. Examine causes of accidents. Consult with enforcement
authorities.
Attend safety committee meetings.
Importance of consulting
Worker’s committees and representatives should: Be given adequate information
on health and safety matters. Be consulted when major health
and safety changes are envisaged.
Given protection from dismissal when carrying out duties as a representative.
Ability to contribute to decision making process.
Be able to communicate with workers during working hours. Be free to contact labour
inspectors.
Be able to contribute to
negotiations in the undertaking of health and safety matters. Have reasonable paid time to
exercise their health and safety functions.
Have recourse to specialists for advise on particular health and safety problems.
Matters on which employees
are to be consulted
Introduction of measures that affect their health and safety. New processes and technology. New organisation of work
patterns.
New personal protective equipment.
Planning and organisation of any training required.
Safety committee
Object is to promote
co-operation between employees and employer on health and safety matters.
No set structure. Formation of a safety committee is between the employer and worker’s union/volunteers.
Equal representation from management and safety representatives.
Safety committee – effective
meetings
Agenda may include relevant items such as:
Study of statistics.
Examination of audit reports. Analysis of inspector’s report. Consideration of safety
Development and monitoring of work safety rules and safe systems of work.
Appraisal of effectiveness of safety training.
Monitor adequacy of health and safety communication. Establish a link with the appropriate inspectors.
Factors that influence the
effectiveness of safety
committee
Balanced representation. Influence in decision making. Respect of management. Commitment from members. Good leadership and
chairmanship.
Good communication channels. Access to information or
specialist advice.
Formalised procedures with agendas.
Relevant (not trivial) agenda items.
Agenda not led by industrial relations.
Safety Culture = The product
of individual and group
values, attitudes,
competencies and patterns
of behavior that determine
the commitment to, and
proficiency of an
organisation’s health and
safety performance.
Internal influences on health
and safety management
standards:
Production demands – Too many resources directed to
production and not enough to health and safety.
Management commitment. Communication.
Competence.
Employee representation.
External influences on health
and safety
Economic.
Social expectations – society expects certain safe behavior. Legislation.
Enforcement. Insurance companies. Trade unions.
Indicators of a company’s
health and safety culture:
Accident rates. Absenteeism. Sickness.
Staff turnover. Complaints.
Compliance with legislation and internal policies.
Morale.
Benefits of a positive safety
culture:
Increased levels of compliance. Improved production.
Improved staff morale. Improved company reputation. Reduced accidents.
Reduced ill health.
Reduced damage to equipment. Reduced staff complaints. Reduced staff turnover. Reduced insurance premiums.
Factors that can cause a
health and safety culture to
decline:
Lack of communication. Perception of a growing blame
culture.
Lack of leadership and management commitment. Lack of monitoring.
Failure to implement remedial action.
Lack of consultation and employee involvement. Poor working environment. External influences – unions. Health and safety seen as a low
priority.
Lack of supervision.
Reorganization and uncertainty.
Promoting a positive health
and safety culture:
Senior management commitment.
Ownership of health and safety at all levels.
Effective consultation. Effective communication. Training for all levels of
employees.
Shared perception of risks. Standards of acceptable
behavior.
Learning from experience through monitoring and review. Balance between health and
safety and production.
Why employees fail to
comply with safety
procedures even when
competent:
Lack of motivation.
Unrealistic working procedures. Lack of management
commitment.
Over familiarisation with the task.
Repetitive work leading to boredom.
Peer group pressure.
Willful disregard of laid down procedures.
Fatigue and stress. Lack of information. Job insecurity.
Types of communication.
Written Communication:Letters, memos, reports, notices, procedures etc.
Advantages Disadvantages Permanent record. May be
unread.
Reference. One way. Consistent message. Often no
feedback.
Accurate detail. Time consuming. Wide audience. Cost.
Authoritative. Misinterpretation. Barriers to written
communication
.
Illiteracy.Competence.
Level of written material. Presentation. Quality of information. Quantity. Attitude. Verbal Communication: Instructions, interviews, meetings, lectures. Advantages Disadvantages Direct. No record.
Two way. No reference.
Quick. Unstructured.
Instant feedback. Inconsistent message.
Easy to do. Too much for memory.
Flexible. Limited audience. Barriers to verbal
communication
.
Hearing or speech defects. Noise. Distance. Language – jargon. Lack of knowledge. Attitude. Duration – speed.
Health and safety notice
boards.
Information should include: Information for employees regulation poster.
Health and safety policy. Evacuation procedures. First aid arrangements. Contact details for safety representatives.
Maximize effectiveness of
health and safety notice
board:
Locate in a prominent area. Dedicated to health and safety
only.
Information displayed is relevant and current.
Information in a neat orderly state.
Make boards eye-catching through colour and graphics.
Training should be given at
the following stages:
On joining the organisation – (Induction training) Before starting work – (Job
specific)
At regular intervals – (Refresher
training)
Whenever work practice changes e.g. new material, new technology, revision of systems of work.
Before moving to a new job.
Induction Training is
important because:
Establishes a safety culture. Shows management
commitment.
Identifies responsibilities. Identifies hazards and
precautions.
Employee made aware of hazards.
Imparts knowledge.
Employees recognize and report hazards.
Sets the scene for future performance.
Induction training
programme
Management commitment to safety.
Company safety policy. Consultative procedures. Role of safety representatives. Emergency procedures. First aid arrangements.
Welfare and amenity provisions. Specific hazards.
Health surveillance procedures. How to report accidents. PPE.
Drugs and alcohol policy.
Job specific training
programme
Safe system of work, permit to work.
Equipment training. PPE training. Fire training. Safety inspections.
Additional health and safety
training
Increase in accidents or incidents. Result of an accident investigation. Dangerous occurrences. New processes or technology. Job change.Changes in working procedures. Changes in work patterns – night
shift.
Promotion or reorganization. New legislation.
Enforcement action.
Results of inspections/audits. Results of risk assessments. Insurance company
requirements.
Young person’s training.
Young workers at risk because: Overenthusiastic.
No experience comparisons. More likely to take risks. Open to influence and peer
group pressure. Body not fully developed.
Precautions for young
workers should include:
Provisions of suitable work equipment.
Organisation of work processes. Health and safety training. Mentoring.
Supervision.
Limited working hours.
Benefits of training.
Employee Employer
Less suffering. Less accidents. Quality of life. Less absenteeism. Job satisfaction. Less claims and premiums.
Achieve standard. Less legal issues. Flexibility of staff. Improve morale. Improve safety attitude. Greater productivity.
Improve efficiency.
Consideration for training
session
What employees need to know and what they do already know – gap analysis.
Types of training already received.
Employees responsibilities. Activities carried out.
Risks associated with activities. Actions required by employees. Different requirements for
various staff. Numbers involved. Resources needed. Competence of trainers.
Communicating to employees and getting their commitment.
Employer should keep
training records because:
Proof of employees’ competence. Identify when refresher training
is needed.
Review effectiveness of training. Assess progress against targets. Provide evidence in
investigations.
Provide evidence in legal actions.
Competent persons
A person shall be considered competent when he has sufficient knowledge, ability, training and experience to enable him to carry out the tasks required of him and knowledge of his own limitations. Factors to be considered: Evidence of qualifications. Level of training. Membership of professional organisation. Undertaking of written or practical assessments. References or recommendations.
What is a risk assessment
A risk assessment is a careful examination of what hazards are in the work place and what precautions should be put in place to prevent harm.
Steps in the risk assessment
process
1. Identify the hazards.
Workplace inspections. Talking to the workforce. Non-inspection techniques. –
Break down the job into tasks and evaluate each task to identify hazards.
Examination of documents. – Manufacturers data, material safety data, legislation, codes of practice.
Combined techniques. – Analysing the results of safety audits.
Accident and ill-health data. – Monitoring accident statistics and investigation and ill-health complaints to identify the causes and then
determining the hazards from the results.
Near miss reports.
2. Decide who may be harmed and how.
How likely are they to occur. Consequences.
Number of employees exposed. Frequency and duration of the
exposure.
Effects of the exposure. Competence.
Existing controls.
Example: - risk to pregnant women. Exposure to chemicals. Lead. Biological exposure. Ionizing radiation. Extremes of temperature. Ergonomic issues like prolonged standing. Stress.
PPE
3. Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate.
Use a likelihood x severity matrix 5 x 5. Likelihood: 1. Very unlikely. 2. Unlikely. 3. Likely. 4. Very likely. 5. Certain – imminent. Severity:
1. Minor injury – no time off.
2. Minor injury – 3 days off work.
3. Injury, non-disabling illness, over 3 days off work.
4. Major disabling injury. 5. Fatality.
1 – 7 = low risk. 8-15 = medium risk. 16 – 25 = high risk. 4. Record the significant
findings.
Significant hazards should be recorded. Information such as the number of people affected, the adequacy of existing control measures and any further precautions that may be necessary.
5. Review the assessment and revise it if necessary.
Reviews should be done: Changes in process. Changes in materials. Changes in premises. Changes in legislation. Changes in work patterns. After an incident or accident. After prosecution.
After enforcement action. After compensation claims. After a policy review. After professional advice.
Methods of identifying
hazards
Sources and forms of harm can be identified via:
Workplace inspection. (Proactive)
Job task analysis. (Proactive) Manufacturers information.
(Proactive)
Risk assessment. (Proactive) Accident incident data.
Identifying hazards for
different states of operation
Complex activities should be broken down into component parts. Installation. Normal operation. Cleaning. Adjusting. Breakdown maintenance. Dismantling.
Types of hazards to look for.
Mechanical hazards. Electrical hazards. Thermal hazards.
Noise and vibration hazards. Radiation hazards.
Toxic materials.
Ergonomic design hazards.
Competence of risk
assessors.
A combination of knowledge, ability, training and experience (KATE)and personal qualities. Knowledge of own limitations. A thorough understanding of the
processes and procedures involved.
Good communication skills.
Suitable and sufficient
assessment
The risk assessment will be suitable and sufficient if: The detail in the risk assessment
is proportionate to the level of risk.
All aspects of the work activity must be reviewed taking into account the way the work is organized:
All of the significant hazards and risks must be identified. The risks have been evaluated. Employees and others at risk
must be identified.
Suitable control measures must be identified.
The control measures must be appropriate to the nature of the work.
The residual risk must be low. Priorities have been set. Takes account of non-routine
operations.
Staff undertaking the risk assessment are competent. Risk assessment is valid for a
reasonable amount of time.
Young persons
Young persons at greater risk because:
Lack of knowledge, ability, training and experience (KATE).
Body not fully developed. More likely to take risks. More likely to respond to peer
pressure. Overenthusiastic. Control measures for young
persons:
Induction training. Close supervision. Mentoring.
Clear lines of communication. Restrictions on type of work. Restriction of working hours.
Lone working
Employer has a duty of care to persons working alone without close or direct supervision:
Single persons working on the premises.
Persons working separately from the others.
Persons working outside normal working hours. Mobile workers working away
from their normal base.
Lone working risk
assessment
Should take into account the following:
Does the workplace present any special risks.
Is there safe access and egress. Does the task present any
special risks.
Is there a risk of violence. Are women especially at risk. Are young workers especially at
risk.
Does the worker have any special medical conditions. Is the lone working likely to
impose any additional physical or mental burdens on the worker.
Lone worker controls
Training. Supervision. Monitoring. Periodic visits.
Regular contact using telephone or radios.
Automatic or manual warning devices.
Hierarchy of control
measures
ERICPD
Eliminate – can the hazard be
removed completely. E.g. Remove the trailing cable.
Reduce – Can the risk be
reduced at the source or is
there a safer alternative? e.g. reduce the risk of injury by using low voltage tools.
Isolate – Can the hazard be
enclosed or contained. e.g. Guard on a dangerous part of a machine.
Control – Limiting the time or
frequency of the exposure.
PPE – Can something be
provided to reduce the injury in case of accident. E.g. Issuing safety helmets or boots.
Discipline – Ensuring that the
procedures and rules are being followed and taking action if not.
Safe system of work = A
system of doing the work in
the safest way practicable by
performing a task analysis to
identify the hazards likely to
be present and creating
procedures including the
precautions necessary to
avoid or minimize the health
and safety risks.
When is a safe system
needed
A safe system of work is needed when the hazards cannot be physically eliminated.
Cleaning and maintenance operations.
Changes to work layouts, materials etc.
Employees working away from base/alone. Breakdown emergencies. Contractors on your
premises.
Loading, unloading and movement of vehicles.
5 Steps of the safe system of
work
1. Assess the task.
Materials. Equipment. Environment. People involved. Purpose of the task. Work methods. Legal requirements. Standards.
Existing controls.
2. Identify the hazards.
Working at height. Working below ground. Machinery.
Electricity. Vehicles.
Chemical hazards. Environment.
4. Implement the safe system.
5. Monitor the safe system.
Designing a safe system by
considering MEEP
Materials. – Raw, unfinished,
disposal
Equipment and machinery. –
Design specification, ergonomics.
Environment. – light heat noise,
space
People. – Behavior, knowledge,
skills.
3 forms of workplace controls
1. Technical.Equipment – design e.g. guarding.
Access egress – wide aisles. Materials – choice of packaging to make handling easier. Environment – Local exhaust ventilation. 2. Procedural.
Policy and standards. Procedures and rules. Permit to work.
Purchasing control – buy good quality. Emergency preparedness. 3. Behavioral. Supervision. Health surveillance. Competence. – KATE Motivation. Communication. Perception.
Permit to work = A permit to
work is a formal written
system used to control
certain types of potentially
hazardous work
.Work requiring permits: Confined spaces. Hot work and cold work. Electrical.
Design of permit to work
system
1. Job location/plant identification. 2. Description of work. 3. Time limits. 4. Description of hazards. 5. Tests and checks prior towork commencing. 6. Further precautions. 7. Authorization. 8. Acceptance. 9. Time extensions/Shift change procedures. 10. Hand back. 11. Cancellation.
All signatures must be legible.
Reasons why employees may
not to wear PPE and
Reasons PPE should be a last
resort.
Poor selection or fit. Lack of comfort.
Incompatibility with other PPE. Fails to danger.
Contamination. Misuse or non-use.
Relies on action being taken by the user.
May create additional hazards. Difficulty in obtaining equipment. Relies on management
commitment.
Selection of PPE
Identify the hazard. Choose type of equipment. Compliance with standards. Comfort. Compatibility. Costs. Replacement. Training needs. Hygiene problems. Supervision. Storage.
Training in the use of PPE
Legal and organizational requirements.
Consequences of not wearing it. Protection offered.
Limitations of the PPE.
Compatibility with other types of PPE.
Correct usage. How to keep it clean.
Correct storage arrangements. When and how to replace.
Main purposes of First aid
Preserve life.Prevent deterioration. Promote recovery.
Assessment of first aid needs
checklist
Size of the organisation. Nature and distribution of the
workforce. Nature of the work. Types of hazards and risks. Past accident injury types. Remoteness of emergency
services.
Travelling, remote and lone workers.
Need to train personnel in special procedures.
Need to cover absence of first aiders.
Workplace emergencies
Arrangements to be considered when developing an
Emergency Response Plan:
Type of emergency – fire, hazardous chemical spillage, bomb, flood, earthquake, tsunami. Emergency services contact
and response times. Appoint persons to deal with
emergency.
Communication systems. First aid and medical
facilities.
Evacuation procedures. Effects on surrounding
community.
Post emergency action e.g. media, repair, investigation. Emergency procedure should be
practiced so that weaknesses in the system are highlighted and corrected.
Reasons for monitoring
Identify sub-standard health and safety practices.
Identify trends and patterns. Compare actual performance
against targets. Useful in benchmarking.
Identify use and effectiveness of control measures.
Make decisions on suitable remedial measures. Set priorities and establish
realistic timescales. Assess compliance with legal
requirements.
Provide information to board, committees etc.
Types of monitoring
Reactive monitoring.Examining accident figures. Claims records.
Other reactive monitoring methods such as number of defects reported following safety inspection,
enforcement action against company, prosecutions, legal mandates or court orders.
Proactive monitoring. Safety audit – A systematic,
critical assessment of each aspect of the health and safety management system and procedures.
Lengthy process carried out by a trained auditor, either internal or external. The aim is to identify the
of the health and safety management system A structured way of assessing
the health and safety performance that makes use of a scoring system so that improvements can be measured.
Safety inspections – The
straight forward
observation of a workplace, activities and equipment. Usually carried out by the
manager, employee representative and safety advisor.
Often aided by the use of a checklist.
The aim is to identify hazards and assess the use and effectiveness of the control measures.
May be carried out routinely
Safety surveys – focusing on
particular activities and may be carried out by a specialist.
Safety tours – unscheduled,
less formal workplace inspections are carried out to check on issues such as housekeeping or the use of PPE.
Safety sampling – Targeting
specific areas.
Benchmarking – Where an
organisations performance in certain areas is compared with those of similar organisation.
Health surveillance -
Providing periodic health checks before symptoms appear
Performance review – Did
the organisation: Achieve its health and
safety objectives.
Implement effective control measures.
Ensure the effectiveness of training, communication and consulting
programmes.
Learn from management system failures. Meet legal standards. Reduce the risk of accidents
and ill-health.
Limitations of safety
inspection
It is only a snapshot in time. Some hazards may not be
visible.
Some hazards may not be present at the time of the inspection.
Unsafe practices may not occur during the inspection.
Safety inspection checklist
Housekeeping. Electrical safety.
Provision and use of PPE. Use and storage of hazardous
substances. Manual handling. Traffic routes. Machinery. Internal transport. Emergency equipment. Welfare facilities. Systems of work. Working environment.
Strengths of using a checklist
to complete Health and
safety inspections
Enables prior preparation and planning.
More structured and systematic. Prevents issues from being
overlooked.
Ensure a consistent approach. Immediate record available. Easy method for comparison and
audit.
Weakness of using a
checklist to complete Health
and safety inspections
Inflexible approach.
Not reviewed or updated to account for changes.
Inspections become routine and no follow-up questions asked. No scope for secondary issues to
be considered.
Incompetent person conducting the inspection.
Inspection procedure leading to human error or abuse.
Pre-audit preparation
procedure
Setting audit objectives. Selecting the audit team. Contact with the organisation
being audited. Undertaking the audit. Draw conclusions. Report and presentation. Action by the organisation.
Internal audits
Advantages:Easier to arrange.
Lower cost to the organisation. Employees may not feel so
threatened.
Disadvantages:
Could be influenced by internal relationships.
Conclusions may not be taken seriously.
The auditor may make assumptions.
External audits
Disadvantages:Require more time to arrange. Higher cost to the organisation. Employees may feel threatened.
Advantages:
Auditor will be completely independent and unbiased. The auditor will ask questions
and will not make assumptions. More weight may be given to
their conclusions.
Initial actions to be taken
following a major injury
accident at work
Make sure the area is safe to enter before entering as there could be hazards surrounding the accident scene.
Call the first aiders to attend to the injured person.
Call for an ambulance if needed. Secure the area by barricading to
prevent unwanted people from entering.
Preserve the evidence. Identify witnesses.
Collect evidence like taking photographs or take sketches of the accident scene.
Notify the authorities as per legal requirements.
Aims of accident
investigation
Determine the cause of an accident.
Identify weaknesses in the management system. Identify weaknesses in the risk
assessment.
Demonstrate management commitment.
Comply with legal requirements. Collect data to establish trends
which can be used to prevent future business losses. Provide information for
Civil/Criminal actions.
Provide information to insurance company.
Immediate and longer term
action after an accident
First aid for injured party. Calling for medical assistance if
necessary.
Isolation of the accident scene. Report to relevant enforcing
authority if necessary. Identify witnesses. Set up investigating team. Full investigation to determine
root cause. Make recommendations.
Preparation before
investigation
Who should be involved and the depth of the investigation. Accident scene preserved. Gather relevant existing
documents.
Identifying the witnesses. Have legal requirements been
met.
Any equipment needed. Method to be adopted.
Style of report and recipients.
Investigation team
Line manager – has knowledge
of the processes involved.
Supervisor – has knowledge of
the process.
Safety representative – has
legal right.
Safety practitioner – to advise
on health and safety implications.
Engineer – to advise on
technical matters.
Senior manager – from a
different department to be unbiased.
Undertaking accident
investigation
1. Gather the information –
Where, When, Who, What, Why. MEEP – Materials, Equipment, Environment, People. Nature of work. Specialist examinations. Medical reports. Interviews and witness
statements.
Documents: Risk assessments. Safe systems of work. Incident/accident history. Training records.
Maintenance records. Equipment instructions. Monitoring records – dust,
noise.
Supervision quotas. Inspection reports. Pre-start equipment
checks.
2. Analyse the information –
What happened and why. Analysis should determine:
Immediate/direct causes. Root/underlying causes. 3. Identify the risk control
measures – possible
solutions to be identified. The analysis may have identified that no control measures in place. Control measures in place but not used.
Combinations of both. Measures should be evaluated for:
The effectiveness of the control measures. Are the control measures practical.
Will the control measures be used.
Will the control measures remain effective.
4. Take action – should have
SMART objectives. Involves senior management.
Highest priority risk control measures implemented first.
Prioritize the order of control measures to be implemented.
A senior manager
nominated to be in charge of the implementation.
Reasons for reporting
accidents
Implement initial controls. Monitoring health and safety
performance.
Starting point for investigation. To comply with legal
requirements.
To prevent reoccurrences and further injuries/losses. To provide information for any
subsequent claim. Review of risk assessments.
Accident data can:
Show trends and patterns. Identify weaknesses in
procedures and policies. Prioritize safety measures. Identify areas that require
improvement.
Set targets for reduction.
Employees can be
discouraged from reporting
accidents because:
Ignorance of procedures. Peer pressure.
Retribution by management. Preservation of the department’s
safety record.
Over-complicated response to reports.
