Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1
1.5 - Summary.
This summary section will now refer you back to the learning outcomes and offer a brief
reminder of the topics.
Multi-disciplinary nature of health and safety.
The main focus in occupational health is on three different objectives:
1. The maintenance and promotion of workers' health and working capacity.
2. The improvement of working environment and work to become conducive to
safety and health.
3. Development of work organizations and working cultures in a direction which
supports health and safety at work and in doing so also promotes a positive
social climate and smooth operation and may enhance productivity of the
undertakings.
Barriers to good standards of health and safety include:
Complexity.
Employees become unhappy with the amount and type of information available on
health and safety which is not tailored specifically to them. Legislation, regulations and
requirements can become overwhelming, difficult to understand and poorly
communicated.
Competing & Conflicting Demands.
Demands to meet production targets or keep within budgets, may compromise health
and safety.
Behavioural Issues.
Changing workers attitudes and behaviour to work safely is one of the biggest
challenges in health and safety.
Definitions.
Health: A state of complete, physical, mental and social wellbeing.
Safety: Freedom from danger or risks.
Welfare: This refers to the facilities for workplace comfort.
Environmental: Any activity to maintain or restore the quality of the environmental
media by prevention of emission of pollutants or reduction in the presence of polluting
substances.
Identify barriers to good standards of health and safety.
Answer:
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Insurance excess agreed between the employer and the insurance company
will have to be paid.
Increase in the premium that could follow a serious accident.
Production delays or lost production.
Damage to the building, equipment, material and products.
Time involved in the investigation of the accident.
Loss of expertise or experience.
Hiring and training replacement staff.
Loss of goodwill and reputation.
Clean up costs.
Possible fines and legal costs.
Employers have multiple responsibilities according to the ILO Occupational Safety and
Health Convention C155. These responsibilities are set out under Part IV. Action at the
level of the undertaking.
Article 16.
1. Employers shall be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable,
the workplaces, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are
safe and without risk to health.
2. Employers shall be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable,
the chemical, physical and biological substances and agents under their
control are without risk to health when the appropriate measures of protection
are taken.
3. Employers shall be required to provide, where necessary, adequate protective
clothing and protective equipment to prevent, so far as is reasonably
practicable, risk of accidents or of adverse effects on health.
Workers' responsibilities and
rights.
The ILO sets out workers' responsibilities to protect themselves and those around them
from harm, the USA's Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970 sets out worker's duties
and includes:
o
o
The employer and employee have a common duty of care to each other and other
employees. This means they must take reasonable care to protect employees from the
risk of foreseeable injury, disease or death.
Accidents.
The costs associated with accidents and ill health will result in direct costs (insurance
claims, sick pay, repairs, etc.) and indirect costs (legal fees, loss of orders, product
liability, etc.).
ILO.
Sets out conventions and member states subscribing to the work of the ILO agree to be
bound by conventions they have ratified. The ILO sets out workers' responsibilities to
protect themselves and those around them from harm, the USA's Occupational Safety
and Health Act 1970 sets out workers' duties in section 5.
(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all
rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own
actions and conduct.
Occupational Safety and Health Convention C155 sets out broad requirements for
member countries to follow to ensure health and safety requirements are set in national
laws.
European Union Law and courts: European Directives are binding on all member
states, but each state must pass its own legislation (in the United Kingdom, a statutory
instrument) to bring the EU legislation into effect.
European Court of Human Rights, interprets European Convention for
Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms.
o European Court of Justice, gives rulings on interpretation of EU law at the
request of a member state or an individual.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Overview.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is an enabling Act under which a number of
very important regulations have been introduced. It is criminal law and so flouting it
may result in prosecution. It is written in a rather generic manner; however, section 2
of the Act states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is
reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees".
o
Improvement Notice.
Contravention of a relevant statutory provision at the time of issue.
Contravention in the past which is likely to be continued or repeated.
An appeal against the issue of the notice must be made to an industrial
tribunal within 21 days of the issue of the notice.
o The notice is suspended while the appeal is being heard.
Prohibition Notice.
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Plan.
Do.
Check.
Act.
These key elements of a health and safety management system can consist of the
following:
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Policy.
Organising.
Planning and implementing.
Evaluation, monitoring, review, measurement, investigation.
Auditing.
Action for improvement (preventative and corrective action).
Continual improvement.
Policy. Should be specific to the organisation, clearly written, dated and signed or
endorsed by the most senior person within the organisation and communicated and
accessible to all persons at their place of work.
Organising. This outlines the individual's responsibility for health and safety. The
employer and senior management should allocate responsibility, accountability and
authority for the development, implementation and performance of the OSH
management system and the achievement of the relevant OSH objectives.
Planning and Implementing. The purpose should be to create an OSH management
system that supports:
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The health and safety policy will have a general statement of intent which must be
signed and dated by the most senior management (chief executive or managing
director). It will state the overall aims of the organisation in terms of health and safety
performance. Objectives and targets will be set.
Roles.
Health and safety roles and specific responsibilities of individuals within the organisation
will need to be established and lines of communication and feedback will have to be put
in place. Managers should be able to influence the policy and also monitor its
effectiveness.
Health and safety arrangements.
Arrangements need to be specified for the planning and organizing, controlling hazards,
consultation, communication and monitoring compliance with, and assessing the
effectiveness of, the arrangements to implement the health and safety policy.
Review.
The health and safety policy must be reviewed and updated when necessary. This may
be reviewed due to:
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Passage of time.
Change in legislation.
Technological or organizational changes.
Results from monitoring.
Following enforcement action.
It may also be necessary to review after a serious accident or incident.
Outline the purpose and general content of the THREE main sections of a health and
safety policy.
Answer
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Job descriptions which include specific responsibilities for health and safety.
Appraisal systems to look at individual contributions.
Organisational arrangements for dealing with poor performance, and the use of
disciplinary procedures where necessary.
Taking reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other
people who may be affected by their acts or omissions at the work place.
Co-operating with employers by assisting them to fulfil their statutory duties.
Not interfering with, or deliberately misusing, anything provided to further
health and safety at work, in accordance with health and safety legislation.
Competent Person.
In order for senior managers to carry out their health and safety responsibilities, it is
usual in larger organisations to have appointed persons employed as Safety
Practitioners to assist management in carrying out their duties. This can be delegated to
a competent person.
This means they must have the following:
o
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Employers are responsible for protecting people from harm caused by work
activities, this includes the responsibility to contractors and sub-contractors on
site.
Employees and contractors have to take care not to endanger themselves or
their colleagues or others affected by the work.
Employees have to co-operate with the employer on all health and safety
matters and must not do anything which puts either themselves or others at
risk.
Self-employed people must not put themselves or others in danger by their
work activities.
Contractors have to comply with HASWA and other health and safety
legislation. Co-operation and communication are needed to make sure all
Assess all the risks which may affect any personnel on site or neighbours of the
site and the general public.
Set up comprehensive emergency procedures.
Provide information, instruction, training and supervision to those
involved.
Co-operate fully with other contractors who may be sharing the site.
Taking reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of
other people who may be affected by their acts or omissions at the
work place.
Co-operating with employers by assisting them to fulfil their statutory
duties.
Not interfering with, or deliberately misusing, anything provided to
further health and safety at work, in accordance with health and
safety legislation.
Under the HASWA, duties placed on the self-employed are somewhat limited.
Self-employed personnel are:
Responsible for their own health and safety.
Responsible to ensure that others who may be affected are not
exposed to risks to their health and safety.
Explain the requirements placed on employers to consult with their
employees.
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Appoint a person to coordinate between the client, the contractors, and the
designers.
Ensure sufficient resources and time to build.
Share information with the contractor such as hazards and layout.
Ongoing cooperation, coordinate, communication prior to and during the build.
Provide supervision such as monitoring the contractor. Appoint a responsible
contact person.
Check the contractor's method statements, safe systems of work, and risk
assessments.
Ensure formal procedures are in place, such as permits to work and emergency
procedures.
Carry out inspections and audits.
Maintain an ongoing relationship with the contactor i.e. contractors can obtain
a "preferred status" who will have familiarity with the site and organisation.
Systems to segregate pedestrians and vehicles.
Provide contractor with building/utilities/electricity/water/gas/telephone plans.
Ensure induction training is provided.
Provide adequate welfare facilities.
Follow up any accidents.
Plant Policy:
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Employee Behaviours:
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Management Behaviours:
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Outline possible causes for a deterioration in a previously positive health and safety
culture.
Answer
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o
o
o
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o
This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson
and give a summary of the information.
Human Factors.
Human factors refer to environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and
individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect
health and safety. In any workplace and during any workplace activity, there is a
complex interaction between factors relating to job, individual and organisation. This
complex interaction can have profound health and safety implications. Individuals vary
with regard to their attitudes, skills, habits and personalities. These differences can
have important influences upon task-related behaviour. Sometimes, these influences
are straightforward and obvious. However, often they are complex and much more
difficult to identify. Whereas some factors, such as skills and attitudes, can be influenced
and modified, others such as personality are much more fixed and resistant.
Management Commitment.
The commitment should be clear and visible to all and should be understood by all in
the organisation.
Job Tasking. Whenever possible the task should match the individual.
The issues to consider in the Design of a Job/Task include:
Extremes of heat.
Noise.
Poor lighting.
Restricted workspace
This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson and give
a summary of the information.
Cultural Change.
This can only be done by the full commitment from the very top with the co-operation
from the directors, senior management and the current workforce. Communication
needs to be done at all levels and senior management need to lead by example. On
going training and supervision should be put in place, as and when required.
Each organisation will have a different climate or landscape, depending on their unique
combination of values, beliefs and policies and on the results of previous activities to
improve safety. The levels correspond with the indicators of a positive safety culture.
Identifying where you are on the scale will help you identify which areas require
attention.
Co-operation:
The majority of staff in the organisation are convinced that health and safety is
important from both a moral and economic point of view.
o Managers and front-line staff recognise that a wide range of factors cause
accidents, and the root causes are likely to come back to management
decisions.
o Front-line staff accept personal responsibility for their own health and safety
and that of others.
o The importance of all employees feeling valued and treated fairly is
recognised.
o The organisation puts significant effort into proactive measures to prevent
accidents.
o Safety performance is actively monitored, using all data available.
o Non-work accidents are also monitored and a healthy lifestyle is promoted.
Getting the message across.
o
Good communication and training is essential from all levels. Information can be done
by:
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Written versions.
Orally.
Posters.
Flyers.
o Competitions.
o Videos.
o Meetings.
o Seminars.
Specific provisions requiring employers to consult with employees on matters
of health and safety are contained in four pieces of legislation:
o
Co-operation and consultation with the work force can go even further with Health and
Safety representatives being on board.
Function of Safety Representatives.
To investigate:
o
Potential hazards.
Employees' complaints.
After the HSE publish new information relevant to hazards in the workplace.
With employees.
To get information:
From the HSE and the EHO, including copies of any Prohibition or Improvement
Notices issued.
Give adequate and sufficient notice of intent to carry out inspections, etc.
Not to abuse any facilities and assistance which have been provided by the
employer, e.g. for carrying out investigations and inspections, access to
telephones, typing, duplicating equipment, notice boards, office for meetings
and storage of files, etc.
Paid time off to carry out duties and to attend training courses.
An employer shall permit a safety representative to take such time off with
pay during the employees' working hours as shall be necessary for the
purpose of:
(a) Performing his/her functions above.
(b) Undergo such training.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 amended the Safety
Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 by inserting new
requirements on consultation.
Facilities and time off to go on union based safety courses must be provided by the
management.
When to Train.
Capitalisation on the opportunities and need for training provision include:
o
Job changes.
Process changes.
Training may need to adapt to the companies line of business, it may be company policy
to have refresher training on certain activities which may be done by an external party
or it may be done in house.
Identify how an organisation can motivate workers to adopt safe working practices
Answer
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into place.
The risk assessment needs to be suitable and sufficient.
Therefore it needs to match the following criteria:
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Risk Assessment.
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what in your workplace could cause
harm to people, so that you can decide whether you have taken enough precautions or
should do more to prevent harm. The purpose is to make sure that no one gets hurt or
becomes ill. Remember, the employer is legally required to assess the risks in the
workplace. The assessment must be 'suitable and sufficient' which means it must be
done by a competent person, must take account of any legislation or recognised good
practice (AcoPs are useful here), and must be recorded and communicated in an
appropriate way.
5 Steps to a Risk assessment. (It is important you learn and remember these steps).
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Outline provisions that should be considered to help ensure the health and safety of
disabled workers.
Answer
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This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson and give
a summary of the information.
The General principles of the preventive and protective measures as referred to the ILOOSH 2001: Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems.
Prevention and Control Measures.
Hazards and risks to workers' safety and health should be identified and assessed on an
ongoing basis. Preventive and protective measures should be implemented in the
following order of priority:
o eliminate the hazard/risk;
o control the hazard/risk at source, through the use of engineering controls or
organizational measures;
o minimize the hazard/risk by the design of safe work systems, which include
administrative control measures;
o where residual hazards/risks cannot be controlled by collective measures, the
employer should provide for appropriate personal protective equipment,
including clothing, at no cost, and should implement measures to ensure its
use and maintenance.
Control Measures.
A risk control measure is the designing, implementing and maintaining of measures
which will reduce particular risks. Because there are many different types of risk, there
are many different types of control measures that require designing, implementing and
of course maintaining. A risk control measure is the designing, implementing and
maintaining of measures which will reduce particular risks. Because there are many
different types of risk, there are many different types of control measures that require
designing, implementing and of course maintaining.
Order of Control Measures Priority.
1. Elimination or avoidance of the hazard at source.
This means don't do what you are intending to do. In reality, this is difficult to
achieve in the workplace. However, it must be considered in certain
circumstances.
2. Substitution of the hazard at source.
This means to substitute for a less hazardous process or substance.
3. Placing a guard of some kind.
Guarding moving parts of machinery, attack-proof glass in a bank etc.
4. Remove the employee from the hazard.
In a noisy environment, place the employee in a sound-proof work area.
5. Reduce the exposure of the employee from the risk.
In noisy environments, reduce the time that the employee is exposed to the
high noise levels.
6. Produce a safe method of working, safe system, safe procedure, that is
known to the employee and followed.
When erecting a tower system for instance, or administering medication.
This summary section will refer you back to the learning outcomes and summarise the
notes.
Health and safety information.
These can be sourced both internally and externally.
Internal sources of information can be found from:
o Accident, ill health and Absence data.
o Safety Audits.
o Statutory Inspections.
o Investigation reports..
o Discussions with employees.
o Maintenance records.
o Legislation.
External sources of information include:
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Manufacturer's data.
Legislation such as Acts and Regulations.
European Safety Agency.
HSE Publications.
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Trade Associations.
British, European and International Standards.
ILO and other Authoritative Sources.
IT Sources such as from the World Wide Web.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA).
Work Safe (Western Australia).
Confined Spaces.
What is the definition?
Any place such as trenches, chambers, silos, pits, sewers, wells, or any other similar
spaces which because of their nature could give rise to a "specified risk".
Specified Risk means a risk of:
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Flammable substances, from the contents of the space, leaks from services
running through the confined space or a nearby area.
Oxygen enrichment, e.g. from leaking welding cylinders.
Ignition of contaminants in the air.
Sludge or fumes remaining in the space from previous processes or contents,
when disturbed, these may release toxic or flammable substances.
Oxygen deficiency, from inert gas purging, biological processes such as
rusting, decomposition or fermentation, processes such as welding or workers
breathing within the space.
Liquids or solid materials, which can flow, entering the space from elsewhere,
this may cause drowning or entrapment.
Heat exhaustion, caused by working in the confined space or from nearby hot
processes.
This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson and give
a summary of the information.
Permits to Work (PTW).
Permission has to be gained to undertake a task or gain entrance to a particular area or
item of plant.
PTW are used to ensure that equipment, electrical or other, is switched off and isolated
before the maintenance work begins and that the equipment remains isolated for the
duration of the work or that entry to a hazardous area is controlled.
What are the aims of PTW ?
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PTW
Gaining written permission to carry out a task. In real terms, a permit to work
is a formal written system covering all aspects of the work to be undertaken,
with signed authority required for the various activities to take place. Every
aspect of the work is planned, overseen, checked and recorded and when the
time comes, is confirmed as having been completed satisfactorily.
Providing a procedure to carry out a risk assessment prior to carrying out a
high risk task.
Providing a procedure to ensure that essential controls remain in place.
Providing a procedure to ensure that things are returned to a safe state on
completion of the task.
Providing a means of adequate communication for those managing and
undertaking the task.
can be used for:
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State what work is to be undertaken, but may not need to detail how it will be
done.
Must detail where the work is to be done. Consider the various pieces of
equipment in different locations of the plant.
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Identify FOUR types of work activity that might require a permit-to-work, AND give
a reason in EACH case for the requirement
Answer
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Entry into a confined spaces to ensure hazards have been identified and the
atmosphere is regularly monitored whilst work is in progress.
Hot work to control ignition sources.
Work on live electrical equipment or high voltage electrical work to ensure the
necessary isolation is in place.
Working at height near an unprotected edge to ensure a fall arrest strategy is
in place.
Specialist maintenance work or where interlocks/controls have been bypassed
and where a strict system of work is necessary to provide protection.
This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson and give
a summary of the information.
Emergency Procedures.
A major incident or emergency could happen without warning. This could have a great
impact with severe consequences causing or threatening death or injury, damage to
property or to the environment, or disruption to the community. Due to the effects it
cannot be dealt with by the emergency services and local authorities as part of their
day to day responsibilities.
Examples of major incidents or emergencies fall into four broad categories:
1. Natural (e.g. flooding, severe weather, human/animal infectious disease
outbreak).
2. Accidental caused by human error or technical failure, e.g. impact by moving
vehicle.
3. Planned (e.g. terrorist activity).
4. Disruption where, for some reason, essential services are not available for a
significant period of time.
Emergency Plan.
A major incident or emergency cannot be predicted therefore it is essential that the
company has an emergency plan in force. If any major incident or emergency occurs
there should be measures to deal with the unpredicted consequences.
Preparation for an Emergency.
Factors taken into account:
In the event of a major incident or emergency, the employer will play as full a
part as possible in the inter-agency response.
o Responsibility for particular aspects of the emergency response are delegated
to individuals within the company.
o The employer must ensure that staff are adequately prepared, trained and
appropriate plans are exercised on a regular basis.
o Training and exercises, such as evacuation, should be undertaken on a regular
basis as appropriate.
o Emergency response arrangements will be sufficiently flexible enough to deal
with a variety of incidents or emergencies.
o Arrangements for contacting emergency and rescue services.
Every person must be aware of what to do in case an emergency situation arises in the
workplace or building in which he or she works. Each person should determine, before
any emergency occurs, the location of the telephones, the fire alarms, the emergency
fire exits and the firefighting equipment, and the location of first aid materials in the
area of the building where he or she normally works.
o
Appointed Person.
An appointed person should always be available when people are working on the site
and it follows that there may need to be more than one such person. The appointed
person will take charge when someone is injured or falls ill, calling for medical
assistance and giving any limited first aid for which they are trained. Another
responsibility will be to ensure that first aid equipment (boxes, stretchers, eye-wash
stations etc.) are in position, clean, fully stocked, signposted and so on.
Qualified First Aider.
Someone who has successfully undertaken an approved training course and holds a
current first aid at work certificate. Such a person can undertake the duties of an
appointed person. It is the responsibility of the employer to decide how many first
aiders are required. This must be done so all shifts are covered and coverage is also
done if one of the first aiders is absent (holiday, sickness etc.).
First aid Equipment.
Equipment can vary depending on the line of business. Stretchers, eye wash jets,
emergency showers and so on may be required in industrial working environments such
as foundries, chemical process plants and so on.
First aid boxes will need to be provided in all workplaces, clearly marked (white cross on
green) and signposted. First aid boxes should be kept clean and be used exclusively for
first aid material, and nothing else.
Typically, the first aid box might contain:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Disposable aprons.
Blankets etc.
In situations where mains tap water is not available, sterile water or sterile
normal saline in sealed disposable containers may need to be provided.
o
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o
o
o
Other factors to include are the needs of individual employees, and the needs of visitors
such as customers in retail premises.
Outline the factors to consider when carrying out a risk assessment of the first aid
provision on the site.
Answer
o The number, composition, and distribution of the workforce.
o The types of hazards and level of risk present.
o The proximity of the site to emergency medical services.
o The facilities and resources (such as first aid personnel) that might be shared
with other occupants.
o The special needs of the workforce.
o The needs of non-employees.
o The ability to provide continued cover over different shifts and for sickness,
leave, and absence
This summary will now refer you back to the learning outcomes for this lesson and give
a summary of the information.
Control arrangements for health and safety should be incorporated into the written
health and safety policy and reviewed to ensure they remain effective.
Agreed target and objectives, for example, annual audits and weekly
inspections should be stated and people should be held accountable for
achieving the objectives through normal or existing procedures such as:
Job descriptions which include specific responsibilities for health and safety.
Appraisal systems to look at individual contributions.
Organisational arrangements for dealing with poor performance, and the use of
disciplinary procedures where necessary.
In addition to the legal responsibilities on management, there are many specific
responsibilities imposed by each individual organisation's policy on health and safety.
o
o
o
Human Factors.
Human factors refer to environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and
individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect
health and safety. In any workplace and during any workplace activity, there is a
complex interaction between factors relating to the job, the individual and the
organisation. This complex interaction can have profound health and safety
implications. Individuals vary with regard to their attitudes, skills, habits and
personalities. These differences can have important influences upon task-related
behaviour. Sometimes, these influences are straightforward and obvious. However,
often they are complex and much more difficult to identify. Whereas some factors, such
as skills and attitudes, can be influenced and modified, others such as personality are
much more fixed and resistant.
Cultural Change.
This can only be done by the full commitment from the very top with the co-operation
from the directors, senior management and the current workforce. Communication
needs to be done at all levels and senior management need to lead by example. On
going training and supervision should be put in place, as and when required.
Each organisation will have a different climate or landscape, depending on their unique
combination of values, beliefs and policies and on the results of previous activities to
improve safety. The levels correspond with the indicators of a positive safety culture.
Identifying where you are on the scale will help you identify which areas require
attention.
Risk Assessment.
A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what in your workplace could cause
harm to people, so that you can decide whether you have taken enough precautions or
should do more to prevent harm. The purpose is to make sure that no one gets hurt or
becomes ill. Remember, the employer is legally required to assess the risks in the
workplace. The assessment must be 'suitable and sufficient' which means it must be
done by a competent person, must take account of any legislation or recognised good
practice (AcoPs are useful here), and must be recorded and communicated in an
appropriate way.
The General principles of the preventive and protective measures as referred to the ILOOSH 2001: Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems.
Prevention and Control Measures.
Hazards and risks to workers' safety and health should be identified and assessed on an
ongoing basis. Preventive and protective measures should be implemented in the
following order of priority:
o eliminate the hazard/risk;
o control the hazard/risk at source, through the use of engineering controls or
organizational measures;
o minimize the hazard/risk by the design of safe work systems, which include
administrative control measures;
o where residual hazards/risks cannot be controlled by collective measures, the
employer should provide for appropriate personal protective equipment,
including clothing, at no cost, and should implement measures to ensure its
use and maintenance.
Internal sources of information can be found from:
o Accident, ill health and Absence data.
o Safety Audits.
o Statutory Inspections.
o Investigation reports..
o Discussions with employees.
o Maintenance records.
o Legislation.
External sources of information include:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Safe
Manufacturer's data.
Legislation such as Acts and Regulations.
European Safety Agency.
HSE Publications.
Trade Associations.
British, European and International Standards.
ILO and other Authoritative Sources.
IT Sources such as from the World Wide Web.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA).
Work Safe (Western Australia).
Systems of Work.
Is an analysis of a task or process which considers the hazards likely to be present and
details the precautions necessary to avoid or minimise the risk to the health and safety
of individuals.
A competent person will develop the safe system of work and will spend time in
research. Employee participation in developing the safe system is to be encouraged and
in some circumstances required.
Permits to Work (PTW).
Permission has to be gained to undertake a task or gain entrance to a particular area or
item of plant.
PTW are used to ensure that equipment, electrical or other, is switched off and isolated
before the maintenance work begins and that the equipment remains isolated for the
duration of the work or that entry to a hazardous area is controlled.
Emergency Procedures.
A major incident or emergency could happen without warning. This could have a great
Safety audits.
Workplace inspections.
Safety surveys.
Safety tours.
Safety sampling.
Accidents.
Dangerous occurrences.
Near-misses.
Ill-health.
Complaints by workforce.
Enforcement action.
Differentiate between safety inspections, sampling and tours and explain their roles
within a monitoring regime:
Safety Survey.
This can mean a detailed investigation of one aspect of the workplace. For example, a
noise survey of an engineering workshop might involve detailed measurements over
several days and subsequent analysis of the results.
'Survey' may also mean a familiarisation exercise, planning the campaign to make best
use of limited resources, for example, an occupational hygienist may have conducted a
walk-through survey of the engineering workshop in order to ascertain if a full noise
survey is required and, if so, how this should be undertaken.
Safety Tour.
A brief (15 minute) examination of one or more aspects of an organisation's activities by
a small management team. This might serve as a means of indicating management's
commitment to health and safety.
Alternatively, the tour could be a prelude to a more detailed series of inspections.
Note: You will appreciate that a safety tour might be viewed in a less favourable light if
the management team are seen to drift in and out without learning anything.
Safety Sampling.
Sampling implies an inspection that is limited either to certain areas of the workplace or
to certain aspects of workplace activity, e.g. inspection of all the fire doors and fire
escape signs. The defects that are spotted are noted and the total number of defects is
added up to give an index of accident potential. You will appreciate that both trivial and
major defects will register the same.
Explain the meaning of the term 'health and safety audit' and describe the preparations
that may be needed prior to an audit and the information that may be needed during an
audit.
The audit planning process involves five key functions:
1. Description. The responsible persons, their duties, procedures and expected
performance should be described.
2. Definition. The nature and scope of the audit must be established before the
audit is carried out.
3. Designation. There must be a clear identification of the roles of senior
management, line management, safety staff and the workforce in the audit
process.
4. Communication. The reporting procedures need to be clear. Audit reports
generally go to the relevant manager and to the safety department.
5. Record Keeping. The audit reports should be retained for future reference
and review.
A wide range of documentation may be reviewed during an audit, depending on the
scope and the focus.
Relevant documentation includes:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Policy statement.
Procedures manual.
Inspection records.
Safety committee agenda and minutes.
Management job descriptions.
Training plans and materials.
Accident statistics.
Safety rules and booklets.
Emergency procedures.
Accident investigation reports.
Maintenance records.
Purchasing policy.
Promotional materials.
Previous audit results.
Records of statutory inspections.
Outline how accident data can be used to improve health and safety performance
within an organization
Answer
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Dangerous Occurrence.
This is an event that leads to damage to property but no injuries or deaths.
Near Miss.
This is a narrowly avoided collision or other accident.
Damage Only.
This is where damage has occurred to property, vehicles or work equipment.
Unsafe Acts.
Unsafe acts are made by people. They are not made by systems or by faulty equipment.
People make unsafe acts.
Unsafe Conditions.
Can be Mechanical and/or Physical.
What is a Root Cause?
The most basic cause that can be reasonably identified and that management has
control to fix.
Root Cause analysis is simply a tool designed to help incident investigators determine
what, how and most importantly, why an incident occurred.
When the root cause has been established remedial action and preventative measures
can be put into place.
Recommendations of remedial actions should be:
SMARTER:
SPECIFIC. Who will do what and when.
MEASURABLE. The corrective actions must be measurable.
ACCOUNTABLE. The persons responsible for implementing the corrective actions
should be clearly defined.
REASONABLE. The corrective action should be practical, i.e. will it work, and can it be
implemented.
TIMELY. The due date of the corrective action(s) must be timely. There may be interim
actions that can be implemented sooner if required.
EFFECTIVE. The corrective actions must prevent or significantly reduce the risk of this
problem happening again.
REVIEWABLE. Will this corrective action cause any problems? What might be the
negative impact if any?
Those involved must:
ADAP:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Interviews.
Plans.
Photographs.
Relevant records.
Checklists.
Identifying immediate causes (unsafe acts and conditions) and root or
underlying causes (management system failures).
Identifying remedial actions.
When to Report:
o
o
o
o
Those with responsibilities to report under the regulations must notify the enforcing
authority without delay (e.g. by telephone).
Brief details are required such as:
o
o
o
Amputation.
Acute illness requiring medical treatment.
Injury resulting from an electric shock or burn.
Loss of sight (temporary or permanent), and so on.
Failure of industrial radiography equipment.
Plant in contact with overhead power lines.
Explosion or fire causing suspension of normal work for over 24 hours.
Failure of load-bearing parts of lifting equipment.
Reportable diseases.
Some skin diseases, infections such as legionellosis.
Lung diseases such as occupational asthma.
Disease.
If a doctor notifies an employee that they are suffering from a reportable work-related
disease, the employer must send a completed disease report form to the enforcing
authority.
Dangerous Occurrence.
If something happens which does not result in a reportable injury but which clearly
could have done, it may be a dangerous occurrence which must be reported
immediately (e.g. by telephone) to the enforcing authority.
Outline reasons why an organisation should have a system for the internal reporting of
accidents.
Answer
o
o
o
o
o
Safety audits.
Workplace inspections.
Safety surveys.
Safety tours.
Safety sampling.
Accidents.
Dangerous occurrences.
Near-misses.
Ill-health.
Complaints by workforce.
Enforcement action.
Differentiate between safety inspections, sampling and tours and explain their roles
within a monitoring regime.
Safety Survey.
This can mean a detailed investigation of one aspect of the workplace, for example, a
noise survey of an engineering workshop might involve detailed measurements over
several days and subsequent analysis of the results.
'Survey' may also mean a familiarisation exercise, planning the campaign to make best
use of limited resources, for example, an occupational hygienist may have conducted a
Interviews;
Plans;
Photographs;
Relevant records;
Checklists;
Identifying immediate causes (unsafe acts and conditions) and root or
underlying causes (management system failures);
Identifying remedial actions.
The organisation should have an internal system in place to collect data regarding
incidents and accidents, this should then be analysed and recorded to see if these
factors are getting better or worse.
Reporting to the local authorities will depend on the national law and regulations, that
are in place.
Audits may be undertaken by one or more persons. A team approach, using managers,
employees and safety and health representatives can improve cooperation and
commitment to the audit's findings and recommendations.
Audit teams may include line managers from other areas of the enterprise or the
manager responsible for the audited area. Although the responsible manager may not
be able to objectively grade their own performance, a manager can provide local
knowledge and expertise, and has the opportunity to appraise the performance of their
supervisors.
Outline the differences between health and safety 'audits' and 'workplace inspections'
Answer
o
o
o
o
o
o
The reviewing can be done to see how well you have achieved your companies aims
and objectives as well as comparing the performance to the previous periods to see if
you have improved or not and you can even compare yourself to other organisations in
the same industrial field to see how you stand in the larger scheme of things.
When should the review be done?
o
o
o
o
o
The interval at which they should be done to ensure that planned objectives
are met.
The organisations risk level.
Has there been any non-compliance already.
Any potential or possible changes which may occur such as with legislation,
personnel.
The legal requirements for reviewing.
Compliance.
Accident/incident data.
Inspections.
Absence/sickness reports.
Monitoring data.
Consultation results.
Actions from management reviews.
Health and safety performance report.
Maintenance of management review records.
Continual improvements.
The management team set the goals and objectives, based on the previous review
information. In some instances they may appoint a Health and Safety Director who will
be given the responsibility to undertake the reviews and report back to the rest of the
Senior Management Team.
The Senior team need to ensure that data is made available for the reviews and are
themselves included in the review process, as discussed previously. This re-iterates their
commitment to the process plus it allows them to see and prove how effective the
company is and action if not.
Identify the information that could be used to review an organisation's health and
safety performance.
Answer
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Policy statement.
Procedures manual.
Inspection records.
Safety committee agenda and minutes.
Management job descriptions.
Training plans and materials.
Accident statistics.
Safety rules and booklets.
Emergency procedures.
Accident investigation reports.
Maintenance records.
Purchasing policy.
Promotional materials.
Previous audit results.
Records of statutory inspections.