Q57. What is a bridging document?

A bridging (or interface) document can be defined as: "a documented plan that defines how diverse
organisations agree on which safety management elements will be used when co-operating on a project,
contract or operation".

Bridging documents can be a useful tool to document how organisations contracted to work together on
a project or contract manage their day-to-day work activities where both have developed safety
management systems (SMS). There may be a requirement within local legislation (for example, in the
construction industry) to create defined interface documents for projects or contracts, but here we
consider a generic document that can be tailored to individual requirements.

The objectives of a bridging document are to ensure that:

• Operations or projects are planned and conducted in line with both organisations' SMSs.

• The organisations' SMSs do not conflict with each other.

• Where aspects of both organisations' SMSs are jointly used, that the interfaces are well defined and
operable (that is, the identification of which components of the individual organisations' SMSs will be
used during the project, contract or operation).

When developing a bridging document, consider the following in addition to the specific requirements
of the document itself:

• Responsibilities: Who is responsible for the creation, review and approval of the document?

• Document revisions: Under what circumstances will the document be reviewed.

Q58. What is in a bridging document?

In order to provide a concise and relevant bridging document, it is recommended that only those
elements that need to be agreed upon are included in it, although the document should cover all of the
relevant aspects that apply to the specific project or contract which may include:

• Operational interfaces:

• Policy and objectives.

• Reporting structure.

• Operational and safety meetings.

• Training and induction.

• Hazard management:

• Risk assessment.

• Emergency equipment and systems.

• Planning:

• Project documentation.
• Emergency response.

• Implementation:

• Incident reporting.

• Permit-to-work.

• Personal protective equipment.

• Planned preventative maintenance.

• Waste management.

• Audits and inspections:

• Operational audits.

• Cross audits.

Q59. What is management of change?

Management of Change (MoC) is designed to manage planned and unplanned change effectively within
an organisation with the aim of minimising the risk of failure when safety-critical change occurs.
The MoC principle can be applied across all aspects of business management such as waste
management and environmental issues, personnel and HR management, information technology,
project management, finance, operations as well as safety management. Managing change effectively
reduces workplace risk and the likelihood and severity of accidents or incidents and, therefore, can have
a huge impact on profitability.

In some jurisdictions, where failings in the MoC processes have been identified as a contributory factor
in serious accidents, certain high risk industries are legally required to address work procedures relating
to MoC in their safety management systems.[1]

For safety management purposes, some or all of the following functions (although the list is not
exhaustive) may be considered when defining where change can occur within an organisation:

• Safety-critical personnel: Managing changes to safety-critical staff at short notice due to an emergency
situation.

• Organisational changes and staffing levels: Ensuring that changes to work shifts and reductions in staff
levels within the organisation or to contractors do not have a negative impact.

• Operational plant and equipment: Managing changes to construction materials, design and equipment
configurations.

• Emergency systems and equipment: Ensuring the compatibility of new equipment, and that
emergency systems are sufficient for when new operations or processes are introduced, etc.

• Safety systems and equipment: Managing changes such as allowing operational equipment to run with
safety systems disabled or removed.

• Work procedures, drawings and related documentation: Managing changes in drawings or

documentation that relate to equipment or work activities.
• Work processes: Managing changes to instrumentation, controls, computer systems and software
systems.

• Project or construction management: Managing changes to specifications and work schedules.

• Legal Acts, regulations and legal guidance: Managing changes which can be the result of updates and
revisions to existing legislation and / or the issuance of new legislation.

It is critical that temporary change within an organisation is covered under MoC procedures. Temporary
changes (involving equipment, processes, personnel, etc) can be a contributory factor in serious
accidents as there can be a tendency for them to become permanent if not properly tracked, monitored
and managed.

[1] For example, in the US, OSHA standard number 1910.119, 'Process safety management of highly
hazardous chemicals' states in section 1910.119(l)(1): “The employer shall establish and implement
written procedures to manage changes (except for 'replacements in kind') to process chemicals,
technology, equipment, and procedures; and, changes to facilities that affect a covered process

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