Key Elements Of Health And Safety Management The key elements of successful health and safety management are

set out in this section. The manner and extent to which the individual elements will be applied will depend on factors such as size of the organisation, its management structure, the nature of its activities and the risks involved. Policy And Commitment The organisation should prepare an occupational health and safety policy programme as part of the preparation of the Safety Statement required by section 20 of the 2005 Act. Effective health and safety policies should set a clear direction for the organisation to follow. They will contribute to all aspects of business performance as part of a demonstrable commitment to continuous improvement. Responsibilities to people and the working environment will be met in a way that fulfils the spirit and letter of the law. Cost-effective approaches to preserving and developing human and physical resources will reduce financial losses and liabilities. In a wider context, stakeholders' expectations, whether they are shareholders, employees or their representatives, customers or society at large, can be met. Planning The organisation should formulate a plan to fulfil its health and safety policy as set out in the Safety Statement. An effective management structure and arrangements should be put in place for delivering the policy. Health and safety objectives and targets should be set for all managers and employees. Implementation And Operation For effective implementation, organisations should develop the capabilities and support mechanisms necessary to achieve its health and safety policy, objectives and targets. All staff should be motivated and empowered to work safely and to protect their long-term health,

not simply to avoid accidents. The arrangements should be:

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underpinned by effective staff involvement and participation sustained by effective communication and the promotion of competence, which allows all employees and their representatives to make a responsible and informed contribution to the health and safety effort

There should be a planned and systematic approach to implementing the health and safety policy through an effective health and safety management system. The aim should be to minimise risks. Risk assessment methods should be used to determine priorities and set objectives for eliminating hazards and reducing risks. Wherever possible, risks should be eliminated through the selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes. If risks cannot be eliminated, they should be minimised by the use of physical controls and safe systems of work or, as a last resort, through the provision of personal protective equipment. Performance standards should be established and used for measuring achievement. Specific actions to promote a positive health and safety culture should be identified. There should be a shared common understanding of the organisation's vision, values and beliefs. The visible and active leadership of senior managers fosters a positive health and safety culture. Measuring Performance The organisation should measure, monitor and evaluate its health and safety performance. Performance can be measured against agreed standards to reveal when and where improvement is needed. Active self-monitoring reveals how effectively the health and safety management system is functioning. Self-monitoring looks at both hardware (premises, plant and substances) and software (people, procedures and systems, including individual behaviour and performance). If controls fail, reactive monitoring should find out why

they failed, by investigating the accidents, ill-health or incidents, that could have caused harm or loss. The objectives of active and reactive monitoring are:
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to determine the immediate causes of substandard performance to identify any underlying causes and implications for the design and operation of the health and safety management system.

Longer-term objectives should also be monitored. Auditing And Reviewing Performance The organisation should review and improve its health and safety management system continuously, so that its overall health and safety performance improves constantly. The organisation can learn from relevant experience and apply the lessons. There should be a systematic review of performance based on data from monitoring and from independent audits of the whole health and safety management system. These form the basis of complying with the 2005 Act and other statutory provisions. There should be a strong commitment to continuous improvement involving the development of policies, systems and techniques of risk control. Performance should be assessed by:
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internal reference to key performance indicators external comparison with the performance of business competitors and best practice in the organisation's employment sector.

For further information, visit the Health and Safety Authority website by clicking the links in the Associated Links section of this page.

Step 2: Organise your staff

To make your health and safety policy effective you need to get your staff involved and committed. This is often referred to as a 'positive health and safety culture'. The four 'Cs' of positive health and safety culture 1 Competence: recruitment, training and advisory support. 2 Control: allocating responsibilities, securing commitment, instruction and supervision. 3 Co-operation: between individuals and groups. 4 Communication: spoken, written and visible. Competence _ Assess the skills needed to carry out all tasks safely. _ Provide the means to ensure that all employees, including your managers, supervisors and temporary staff, are adequately instructed and trained. _ Ensure that people doing especially dangerous work have the necessary training, experience and other qualities to carry out the work safely. _ Arrange for access to sound advice and help. _ Carry out restructuring or reorganisation to ensure the competence of those taking on new health and safety responsibilities. Managing health and safety 3 of 7 pages Control _ Lead by example: demonstrate your commitment and provide clear direction let everyone know health and safety is important. _ Identify people responsible for particular health and safety jobs especially where special expertise is called for, eg doing risk assessments, driving fork-lift trucks. _ Ensure that managers, supervisors and team leaders understand their

responsibilities and have the time and resources to carry them out. _ Ensure everyone knows what they must do and how they will be held accountable - set objectives. Co-operation _ Chair your health and safety committee - if you have one. Consult your staff and their representatives. _ Involve staff in planning and reviewing performance, writing procedures and solving problems. _ Co-ordinate and co-operate with those contractors who work on your premises. Communication _ Provide information about hazards, risks and preventive measures to employees and contractors working on your premises. _ Discuss health and safety regularly. _ Be 'visible' on health and safety. Ask yourself: 1 Have you allocated responsibilities for health and safety to specific people - are they clear on what they have to do and are they held accountable? 2 Do you consult and involve your staff and their representatives effectively? 3 Do your staff have sufficient information about the risks they run and the preventive measures? 4 Do you have the right levels of expertise? Are your people properly trained? 5 Do you need specialist advice from outside and have you arranged to obtain it? http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg275.pdf

Conclusion This approach to managing health and safety is tried and tested. It has strong similarities to quality management systems used by many successful companies. It can help you protect people and control loss. All five steps are fundamental. How well did you answer the questions about each step? If you think there is room for improvement, act today: don't react to an accident tomorrow.