Element IA1: Principles of Health and Safety Management

Transcription

1 Element IA1: Principles of Health and Safety Management 1. Give a definition for hazard and risk. A hazard has been defined as: BS8800 BS8800 defines a hazard as - A source or a situation with a potential for harm in terms of human injury or ill health, damage to property, damage to the environment, or a combination of these OHSAS OHSAS defines a hazard as a - source or situation with a potential for harm in terms of injury or ill health, damage to the workplace, damage to the workplace environment, or a combination of these. A risk has been defined as: MHSWR In Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, a risk is defined as - "the likelihood of potential harm from that hazard being realised. The extent of the risk will depend on: the likelihood of that harm occurring; the potential severity of that harm, i.e. of any resultant injury or adverse health effect; and the population that might be affected by the hazard, i.e. the number of people who might be exposed. 2. Identify five costs of accidents that insurance will not cover Investigation costs Fines Hiring or training replacement staff Loss of experience and expertise Lowering of morale Loss of goodwill Loss of image

2 Business interruptions Product liability Production delays Increased insurance premiums 3. Explain the key features of each stage of the safety management model described in HSG65. Policy clear direction for the organisation to set out its general objectives Organisation ensures that the appropriate management structure and arrangements are in place to deliver the objectives contained in the policy. Allocation of responsibilities for health and safety. The promotion of a health and safety culture through a regime based on the 4 C s: Control, Co-operation, Communication and Competence. Planning and Implementation stage Hazards are identified Risks are assessed Control Systems are put in place Performance standards are established Measuring Performance Involves the measurement of actual performance by a variety of means Reviewing performance Performance is reviewed in the light of the targets set. Auditing of the System Concerned with the entire safety management system Designed to identify non-compliance with procedures and weaknesses in the current system in order that improvements might be made. 7. Give three examples of personnel and tasks that may be identified in the organisation section of a safety policy. Senior managers Middle managers First line managers Functional staff e.g. health and safety practitioner, occupational health Employees. Key functions should be allocated to the above personnel in the organisational structure and include: Health and safety training and information Health surveillance Monitoring of plant and equipment and its maintenance

3 Liaison with external agencies Accident investigation and reporting Health and safety monitoring and audit Health and Safety advisor provide specialist information to managers in the organisation and monitor the effectiveness of health and safety procedures 4. Explain what is meant by a `duty of care? Duty of care is the obligation to exercise a level of care towards an individual, that is reasonable - in all circumstances - to avoid injury to that individual or his property. 5. Draw the elements of the model. Continual assessment 6. Outline the subjects in which a health and safety advisor may assist organisations. Health and safety policy formulations and development; Structuring and operating all parts of the organisation (including the supporting systems) in order to promote a positive health and safety culture, and to secure the effective implementation of policy; Planning for health and safety, including the setting of realistic short and long-term objectives, deciding priorities and establishing adequate performance standards; Day-to-day implementation and monitoring of policy and plans, including accident and incident investigation, reporting and analysis; 7. Explain what is meant by CPD. One way to monitor competence and encourage improvement is to utilise a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system. CPD gives professionals the opportunity to create a structured career path and safeguard their professional status. CPD is about skills, knowledge and expertise, and encouraging a process of self-reflection.

4 8. List the characteristics of a high-integrity organisation. A high-integrity organisation exhibits characteristics which will probably include the following: 1. There exists a clear vision and picture of integrity throughout the organization. 2. The vision is owned and embodied by top management, over time. 3. The reward system is aligned with the vision of integrity. 4. Policies and practices of the organization are aligned with the vision; no mixed messages. 5. It is understood that every significant management decision has ethical value dimensions. 6. Everyone is expected to work through conflicting-stakeholder value perspectives 9. ILO OSH 2001 model to BS OHSAS Outline the possible advantages AND disadvantages of such a change. (E1-Jul12-Q3-10) Advantages: Facilitate easier integration with ISO and ISO 9001 to produce IMS. Publicity value Improved customer perception International recognition A clearer standard for benchmarking Commitment to continual improvement. External registration and independent assessment Ensured compliance to local legislations. Disadvantages: ILO OSH 2001 is recognised and used by the regulator and they are likely to be audited against this standard. Direct costs of changing a system; Change may take time; Cost of external registration; Increased paper works Too sophisticated for small to medium sized enterprises Audit may not be by H&S specialists 10. Evaluating and developing health and safety practitioner s own competence (E1- Jan09-Q1-10) Evaluation Measuring the effect of changes and developments he has introduced and implemented By setting personal objective& targets, assessing the performance against them Review failure of unsuccessful attempts Benching marking his practices against other practitioners/ good practices Seeking advice from other competent professionals Feedback from clients Feedback from senior management & annual appraisal Develop Expand their core knowledge & competency by qualification- Nebosh. Undertaking training

5 Participating in CPD schemes Access suitable information sources Networking with peers, safety groups & conference Seeking advice from competent practitioners and consultant Initiating the personal development plan 11. Outline the benefits of: (a) An integrated H&S, environmental and quality management system (E1-Jan12- Q9-10) (b) Separate H&S, environmental and qualitymanagement systems. (E1-Jan12-Q9-10) The benefits of an integrated management system could have included: consistency of format lower overall cost through the avoidance of duplication in procedural, record-keeping, compliance auditing and software areas; avoiding narrow decision making that solves a problem in one area but creates a problem in another; encouraging priorities and resource utilization that reflect the overall needs of the organization rather than an individual discipline applying the benefits from good initiatives in one area to other areas encouraging team working and equal influence amongst specialists encouraging the spread of a positive culture across all three disciplines providing scope for the integration of other risk areas such as security or product safety Cost effective as single audit can cover all three standards at a time (a) Separate H&S, environmental and qualitymanagement systems. (E1-Jan12-Q9-10) Benefits from retaining separate systems could have included: providing a more flexible approach tailored to business needs in terms of system complexity operating philosophy - for example, safety standards must meet minimum legal requirements whereas quality standards can be set internally the need for a more complex system in one element may not be mirrored by a similar need in other elements; existing systems may work well and the process of integration may expend unnecessary resources and affect their effectiveness; business needs may demand systems of different complexity so bureaucracy can be more easily tailored to the needs of the subject; separate systems might be clearer for external stakeholders or regulators to understand and work with; Finally they may encourage a more detailed and focused approach to auditing and standards.