Nebosh International Diploma - Discussion

Element IA1: Principles of Health and Safety Management

Reasons for Managing Health and Safety
Moral
Legal
Economic
Societal Factors Which Influence Health and Safety Standards and Priorities
Significant Factors
Principle of Corporate Social Responsibility
Introduction to Management Systems
Definitions
Key Elements of an Effective Health and Safety Management System
Principles and Benefits of Risk Management on a Global Perspective
Organisational Models for Health and Safety Management
Benefits and Limitations of Integrated Management Systems
Key Typical Components of OHS Management Systems
Quality and Environmental Management Systems
Arguments For and Against Integration of Management Systems
Reasons for the Introduction of Formal Health and Safety Management Systems
Role of the Health and Safety Policy
Requirements for a Written Health and Safety Policy and for Recording Arrangements
General Principles and Objectives of a Health and Safety Policy Document
Common Health and Safety Management Systems in Global Organisations
Influence of Corporate Responsibility and Business Ethics
Role of Health and Safety in Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Guidelines and
Standards
Role and Responsibilities of the Health and Safety Practitioner 1-20
Influence on Health and Safety Management Systems

Health and Safety Involvement and Conduct

Competence and the Requirements for Continuing Professional Development
Responsibility to Evaluate and Develop Their Own Practice
Ethics and the Application of Ethical Principles
Dealing with Conflicts of Interest
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 18001
OHSAS 18001 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

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 Cs:

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
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 18001 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-today 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.

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 18001.
Outline the possible advantages AND disadvantages of such a change. (E1-Jul12-Q3- 10)
Advantages:
Facilitate easier integration with ISO 14001 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 practitioners own competence (E1Jan09-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

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.
Definitions
Hazard
A hazard is something (an object or situation) with the potential to cause harm.It can
sometimes be helpful to categorise hazards into types such as:
Physical, e.g. rotating blade of a circular saw.
Chemical, e.g. strong acids and alkalis.
Biological, e.g. contagious disease.
Psychosocial, e.g. excessive workload.
All management systems, whether they are designed to manage health and safety or
any other function, have the same common elements:
Plan - implies having a considered policy.
Do - concerns the arrangements for putting the plan into practice.
Check means it is necessary to assess or monitor performance.
Act means performance should be reviewed leading to continuous improvement in
the management system.

Notice how each of these elements is described in the models we now look at.
1. Environmental Policy
This obviously needs very careful consideration. Set the policy and have effective means
of measuring the performance.
2. Planning
Detailed consideration of how the policy is to be carried out. The planning must include
forward planning, and plans for continual improvement.
3. Implementation and Operation
A vital point in implementation is the total commitment of all managers to the full
implementation of Total Quality Management.
4. Checking
As with all management systems there will need to be periodic checks. These must be
clearly spelt out, stating what is checked, how, and who takes action.
5. Management Review
This is the main review of efficiency and effectiveness. Management action and changes
may need to be implemented.
6. Continual Improvement
The circle has to be closed. If changes need to be made then these will involve the policy,
the planning and the implementation stages
Competence and the Requirements for Continuing Professional Development
Meaning of Competence
A competent health and safety adviser can be considered as having sufficient training
and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him to properly discharge his
professional responsibilities.
Accordingly the term reflects a combination of knowledge and relevant experience,
although these terms are not mutually exclusive.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
CPD is a feature required by most professional bodies and is undertaken when the
practitioner is considered competent and satisfies the requirements for full membership
of the professional body. It serves the
following purposes:
Demonstrating competence and credibility.
Developing an individuals career and helping with appraisal.
Coping with change by updating skills.

 Thinking about competence and identifying gaps in knowledge and experience.

Reasons for Managing Health and Safety
This element has introduced you to the general principles of health and safety
management.
Reasons for managing risk and seen that they fall into three categories - moral, legal and
economic.
Societal Factors Which Influence Health and Safety Standards and Priorities
Economic climate.
Government policy and initiatives.
Sickness absence and incapacity.
Industry/business risk profile.
Globalisation.
Migrant workers.
Societal expectations of equality.
Corporate social responsibility.
Introduction to Management Systems
Considered the meaning of the terms:
Hazard -something with the potential to cause harm.
Risk - expresses the likelihood that the harm from a particular hazard is realised.
Danger - a liability or exposure to harm; a thing that causes peril.
Examined the principles and benefits of risk management on a global perspective.
Two specific safety management system models which are conceptually very similar:
ILO-OSH-2001.
OHSAS 18001.
Considered the benefits and limitations of integrated management systems.
Identified the following key components of an effective health and safety management
system:
Management commitment.
Policy.
Organising.

 Planning and implementing.

Performance review.
Audit.
Continual improvement.
Examined the total quality management and environmental management systems:
ISO 9000 series.
ISO 14000 series.
The reasons for the introduction of formal health and safety management systems such
as:
Appropriate allocation of resources and responsibilities.
Setting and monitoring performance standards.
Establishment of systems for feedback and implementation of corrective action in order
to mini-mise loss.
Explained the role of the health and safety policy in relation to a health and safety
management system and as a vehicle
for the communication of health and safety information.
Element IA1: Principles of Health and Safety Management
Examined the requirements for a written health and safety policy and for recording
arrangements.
Described the general principles and objectives of a health and safety policy document.

Discussed the implementation, benefits and limitations of the introduction of common

health and safety management
principles, standards and systems in organisations operating on a world-wide basis.
Explained the influence of corporate responsibility and business ethics on health and
safety management.
Examined the role of health and safety in global corporate social responsibility (CSR)
guidelines and standards (United
Nations Global Compact; SA8000; Global Reporting Initiative).
Role and Responsibilities of the Health and Safety Practitioner
We have established that:
Health and safety practitioners should:

 Be able to advise, develop and influence the decision-makers.

Be able to advise management and employees on various aspects of health and safety.
Be suitably trained and qualified, and able to perform necessary functions.
Establish suitable relationships both within their own organisations and with outside
bodies and individuals.
Evaluate and develop their own practice, e.g. continuing professional development.
Adhere to the ethical policy of their professional body.