SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

BENTER, MARK ANTHONY

Role of the safety management system
A safety management system (SMS)
provides a rational basis for the decisionmaking and resource allocation processes
influencing safe operations at an MHF.
What is a safety management system?
An SMS is a comprehensive and
integrated system that ensures that all
work at the facility is conducted safely.
This includes preventing near misses and
minor accidents, as well as major
accidents.
The SMS provides the structure, planning,
tools, practices and procedures that
support the effective implementation of
major
accident
prevention
policy.
Therefore the use of an effective SMS is
central to the duties and obligations,
required by legislation, of an employer
who operates an MHF.
Focusing
picture

the

SMS

on

the

big

When developing the SMS the employer

should keep focused on the overall intent,
that is:
a) implementing
sound
safety
systems and practices at the
facility
to
prevent
major
accidents;
b) ensuring that the effectiveness
of those practices can be
objectively proved; and
c) managing all SMS development
and implementation processes
to ensure the detail of regulatory
compliance does not overwhelm
the intent.

5 core components of the benchmark

SMS
Safety Policy
Planning
Implementation
Measurement and evaluation
Management Review
4 Types of Health and Safety
Management Systems
Sophisticated Behavioural
Adaptive Hazard Managers
Unsafe Act Minimisers
Traditional Design and Engineering
OTHER TYPES OF SMS
Work-Centric System
Worker-Centric System
Autocratic Safety Management
Democratic Safety Management
Implementation of the SMS and its
key elements
1.Allocating resources to the SMS
development and improvement
process
2.Responsibility and accountability
3. Training and competency
4. Consultation, communication and
reporting, including community
information

RISK ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL

KRIEZEL JANE C. GAPUD
HAZARD
Anything
(e.g.
condition,
situation,
practice, behaviour) that has the potential
to cause harm, including injury, disease,
death,
environmental,
property
and
equipment damage. A hazard can be a
thing or a situation.
RISK

The likelihood, or possibility, that harm

(injury, illness, death, damage etc) may
occur from exposure to a hazard.
RISK ASSESSMENT (RA)
RA is defined as the process of assessing
the risks associated with each of the
hazards identified so the nature of the risk
can be understood. This includes the
nature of the harm that may result from
the hazard, the severity of that harm and
the likelihood of this occurring.
REASONS WHY RA NEEDS TO BE DONE
1. To protect ourselves
2. To
elevate
safety
awareness
and
ownership.
3. It is a legal requirement.
RISK ASSESSMENT PROCESS
1. IDENTIFY THE RISK FACTORS OR
HAZARDS
In general, hazards are likely to be found
in the following:
Physical work environment,
Equipment,
materials
or
substances used,
Work tasks and how they are
performed,
Work design and management
2. WHO CAN BE HARMED AND HOW
3. EVALUATE THE RISKS

Risk
evaluation
involves
considering the possible results of
someone being exposed to a hazard
and the likelihood of this occurring.
A risk assessment assists in
determining:
- How severe a risk is
- Whether existing control measures
are effective
- What action should be taken to
control a risk?

- How urgently action needs to be

taken.
A risk assessment should include:
4. RECORD YOUR FINDINGS
5. RECORD AND REVIEW
HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS
1.
Elimination
2.
Substitution
3.
Engineering controls
4.
Administrative Controls
5.
Personal protective clothes and
equipment

1. Break the job task into steps.

What jobs are appropriate for a job hazard

analysis?
A job hazard analysis can be conducted on many jobs
in your workplace. Priority should go to the
following types of jobs:
Jobs with the highest injury or illness rates;
Jobs with the potential to cause severe or
disabling injuries or illness, even if there is no
history of previous accidents;
Jobs in which one simple human error could lead
to a severe accident or injury;
Jobs that are new to your operation or have
undergone changes in processes and procedures;
and
Jobs complex enough to require written
instructions.
How to do a Job Hazard Analysis?

Describe each step

Watch the worker do the job and

list each step in order

Be specific - dont use

generalizations like "Be Careful"

Begin each step with a verb, for

example, "Turn on the saw."

Changes in equipment

Do not make it too broad or too

detailed

Equipment changes, or engineering

controls, are the first choice
because they can eliminate the
hazard

You may want to photograph or

videotape

E.g. machine guards, improved

lighting, better ventilation

Changes in work processes

Administrative controls, or changes

in how the task is done, can be
used if engineering controls aren't
possible

E.g. rotating jobs, changing the

steps, training

Changes in personal
protective protective equipment

When engineering and

administrative controls aren't
possible or don't adequately
protect the workers, use personal
protective equipment

E.g. gloves, hearing protection

JOB HAZARD ANALYSIS

Eugenio Antonio S. Lavarias, Jr.

Review the steps with the worker

and other workers who do the
same job to make sure you have
not left anything out.

2. Identify the hazards of each step.

For each hazard, ask:

What can go wrong?

What are the consequences?

How could it happen?

What are other contributing

factors?

How likely is it that the hazard will

occur?

3. Review the list of hazards with

employees who do the job. Discuss
what could eliminate or reduce them.
4. Identify ways to eliminate or
reduce the hazards.

Safer way to do the job

Training

CHERNOBYL DISASTER

Accident investigation

Kiev, Ukraine

What to do next?
1. Correct the unsafe conditions
and processes.
o

Train all employees who do

the job on the changes

Make sure they understand

the changes

2. Review the JHAs.

o

Periodically - you may find

hazards you missed before

When the task or process is

changed

When injuries or close calls

occur when doing the task

3. Use the JHAs.

CASE STUDIES