Importance Of Health And Safety Management Guidelines Within The Workplace

upational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)Employee involvement in the structure and
has issued voluntary protection programoperation of the program and in decisions that
management guidelines to encourage employersaffect their safety and health, to make full use of
to do more than just comply with regulations totheir insight and energy.
prevent occupational injuries and illnesses. Although" Assignment of responsibilities for all aspects of
compliance with the law, including specific OSHAthe program, so that managers, supervisors, and
standards, is an important objective, an effectiveemployees in all parts of the organization know
corporate safety program looks beyond specificwhat performance is expected of them.
requirements of law to address all hazards. It" Provision of adequate authority and resources
seeks to prevent injuries and illnesses, whether orto responsible parties, so that assigned
not compliance is an issue.responsibilities can be met.
This is precisely what some of the best" Holding managers, supervisors, and employees
workplace safety consulting firms are doing. Healthaccountable for meeting their responsibilities, so
and safety management system standardsthat essential tasks will be performed.
guidelines are important for corporate safety and" Annual reviews of program operations to
health consultants to establish. These safetyevaluate their success in meeting the goal and
management practices are compiled, applied, andobjectives, so that deficiencies can be identified
finally advocated by safety and healthand the program and/or the objectives can be
professionals and consultants representingrevised when the goal and objectives are not
corporations, professional associations, and labormet.
unions. As a result, these guidelines are used toWorksite Analysis. This includes:
promote workplace safety through the use of" Identification of all hazards by conducting
effective and comprehensive safety audits.baseline worksite surveys for safety and health
The health and safety management guidelines callas well as periodic comprehensive update surveys.
for systematic identification, evaluation, andAlso included would be an analysis of planned and
prevention or control of general workplacenew facilities, processes, materials, and equipment;
hazards, specific job hazards, and potentialand another of routine job hazards.
hazards which may arise from foreseeable" Regular site safety and health inspections, so
conditions. Additionally, the extent to which athat new and/or previously missed failures in
safety management system's program ishazard controls are identified.
described in writing is less important than how" A reliable system to encourage employees,
effective it is in practice. As the size of awithout fear of reprisal, to notify management
worksite or the complexity of a hazardouspersonnel about conditions that appear hazardous
operation increases, however, the need forand to receive timely and appropriate responses.
written guidance increases to ensure clearInvestigation of accidents and "near miss"
communication of policies and priorities andincidents, so that their causes and means for
consistent and fair application of rules. For thisprevention are identified.
reason, it is vital for organizations to seek the" Analysis of injury and illness trends over
guidance of an industrial occupational health andextended periods so that patterns with common
safety firm. By relying on a safety organization'scauses can be identified and prevented.
expertise, a company can effectively prepare forHazard Prevention and Control. This calls for:
OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Since" Procedures that ensure that all current and
safety consulting firms conduct comprehensivepotential hazards are corrected in a timely manner
audits with an emphasis on solutions-orientedthrough engineering techniques where appropriate;
recommendations for program improvement,safe work practices understood and followed by
companies become more aware of specificall parties; provision of personal protective
factors that put their employees health andequipment; and administrative controls, such as
safety at risk as well as the actions that need toreducing the duration of exposure.
be taken to promote a safer work environment.Safety and Health Training. This includes training
Major elements of an effective occupationalto:
safety and health program include:" Ensure that all employees understand the
Management Commitment and Employeehazards to which they may be exposed and how
Involvement. This calls for:to prevent harm to themselves and others.
" A worksite policy on safe and healthful work" Confirm that supervisors and managers
and working conditions clearly stated so that allunderstand their responsibilities and the reasons
personnel with responsibility at the site andfor them so they can carry out their
personnel at other locations with responsibility forresponsibilities effectively.
the site understand the priority of safety andThe most effective workplace safety specialists
health protection in relation to other organizationalhelp companies (internationally, nationally, and
values.locally) continuously improve their safety
" A clear goal for the safety and health programmanagement systems through comprehensive
and objectives for meeting that goal so that allauditing where a team of highly qualified/certified
members of the organization understand thesafety and health professionals review the clients'
results desired and the measures planned fororganization in terms of OSHA compliance, safety
achieving them.programs, training systems, etc and recommend
" Top management involvement in implementingcorrective action and management process
the program so that all will understand thatimprovements as they relate to occupational
management's commitment is serious.safety and health.