Understand The Elements Of Hse Management System

By Author: ohsas
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A safety employee for a small to midsize constructer, or managing a remote site project with thousands of employees, require a well-documented occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) to confirm that worker is safe. Company’s system must be written down, communicated, and trained. Most successful occupational health and safety management systems comprise the following key elements:
A Way to Control and Distribute Up-To-Date Documents: Whether use Google Drive, another cloud platform, every HSE system desires a way to distribute up-to-date documents to the accurate people. Making protocols in this area helps to confirm that employees always have access to present and correct safety information.
Safety Inspection Checklists: Generating safety inspection checklists serves many purposes—they create a baseline for the quality of inspections no matter who is performing them, can reduce the amount of time it takes to execute inspections, and deliver data on areas of safety that are improving or declining over time.
Risk Assessments: Risk assessments are an essential function of a successful OHSMS ...
... which helps to protect employees from potential injury, and business from potential fines and lawsuits. After classifying possible hazards to workers, that can determine areas of safety non-compliance and devise and execute solutions. Including this in HSE systems, and frequently updating distributed HSE documents for known or potential risk, can significantly decrease injuries and risk.
Emergency Response Plan: Never have to use an emergency response plan, it’s always well to have one in place than to ascent during an emergency. OSHA needs emergency response plans to contain how to report an emergency, removal procedures and assembly points, procedures to shut down project operations, rescue and medical duties for any workers allocated to perform them, and contact information for persons with more data. Moreover, emergency response plans can comprise information on local hospitals and medical services, and medical evacuation procedures.
Training Program and Documentation System: Employee safety programs can contain fire, tornado, and earthquake drills, accident simulations, first aid, and even health and wellness programs. The basic safety training can save lives in the event of an emergency, and stop further safety hazards.
Internal Audit Policy and Schedule: Health and safety audits are another great way to confirm obedience with safety laws, as well as classify strengths and weaknesses in HSE management system. HSE auditor training can helps to perform the audit, and no matter which route choose, audits should be performed on a consistent basis. Documentation from audits can be used to comparison improvements and issues from year-to-year, classify trends, pinpoint risk, and make new safety initiatives based on audit data.
List of Laws and Health and Safety Regulations for Compliance: OSHA needs many employers to display their Job Safety and Health poster in a visible area where employees can see it. This poster informs that workers of their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Although not essential, it can be helpful to display extra health and safety law and regulation information in the same space to inspire employee awareness and compliance. This could also serve as a great place to display helpful health and safety information, and possible known hazards and risks of the job.
Experienced HSE Team: An all-star health and safety team is important to confirm that QHSMS is being appropriately implemented in the workplace on a day-to-day basis. HSE professionals focus on avoiding accidents and injuries, applying proper guidelines and regulations, and confirming compliance. By performing regular risk assessments, evaluating worksites, training employees, and pinpointing any potential risks, HSE personnel are paramount for confirming worksites are safe and compliant. There are many HSE certifications available across different industries, allowing to hire HSE personnel that understand the ins and outs of company’s safety concerns.
Measurable Performance Metrics: Every business trust on performance metrics to enhance their bottom line, and HSE departments are no exclusion. These metrics help to classify areas that essential improvement, as well as trends over time. Key performance indicators for health, safety, and environment contain Lost Time Rate, Total Accident Rate, Accident Severity Rate, Total Recordable Injury Rate, Experience Modification Rate, Working Days Since Last Incident.
Consistent Meetings and Communications Strategy: Making a constant meeting schedule for health, safety, and environment staff is key for reviewing present HSE strategies and successfully executing new initiatives for OHSMS. Also, putting a clear communication plan in place raises collaboration and decreases confusion during emergencies. Schedule HSE staff meetings on a weekly basis, and make sure to allocate a meeting leader and make an agenda to confirm efficient and effective meetings. Making a contact sheet for all HSE personnel, a group in email or internal communications tool, as well as an easily accessible work schedule, inspires transparent communication among the team.
Regular Management Review: Every HSE management system desires to be reviewed to verify that present goals are being met and new initiatives are being put in place and practiced frequently. Review of management system and team by senior leadership should be conducted on a consistent basis. This keeps staff and the system accountable, and presents the opportunity for discussion between safety personnel and upper management to find areas of enhancement and brainstorm new ideas.
The purpose of an occupational health and safety management system is two-fold. First, all pursue to avoid illness and injury, and this needs some degree of systematization and integration of general management practices with health and safety. Second, when illness or injury occurs, need a well-established and prepared plan to confirm that the response is proper and orderly. This will enable to efficiently control injuries and illnesses, decreasing the risk for unnecessary recordable and possible lawsuits.