Occupational Health and Safety Management standard

ANSI/AIHA ZIO is an occupational health and safety management standard and its definitions of hazard and risk are, understandably, worker injury and illness related. They do not include considerations for possible damage to the environment or damage to property or business downtime. This chapter has a broader purpose, as will be seen. 

In March 2006 the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) issued the first edition of CSA ZlOOO-6, the Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard. It is similar in many respects to ANSI/AIHA ZlO-2005. Its Hazard and risk identification and assessment provision reads as follows The organization shall establish and maintain a process to identify and assess hazards and risks on an ongoing basis. The results of this process shall be used to set objectives and targets and to develop preventive and protective measures. ... 

Earlier in this chapter, I referred to the CSA s Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard, ZlOOO-6, first issued in March 2006. The standard s requirements for hazard and risk identification and assessment are briefly, but adequately, stated in Section 4.3.4. The organization shall establish and maintain a process... 

CSA Standard ZlOOO-06. Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard. Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Canadian Standards Association, 2006. 

OHSAS 18001 2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard... 

Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard, ZlOOO-06 (CSA Z1000-6) (Occupational Safety and Health Management, 2006). 

Occupational Health and Safety Management standard (OHSAS 18(X)1) (Occupational Health and Safety Management standard (OHSAS 18001), 2007). 

Occupational health and safety management standard (OHSAS18001)... 

Last but not least, the following also applies to occupational health and safety management When certifying Chemical Leasing projects, TON/ SOD specialists do not require complete compliance with an occupational health and safety standard, e.g. OHSAS 18001, although the key elements of an occupational health and safety system must be observed. 

Parallel to the development of ISO 14001 1996 - Environmental Management Systems - several organizations developed guides, draft specifications, and requirements for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMSs). Most of this development has been done by management system registrars with the expectation that an OHSMS be accepted and issued by a national or internationally accredited standards body, that is, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), British Standards, and so on. 

They provide a standard for monitoring exposure to hazardous substances and therefore can be indicators of compliance with requirements for the systematic occupational health and safety management of hazardous substances. Thdr role in this respect may not be pursued rigorously everywhere, but its existence is nonetheless important. It is useful in situations in which employers have the resources to undertake such activity and may also be a usefid tool for regulatory audiorities and practitioners who are seeking improvements at the dirty end of industrial activities. Compliance with such standards therefi>re remains a useful indicator of good practice even thou not in ubiquitous use. 

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) was founded in 1918 and has been the administrator and coordinator of the United States private sector voluntary standardization system (see website http //www.ansi.oig). ANSI does not itself develop standards but rather facilitates development by establishing consensus among qualified groups. ANSI has developed a number of occupational health-and safety-related standards, including standards related to information management for occupational safety and health (ANSI Z16.2-1995), preparation of hazardous industrial chemiceil materi safety... 

The occupational safety and health community uses various names to describe systematic approaches to reducing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Consensus and international standards use the term Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems OSHA currently uses the term Injury and Illness Prevention Programs and others use Safety and Health Programs to describe these types of systems. Regardless of the title, they all systematically address workplace safety and health hazards on an ongoing basis to reduce the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses. 

There are at least two industry consensus standards for injury and illness prevention programs. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) have published a voluntary consensus standard, ANSI/AIHA ZIO—2005 Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (ANSI/AIHA 2005). The Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) Project Group, a consortium of selected Registrars, national standards bodies, professional associations and research institutes, has produced a similar document, OHSAS 18001—2007 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSAS Project Group 2007). These consensus-based standards have been widely accepted in the world of commerce and adopted by many businesses on a voluntary basis. 

ANSI/AIHA (2005). American National Standard-Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. ANSI/AIHA ZlO-2005. 

OHSAS Project Group. (2007). Occupational health and safety management systems— Requirements. OHSAS 18001 2007. Published as a British Standards Institute... 

Zwesloot, G. (2000) Development and debates on OHS system standardization and certification , in K. Frick, P. L. Jensen, M. Quinlan, and T. Wilthagen (eds) Systematic Occupational Health and Safety Management Perspectives on an International Development. Pergamon Oxford and Amsterdam. 

A good guideline for what elements a safety management system should contain is the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ANSI/AIHA ZlO-2005 American National Standard Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. A similar standard exists for the construction and demolition industry ANSI/ASSE AlO.38-2000 (R2007) Basic Elements of an Employer s Program to Provide a Safe and Healthful Work Environment. 

This South African Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) standard was approved by National Committee SABS TC 177, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, in accordance with procednres of the SABS Standards Division in compliance with international agreements. This South African National Standards (SANS) docnment was published in April 2011. It is the same as the British Standards Institnte s (BSI) version and has been adopted with permission. 

The OHSAS standards covering occupational health and safety management are intended to provide organizations with the elements of an effective SMS that can be integrated with other management reqnirements and help organizations achieve safety and economic objectives. 

This standard, entitled Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems— Guidelines for the Implementation of OHSAS 18001 2007, is an ideal guideline for the implementation of an SMS that will meet world s best practice. 

This Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) guideline, and OHSAS 18001 2007, Occupational health and safety management systems— Requirements, have been developed in response to customer demand for a recognizable occupational health and safety management system standard against which their management systems can be assessed and certified, and for guidance on the implementation of such a standard. (British Standards Institute, BSI-OHSAS 18002 2008, p. 3)... 

British Standards Institute (BSI). 2008. Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. OHS AS 18001. (Permission to reproduce extracts from BSI-OHSAS 18001 is granted by BSI. British Standards can be obtained in PDF or hard copy formats from the BSI online shop, www.bsigroup.com/Shop, or by contacting BSI customer service for hard copies only, tel +44 (0)20 8996 9001, email cservices bsigroup.com.)... 

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