Occupational Health and Safety Management System

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. 

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... 

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. 

An audit objectively, and in detail, evaluates an organization s occupational health and safety management system, identifying areas of strength and weakness, and supports a structured continuous improvement approach going forward. (McKinnon, 2012a, p. 89)... 

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. 

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.)... 

OHSAS 18001 2007. Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. 

Makin, A.-M., Winder, C. (2008) A new conceptual framework to improve the application of occupational health and safety management systems. Safety Science. 46(6) 935-948... 

Redinger, C. F. (1998) Occupational Health and Safety Management System Conformity Assessment Development and Evaluation of a Universal Assessment Instrument, PhD. University Of Michigan. 

Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 2007, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems— Requirements, July 2007 ... 

BS OHS AS 18001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Requirements, British Standards Institution AS/NZS 4801 2001, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Specifications with Guidance for Use, Australia New Zealand Standards. 

An abstract is provided for each chapter to serve as a content reference. This book gives guidance on applying the provisions of ANSI/AIHA ZlO-2005, the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Standard, and on serious injury prevention as interrelated subjects. The order in which chapters appear supports that rationale. 

Implementation and Operation, Section 5.0 All the previously described chapters related to the ZIO provisions pertain to the Plan step in the PDCA process. The Implementation and Operation section moves into the Do step. The standard states that elements in this section provide the backbone of an occupational health and safety management system and the means to pursue the objectives from the planning process. This is a very brief chapter. Comments are made only on certain of its provisions Contractors Emergency preparedness Education,... 

AN OVERVIEW OF ANSI/AIHA Z10-2005 THE AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARD FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS... 

On July 25, 2005, the American National Standards Institute approved the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Standard, designated as ANSUAIHA Z10-2005. Thus, for the first time in the United States, a national consensus standard was issued for safety and health management systems applicable to organizations of all sizes and types. 

Perspectives—ANSI ZlO-2005 Standard Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. It was written by Adele Abrams, an attorney and an American Society of Safety Engineers advocate in Washington, D.C. A modified version of the paper appears as an Addendum to this chapter. It is must reading. Briefly, Abrams writes that ... 

The Scope section (1.1) states that the standard defines the minimum requirements [emphasis added] for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS). The emphasis in the advisory data is on a generic and systems approach for continual improvement in safety and health management, and the avoidance of specifications. Further, the writers of the standard recognized the uniqueness of the culture and organizational structures of individual organizations and the need for each entity to define its own specific measures of performance. ... 

It should be understood that Section 3.0 is the standard s most important section. Safety professionals will surely agree that Top management leadership and effective employee participation are crucial for the success of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS). Top management leadership is vital because it sets the organization s safety culture and because continual improvement processes cannot be successful without sincere top management direction. Key statements in the shall column of the standard follow ... 

This section defines the operational elements that are required for implementation of an effective OHSMS. These elements provide the backbone of the occupational health and safety management system. All of Section 4.0 pertained to problem identification and analysis, establishing implementation plans, and providing the resources necessary for continual improvement. Section 5.1 states that organizations shall establish and implement the operational elements set forth in this section to achieve the improvements outlined as objectives were established. Comments follow on each of the operational elements. 

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