Safety and Health Management System Program

When asked what safety management system (program) they were following, numerous safety practitioners and safety coordinators were at a loss for an answer. Complying with the legal safety requirements is the minimum standard, but employers should strive for best practice in safety and institute a safety management system. This system should be risk-based, management-led, and audit-driven. 

A Safety Management System (SMS), traditionally termed a safety program, is the driver of a company s safety culture and is defined as ongoing activities, processes, and efforts directed to control accidental losses by monitoring critical safety elements on an ongoing basis to reduce safety and health risks.  

The monitoring includes the promotion, improvement, and auditing of the critical elements on a regular basis. 

An excellent gnideline for a structured safety and health program is the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Volunteer Protection Program (VPP). Excellent safety program outlines also are given in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard ANSI/AIHA Z 10 - 2005, American National Standard—Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. 

Other internationally recognized system guidelines to comprehensive safety programs, such as OHSAS 18001 and the ISO series, have already been mentioned in this book. 

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Safety and health management systems (programs) must start at the logical point, which is a policy of intent that is initiated, implemented, and followed through by management. 

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