Safety management roles and responsibilities

The RRFSO defines a key role for the management of fire safety in organisations as a responsible person . 

The Order details the duties placed upon this person to ensure the effective management of fire safety. 

The responsible person is required to establish general fire precautions arrangements to safeguard any of his employees and any relevant persons (any person who may lawfully be on the premises and any person who may be in the immediate vicinity of the premises who is at risk from a fire) who are not his employees. 

The above paragraph reflects the duties so far as is reasonably practicable and is in line with current health and safety legislation. 

Further details relating to the role of the responsible person will be covered later. Flowever, it is worthy of note that the responsible person will invariably also be an employer. 

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The first objective of this clause is to define the safety management roles and responsibilities, regarding the concept phase and the development phases in the scfety lifecycle (see Figs. 1 and 2). 

Developing safety management roles and responsibilities and program requirements... 

Within the Chemical Management area, the planning of work includes an integrated identification and analysis of hazards, and development and specification of necessary controls. There is an adequate process for the authorization and control of work, and a process for identifying opportunities for feedback and continuous improvement. Within the Chemical Management area, line managers are responsible for safety clear roles and responsibilities have been established and there is a satisfactory level of competence. 

The second step is to agree on an approach. This is easy to say. The plan must cover defining roles and responsibilities. Also, there must be provisions for temporary repairs or installations, emergency changes, and variance policy. Also decide if it seems best to unite the Management of Change and the Pre-startup Safety Review in the same procedure. 

Are the roles and responsibilities of personnel providing ehemical safety expertise and support properly integrated with the line management s responsibilities relative to operations ... 

Once a formal safety system is in place, managers are clear on their safety role and responsibilities. They are participants in safety that is facilitated by them being a member of the safety leadership team committee or other safety committee on their level. Their job descriptions also contain their safety dnties, actions, and functions. Often performance ratings are linked to key performance areas that are proactive safety activities, such as scoring 90% or more on monthly honsekeeping inspections, achieving an internal safety audit score of 85%, etc. 

With regard to the use of work authorization forms, there appeared to be confusion over issues of authority, such as who should sign the various forms. In addition, staffing shortages were discovered in the health physics and safety departments. As a result, routine health physics surveys were found to be only 70-90% completed. The Nil subsequently asked BNFL to clarify the roles and responsibilities of line management versus the plant safety committees (U.K. HSE, 1987, pg. 10). BNFL responded to the audit by undertaking major improvements. 

Supporting data appear Annexes A-C on Policy Statements, Roles and Responsibilities, and Employee Participation. Another good reference on management leadership and employee involvement is the chapter Superior Safety Performance A Reflection of an Organization s Culture in On The Practice Of Safety. 

Appendix B, Roles and Responsibilities, is an excellent reference from which excerpts may be taken to define roles, assign responsibilities, establish accountabilities, and delegate authority as suitable to an entity s needs. The data cover the following employment categories President, Chief Executive Officer, Owner Executive Officers, Vice Presidents, and other Senior Leadership Directors, Managers, and Department Heads Supervisors Employees and Health and Safety Department. 

One option for the management of functional safety is developing and using a roles-and-responsibilities matrix. The attached roles-and-responsibilities matrix is provided for illustration purposes only. It is typically developed for each specific project. In the roles-and-responsibilities matrix, each clause or step is divided into four activities - planning, inputs, outputs, and verification. 

To achieve the objective of safe radioactive waste management requires an effective and systematic roach within a national framework in which the roles and responsibilities of all relevant parties are defined. Based on the principles set out in the Safety Fundamentals document [1] such a nafional firamework which includes the responsibilities of the parties involved and other inpoitant features (e.g. the licensing process and safety and environmental assessment) has been developed in the Safety Standard "Establishing a national system for radioactive waste management" [2]. 

The role and responsibilities of waste generators and operators who shall have responsibility for the safety of radioactive waste management activities are to be defined. If these activities are carried out by several operators in sequence, continuity of responsibilities shall be ensured. 

Safety training is an essential component of an effective safety program. This training should address the roles and responsibilities of both the management and the employees. It will be most effective when combined with other training about performance requirements and/or job practices. The complexity depends on the size and the nature of the hazards and potential hazards present. 

Management must be trained to understand the key role and responsibilities they play in safety and to enable them to carry out their safety responsibilities effectively. Training programs for management should include the following topics ... 

Although top management may be interested today, they typically do not have a clear understanding of the safety process or what to do to make safety activities successful. This is what the safety professional s job is to outline the roles and responsibilities of management and how the management system should work [2]. 

Do you want to help management and employees understand their specific safety roles and responsibilities ... 

Organizational structure. The dynamic and constantly evolving set of formal and ad hoc groups, roles, and responsibilities such as NASA s System Safety Office, the Safety and Mission Assurance offices at the NASA centers, formal accident investigation groups, and safety responsibilities within the roles of managers, engineers, and union leaders. 

The attitudes, beliefs and values of management, particularly of top management, relative to safety and environmental issues, will set the standard for the operating location. New members of management who have been recruited from outside of PSI must become familiar with their role and responsibilities to obtain their support in achieving desired results. Likewise, those who have been promoted from within should reaffirm their support to the resolution of safety and environmental issues. 

A key issue for dutyholders to consider is the competence of sfaff in relation to the control of major accident hazards, and how this is identified, assessed and managed. Major accident hazard competency needs to be appropriately linked to the major accident hazard and risk analysis and key procedures. The aim is to assure competence in safety critical tasks, and associated roles and responsibilities. 

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