Safety management system adherence

Quality and Safety Management Reports This section presents the Quality and Safety Management System adhered to during the life cycle phases of the system development/change (point 3 from a to f above) ... 

Safety management systems are largely nonprescriptive that is, the regulations and standards in this field generally provide very little specific detail as to what has to be done. This lack of detail explains why the technical section of the SEMS rule is so short. The regulation merely requires that programs be in place, that they be adhered to, and that they work. 

As mentioned, the directive is totally revised and many new areas are now covered, to such an extent that it forces member states to develop and investigate their own policies to be able to properly implement the directive. To mention a few topics new in this directive domino effects, emergency plans, land use planning, information to the public, prohibition of use of the installation, environmental hazards. The scope has been broadened major hazard policy and safety management systems are now included, the safety report is now used as a tool via which companies have to demonstrate that they are safe, there are time constraints to which companies and regulators have to adhere, and regulators have been given specific enforcement roles with respect to assessment and inspections. 

The integrity of safety instrumented systems is usually dependent on proof testing at specified intervals (often at a frequency between monthly and three-monthly). Safety management systemst2jsafety critical operating procedures such as described in (c) above are adhered to. 

A scientific approach to safety assessment, such as the one presented in this chapter, does have proponents and adherents. Such an approach requires those involved in both the management and conduct of the safety assessment process to continually question (and test) both the efficacy and the validity of their evaluation systems and processes. More to the point, it requires recognition of the fact that we have always done it this way is not a reason for continuing to do so. This approach asks first what is the objective behind the testing, and then it asks how well our testing is meeting this objective. 

Adheres to health system and departmental policies and procedures. Complies with all requirements related to risk management, safety, security, fire, and infection control. 

Commendation is when a manager pays compliment and expresses gratitude for adherence to an achievement of preset safety standards. If employees are not recognized for participating in the system their enthusiasm will soon wane. 

The second major problem identified with the policies was that of their enforcement. The interviews revealed that the checks that the policies and rules were adhered to were not universally implemented. Indeed it was very clear that knowledge of the health and safety systems in place was patchy. There was also some uncertainty about who was responsible for health and safety on the railways, especially among the workforce. Managers were much more aware of specialized health and safety personnel than the rest of the staff and obviously found their presence reassuring and helpful. Indeed, board-level and departmental-level staff were better known than they personally expected. 

Method statements (see Chapter 6) should be developed at this stage. They will detail how a specific job or process is to be undertaken together with the associated hazards and the necessary control measures that should be in place to ensure health and safety. If contractors are to be used, a pre-tender questionnaire should be submitted by them so that their competence may be determined. The method statement should be checked and approved by the employer or a responsible person, such as the site manager or supervisor, before the work starts. When the work has started, the employer is obliged, under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, to ensure adherence to the method statement and that a safe system of work is being used while the work is being undertaken. 

Commendation is when a manager pays a compliment and expresses gratitude for adherence to an achievement of preset safety standards. This is applicable across the board and also is pertinent to the NEMIRR system. If employees are not recognized for participating in the system, their enthusiasm will soon wane. If the system is introduced as another flavor of the month, employees will not integrate near miss incident reporting into their daily routines, but rather treat it as another safety fad that will soon die a natural death. 

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