The first step a company can take in managing the health and safety of its stakeholders is to openly and visibly commit itself to Safety. This Management Commitment is a fundamental part of any successful safety management system, without which the entire system is doomed to mediocrity, at best. Only after management commitment has been established can a company take a step to developing a concise SAFETY POLICY - a statement openly committing the company to safeguarding all its identified stake-holding elements.
At this point, as previously highlighted, there should be a committed, enlightened top management team, all prepared to move the organisation towards an improved safety (& health) state of employees, property, equipment and processes. How can this be achieved? By taking the first crucial step of formulating a safety policy statement for the organisation. The safety policy statement is a written document that clearly sets out what the organisation intends to achieve in terms of safety, and serves to communicate to employees, a clear impression of management's commitment to achieving pre-set objectives in safety. Basically, the organisation's management is openly dedicating itself to the cause of safe working - stating that it will always strive to ensure all its elements are safe. This is an important point to remember when formulating a safety policy - that its intention is to bind the organisation to a cause that is considered worthy and not merely a means to bestow a certain status or image on an organisation. Importantly also, the safety policy is not to be used as a means to achieve compliance to any registration prerequisites, such as pre-registration to provide supplier services as is required by some industry sectors. Rather it is a powerful tool that can launch an organisation on a journey towards actualisation, employee and customer satisfaction and customer retention.
Usually, the policy statement is in three parts:
Part One - Overall Statement of Intent : This portion outlines the organisation's overall philosophy in terms of safety management and details SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) objectives for safety performance, that the organisation will strive to attain.
Part Two - Roles, Responsibilities and Organisation : This part of the statement should outline the 'organisational chart' vis-à-vis safety matters. Lines of responsibilities and accountabilities, beginning from the CEO him/herself should be clearly stated. For instance the identity of the official with overall responsibility for safety should be stated. The identity of Safety representatives in major units such as in production or operations should also be stated. It is also in this part of the safety policy that the function and composition of safety committees is defined. A physical organisational chart, showing these lines of responsibilities should be drawn up and placed in public place to improve the understanding of roles in safety management.
Part Three - Policy Implementation : The third part addresses the organisational arrangements, which have been put in place to ensure the policy is effectively implemented. These include, (but are not limited to), Safety training, safe systems of work, accident reporting and investigation systems, documentation systems, incentive schemes, health management systems, auditing and monitoring systems, emergency response systems, fire security and so on. Each organisation should develop safety management arrangements, which are specific to its own operations.
There are many recommended styles of safety policies. Here are some suggestions for formulating a policy, gleaned from successful models worldwide. Good safety policy statements should reflect:
An organisation's commitment to cascading safety (&health) in all aspects of operations.
An acceptance that safety performance contributes to the organisation's overall business performance
The intention to promote a safety culture within the organisation
A commitment to ensuring that all safety policies, goals, objectives and programmes are disseminated and understood throughout the organisation
The allocation of safety responsibilities to all managers in the organisation
The intention to set safety objectives, which will be communicated to all employees
A commitment to openness and the involvement of employees in decisions on safety related matters
Methods by which the policy will be audited and monitored
The need for employee participation and cooperation
Who should be responsible for developing a safety policy?
The safety policy may be drafted either by the company safety officer (or any individual responsible for managing safety in the organisation) or by an external safety consultant. However, primary responsibility for developing the company safety policy lies with management. Management must be fully involved in the conceptualisation and birth of the company's guiding statement on safety. The obvious reason for this is that the policy statement is the bedrock of safety - it is the company's written (and binding) commitment to improving its safety performance, and should reflect top management philosophy on this crucial issue.
The policy statement document should be signed by the CEO with copies placed at strategic locations throughout the organisation. The policy can either be a stand-alone document or a part of the company's operational manual.
A common occurrence is the drifting away of management and staff from the safety policy statement, especially if it has existed for years and has not been acted upon. Though considerable time may have been spent preparing the document, little attention is paid to it and not much success is recorded in the achievement of stated goals and objectives.. To avoid this, policy statements must be strictly adhered to, and reviewed when changes occur within the organisation. In many Nigerian companies today, the safety policy statement is a symbolic 'passport' to gain admittance into the world of prospective clients. The statement, after formulation, simply sits on the table and is never addressed or implemented.
There is much to be gained from the policy statement. As stated earlier it is a powerful tool, and the foundation of any successful and effective safety management system.
At this point, as previously highlighted, there should be a committed, enlightened top management team, all prepared to move the organisation towards an improved safety (& health) state of employees, property, equipment and processes. How can this be achieved? By taking the first crucial step of formulating a safety policy statement for the organisation. The safety policy statement is a written document that clearly sets out what the organisation intends to achieve in terms of safety, and serves to communicate to employees, a clear impression of management's commitment to achieving pre-set objectives in safety. Basically, the organisation's management is openly dedicating itself to the cause of safe working - stating that it will always strive to ensure all its elements are safe. This is an important point to remember when formulating a safety policy - that its intention is to bind the organisation to a cause that is considered worthy and not merely a means to bestow a certain status or image on an organisation. Importantly also, the safety policy is not to be used as a means to achieve compliance to any registration prerequisites, such as pre-registration to provide supplier services as is required by some industry sectors. Rather it is a powerful tool that can launch an organisation on a journey towards actualisation, employee and customer satisfaction and customer retention.
Usually, the policy statement is in three parts:
Part One - Overall Statement of Intent : This portion outlines the organisation's overall philosophy in terms of safety management and details SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) objectives for safety performance, that the organisation will strive to attain.
Part Two - Roles, Responsibilities and Organisation : This part of the statement should outline the 'organisational chart' vis-à-vis safety matters. Lines of responsibilities and accountabilities, beginning from the CEO him/herself should be clearly stated. For instance the identity of the official with overall responsibility for safety should be stated. The identity of Safety representatives in major units such as in production or operations should also be stated. It is also in this part of the safety policy that the function and composition of safety committees is defined. A physical organisational chart, showing these lines of responsibilities should be drawn up and placed in public place to improve the understanding of roles in safety management.
Part Three - Policy Implementation : The third part addresses the organisational arrangements, which have been put in place to ensure the policy is effectively implemented. These include, (but are not limited to), Safety training, safe systems of work, accident reporting and investigation systems, documentation systems, incentive schemes, health management systems, auditing and monitoring systems, emergency response systems, fire security and so on. Each organisation should develop safety management arrangements, which are specific to its own operations.
There are many recommended styles of safety policies. Here are some suggestions for formulating a policy, gleaned from successful models worldwide. Good safety policy statements should reflect:
An organisation's commitment to cascading safety (&health) in all aspects of operations.
An acceptance that safety performance contributes to the organisation's overall business performance
The intention to promote a safety culture within the organisation
A commitment to ensuring that all safety policies, goals, objectives and programmes are disseminated and understood throughout the organisation
The allocation of safety responsibilities to all managers in the organisation
The intention to set safety objectives, which will be communicated to all employees
A commitment to openness and the involvement of employees in decisions on safety related matters
Methods by which the policy will be audited and monitored
The need for employee participation and cooperation
Who should be responsible for developing a safety policy?
The safety policy may be drafted either by the company safety officer (or any individual responsible for managing safety in the organisation) or by an external safety consultant. However, primary responsibility for developing the company safety policy lies with management. Management must be fully involved in the conceptualisation and birth of the company's guiding statement on safety. The obvious reason for this is that the policy statement is the bedrock of safety - it is the company's written (and binding) commitment to improving its safety performance, and should reflect top management philosophy on this crucial issue.
The policy statement document should be signed by the CEO with copies placed at strategic locations throughout the organisation. The policy can either be a stand-alone document or a part of the company's operational manual.
A common occurrence is the drifting away of management and staff from the safety policy statement, especially if it has existed for years and has not been acted upon. Though considerable time may have been spent preparing the document, little attention is paid to it and not much success is recorded in the achievement of stated goals and objectives.. To avoid this, policy statements must be strictly adhered to, and reviewed when changes occur within the organisation. In many Nigerian companies today, the safety policy statement is a symbolic 'passport' to gain admittance into the world of prospective clients. The statement, after formulation, simply sits on the table and is never addressed or implemented.
There is much to be gained from the policy statement. As stated earlier it is a powerful tool, and the foundation of any successful and effective safety management system.
HAVE A SAFE AND PROSPEROUS DAY
T.M.KHALEEL BATCHA
DIRECTORINSTITUTE SAFETY MANAGEMENT-CHENNAI( DIVISION OF OSHA INDIA)
Comments :
0 komentar to “Developing a Safety Policy”
Posting Komentar