Following Core Elements Unit Safety Program Except
A health and safety program is a definite plan of action designed to prevent accidents and occupational diseases. Some form of a program is required under occupational health and safety legislation in most Canadian jurisdictions. A health and safety program must include the elements required by the health and safety legislation as a minimum.Because organizations differ, a program developed for one organization cannot necessarily be expected to meet the needs of another. This document summarizes the general elements of a health and safety program.
This approach should help smaller organizations to develop programs to deal with their specific needs.What is a policy statement? An organization's occupational health and safety policy is a statement of principles and general rules that serve as guides for action. Senior management must be committed to ensuring that the policy is carried out with no exceptions. While organizations will have different needs and scope for specific elements required in their health and safety program, the following basic items should be considered in each case:. Individual responsibility. Joint occupational health and safety committee.
Health and safety rules. Correct work procedures. Employee orientation.
Training. Workplace inspections. Reporting and investigating accidents/incidents. Emergency procedures.
Medical and first aid. Health and safety promotion.
Workplace specific items.What are individual OH&S responsibilities? Health and safety is the joint responsibility of management and workers. Management is accountable for non-compliance to health and safety legislation.Responsibility may be defined as an individual's obligation to carry out assigned duties. Authority implies the right to make decisions and the power to direct others. Responsibility and authority can be delegated to subordinates, giving them the right to act for superiors. It is important to note that, while some responsibilities can be delegated, the superior remains accountable for seeing that they are carried out.Individual responsibilities apply to every employee in the workplace, including the Chief Executive Officer. All employees will then know exactly what is expected of each individual in health and safety terms.To fulfill their individual responsibilities, the people must:.
Know what these responsibilities are (communication required). Have sufficient authority to carry them out (organizational issue). Have the required ability and competence (training or certification required).Once all these criteria have been met, safety performance can be assessed by each individual's supervisor on an equal basis with other key job elements.
Health and safety is not just an extra part of an employee's job: it is an integral, full-time component of each individual's responsibilities.What are examples of responsibilities of workers? Examples of responsibilities of first-line supervisors include:. Instructing workers to follow safe work practices. Enforcing health and safety regulations. Correcting unsafe acts and unsafe conditions. Ensuring that only authorized, adequately trained workers operate equipment.
Reporting and investigating all accidents/incidents. Inspecting own area and taking remedial action to minimize or eliminate hazards. Ensuring equipment is properly maintained. Promoting safety awareness in workers.What are examples of responsibilities of management? An effective safety program needs the cooperative involvement of all employees.
A joint health and safety committee is a forum for cooperative involvement of employees representing both labour and management. Such committees are statutory requirements for organizations of a specified minimum size in most Canadian jurisdictions. The responsibilities of members are generally spelled out in the health and safety legislation across Canada.A joint health and safety committee brings together labour's in-depth, practical knowledge of specific jobs and management's larger overview of job interrelationships, general company policies and procedures.To function properly, the committee needs an appropriate structure, a clear statement of purpose and duties, and standard procedures for meetings.
An employer does this by establishing terms of reference for the committee and by allocating adequate resources.The employer must establish a committee is organized and operates in compliance with the law, is effective, involves the widest range of employees, and provides resources (e.g., time, money, meeting rooms) so the committee can do its work. These requirements are known as 'terms of reference'. Common terms of reference include:. Stating senior management's commitment to act on the committee's recommendations. Defining how long a person will serve on the committee (if not specified by legislation).
Establishing how a committee member will be chosen, etc.Each organization should set up their own terms of reference. More information is available in the Health and Safety Committee documents listed below:.Once the committee members have been chosen, the committee should participate in decisions on the details of its structure, duties, and procedures.Establish a reporting structure.
In a general sense, each committee member is responsible to the chairperson(s), and the committee as a whole to all employees for fulfilling their duties. However, if prompt follow-up to recommendations is to be expected, one individual should be named as a person in authority. The best choice is usually a member of senior management. This individual should have sufficient authority to be able to take or expedite direct action as required.The joint health and safety committee members should be active participants in the development, implementation, and monitoring of all phases of the health and safety program.Why are correct work procedures established? Governmental health and safety regulations represent minimum requirements. In almost all cases, organizations will have to augment these regulations with specific rules.We need rules – to protect the health and safety of workers – but there are dangers in having either too few or too many rules.
Too few rules may be interpreted as a sign that health and safety are not important, or that common sense is all that is required to achieve them. Too many rules may be seen as not treating employees as thinking adults and makes enforcement of all rules less likely. Correct work procedures are the safest way of doing a job, job instruction, monitoring performance, and accident investigation.Job safety analysis (JSA), also known as 'job hazard analysis', is the first step in developing the correct procedure. In this analysis, each task of a specific job is examined to identify hazards and to determine the safest way to do the job. Job safety analysis involves the following steps:1. Select the job.2. Break down the job into a sequence of steps.3.
Identify the hazards.4. Define preventive measures.The analysis should be conducted on all critical tasks or jobs as a first priority. Critical jobs include:. Those where frequent accidents and injuries occur. Those where severe accidents and injuries occur.
Those with a potential for severe injuries. New or modified jobs. Infrequently performed jobs, such as maintenance.Job safety analysis is generally carried out by observing a worker doing the job. Members of the joint health and safety committee should participate in this process.
The reason for the exercise must be clearly explained to the worker, emphasizing that the job, not the individual, is being studied. Another approach, useful in the analysis of infrequently-performed or new jobs, is group discussion.A work procedure may consist of more than one specific task.
In such cases, each separate task should be analyzed to complete a job safety analysis for that procedure. The final version of the correct work procedure should be presented in a narrative style format that outlines the correct way to do the job in a step-by-step outline. The steps are described in positive terms, pointing out the reasons why they are to be done in this way. Reference may be made to applicable rules and regulations and to the personal protective equipment required, if any. Employees who carry out the tasks should be consulted in developing the procedure.
ExampleJob Safety Analysis (JSA) WorksheetIndustry: ConstructionOperation: Road repairJob: Pavement repairTaskWho does itHazardsHow to prevent injury/accidentOperating jack-hammerJoe Doe- noise- vibration- ear protectors- vibration absorbing glovesApplicable Legislation:OH&S Act and Regulations: (refer to the act and regulations in your jurisdiction)Date: Developed by: Why is employee orientation important? Health and safety education should start with employee orientation when an employee joins the organization or is transferred to a new job.
It has been found that inexperienced workers, in general, are involved in accidents at a higher rate than others. While experience can only be gained through time, both health and safety education and job skills training can be used to improve this record. The objective of training is to implement health and safety procedures into specific job practices and to raise awareness and skill levels to an acceptable standard.Occasions when employee training may be required are:. Commencement of employment. Reassignment or transfer to a new job. Introduction of new equipment, processes, or procedures.
Refresher, annual, or periodic education and training to ensure skills and knowledge. Inadequate performance.CSA Standard Z100-13, Occupational Health and Safety Training, also outlines suggested training for supervisors. The standard states that a supervisor 'should be competent (i.e., have adequate knowledge, training, and experience) on all processes and tasks over which he or she is exercising authority. Organizations should define what constitutes an acceptable combination of knowledge, training, and experience in relation to the supervision of others performing tasks.' Workplace inspections help to identify existing hazards so that appropriate corrective action can be taken. Health and safety legislation requires workplace inspections as a proactive action to ensure workplace health and safety.Supervisors and workers are responsible for reporting and taking action on unsafe conditions and acts as they are encountered. The frequency of planned formal inspections may be set out in legislation.
Records of previous accidents and the potential for serious accidents and injuries are factors to be included when determining if more frequent inspections are needed.Joint health and safety committee members are obvious choices of personnel to carry out formal inspections, especially if they have received training or certification. Other criteria for selecting the inspection team are:.
Knowledge of regulations and procedures. Knowledge of the hazards in the workplace. Experience with work processes involved.Pre-planning any inspection is always worthwhile. Documents, such as previous inspections, accident investigations, maintenance reports, and committee minutes, should be consulted. If a checklist is to be used, it should be reviewed and changed to meet specific needs of the workplace.Checklists are useful aids in that they help ensure that no items are overlooked in an inspection.
Following Core Elements Unit Safety Program Except Pdf
One type of checklist is the 'critical parts inventory'. This inventory itemizes parts and items that may result in a serious accident if they fail. While many ready-made checklists are available in safety literature, it is best to adapt these to local conditions. Occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions requires that specific injuries and certain categories of accidents/incidents must be reported. There may be minimum legal requirements for their investigation. Many organizations investigate other events (e.g., where damage did not involve injuries) and 'near misses.' The health and safety program should specify:.
What is to be reported. To whom it will be reported. How it is reported. Which incidents are investigated. Who will investigate them. What forms are used. What training investigators will receive.
What records are to be kept. What summaries and statistics are to be developed. How often reports are prepared.Accidents and incidents are investigated so that measures can be taken to prevent a recurrence of similar events. Investigation represents an 'after-the-fact' response for any particular mishap.
However, a thorough investigation may uncover hazards or problems that can be eliminated 'before-the-fact' for the future. After causes have been determined, prompt follow-up action is required to achieve the purpose of the investigation.What are emergency procedures and how are they established? Emergency procedures are plans for dealing with emergencies such as fires, explosions, major releases of hazardous materials, violent occurrences, or natural hazards. When such events occur, the urgent need for rapid decisions, shortage of time, lack of resources, and trained personnel can lead to chaos.The objective of the plan is to prevent or minimize fatalities, injuries, and damage. First aid facilities and the provision of medical aid is generally prescribed under health and safety legislation or workers' compensation legislation. Once the health and safety program has been set in place and the program appears to be running smoothly, effort is still required to maintain enthusiasm and interest.Safety awareness can be enhanced by:.
The setting of realistic goals and monitoring progress. Distribution of all pertinent information. Individual recognition for superior performance. Continuing education and training, including general meetings, tailgate talks, and one-on-one coaching.Should workplace specific items be included in occupational health and safety programs? The elements of OH&S programs discussed so far apply to all basic health and safety programs.
In addition, specific items may be needed to address workplace specific activities. Examples of such items are:. Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). Lock out procedures. Confined space procedures.
Hot-work permits. Material handling rules. Plant maintenance. Fire safeguards. Vehicle safety rules. Off-the-job safety.
Working alone guidelines. Personal protective equipment requirements. Engineering standards. Purchasing standards.
Preventive maintenance.How do you implement occupational health and safety programs? A good health and safety program provides a clear set of guidelines for activities that, if followed rigorously, will reduce accidents and cases of occupational disease. The key to success is the manner in which the program is implemented and maintained.Senior management must demonstrate commitment and support the program by:. Providing resources such as time, money, and personnel.
Ensuring that employees receive training or certification as required. Making all applicable health and safety information available to all employees. Including health and safety performance as part of employee performances appraisals at all levels. Attending health and safety meetings.The program must be communicated to all employees. Special emphasis should be given to new workers, newly appointed supervisors, and new members of the joint health and safety committee. Revisions to policies and procedures should be publicized. The program should be available in a single written document.
However, if separate manuals have been developed for various elements, such as accident/incident investigation procedures, their use should be referred to in the main document.How is the effectiveness of OH&S programs evaluated? Accident frequency and severity rates are not always the only measures to use for evaluating the effectiveness of a health and safety program.
Cases of occupational disease are often under-reported in these statistics. The emphasis is usually on injury-producing accidents, not all events. Since accidents/incidents are rare events, in small organizations the basis for comparison may be limited.It is desirable to use an audit as a before-the-fact measure of the effectiveness of an OH&S program. An audit uses a checklist in which each element is subdivided into a series of questions. Each question is given a weighting factor depending on its importance. Records, observations, interviews, and questionnaires are used to evaluate performance for each sub-element.A number of audit systems are available.Annual audits appear to be more common, but reviewing critical elements in the program more frequently may be advisable.
The audit team, which should include representation from the joint health and safety committee, must receive appropriate training in audit procedures.The audit identifies weaknesses in the health and safety program. Little is achieved unless a procedure is established to ensure prompt follow-up on deficiencies. This procedure should include provision for target dates for remedial action and checks to confirm completion.CLOSE ALL.