Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Planning and implementation
– Unlike other sys-
tems, the ILO system combines planning and imple-
mentation. Following an initial review of any exist-
ing health and safety management system, a plan 
should be developed to remedy any defi ciencies 
found. The plan should support compliance with 
national laws and regulations and include continual 
improvement of health and safety performance. It 
should contain measurable objectives which are 
realistic and achievable and, as with the other 
occupational health and safety management sys-
tems, hazard identifi cation and risk assessment. 
There should also be an adequate provision of 
resources and technical support. The plan must be 
capable of accommodating the impact on health 
and safety of any internal changes in the organiza-
tion, such as new processes, new technologies and 
amalgamations with other organizations, or external 
changes due, for example, to changes in national 
laws or regulations. As with OHSAS 18001, emer-
gency and procurement arrangements and detailed 
arrangements for the selection and supervision 
of contractors must be included in the health and 
safety plan.
4. 
Evaluation
– This is very similar to the perform-
ance measurement phase of HSG 65 with a greater 
emphasis on the health and welfare of the worker. 
The recommendations concerning the investiga-
tion of work-related injuries, ill-health, diseases and 
incidents are identical to those for the management 
review element of OHSAS 18001.
5. 
Action for improvement
– Arrangements should 
be introduced and maintained for any preventative 
and corrective action to be undertaken identifi ed by 
performance monitoring, audits and management 
reviews of the health and safety management sys-
tem. Arrangements should also be in place for the 
continual improvement of the management system. 
More details on the factors to be considered for 
continual improvement are given later in this chapter.
6. 
Audit
– The ILO recommend that an audit should 
be performed by competent and trained person-
nel at agreed and regular intervals. It should cover 
all elements of the management system including 
worker participation, communication, procurement, 
contracting and continual improvement. The audit 
conclusions must state whether the health and 
safety management system is effective in meet-
ing the organizational health and safety policy and 
objectives and promotes full worker participation. 
The audit should also check that there is compliance 
with national laws and regulations and that there has 
been a satisfactory response to earlier audit fi ndings.
It is clear that there is much that is common between the 
three management systems discussed and any differences 
are differences in emphasis. HSG 65 was the fi rst of the 
three systems and the emphasis was on legal compli-
ance. OHSAS 18001 introduced the concept of continual 
improvement, integration with other management systems 
Figure 18.8
Key elements of ILO-OSH 2001.
Policy
O
rganizing
Planning and
implementation
Evaluation
Action for
improvement
Continual
improvement
Audit

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