Introduction to Health and Safety at Work 52
and safety policy and the establishment of a health
and safety organizational structure
➤
measures the health and safety performance of the
organization at all levels and in all departments.
The performance of individuals should also be
measured. There should be clear health and safety
targets and standards and an effective reporting
procedure for accidents and other incidents so that
remedial actions may be taken
➤
motivates managers within the organization to
improve health and safety performance in the work-
place in a proactive rather than reactive manner.
The HSE has recommended that an organization needs
to provide the following elements within its management
system:
➤
a clear and evident commitment from the most
senior manager downwards, which provides a cli-
mate for safety in which management’s objectives
and the need for appropriate standards are commu-
nicated and in which constructive exchange of infor-
mation at all levels is positively encouraged
➤
an analytical and imaginative approach identifying
possible routes to human factor failure. This may
well require access to specialist advice
➤
procedures and standards for all aspects of critical
work and mechanisms for reviewing them
➤
effective monitoring systems to check the imple-
mentation of the procedures and standards
➤
incident investigation and the effective use of infor-
mation drawn from such investigations
➤
adequate and effective supervision with the power
to remedy defi ciencies when found.
It is important to recognize that there are often reasons
for these elements not being present resulting in weak
management of health and safety. The most common rea-
son is that individuals within the management organiza-
tion do not understand their roles – or their roles have
never been properly explained to them. The higher
a person is within the structure the less likely it is that he
has received any health and safety training. Such train-
ing at board level is rare.
Objectives and priorities may vary across and
between different levels in the structure leading to dis-
putes which affect attitudes to health and safety. For
example, a warehouse manager may be pressured to
block walkways so that a large order can be stored prior
to dispatch.
Motivations can also vary across the organization
which may cause health and safety to be compromised.
The production controller will require that components of a
product are produced as near simultaneously as possible
so that their fi nal assembly is performed as quickly as
possible. However, the health and safety adviser will not
want to see safe systems of work compromised.
In an attempt to address some of these problems,
the HSC produced guidance in 2001 on the safety duties
of company directors. Each director and the Board,
acting collectively, will be expected to provide health
and safety leadership in the organization. The Board
will need to ensure that all its decisions refl ect its health
and safety intentions and that it engages the workforce
actively in the improvement of health and safety.
The Board will also be expected to keep itself informed
of changes in health and safety risks. (See Chapter 3 for
more details on directors’ responsibilities.)
The following simple checklist may be used to
check any organizational health and safety management
structure.
Does the structure have:
➤
an effective health and safety management system?
➤
a positive health and safety culture?
➤
arrangements for the setting and monitoring of
standards?
➤
adequate
supervision?
➤
effective incident reporting and analysis?
➤
learning from experience?
➤
clearly visible health and safety leadership?
➤
suitable team structures?
➤
effi cient communication systems and practices?
➤
adequate
staffi ng levels?
➤
suitable work patterns?
HSG48 gives the following causes for failures in organiza-
tional and management structures:
➤
poor work planning, leading to high work pressure
➤
lack of safety systems and barriers
➤
inadequate responses to previous incidents
➤
management based on one-way communications
➤
defi cient coordination and responsibilities
➤
poor management of health and safety
➤
poor health and safety culture.
Organizational factors play a signifi cant role in the health
and safety of the workplace. However, this role is often
forgotten when health and safety is being reviewed after
an accident or when a new process or piece of equip-
ment is introduced.
