Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

A well defi ned health and safety organization
– 
The shared understanding of the organization’s 
values and beliefs at all levels of the organization, 
is an essential component of a positive health and 
safety culture. For a positive health and safety culture 
to be achieved, an organization must have clearly 
defi ned health and safety responsibilities so that there 
is always management control of health and safety 
throughout the organization. The formal organizational 
structure should be such that the promotion of health 
and safety becomes a collaborative activity 
between the workforce, safety representatives and the 
managers. An effective organization will be noted for 
good staff involvement and participation, high quality 
communications, the promotion of competency, and 
the empowerment of all employees to make informed 
contributions to the work of the organization.
3. 
A clear health and safety plan
– This involves the 
setting and implementation of performance stand-
ards and procedures using an effective occupational 
health and safety management system. The plan is 
based on risk assessment methods to decide on pri-
orities and set objectives for controlling or eliminat-
ing hazards and reducing risks. Measuring success 
requires the establishing of performance standards 
against which achievements can be identifi ed.
4. 
The measurement of health and safety 
performance
– This includes both active and react-
ive monitoring to see how effectively the occupa-
tional health and safety management system is 
working. Active monitoring involves looking at the 
premises, plant and substances plus the people, 
procedures and systems. Reactive monitoring 
discovers through investigation of accidents and 
incidents why controls have failed. It is also 
important to measure the organization against its 
own long term goals and objectives.
5.