Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Planning and implementing
Establishing a clear health and safety plan based upon 
the analysis of risks (risk assessment) is an essential 
Reviewing
performance
Policy
Organising
Planning and
implementing
Measuring
performance
Auditing
Figure 1.31
HSG 65 approach
Figure 1.29
BS 
8800
External factors
Internal factors
Initial and
periodic status
review
Policy
Organizing
Audit
Planning and
implementing
Measuring
performance
Information link
Control link
Figure 1.30
ILO 
OSH

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Introduction to Fire Safety Management
28
element of safety management. The risk assessment 
process will enable an organisation to prioritise and set 
objectives for short-, medium- and long-term strategies 
for controlling risk. Implementing the preventive and pro-
tective measures identifi ed by the risk assessment proc-
ess, setting measurable performance standards against 
which to measure the implementation programme must 
be seen as an essential element in producing an effec-
tive management system.
Measuring performance
Performance measurement will include both active and 
reactive monitoring programmes; ultimately this moni-
toring will enable an organisation to see how effectively 
it is managing health and safety from investigating an 
accident which seeks to identify how systems have 
failed through to actively monitoring safe systems of 
work, providing a benchmark from which to analyse the 
organisation’s ability to meet its short-, medium- and 
long-term goals.
Reviewing performance
The results from internal reviews which seek to bench-
mark performance, both internally and externally, will 
enable the organisation to ensure that it is achieving the 
minimum legal standard in terms of compliance, or if it 
has set them, performance targets that meet its own 
standards, which may be higher than those required by 
legislation.
The review process is required by the MHSW 
Regulations RRFSO and thus to comply with the law 
must be undertaken. The results of an annual review 
should be made available to all stakeholders.
Audit
Each of the previously mentioned elements in the man-
agement system must be audited to ensure that the 
performance of any one element does not have a det-
rimental effect upon another. In order to achieve unbi-
ased results the HSE believes that an audit should be 
conducted independently from those who can infl uence 
the safety management system, e.g. it would be virtually 
impossible for an internal safety team to audit its own 
management systems as in all likelihood they would 
have established many of the key elements.
Note:
Students may wish to note that the requirement 
to manage under both the MHSW and the RRFSO are 
the same. However, they both differ from the guidance 
contained in HSG65 in that the regulations require that 
employers and responsible persons need only plan, 
organise, control, monitor and review. The need to 
establish a policy and audit the elements of the man-
agement system is not explicitly mentioned in either the 
MHSW or the RRFSO; however, as will be discussed 
later in this book they are critical elements required for 
successful safety management.