Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

18.6 
The benefi ts and problems 
associated with occupational 
health and safety management 
systems
Occupational health and safety management systems 
have many benefi ts of which the principal ones are:
1. It is much easier to achieve and demonstrate legal 
compliance. Enforcement authorities have more 
confi dence in organizations which have a health and 
safety management system in place.
2. It ensures that health and safety is given the same 
emphasis as other business objectives, such as 
quality and fi nance. It will also aid integration, where 
appropriate, with other management systems.
3. It enables signifi cant health and safety risks to be 
addressed in a systematic manner.
4. It can be used to show legal compliance with terms 
such as ‘practicable’ and ‘so far as is reasonably 
practicable’.
5. It indicates that the organization is prepared for an 
emergency.
6. It illustrates that there is a genuine commitment to 
health and safety throughout the organization.
There are, however, several problems associated with 
occupational health and safety management systems 
although most of them are resolvable. The main prob-
lems are:
1. The arrangements and procedures are not apparent 
at the workplace level and the audit process is only 
concerned with a desk top review of procedures
ACTS
REGULATIONS
Mandatory
CODES OF PRACTICE
Sometimes mandatory as Approved
Codes of Practice in UK
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND GUIDANCE NOTES
Voluntary Guidance
Figure 18.11
Typical health and safety legal framework.

---

International aspects of health and safety
415
2. The documentation is excessive and not totally 
related to the organization due to the use of generic 
procedures
3. Other business objectives, such as production tar-
gets, lead to ad hoc changes in procedures
4. Integration, which should really be a benefi t, can 
lead to a reduction in the resources and effort 
applied to health and safety
5. A lack of understanding by supervisors and the 
workforce leading to poor system implementation
6. The performance review is not implemented seriously 
thus causing cynicism throughout the organization.