Unit 2 – Health and Safety Management
System
Gerald Victor, CEng MIMechE
The OHSAS 18001 standard specifies
requirements for an occupational health and
safety management system. Although not an
International Standard, it is the most widely
used standard for Occupational Health and
Safety Management Systems.
MS 1722 Part 1 is a Malaysian Standard on
Occupational Safety and Health Management
Systems based on the International Labour
Organization’s standard OSH MS 2001.
An effective HSMS must include the following
elements:
1. Management commitment or policy
2. Hazard identification and assessment
3. Hazard controls
4. Ongoing inspections
5. Qualifications assessment and training
6. Emergency Response Planning
7. Incident Reporting and Investigation
8. HSMS Administration
Minimize the incidence of injury and illness to
workers in their working operations
Accomplished by identifying, assessing and
controlling risks to workers in all operations
of work
A written policy stating company’s
commitment, the overall goals and objectives
for the H&S program and the responsibilities
of management, workers, visitors and
contractors.
Dated and signed by operations manager
and/or CEO
Evaluate all equipment, machinery, work
areas and work processes to identify and
analyze all potential sources of harm to
workers
A record of all hazards are kept along with
the degree of risk and level of potential
exposure for workers
Control measures should be developed for
each hazard identified
Typical control methods include:
◦ Engineering
◦ Administrative
◦ Basic point of contact - PPE
Records of safe work practices and
procedures for hazardous operations should
be readily available and all workers trained
To ensure that hazard control measures are
in place and effectively protect workers, a
regular inspection program is important
Inspection tours provide important
information, including information about
hazards or potential hazards that have not
been noted before and a check to eliminate
or reduce risks of known hazards are in place
and working
Worker training is an essential phase of an
effective health and safety program
Workers need to know how to do their jobs
safely without risk to their health
New and young workers need special
consideration
New worker orientation should be
completed within the first week on the job
and critical information must be covered on
the first day
All training should be documented
A serious emergency, such as an explosion,
fire or flood could put any company out of
business
Even the best health and safety program
cannot protect from all natural or unexpected
disasters
However a good emergency response plan
that is in place and practiced regularly can
reduce the risk of injury and loss
When an incident occurs, it is important to report
to the supervisor. The supervisor should:
Investigate cause
Make sure previously uncontrolled hazards do
not remain a risk
Prevent the recurrence of similar incidents
Determine if training or changes in control
methods, such as personal protective equipment
and procedures, need to be changed to make the
workplace safer or healthier
All incidents must be investigated as soon as
possible
HSMS program administration ensures that all
parts of a health and safety management
system are properly documented and
communicated to employees
Records help to ensure that the program is
effective in reducing the risk of injury and ill
health at the workplace.
A comprehensive review of the employer’s
health and safety management system is
carried out through a workplace audit
A safety audit must be carried out by a
qualified auditor. The auditor must use an
instrument that is approved
The audit will cover the basic elements of a
health and safety management system and
include interviews, documentation review and
observation technique
A safe workplace would have no hazards. There
would be no machines, equipment or materials that
could harm people
However, there are no safe workplaces
An important part of workplace safety is being able to
identify hazards before someone gets injured
Identifying hazards is the first step in reducing risk or
injury
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An accident may be a “hit” or “near miss”.
It is an event that has or could have
caused an injury
Accidents are incidents that have caused
one or more of:
◦ Injuries to workers
◦ Property damage
◦ Environmental damage (damage to air, trees,
plants, etc.)
◦ Loss of product
Reducing the number of accidents and
incidents improves workplace safety
Physical
Chemical
Biological
Ergonomic
Psychological/mental health
Each industry has its own hazards.
Industries often use labels to describe
different types of hazards
Using equipment,
machines and tools
Working in extreme
temperatures
Personal movement
and moving things
Chemical mists, dusts, vapors gases, fumes
Insects, fungi mold
viruses
Working with plant
material
Inappropriate job and workstation design
Improperly adjusted work benches, desks,
keyboards
Harvesting crops by hand
Poor lighting
Repetitive strain (i.e. operating machinery for
long periods of time, such as tractors and
jackhammers)
Workplace induced and other stressors
Excessive work hours and/or shift work
Challenging personal/interpersonal
relationships
Discrimination and harassment
