Chapter - 4

Manage OHS Continuous

Improvement Process
 Course Outline
Techniques/Methods of OHS improvement
Setting OHS priorities
Develop OHS action plan
Monitor achievements
 Techniques/Methods of OHS improvement
Occupational health and safety management system
(OHSMS)
 An occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) is
a systematic approach put in place by an employer to minimize the
risk of injury and illness

 It involves identifying, assessing, and controlling risks to workers in

all workplace operations

 An effective OHSMS is a key component of any business; its scope

and complexity will vary according to the type of workplace and the
nature of its operations
 Cont…
 For both development and implementation of an OHSMS to be
successful, effective, and efficient, it needs to be based on a
formal structure of defined elements.

 A successful OHSMS includes but is not limited to the

following seven elements:
 1. Management involvement and commitment

Management involvement and commitment can be shown by:

 Allocating dedicated health and safety resources

 Setting clear direction and expectations through health and safety policies

 Assigning and monitoring health and safety responsibilities

 Directly engaging and communicating with workers

 2. Hazard identification and assessment

Hazard identification is a process used by a company to identify

existing and potential hazards. Examples include but are not
limited to:
 Inspections
 Job task analyses
 Site-specific hazard identifications
 Hazard reporting
 3. Hazard control

 Hazard control includes the methods, techniques,

procedures, and actions taken by a company to reduce,
eliminate, or minimize the risks of both health and
safety hazards.
 Hazard controls are defined by the Hierarchy of
Controls and include:
 Elimination or substitution
 Engineering controls
 Administrative controls
 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
 4. Training

Training refers to an organized activity aimed at imparting information

and/or instructions to improve the recipient's performance or to help him
or her attain a required level of knowledge or skill.
Training includes but is not limited to:
 Orientations
 Current job- and industry-specific training
 Competency assessment
 5. Emergency response

 Emergency response planning refers to the methods, techniques,

procedures, and actions the organization has put in place to respond to
potential emergencies (e.g., fire, explosion, etc.).
 The plan should include but not be limited to:
 The responsibilities and training of key people at emergency sites and
offices
 Adequate resources in place
 Various emergency and post-emergency procedures
 Drills and evaluations to measure effectiveness
 6. Incident reporting and investigation

 Incident reporting and investigation are reactions triggered by

an event.

 In addition to reporting and investigating the incident, statistics

should be recorded and analyzed to identify trends and needs
 7.Communications

 Corporate communication refers to a company’s formal or informal

verbal, written, or unwritten policies, plans, standards, and
procedures.

 Communications are conducted through meetings; written messages;

and daily informal communication between supervisors and their
employees.
 Continues improvement
 An organization should also commit to continuous
improvement.
 The four phases in the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle involve:
 Plan: Identifying and analyzing the problem
 Do: Developing and testing a potential solution
 Check: Measuring how effective the test solution was and
analyzing whether it could be improved in any way
 Act: Implementing the improved solution fully
Continues improvement
 Setting OHS priorities
Setting priorities
 The management of various kinds of risk is one of the most important
areas of decision making in the present-day policy of occupational
health and safety.

 Risk management comprises the modification, aversion and

acceptance of risks.

 The question of regulating which risks in what order is an important

aspect of the setting of priorities.
 Cont…
 Although several methodologies for the setting of priorities are
available, intuitive decision making is found to be an important
complement of the systematic assessment of risks.
 The systematic identification and estimation of risk is done on the
basis of:
 Results of scientific studies of risks in various branches of industry
 Several types of outcome and exposure registers
 Evaluations of experienced labor inspectors who, in their everyday work,
come into contact with events which involve risk
 Criteria used to set priorities

The criteria used to set priorities can be divided into;

I. External (societal)
II. Internal (institutional/scientific) criteria

 The criteria of the two divisions can be classified according to three

main headings:
 Importance
 Relevance
 Feasibility
 Cont…
Importance: entails criteria indicating risks with consequences that
would affect the overall health and safety of the population.
 It refers to both the volume of the problem and the intensity of risk
involved.

Relevance: indicates the willingness of a society or the scientific

community to regulate or analyze the particular risk.

Feasibility: indicates criteria related to the technical, economic,

methodological, material, and intellectual capacities of a society or the
scientific community to regulate or assess risks.
 Cont…
 Importance criteria are measured by risk estimation, whereas
both relevance criteria and feasibility criteria are measured, in
part, by risk evaluation.
 The process of setting priorities and managing risks depends on
the basic structure of the process of policy making inherent to a
society.
 Environmental scientists have recognized two models
 The adversary model (e.g. United States, Japan)
 The consensus model (e.g. Great Britain, Netherlands).
The adversary model: is characterized by open and public discussion of
risks.
 The risks are regulated by independent, competent authorities who
control risks by means of powerful legislation and detailed specific
norms.

The consensus model: entails more confidential closed discussions and

negotiations between the parties of society involved; comprehensive
"frame-type" legislation constitutes the main influence of the authorities.
 In this model, practical implementation is controlled by the parties of
society which are given high competence together with the authorities
 The methodology of risk assessment and priority setting is better
developed in those countries which follow the adversary model,
because the public process of risk management involves the element
of challenge.

 The setting of priorities should be a continuous and dynamic process

regardless of the model.
 Developing OHS action plan
Steps of developing OHS action plan
 There are as many different approaches to creating strategic
action plans as there are health and safety issues to plan for.
The essential elements included in a successful plan are:
Choose an issue
 Decide what health and safety problems or issues to be
addressed. OHS Priority setting may help identify and select an
issue
Collect information
 Decide what information are needed concerning the problems or
issues we want to address
Determine the solution
 Decide what solution you want to achieve.
 This is the overall goal or objective that we are seeking to
accomplish
 List out the general and specific objectives. Make sure that the
objectives are SMART
Specific: specify a key result to be accomplished
Measurable: so we can know whether or not we have succeeded
Assignable: specify who will do what
Realistic: but still represents a change and a challenge
Timely: specify any deadlines or amount of time needed to
complete
Establish an action plan
Plot a roadmap for achieving long-term goal.
Elements of an action plan include:
 What – List all the different things that need to be
done (e.g. gather information, communicate
with/involve members).
 When – Develop a timetable with specific dates
for achieving each task, and for the action plan as
a whole. Make sure that timetables are
reasonable!
 Who – Assign someone to be responsible for each
particular task, including keeping a record of
activities and reporting back on progress.
 How – Identify resources that might be needed,
and from whom or where resources could be
Identify obstacles

 Identify potential obstacles, and develop a

specific action plan for preventing them.

 Also prepare for overcoming obstacles that

cannot be prevented.
 Identify and communicate stakeholders

 Identify potential allies and develop a specific

action plan for contacting and involving them.

 Communicate with the workers throughout the

entire crisis/investigation and get feedback on any
obstacles.

 Meet regularly to review progress and modify

plans as needed. Members should be prepared to
report on the status of each task
Evaluate the Plan

 At the end of the allotted time for the

strategic plan, evaluate successes,
strengths and weaknesses of the plan.

 Establish a system for long term follow-up

to prevent future incidents. Incorporate
what was learned into future strategic
planning activities
Monitoring achievements
Surveillance of OHS
 Surveillance can be defined as close
observation of a person or group, especially
one under suspicion.

 The act of observing or the condition of

being observed.

 Surveillance is a core activity in the

practice of occupational health.
 Cont…
 Two broad groups of surveillance are commonly
performed
I. hazard surveillance
II. health surveillance

 While the focus of the former is hazards at the

workplace, the latter type of surveillance
pertains to the health of a person of group of
workers
 Important considerations during OHS
surveillance
 Assessment of workplace hazards and
identification of target organ toxicities for
each hazard which refer to exposure
assessments and risk assessments for target
organ damage.

 Detection of screen-able health effects are

those that can be detected during the pre
clinical phase and where intervention at this
stage is more beneficial than during later
stages of the disease.
 Cont…
 Standardization of test procedures and quality control, provision of information
to employees about the tests, and confidentiality of results should be ensured.

 Interpretation of the test results should be based on several factors, including the
predetermined action level criteria, and exposure data for the individual
(including possible non-occupational exposures). Abnormal results should be
reconfirmed.

 Removal of the employee from further exposure may be necessary, and there
may be legal provisions to safeguard wages and benefits in the event of job
transfer due to such a reason. Employees themselves should be notified of the
results, in addition to statutory notifications (where applicable).

 As screening tests may not provide a definitive diagnosis, further medical

evaluations may be indicated, including referral to the appropriate specialist.
 Cont…
 The work environment of the employee with an abnormal screening
result has to be re-evaluated. If necessary, measures should be
implemented to reduce the exposure to safe levels.

 In addition to medical record keeping, records of notifications,

exposure evaluations and environmental modifications, should be kept.
 Steps in designing and implementing OHS surveillance

 Assessment of workplace hazards

 Identification of target organ toxicities for each hazard
 Selection of test for each “screenable” health effect
 Standardization of data collection process
 Performance of testing
 Cont…
 Interpretation of test results and test confirmation
 Notification
 Diagnostic evaluation
 Evaluation and control of exposure
 Record keeping
 Steps of developing OHS action plan

Step 1: Choose an issue

Step 2: Collect information
Step 3: Determine the solution
Step 4: Establish an action plan
Step 5: Identify obstacles
Step 6: Identify and communicate stakeholders
Step 7: Evaluate the Plan
 Steps of designing and implementing OHS
surveillance
Steps in designing and implementing an occupational health
surveillance program are:
Step 1: Assessment of workplace hazards
Step 2:Identification of target organ toxicities for each hazard
Step 3: Selection of test for each “screenable” health effect
Step 4: Standardization of data collection process
Step 5: Performance of testing
Cont..
Step 6: Interpretation of test results and test confirmation
Step 7: Notification
Step 8: Diagnostic evaluation
Step 9: Evaluation and control of exposure
Step 10: Record keeping
THANK YOU