Is there a health and safety committee?
If not, why not?
●● How effective is the committee in getting
things done?
Procedures
How effectively do the procedures:
●● support the implementation of health and
safety policies?
●● communicate the need for good health and
safety practices?
●● provide for systematic risk assessments?
●● ensure that accidents are investigated
thoroughly?
●● record data on health and safety that is used
to evaluate performance and initiate action?
●● ensure that health and safety considerations
are given proper weight when designing
systems of work or manufacturing and
operational processes (including the design
of equipment and work stations, the
specification for the product or service,
and the use of materials)?
●● provide safety training, especially induction
training and training when jobs or working
methods are changed?
Safety practices
The following questions should be considered:
●● To what extent do health and safety practices
in all areas of the organization conform
to the general requirements of the Health
and Safety at Work etc Act and the specific
requirements of the various regulations and
Codes of Practice?
●● What risk assessments have been carried
out? What were the findings? What actions
were taken?
●● What is the health and safety performance
of the organization as shown by the
performance indicators? Is the trend positive
or negative? If the latter, what is being done
about it?
●● How thoroughly are accidents investigated?
What steps have been taken to prevent their
recurrence?
●● What is the evidence that managers and
supervisors are really concerned about health
and safety?
What should be done with the audit?
The audit should cover the questions above but its
purpose is to generate action. Those conducting the
audit will have to assess priorities and costs and
draw up action programmes for approval by top
management.
Health and safety
inspections
Health and safety inspections are designed to examine
a specific area of the organization – an operational
department or a manufacturing process – to locate
and define any faults in the system, equipment,
plant or machines, or any operational errors that
might be a danger to health or the source of accidents.
Health and safety inspections should be
carried out on a regular and systematic basis by line
managers and supervisors with the advice and help
of health and safety specialists. The steps to be taken
in carrying out health and safety inspections are as
follows:
1 Allocate the responsibility for conducting
the inspection.
2 Define the points to be covered in the form
of a checklist.
3 Divide the department or plant into areas
and list the points to which attention needs
to be given in each area.
4 Define the frequency with which inspections
should be carried out – daily in critical
areas.
5 Use the checklists as the basis for the
inspection.
6 Carry out sample or spot checks on
a random basis.
7 Carry out special investigations as
necessary to deal with special problems,
such as operating machinery without
guards to increase throughput.
458 Part 8 Employee Well-being
8 Set up a reporting system (a form should be
used for recording the results of inspections).
9 Set up a system for monitoring that safety
inspections are being conducted properly
and on schedule.
10 Ensure that corrective action is taken where
necessary.
Accident prevention
The prevention of accidents is achieved by the following
actions:
1 Identify the causes of accidents and the
conditions under which they are most likely
to occur.
2 Take account of safety factors at the design
stage – build safety into the system.
3 Design safety equipment and protective
devices and provide protective clothing.
4 Carry out regular risk assessments, audits,
inspections and checks and take action to
eliminate risks.
5 Investigate all accidents resulting in damage
or harm in order to establish the cause and
to initiate corrective action.
6 Maintain good records and statistics in order
to identify problem areas and unsatisfactory
trends.
7 Conduct a continuous programme of
education and training on safe working
habits and methods of avoiding accidents.
8 Encourage approaches to leadership and
motivation that do not place excessive
demands on people.
Occupational health
programmes
Occupational health programmes are designed to
minimize the impact of work-related illnesses. The
control of occupational health and hygiene problems
can be achieved by taking the following actions:
1 Eliminate the hazard at source through
design and process engineering.
2 Isolate hazardous processes and substances
so that workers do not come into contact
with them.
3 Change the processes or substances used
in order to promote better protection or
eliminate the risk.
4 Provide protective equipment, but only
if changes to the design, process or
specification cannot completely remove
the hazard.
5 Train workers to avoid risk.
6 Maintain plant and equipment to
eliminate the possibility of harmful
emissions, controlling the use of toxic
substances and eliminating radiation
hazards.
7 Adopt good housekeeping practices to keep
premises and machinery clean and free from
toxic substances.
8 Conduct regular inspections to ensure
that potential health risks are identified
in good time.
9 Carry out pre-employment medical
examinations and regular checks on those
exposed to risk.
10 Ensure that ergonomic considerations
(ie those concerning the design and use
of equipment, machines, processes and
work stations) are taken into account in
design specifications, establishing work
routines and training – this is particularly
important as a means of minimizing
the incidence of repetitive strain injury
(RSI).
11 Maintain preventive medicine programmes
that develop health standards for each
job and involve regular audits of potential
health hazards and regular examinations for
anyone at risk. Particular attention needs to
be exercised in the control of noise, fatigue
and stress. The management and control of
stress, as considered in Chapter 35, should
be a major part of any occupational health
programme.