The procedural controls developed in the creation of
the safe system of work will also have to take into account
technical control measures including design features
such as the use of guards on cutting equipment, noise
reduction systems and workplace modifi cations. Each
of these will be supported by behavioural controls which
address the individual in terms of selection and training,
which are included in the ‘safe person approach’.
The actual control measures should be selected on
the basis of their effectiveness, applicability, practicability
and, fi nally, cost. Some controls may be dictated by legal
requirements, e.g. equipment guards. In most cases,
however, it is usual to apply a hierarchy of measures such
as that given in the publication Successful Health and
Safety Management (HS(G)65).
It is often the case that complex or unusual tasks
are required to have a formally documented SSOW. Over
recent years the formal system has been adopted for the
majority of routine tasks as their production assists in
defi ning the safety standards required of an operation or
process and importantly provides a basis for the provision
of information, instruction and training programmes.
A number of pieces of current legislation refer to
the requirement for the production of safe systems of
work, together with the provision of information, instruction
and training. Therefore in addition to introducing
measurable standards, the introduction of safe systems