Sound Health and Safety Systems

How to maintain a compliant health and safety system while tailoring for individual client needs?

Here at Intesafety, we believe that having an effective health and safety system positively influences organisational performance. We base our systems on the OHSAS 18001 format and tailor these elements to suit the organisation size, activities, and associated risk profile.

The health and safety system documents set out the expectations for the management of health and safety. By working with a common system across all its operations, we achieve a standardised and consistent approach between the operating activities.

Each element of the system documentation links to the specific section of the Company Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) Plan – Do – Check – Act (PDCA) continual improvement cycle.

For each of these elements, a section is detailed within the main Health and Safety Management Plan to outline the objectives and key requirements as to how this will be achieved.

What is the PDCA continual improvement cycle?

Stage 1: 'Plan'

The 'Plan' stage is directed at establishing a platform describing how we will establish our systems meeting legal and stakeholder requirements. To ensure this occurs, we also assign responsibilities during the 'Plan' stage.

Stage 2: 'Do'

'Do' is the operational control platform. It details our risk management responsibilities along with specific guidance for operation issues and contractor management.

Stage 3: 'Check'

'Check' details the measurement requirements to ensure that the HSMS is operating as intended. This allows routine review and an opportunity to address any non-conformant or undesired trending.

Stage 4: 'Act'

The 'Act' stage is the systems sense check and review platform. It requires the organisation to review its application of the HSMS and build improvements into short and long-term planning.

This process enables Intesafety to maintain a compliant system while tailoring bespoke health and safety plans to meet our client needs.

Article by Ken Rees - Intesafety Health and Safety Partner