Key Elements of ILO - OSH - 2001 Health and Safety Management System

 ILO - OSH - 2001 Guidelines on Occupational Health and Safety Management System

The figure above illustrates the key elements of the ILO - OSH - 2001 system. The basic elements are the same as ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS). It is also stressed that the Safety Management System (SMS) should be compatible with or integrated into, other management systems within the organization. 

1. Policy

The policy of an organization is developed with the consultation of workers. The policy is signed by the top authority of the organization like MD or CEO even by someone who is nominated or authorized by the top management for example HoD. 

The policy must demonstrate the commitment of the top management of an organization to;

• Protect the workers during work at the worksite
• Compliance with the applicable laws and regulations
• Consultation with employees and ensure their participation
• Continuous Improvement

The guidance recommends that;

• Participation of employees in all elements of the safety management system and consultation with them
• Establishment of a health and safety committee and recognition of safety representatives

2. Organizing

The employer/owner retains the overall responsibility for health and safety at the workplace, specific roles should be delegated/ allocated to workers across the organization, including Responsibilities, Accountability, and Authority.

• Actively promote Cooperation between all ranks of the organization.
• Promote 2-way Communication instead of one-way, in order to implement effective health and safety management system.
• Make arrangements to identify and mitigate the risks at the workplace.
• Provision of supervision, training, information, guidance, and instructions.
• Provision of adequate resources.

It is also required that the organization appoint a person to oversee the development and implementation of effective health and safety management system as a whole, promoting participation and periodic performance reporting. 

Competence and Training are stressed as key elements needed to implement such a program effectively. On top of this, important documents such as Policy, Objectives, Key Roles and Responsibilities, Workplace Hazards, and Control Methods/Procedures are required to be created and maintained. Additionally, records should be kept and maintained. 

3. Planning and Implementation

Stage 1

Planning starts with the Gap Analysis that is done to check the current position of the organization and the things that need to be done to get to the target position. It should identify the applicable laws, standards, guidelines, assess health and safety risks to the organization, determine if existing (or planned) controls are adequate, analyze health surveillance data, etc. This initial review or Gap Analysis provides a baseline for future continuous improvement.

Stage 2

Planning, Development, and Implementation of effective Health and Safety Management System take place in this phase, (based on the results of initial or subsequent review/gap analysis). This should involve the;

• Evaluation and setting realistic and achievable Objectives
• Creation of Plan/strategy to achieve these objectives 
• Selection of criteria to review the performance later to see if the objectives have been met.

Furthermore, Preventive and Protective measures need to be planned and implemented to eliminate and/or control risks to health and safety. 
General Hierarchy of Controls can be adopted for this purpose. The below figure shows the sequence of the controls. 

1. The most effective control measure is Elimination to ensure the hazard is removed from the workplace. 
2. Sometimes, it is not possible to remove the source of the hazard thoroughly so a Substitute is used with less risk as compared to the initial one. 
3. Engineering controls are used to ensure there is a barrier between the hazard and the workers. The machine is maintained through engineering controls and the risk level is further brought down. 
4. Moreover, Administrative controls are adopted to ensure that the workers are safe. Their way of work at the workplace is changed. Proper Standard Operating Procedures are developed and a Safe System of Work is designed to ensure they are working under the given instructions. 
5. Sometimes, despite the implementation of all the above controls, the hazard is not removed completely. The workers are required to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to perform the job. Sometimes, the job also requires the specific PPEs to use before commencing the job. 

Management of Change (MoC) is also required. Change takes place internally for example introduction of a new process, machinery, or job that will require a change in the system. Not only this, external changes like change in national legislation, that will modify the system. It is important to manage these changes in a systematic way and records should be kept. 

No change should be made without consultation with workers and a sufficient risk assessment. First, a competent person should carry out the risk assessment and evaluate the impact of the change on the existing system and take reasonable control measures to minimize the impact on the existing system. 

Furthermore, once the change has been made, it should be communicated to all the people and ensure they know about it. 

Emergency Planning is a key part of Planning and Implementation. As the work is done, there is a higher chance of accident due to human error, fault of machinery, or any other factor. The Planning phase must cover all foreseeable emergencies such as Fire, Explosion, Electric Shock, Medical, First Aid, etc. The Emergency Plan should be documented and communicated to all. Emergency Equipment should be placed at visible places and marked properly. A trained staff is also hired by an organization to handle the emergency situation for example Firefighters, First Aider/Medical Staff, etc.

The procurement procedure should make sure that health and safety requirements (national and organizational) are an integral part of purchasing specifications. 

It should be noted that the organization's health and safety requirements are applied to contractors. 

4. Evaluation

Procedures are needed to be in place to monitor, measure and record the performance of the health and safety system. Organizations can use a mixture of qualitative and quantitative performance measures followed by Active and Reactive measures, and not just rely on accident/incident data. 

1. Active Monitoring involves the number of inspections done, surveillance, compliance, training delivered to staff, etc. 
2. Reactive Monitoring involves the reporting and investigation of accidents, system failures, citations issued by the government, ill-health data, etc. 

Accidents should be thoroughly investigated to determine the root cause of failure in the system. Investigation reports should be properly documented, and remedial actions implemented to prevent the reoccurrence. 

The organization should also have an Audit Policy. An audit is done to evaluate the performance of the occupational health and safety management system elements. An Audit can be internal and external. The Internal Audit is done by a competent person with relevant experience, training, and skills while the external audit is carried out by a 3rd party. The findings of the audit are recorded and remedial actions are taken. 

Management Review should evaluate the overall occupational health and safety management system and progress towards the organization's goals. It will use data from monitoring, measuring, and auditing of the system as well as take account of other factors that may influence the system in the future. 

Actions for Improvement are proposed by the Performance Monitoring, Audit, and Management Review Meetings. To take action effectively, first establishing the root causes of the problems is necessary. Secondly, there should be a system in place to ensure that the actions are carried out. 

5. Continual Improvement

The organization is bound to continually improve its management system and performance. Comparison with other organizations can be done to check the gaps and make improvements. 

Important Terms

ILO - International Labour Organization

OSH - Occupational Safety and Health

OHSMS - Occupational Health and Safety Management System

CEO - Chief Executive Officer

MD - Managing Director

HoD - Head of Department

MRM - Management Review Meeting

ISO - International Organization for Standardization