SMS : Benefits of Effective Safety Management

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Chapter : Safety Management 

Benefits of Effective Safety Management

The effective Safety Management Systems (SMS) have proven to be a decisive factor in reducing the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses—and in reducing injury-related costs to employee and employer.

Critical Elements of an Effective SMS

The critical elements of an effective SMS are:

• Management commitment
• Employee involvement
• Worksite analysis
• Training for employees, supervisors and managers
• Hazard prevention and control

To give you an idea of what's involved, here's a brief safety management systems checklist:

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

• Develop and communicate a safety and health policy to all employees.
• Demonstrate management commitment by instilling accountability for safety and health, obeying safety rules, do safety inspection and reviewing accident reports.
• Conduct regular safety and health meetings involving employees, managers and supervisors.
• Assign responsible person(s) to coordinate safety and health activities.
• Integrate safety and health into business practices (e.g., purchases, contracts, design and development).
• Involve employees in safety and health- related activities (e.g., self-inspections, accident investigations and developing safe practices).
• Recognize employees for safe and healthful work practices.

Worksite Analysis

• Evaluate all workplace activities and processes for hazards.
• Reevaluate workplace activities when there are changes in processes, materials, or machinery
• Conduct on-site inspections, identify hazards and take corrective actions.
• Provide a hazard reporting system for employees to report unsafe and unhealthful conditions.
• Investigate all accidents and near misses to determine their root causes.

Training for Employees, Supervisors and Managers

• Provide training on specific safe work practices before an employee begins work.
• Provide additional training for new work processes and when accidents and near misses occur.
• Provide refresher training on a routine basis.

Hazard Prevention and Control

• Eliminate and control workplace hazards (e.g., engineering controls, workstation design and work practices).
• Establish a preventive maintenance program.
• Keep employees informed of safety and health activities and conditions.
• Plan for emergencies (e.g., create an evacuation plan, train employees and conduct fire drills).
• Record and analyze occupational injuries and illnesses.

Team Member Rights         

Sometimes it is helpful for the team to develop a list of team member rights. Typical rights are these:

• We have the right to support members emotionally while disagreeing with them intellectually
• We have the right to criticize ideas, but not people
• We have the right to say what we think, whether others agree or not
• Conflicts will occur. We have the right to try to learn and grow from them
• We have the right to expect others to try to overcome avoidance and to deal with conflicts
• We have the right to expect members to try to participate and to work to become more involved
• We have the right to expect we are all equal members; no one member’s ideas are greater than another’s, and all will be subject to the same scrutiny
• We have the right to expect people will leave their “power” (e.g. position and title) outside the team
• We have the right to express our feelings without being told we “should” feel a different way.
• We have the right to expect the process will take a long time and that periodically we will make mistakes