Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems

Ensuring the fundamental right to a safe and healthy working environment is essential to prevent work related accidents and diseases and protect and promote the health and well-being of workers. In this context, the identification of hazards arising in or from the workplace and the assessment and control of the associated risks that could impair the health and well-being of workers are the key principles of the process of ensuring a safe and health workplace. In the past decades, the increasing complexity and fast changing nature of the world of work called for a systems’ approach to managing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment. OSH management systems have existed for several decades and have demonstrated their key role to successfully improve the implementation of OSH in the workplace by ensuring integration into business planning and development processes. The adoption of OSH management system also ensures more effective participation of workers in determining and implementing preventive measures. There is no one size fits all and enterprises should analyse carefully their needs in relation to their means and tailor their OSH management system accordingly. A significant number of OSH management system standards and guidelines have been developed and many countries have formulated national OSH strategies that also integrate the management systems approach. At the international level, the ILO published in 2001 “Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems ILO-OSH 2001” which because of their tripartite approach have become a widely used model for developing national standards in this area.

An OSH management system is a set of interrelated or interacting elements to establish OSH policy and objectives, and to achieve those objectives. The application of a systems’ approach to the management of OSH in workplace ensures that the level of prevention and protection is continuously evaluated and maintained through appropriate and timely improvements. In order to create and maintain a safe and healthy working environment and comply with the OSH requirements pursuant to national laws and regulations, employers are encouraged to make appropriate arrangements for the establishment of an OSH management system. The system should contain the main elements of policy, organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation and action for improvement, as shown in the figure.