Management system guidance
5.0 Leadership
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5.3 OHSMS Roles, responsibility and authority
The guidance shown on this page is relevant to ISO 45001. Each employee needs to know who is responsible for the various elements of the management system to ensure a successful implementation. Develop an organization chart and create job descriptions to satisfy the requirements in order to clearly define roles, responsibilities and authorities and communicate those responsibilities and authorities throughout your organization.
You should develop and make available to all employees a list of key personnel and their job descriptions, responsibilities, along with an organization chart of key employees as they relate to your management system. This should effectively define, document, and communicate the organizational structure of the management system. Please note that this method is a suggestion, and other ways of meeting the requirement for organizational structure may be used.
You should seek evidence that your organization’s personnel have not only been advised of their management system responsibilities and authorities, but also that they understand these in the context of the overall purpose of the management system.
You should also ensure that Top management have assigned responsibility and authority for preserving the integrity of the organization’s management system during changes.
Safety accountability and responsibilities
Your organisation should clearly define the lines of safety accountability throughout its operations. This should include the direct accountability for safety on the part of the Accountable Manager and senior management. There is also a need to define the safety responsibilities and expected behaviours of key personnel (nominated post-holders, Health and Safety Manager, Safety Coordinators, Health and Safety Representatives, and Safety Committee members, for example). Safety is everyone’s responsibility and all staff should be aware of their roles and responsibilities in is this regard.
It is essential that the health and safety management is seen as an integral strategic part of your organisation’s business by assigning the highest priority to health and safety. With this in mind, there has to be a demonstrable board-level commitment to an effective health and safety management system. Top management should:
- Develop the health and safety policy, which is endorsed and actively supported by the Accountable Executive;
- Continuously promote the health and safety policy to all staff and demonstrate their commitment to it;
- Specify and allocate necessary human and financial resources;
- Establish health and safety objectives and performance standards for the organisation.
- Establish appropriate Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs) to monitor and measure the health and safety performance of the organisation and the effectiveness of the OHSMS.
Safety responsibilities, accountabilities and authorities must be documented and communicated throughout the organisation, and should include a definition of the levels of management with authority to make decisions.
Appointment of key health and safety personnel
Whilst the organisational structure of the health and safety management system should reflect the size, nature and complexity of your business, it should:
- Appoint a Health and Safety Manager;
- Appoint specialist Health and Safety Advisors;
- Allow the appointment of a Health and Safety Representative;
- Create an appropriate health and safety committee.
Your organisation should identify and appoint an Accountable Executive who, irrespective of other functions, must have ultimate responsibility and accountability, on behalf of the organisation, for the implementation and maintenance of the health and safety management system.
Your organisation should also identify the safety accountabilities of all members of Senior Management, irrespective of other functions, as well as of employees, with respect to health and safety performance.
- Ensure that health and safety accountabilities, authorities and responsibilities defined throughout the organisation;
- Ensure that clearly defined lines of safety accountabilities are communicated throughout the organisation;
- Ensure that all staff aware of, and understand their health and safety accountabilities, authorities and responsibilities?
Top management
Top management is responsible for business planning, development and the communication of our policies, health and safety management system planning, the establishment and deployment of policies, objectives, the provision of resources needed to implement and improve the management system, and for undertaking reviews. As such, they should appoint an Accountable Executive with responsibility and accountability for the OHSMS, and who should:
- Have corporate authority for ensuring all activities can be financed and carried out to the required standard;
- Have full authority for ensuring adequate staffing levels;
- Have direct responsibility for the conduct of the organisation’s affairs;
- Have final authority over operational matters;
- Have final accountability for all health and safety issues
- Promote the OH&S policies when communicating with Management, Workers, and Subcontractors;
- Provide support for the implementation of the OHSMS;
- Ensure resources are provided for maintaining and improving the OHSMS;
- Ensure that Management Teams meet on a regular basis to monitor and review OHSMS performance;
- Promote, recognize and reward safe behaviors;
- Maintain personal accountability for overall safety performance;
- Approve safety policies;
- Monitor resource levels and approve expenditure;
- Review and approve investigation reports;
- Participate in H&S Committee meetings of the Management Teams.
Top management must accept their legal and moral obligations to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy working environment, and may appoint health and safety specialists, as appropriate, to discharge occupational health and safety duties within your operations.
Health and safety manager
Your organisation should appoint a Health and Safety Manager as the individual responsible for the implementation and maintenance of an effective OHSMS, and be focal point for its routine operation. In addition, the Safety Committees that support the Accountable Executive and the Health and Safety manager in delivering an effective SMS should be defined and documented.
The Health and Safety Manager is responsible for the administration, maintenance and promotion of an effective safety management system. The Health and Safety Manager should report directly to the Accountable Executive. The post should be given appropriate status with in the organisation in order to provide the necessary degree of authority when dealing with safety matters. The Health and Safety Manager should possess:
- Broad operational knowledge and experience in the functions of the organisation and the supporting systems;
- Analytical and problem solving skills;
- Effective oral and written communication skills;
- An understanding of human and organisational factors;
- Detailed knowledge of safety management principles and practices;
- Direct reporting line to the Accountable Executive.
It is important to note that accountability for the OHSMS rests with the Accountable Executive not the Health and Safety Manager . The Health and Safety Manager should be a full-time employee although it may be a part time role shared with other duties. The Health and Safety Manager should carry out the following functions:
- Manage the OHSMS implementation plan on behalf of the accountable manager;
- Facilitate the risk management process that should include hazard identification, risk assessment and risk mitigation;
- Monitor corrective actions to ensure their accomplishment;
- Provide periodic reports on health and safety performance;
- Maintain health and safety management documentation;
- Ensure that there is safety management training available and that it meets acceptable standards;
- Provide advice on health and safety matters;
- Initiate and participate in incident investigations;
- Collate, understand and disseminate information from other similar organisations, the regulator and contracted organisations.
Health and safety representatives
The rights of Health and Safety Representatives are laid down in the 1977 Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations, which is part of the Health and Safety at Work Act. Health and Safety Representatives should be nominated by Workers. They should receive appropriate training which is refreshed accordingly.
Health and Safety Representatives play a key role in workplace health and safety and work with Top management on health and safety issues by representing the health and safety interests of workers and contractors, and are responsible for the undertaking to following duties:
- Promote, recognize and reward safe behaviors;
- Maintain personal accountability for overall OH&S performance;
- Attend meetings of safety committees;
- Investigating the causes of accidents;
- Investigate potential and actual hazards and dangerous occurrences;
- Investigate colleagues’ concerns and complaints;
- Present colleagues’ concerns to management;
- Carry out workplace inspections;
- Acting on information that might impact upon the health, safety, and welfare of our workers;
- Inspecting documents relevant to safety in the workplace;
- Making representations to Top management;
- Receiving information from HSE Inspectors, and representation in meetings with HSE Inspectors;
- Planning and organizing health and safety training.
The Health and Safety Representatives must be given access to information as is necessary to fulfil their function and are notified of any visit by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Health and safety advisors
Health and Safety Advisors support the Health and Safety Manager to deliver the following:
- Promoting, recognizing and rewarding safe behaviors;
- Maintaining personal accountability for overall safety performance;
- Providing advice and information on health and safety matters to staff and others as applicable;
- Identifying and assessing hazards and their risks;
- Ensuring operational controls are implemented and monitored;
- Coordinating safety issues with employees;
- Representation at Improvement Groups;
- Publication of internal communications and safety newsletters;
- Completion of audits according to the internal audit programme;
- Increasing the competence and awareness of staff at all levels through the development of training and awareness initiatives and sharing of best practice.
More information on PDCA
Planning
Context
Planning
Support
Doing
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Operations
Checking
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Acting
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