Safety management systems and associated standards have emerged as a popular approach to improving safety performance. This article will look briefly at two of the leading systems: OHSAS 18001 and ILO-OSH 2001.

The Genesis of Management Systems

Legislation and regulation set out workplace health and safety standards that all companies must meet. They represent a minimum standard. Consequently, many safety professionals are not satisfied merely to achieve compliance. They want to aim for and be judged by a higher standard.

The aspiration of safety professionals to do better has fueled demand for recognizable occupational health and safety management system standards that can be used to assess and certify management systems.

OHSAS 18001

The Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series - OHSAS 18001 - is an example of a system developed in response to this demand. Implementing OHSAS 18001 is designed to compel companies to act proactively - to assess all aspects of the business that involve health and safety risks; evaluate those risks; and take measures to control them. OHSAS 18001 can also be used by organizations of all sizes and in all industries.

ILO-OSH 2001

The International Labour Organization's ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines for safety management systems represents an international model. Of course, the ILO guidelines are purely voluntary and don't supplant national laws, regulations and standards. On the contrary, they're designed to be compatible with other management system standards and guides. The purpose of the effort to develop the guidelines is to encourage integration of OSH management systems with other management systems utilized by businesses to ensure that OSH management becomes an integral part of running the business.

On November 4, 2004, Ireland became the first European Union country to formally recognize the ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines.

Conclusion

In addition to the existing OHSAS 18001 and ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines, there are initiatives in the U.S. and Canada to develop national safety system standards. The U.S. standard, ANSI Z.10 is now published. The Canadian CSA Z1000 is in the final stages of publication. Next week, in Part 2 of this series, I'll discuss some of the aspects of these initiatives and talk about which safety management system an organization should adopt.

Editor's Note: This article is based on a story published by Industrial Safety & Hygiene News on June 5, 2005. See www.ishn.com.

HEROES OF WORKPLACE SAFETY

Vice Admiral Robert FitzRoy

Vice Admiral Robert FitzRoy: Saved lives by developing a system to forecast storms at sea.

Robert FitzRoy joined the British Royal Navy at the tender age of 12. The year was 1819. FitzRoy who happened to be a descendant of King Charles II, passed the Lieutenant's exam and became a commissioned officer seven years later.

FitzRoy was assigned to a 235-ton survey ship: The H.M.S. Beagle. The first expedition of the Beagle to South America in 1828 was eventful enough. The Captain committed suicide and FitzRoy assumed command. But it was the second expedition in 1831 that would make the Beagle famous. FitzRoy was accompanied by a young naturalist named Charles Darwin. FitzRoy would later write two books chronicling the expedition.

FitzRoy would go on to have an illustrious naval, scientific and political career before consternation at being passed over for promotion to Chief Naval Officer in the Marine Department caused him to commit suicide in 1865.

His contribution to safety began in 1854, when he became head of a new government department formed to collect and analyze data about weather at sea. Bearing the title Meteorological Statist to the Board of Trade, FitzRoy developed a system to predict, or as FitzRoy described it, "forecast" the weather. The system involved the creation of 15 land stations that received telegraph transmissions from captains at sea. The data would be coordinated and a forecast would be made. This provided captains advance warning of storms and saved the lives of countless seamen.

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