Updating Your Safety Statement Updating Your Safety Statement At NUIG ABC Company Safety Statement

Updating Your Safety Statement Updating Your Safety Statement Course Program ABC Company Safety Statement Contents of the Safety Statement Reviewing the Safety Statement Risk Management Process Practicalities

Updating Your Safety Statement At the end of this session you will be able to:  describe the main structure of the NUIG Safety Statement  explain the importance of reviewing the Safety Statement  explain the risk assessment process  understand the importance of a prioritised action plan Overview

Updating Your Safety Statement A Safety Statement is: the employer’s programme (in writing) for safeguarding the health & safety of employees and others in the workplace.

Updating Your Safety Statement Functions of a Safety Statement 4Statement of objectives 4Visible management action 4Role specification 4Resolves conflicts 4Audit & review 4Staff information 4Training

Updating Your Safety Statement A Safety Statement must:  Specify how health & safety will be secured  Be based on a systematic risk assessment  Incorporate written risk assessments, which must be periodically evaluated & revised  Identify arrangements, resources & level of co-operation  Specify names of key individuals

Updating Your Safety Statement A Safety Statement must be:  integrated into on-going activities (“unless the provisions of this document are implemented and acted on, actual improvements in safety standards will be minimal”)  communicated to everyone in the workplace  periodically reviewed and updated accordingly

Updating Your Safety Statement Updating the Safety Statement  Why  When  How

Updating Your Safety Statement Competence:  Selection  Experience  Knowledge  Supervision  Information  Training  Motivation

Updating Your Safety Statement Policy Statement General Safety Management Arrangements Risk Assessments Appendices Safety Statement

Updating Your Safety Statement Policy Statement General Safety Management Arrangements Risk Assessments Appendices Safety Statement Signed by the President Describes safety system General hazards & controls Specific hazards & controls

Updating Your Safety Statement Safety Statement Declaration

Updating Your Safety Statement Safety Statement Declaration should be: …a declaration, signed at top management level on behalf of the employer

Updating Your Safety Statement  Be a general statement of intent  State commitment to health & safety  Intention to comply with statutory regulations  Signal commitment of resources  Indicate periodic evaluation & revision Safety Statement Declaration should:

Updating Your Safety Statement General Safety Management Arrangements  Responsibilities & Role Specifications

Updating Your Safety Statement Functions of Role Descriptions  Resolves role conflict  Provides a basis for appraisal  Highlights co-ordination between personnel  Reflects safety management structure  Facilitates training needs identification

Updating Your Safety Statement General Safety Management Arrangements  Responsibilities & Role Specifications  Consultative Arrangements

Updating Your Safety Statement “Pooling knowledge & experience through particpation,commitment & involvement means that health & safety really becomes everybody’s business.” Health & Safety Authority

Updating Your Safety Statement Safety Management Arrangements  Promotion of Safety Statement  Part 3-Risk Management  Part 4-Academic Depts/Sections  Part 5-Fire & Emergency Procedures  Smoking  General H&S Provisions  Workplace Standards  Work Equipment Standards  Responsibilities & Role Specifications  Consultative Arrangements

Updating Your Safety Statement  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)  Manual Handling  Display Screen Equipment  Electrical Safety  First-Aid  Accident Reporting  Chemical Agents  Carcinogens Safety Management Arrangements contd.

Updating Your Safety Statement  Biological Agents  Lone Working  Fieldwork/Off-Site Work Guidelines  Contractors  Construction Regulations  Confined Spaces  Visitors  Pregnant Employees Safety Management Arrangements contd.

Updating Your Safety Statement  Out of Hours Working  Student Placement  The Role of Academic Supervisors  Safety Signs  Night Work and Shift Work  Movement of Vehicles  Noise  Stress  Bullying Safety Management Arrangements contd.

Updating Your Safety Statement  Alcohol, Gambling & Substance Abuse  Managing Absence  Part 6-Revision and Updating of SS  Appendices- eg. Safety Mgt. Structure, Accident Report Form, Safety Training Record Form etc. Safety Management Arrangements contd.

Updating Your Safety Statement How Do We Achieve Continual Improvement?

Updating Your Safety Statement Risk Management: A process which can be applied to any situation where an unexpected or undesired outcome could be significant.

Updating Your Safety Statement What is a Risk Assessment? A careful examination of what could cause harm or loss, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more.

Updating Your Safety Statement Analyse work activities Assess risks Identify hazards Evaluate & Monitor Identify, implement & record controls Monitor Evaluate risks Is risk tolerable/controlled? NoYes

Updating Your Safety Statement What is a Hazard? Anything that has the potential to cause harm or loss or damage to the environment

Updating Your Safety Statement

Physical noise, temperature, fire, manual handling CategoryExamples Chemical acids, solvents, caustics Biological bacteria, viruses Mechanical moving parts of machinery, faulty tools or equipment Psychosocial poor supervision, boring repetitive work, isolation Hazards

Updating Your Safety Statement Hazard Management:  general hazards & their controls  specific hazards & their controls

Updating Your Safety Statement General Hazards:  manual handling  VDUs  electricity  machinery  chemicals  noise

Updating Your Safety Statement Specific Hazards:  particular piece of eqpt./machinery  biological hazards  radiation

Updating Your Safety Statement What is Harm? The adverse effect on an individual that may result from exposure to a hazard.

Updating Your Safety Statement What is Loss? Damage to property or equipment that may result from exposure to a hazard.

Updating Your Safety Statement What is Risk? The likelihood of the harm or loss, together with the severity/consequence of the harm or loss. The link between hazard & harm Risk Hazard Harm

Updating Your Safety Statement Risk LikelihoodSeverity/Consequence Exposure:  Frequency  Duration  Number of people Human differences:  Skills  Experience  Training  Physical capabilities Nature of hazard:  Type  Number of risk factors

Updating Your Safety Statement Example: Power cord in walkway

Updating Your Safety Statement Likelihood very likely likely unlikely slightly harmful very harmful Consequence Priority Table

Updating Your Safety Statement Risk Rating= 1 x 3 = 3 Severity=Very Harmful= 3 Likelihood=Unlikely= 1 For Example

Updating Your Safety Statement AssessmentPriorityAction Moderate Risk 3 - 4Action needed Controls required as soon as practical Assessment recorded Controls documented Acceptable Risk 2 Non-urgent No additional controls Monitoring required Assessment recorded Trivial Risk 1 Non-urgent No action needed Substantial Risk 6 Urgent action needed Controls required immediately Assessment recorded Controls documented Intolerable Risk 9 Urgent action needed Work prohibited/ceased Controls required immediately Assessment recorded Controls documented Work stoppage documented

Updating Your Safety Statement Uncertain about risks? Not enough information? Uncertain about degree of exposure? 4Obtain more information 4Apply good practice to minimise exposure until more information available 4Obtain specialist advice if necessary

Updating Your Safety Statement What are Controls? Methods of eliminating or reducing hazards

Updating Your Safety Statement

Control the hazard:  How can we eliminate the hazard? or  How can we manage it so it doesn’t cause a problem?

Updating Your Safety Statement Elimination Substitution Engineering Controls PPE Administrative Controls Hierarchy of Control 100% 10%

Updating Your Safety Statement Do existing controls:  meet the standards set by a legal requirement?  comply with a recognised industry standard?  represent good practice?  reduce risk as far as reasonably practicable?

Updating Your Safety Statement Implementing Controls- Practicalities:  What needs to be done?  Who is going to do it?  What priority do we give it?  What deadline is realistic?  Who’s going to check it’s done?

Updating Your Safety Statement Remember: Prioritise based on risk!

Updating Your Safety Statement Integrating Health and Safety at All Levels

Updating Your Safety Statement Control Co-operation Communication Competence Key Elements of a Safety Culture: Management  Responsibility Employees  Commitment