FUNDAMENTALS OF

SAFETY MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS

ME 15: BASIC OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

Introduction

UNDERSTANDING THE BIG

PICTURE OF BUSINESS IS
CRITICAL TO SUCCESSFULLY
MANAGING A COMPANY'S
SAFETY AND HEALTH
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Introduction
PETER DRUCKER
a well-known management consultant said it this way…
"The first duty of business is to survive and the guiding principle
of business economics is not the maximization of profit, but the
avoidance or control of loss."
"The ignorance of the function of management, of its work, of its
standards, and its responsibilities is one of the most serious
weaknesses of an industrial society — and it is almost universal."
What is Management?
▪ It is the process of coordinating all the resources and activities
of an organization through planning, leading, organizing, and
controlling in order to fulfill organizational objectives, at the
least possible cost.
What is a System?
▪ It is an orderly arrangement of interdependent activities and
related procedures which implement and facilitate the
performance of a major activity within an organization.
Safety Management Systems
▪ It is the application of professional management techniques
and skill through program activities directed at risk avoidance,
loss prevention and loss reduction, specifically intended to
minimize losses resulting from pure (non-speculative) risks of
business.
Safety Management Systems
It involves the following:
▪ The identification of risk exposures.
▪ The measurement and analysis of exposures.
▪ The determination of exposures that will respond to existing or
available standards and loss control techniques or activities.
▪ The selection of the appropriate loss control action based on
relevant standards set forth for the effectiveness of
implementation and economic restraints.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ Until the beginning of the 20th century, many owners & societies
at large took a fatalistic* view of safety.
▪ ACCIDENTS were seen as regrettable, but not preventable as
farm workers and immigrants were willing to risk their lives and
limbs went to the city for decent wage.

The occurrence of accidents led social reformers & labor unions

push for more humane workplaces.
* relating to or characteristic of the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 1910 — reformers succeeded in getting worker's compensation
laws. This led to employers’ impression that a greatly increased
financial stake is needed in making the workplace safe.
▪ 1920 — interest in scientific management, improved safety
leads to improved productivity. Many employers began
inspecting their workplaces, keeping it clean and also monitored
working conditions.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 1930 — companies began to study not just physical workplaces,
but human contributions to accidents. Herbert William Heinrich
wrote the first significant book on modem safety management
titled " Industrial Accident Prevention".
▪ 1940 — focus on safety management broadened to include
prevention of not only accidents but also from illnesses.
Workers' compensation was updated to cover disability caused
by work-related diseases and industrial hygiene problems.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 1950 — management adopted the behavioral approach, and
turned to technology for solutions. Many companies began to
apply management and motivational principles in an effort to
change workers' behavior. At the same time, some came to
believe that technology had all the answers Emphasis on
engineering control.
▪ 1960 — national concerns about safety broadened to include
office environmental hazards. Government began to recognize
many serious environmental risks.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 1970 — the Federal government established the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration. Safety and health efforts
began to reflect workers participation in safety and health
concerns.

In the Philippines, the passage of Presidential Decree 442 also

known as the Labor Code of the Philippines in 1974 paved the
way to the mandatory implementation of the Occupational
Safety and Health Standards [OSHS] despite its approval in 1978,
four years after the P.D 442.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 1980 — priorities shifted from hazard identification to hazard
prevention, inception of general movement toward pro-active,
rather than reactive. Behavioral aspect of safety thru behavioral
based trainings were introduced. Studies focused on trying to
uncover worker's behavior at work.
▪ 1990 — the focus is now on integrating safety, health &
environmental management; safety, health, & environmental
(SHE) programs contribute to company's success.
Trends in Safety Management Systems
▪ 2000 — empowerment of workers; integrating quality, safety &
health, and environment management systems; and multi-
tasking of workers. Every employee, from CEO to forklift driver, is
now seen as responsible for safety. Most managers today accept
that good safety, health, environmental programs contribute to
the company's success.
Components of
Safety Management Systems
▪ PERSON — worker's qualification, heath condition, relationship
with co-workers.
▪ ENVIRONMENT — environmental conditions of the workplace,
weather, plant layout, workspace.
▪ MANAGEMENT — existence or non-existence of safety policy,
mismanagement, lack of written job procedures, poor
communication, poor training.
▪ EQUIPMENT — defective equipment, improper use of
equipment, inappropriate PPE, poor equipment design.
▪ TIME, and WORK PROCEDURES
Seven Critical Characteristics of
Safety Management Systems
1. MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT - management of a company
shows, in words and actions, their commitment to the safety
and health program
2. ACCOUNTABILITY - responsibilities and authority are assigned;
all employees (including management) are held accountable
for their responsibilities
Seven Critical Characteristics of
Safety Management Systems
3. EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT - employees are encouraged to, and
actively participate in, the development and implementation of
their safety and health program
4. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND CONTROL - the company has a
system for regularly scheduled self-inspections to identify
hazards and to correct and control them
Seven Critical Characteristics of
Safety Management Systems
5. INCIDENT/ACCIDENT ANALYSIS - there is a procedure at the
company for investigating and reviewing all workplace near
miss incidents, accidents, injuries and illnesses
6. TRAINING - there is a comprehensive program of safety and
health training for all employees (including management)
7. PROGRAM EVALUATION - the company has a system for
evaluating the overall safety and health program and does so
on a regular basis
Changing Safety Management Systems
▪ SAFETY EXPERTS now try to look for all factors that may have
contributed to a given incident.
▪ Studying all the contributing causes leading to the loss, helps
them to identify the root or key causes.
▪ The Management of Safety and Health Programs has evolved
over the years – focusing on the preventive and predictive aspect
rather than on the corrective measures, approaches to safety
and health management branched to the PROACTIVE than the
REACTIVE approach to safety.
Changing Safety Management Systems
WHAT'S A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SAFETY?
▪ This approach emphasizes doing everything management can to
anticipate and prevent accidents.

WHAT'S A REACTIVE APPROACH TO SAFETY?

▪ This approach emphasizes doing everything management must
do to limit losses after an accident occurs.
Changing Safety Management Systems
Structure of Safety
Management Systems

It is understood that all

systems including Safety and
Health have structure: INPUTS,
PROCESSES and OUTPUTS.
Structure of
Safety Management Systems
▪ Managing safety starts from the principle that most accidents
can be prevented.
▪ Team Leaders and Supervisors are important links in the chain of
safety consciousness. They are responsible for watching over the
workplace and protecting their workers for potential hazards on
the job.
Structure of
Safety Management Systems
Structure of
Safety Management Systems
▪ SAFETY MANAGER - The primary consultant on OSHA mandated
standards and programs. May have overall responsibility for
safety management.
▪ SAFETY ENGINEER - Consults on the use of engineering controls
to eliminate or reduce hazards in the workplace.
▪ HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR - Consults on human
resource programs that impact the safety and health of
employees.
Structure of
Safety Management Systems
▪ SAFETY COMMITTEE - Identifies, analyzes, and evaluates safety
and health programs. "In organizations, clients for the services
provided by staff people are called line managers. Line managers
have to labor under the advice of staff groups, whether they like
it or not. But any staff function, by definition, has no direct
authority over anything but its own time, its own internal staff,
and the nature of the service it offers."
Top Management Commitment (TMC)
▪ It is defined by how much Time, Money, and Concern the
employer gives" to safety.
▪ The degree to which managers demonstrate TMC indicates their
understanding of the benefits derived from an effective safety
management system.
 Top Management Commitment (TMC)
▪ The employers are motivated to make a commitment to safety to fulfill
social, fiscal, and legal obligations.
▪ The obligation considered most of the important influences of the level of
management commitment.
TO FULFILL THE SOCIAL TO FULFILL THE FISCAL TO FULFILL THE LEGAL
OBLIGATION: OBLIGATION: OBLIGATION:
▪ WE MUST SAVE LIVES ▪ WE MUST SAVE MONEY ▪ WE MUST STAY OUT OF
TROUBLE
▪ DO WHATEVER IT TAKES ▪ DO WHAT WE HAVE TO
▪ DO ONLY WHAT WE HAVE TO
▪ THIS IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE ▪ THIS IS A BETTER STRATEGY
STRATEGY! ▪ THIS IS THE LEAST EFFECTIVE
STRATEGY
Top Management Commitment (TMC)

COMMITMENT WILL SHAPE A TOUGH-CARING SAFETY CULTURE.

AN EFFECTIVE SAFETY CULTURE INCLUDES A BALANCED USE OF

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT.
Top Management Commitment (TMC)
Positive Reinforcement
POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT when effective, it increases required
and voluntary behaviors…
▪ Examples: PAY, BENEFITS, RECOGNITION, REWARD
▪ Employees perform to receive promised positive consequences
▪ Employees may perform far beyond minimum standards to be
rewarded
Top Management Commitment (TMC)
Positive Reinforcement
▪ Builds trust between labor and management
▪ Leads to higher levels of excellence

▪ What do you hear from employees?

o if I report a hazard, I know my supervisor will thank me.'
o if I make some good suggestions, I’ll have a better chance for
that pay raise.'
Top Management Commitment (TMC)
Negative Reinforcement
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT when effective, it increases required
behaviors only…
▪ Examples: FINES, TRANSFERS, DISCIPLINE, PUNISHMENT,
TERMINATION
▪ Employees perform to avoid promised negative consequences -
fear based
▪ Employees perform to minimum standard - just enough to stay
out of trouble
Top Management Commitment (TMC)
Negative Reinforcement
▪ Builds fear of management
▪ Leads to higher levels of compliance only

▪ What do you hear from employees?

o "If I wear that eye protection, my boss won't write me up."
o "If I don't use fall protection, I'll get fired."
Class Announcement/s
▪ Next Topic/s |
• Basic Work Accident Causation Theories
References
▪ Fundamentals of Occupational Safety and Health (Mark Friend, James
Kohn)
▪ Global Occupational Safety and Health Management Handbook
(Thomas P. Fuller)
▪ Handbook of Occupational Safety and Health (National Safety
Council)
▪ Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and
Managers, Global Edition. (Goetsch, David L.)
▪ Various BOSH / OSH Lecture Notes
▪ Internet Sources, Etc.
 End of Lecture
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