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Managing the Safety Function

Chapter 10

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Primary Activities

Planning

Organizing

Controlling

Directing

Staffing

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Planning

Forecasting of department needs

Review of records of successes and failures

Anticipate needed resourcesTime, money, personnel, materials

Proactive approach

Plans should follow mission and goals oforganization

Written objectives for safety

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Organizing

Staff vs. line positions

Line positions carry out major function of the

organization Staff positions provide support to line personnel

Staff have no authority over line positions, unless

authority is granted

Safety personnel nearly always staff

Job is to monitor safety

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Organizing

Within company structure, safety should not be

subordinate to personnel

Ideally safety reports directly to president or CEO May have functional authority over line managers

only as far as safety matters

Best position for positive influence is in advisoryrole

All members of organization must buy in

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Controlling

Involves monitoring, comparing to established

standards, taking corrective action

Occurs through inspections, audits, recordreviews, interviews with employees and

supervisors

Note deficiencies and make plans to correct

Management may make appropriate changes

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Management Choices

Do nothing

Lack of $$

Production schedules/deadlinesPersonnel limitations

Limited alternatives (less expensive approach)

disagreement

Modify design or process

Assumes operation is generally acceptable, but

performance will improve with changes

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Management Choices

Redesign workplace or its components

Most drastic measures

Most expensive

Most inconvenient

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Safety Audits

Broad definition

From inspection of hand tools to complete

review of entire safety program

Permits assignment of quantitative value to

some aspect of the safety program

Purpose is to determine where the programis relative to where it should be

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Safety Inspections

Determines adherence to operating standards

Is not quantitative

Ex.monthly inspection of fire extinguishers

Ex.periodic inspections to assure supervisors

are compliant

Key to audits and inspections is to take correctiveaction based on findings

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Directing

Safety practitioner does not actively direct

or lead organization unless has own staff

and resources Safety personnel operating from staff

position must have support, including

financial, from line management to besuccessful

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Staffing

If safety director has authority to hire staff

Be aware of ADA and Civil Rights Act

Have clear, written job description if physicallimitations exist

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Communications

Ability to communicate both written and

oral is critical!

Requires knowledge of economics,accounting, production and quality theory

Must be effective speaker

Practice, practice, practice

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OSHA Guidelines

Jan. 29, 1989 published voluntaryguidelines for general industry

Mgmt. Commitment and employeeinvolvement are complementary

Mgmt. Should value worker safety

Worksite analysis involves examining forexisting and potential hazards

Inspections, JSAs, incident investigations

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OSHA Guidelines

Once recognized, hazards should be

controlled, prevented, or eliminated

Engineering, administrative, PPE

Training programs should address safety

and health responsibilities of all personnel