NEBOSH

ELEMENT 3

Organising for Health and Safety

HSG65 Elements of
Successful
Health & Safety Policy
Management

Organising
NEBOSH

Roles and Responsibilities

• Employer
• Employees
• Self-employed
• Designers and manufacturers
NEBOSH

Management’s Responsibilities for

Employees
1. Safe plant and equipment
2. Information, instruction, and training
3. Supervision
4. Safe place of work and access and egress
5. Safe environment and welfare facilities
6. Safety policy
7. Consult and inform employees
NEBOSH

Management’s Responsibilities for

Employees
8. Risk Assessments
9. Effective health and safety management
10. Competent health and safety assistance
11. Health and surveillance
12. Serious and imminent danger

If employer is in control of premises:

• Safe premises
• Safe access and egress
• Safe plant or substances
NEBOSH

Controllers of Premises
Safe Premises
Safe access and egress
Safe plant or substances
NEBOSH

Non employees include:

1. Contractors
2. Visitors
3. General public
4. Other employees
5. Trespassers

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NEBOSH

Precautions for visitors safety

• Signing in
• Providing identification badges
• Providing PPE
• Site induction e.g. Fire precautions
• Escorting visitor to area of work
• Remain with visitor or regular monitoring
• Escorting visitor back to reception area
• Signing out visitor and removing badge
NEBOSH

Duties of Employees
a) Not to endanger themselves and others
b) Co-operation with their employer
c) Not to interfere with anything provided for safety
d) Follow instructions and training given
e) Inform Employer of dangers and problems with
health and safety arrangements
NEBOSH

Designers, Manufacturers, Suppliers

and Importers
Articles must be designed and constructed to be
safe when being set, used, cleaned, maintained

Substances must be safe when being used,

handled, processed, stored or transported

Carry out and arrange tests

Provide revisions if necessary

Installers and Erectors must be competent

NEBOSH

Safety Practitioners should have:

1) Knowledge and understanding of the work involved
2) Understand principles of risk assessment
3) Knowledge of current health and safety applications
4) Capacity to apply to tasks required
5) Ability to identify problems
6) Ability to assessing the need for action
7) Ability to design and develop strategies
8) Evaluation of effectiveness of strategies
9) Promoting and communication health and safety
10) Understanding of current best practice
10) Awareness of own limitations
11) Willingness to learn
12) Membership of a professional body
13) Competence based qualifications
NEBOSH

Role of Safety Practitioner

Provide Information and Advice
Support Line Management with Co-ordination
of Health and Safety Effort
Monitor Effectiveness of Actions to meet
Responsibilities
NEBOSH

Functions of Safety Practitioner(1)

• Advise Management
• Carry out inspections
• Investigate accidents
• Record/Analyse accident
Data
• Assist with Training
• Contact with External
Bodies
NEBOSH

Functions of Safety Practitioner(2)

• Liaison with Workforce
• Safety integral part of
business
• Up to date with new
safety literature
• Liaison with Contractors
• Liaison with Insurers
• Monitor safety Policy
NEBOSH
Contacts of Safety Practitioner
outside the Organisation
• The Enforcing Authority
• Fire rescue service
• Insurance company
• Contractors
• Consultants/Engineers
• Manufacturers/Suppliers
• Clients/Customers
• Police
• Specialist health practitioners
• Public
• Media

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NEBOSH
Contractor Terms
Client: The party for whom the work or project is being
carried out
Contractor: The person engaged by the client to
undertake the work.
Principal Contractor: A ”Managing Contractor” who
has been formally appointed by a client under the
CDM Regulations 2007
Sub Contractor: Usually defined as a contractor who
has been engaged by another contractor rather than
the client
NEBOSH

Management of Contractors

Problems associated with contract work can

include:
• Contractors often involved in high risk work
• Unsuitable selection methods, poor planning
and little agreement
• Lack of communication, monitoring and
supervision
NEBOSH
Management Strategy for
Contractors
• Identification of suitable bidders
• Identification of hazards of job
• Checking (health and safety aspects) of
bids
• Contractors agree to clients rules
• Managing Contractors on site
• Checking contractors work
NEBOSH
Selecting a Contractor
• Experience with type of work
• Reputation
• Suitable references or recommendation
• Previous work record
• Adequacy of safety policy
• Enforcement history
• Accident and ill health data
• Membership of trade organisations
• Suitable training for employees
• Arrangements for sub-contractors
• Suitable risk assessments etc.
NEBOSH
Managing of Contractors on site
• Coordinator
• Pre-contract meeting
• Progress meetings
• Regular inspections
• Safety Committee
• Method statements
• Accident/Incident reporting
• Client set example
• Safety propaganda
• Plant documentation
• Training/Competency
NEBOSH
Contractors’ Comments
• You talk safety but don’t always act it.
• You revert back to type under pressure.
• You want us in quick and out fast & turn a blind eye
when corners are cut.
• Often not given complete information on job until
reporting for work on actual day.
• Never given positive feedback.
• We don’t feel part of the team.
• We feel like second class citizens.
NEBOSH
Informing and Consulting

Informing is a one way process and means of

providing information to employees

Consulting is a two way process which means

listening to employees’ views
NEBOSH

Matters on which employees are to

be consulted
1) Introduction of measures that affect their health
and safety
2) Arrangements for appointing competent persons
3) Information employers must supply to employees
4) The planning and organisation of any training
required
5) Consequences of new technology
NEBOSH

Employer not expected to disclose

1) Information on an individual
2) Information against national security
3) Information not relating to health and safety
4) Contravene a statutory duty on employer
5) Information in connection with legal proceedings
6) Damage business interests
Promoting Positive Health and
Safety Culture
 The Organisation - Culture
HSG65 defines culture as:
“the product of individual or group values,
attitudes and competencies and patterns of
behaviour, that determine the commitment to and
style and proficiency of an organisation’s health and
safety programmes.”
• Competence
• Control
• Co-operation
• Communication
Advice: It is not recommended that you attempt to remember this!
Health and Safety Culture
In simple terms, culture can
be thought of as collective
attitude within an
organisation.
 Health and Safety Culture
Characteristics of an organisation’s culture:
• Goals and mission statement.
• Patterns of behaviour.
• Authority and decision-making.
• Organisational structure.
• Leadership and openness.
• Drive for excellence.
• Open to change (active or reactive).

How can we identify these?

 Health and Safety Culture
These are very difficult issues to grasp.
We need to have firm
indicators of health and
safety culture, which we can
collect and measure.

They can be:

• active indicators, or
• reactive indicators.
 Health and Safety Culture

Indicators:
• Compliance with rules and
procedures.
• Complaints about working
conditions.
• Accidents.
• Absenteeism and sickness rates.
• Staff turnover.
NEBOSH

Health and Safety Performance

Safe Place Strategy
Safe Person Strategy
Number of Accidents

Technical Improvements (Hardware)

Process and Procedural Safety (Software)

Human Factors

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

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 Health and Safety Culture
Factors Promoting a Negative Culture
A negative culture can be engendered by both
management and workforce through negative attitude
and motivation.

• Organisational objectives.
• Management decision-making.
• Organisational change.
• Uncertainty.
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Uncertainty pushes the
individual down to a lower level
- this then dominates the
behaviour pattern.
Self-
Actualisation

Esteem-Status

Social, Affection

Safety, Security, Order

Basic Survival
Physiological Needs

We will pick up this model again in Human Factors.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
 Health and Safety Culture
Positive Culture
The four Cs of a positive health and
safety culture are:

• Competence.
• Control.
• Co-operation.
• Communication.
 Culture - the Four-Cs
Competence Control Co-operation Communication
Systematic Clear Employees are Providing
identification and demonstration of involved in information about
development of commitment, an planning and risks, plans,
skills resulting in a organizational developing safe objectives and
workforce that is structure in which systems of work feedback on
well informed and responsibilities are as well as performance. Also,
knowledgeable clear and people monitoring an atmosphere in
about risks and are accountable. performance. An which individuals
the precautions atmosphere in are encouraged to
and procedures which everyone is report hazards and
that exist for actively involved near misses as well
controlling risks. in continuous as injuries.
improvement.
NEBOSH

Influences on Behaviour
at Work

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NEBOSH

Influences on Behaviour
at Work
Planning
Organising
Control
Monitoring
Review & Audit © TWI Gulf WLL 2008
NEBOSH

Influences on Behaviour
at Work

© TWI Gulf WLL 2008

NEBOSH

Influences on Behaviour
at Work

Physical Characteristics
Psychological Attributes
Social & Cultural Influences
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NEBOSH
Influences on Behaviour at Work
Effect of Age & Experience

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 Organising - Communication
Syndicate Group Exercise

List as many methods of communicating in

the workplace as you can think of, in a grid
format.

Formal Informal
Written
Verbal
Communication Methods
 Organising - Communication

Propaganda
“…an organised scheme of
propagation of doctrine or
practice.”
Posters and publicity
campaigns were used at one
time to persuade and convey
a campaign of action for
workforce.
 Organising - Communication
Sources of Information
Group exercise:
As a class, develop a diagram to
show the sources of information
available to an organisation. You
must cover both:
• internal, and
• external.
 Organising - Communication
Internet sources of information:

The International Labour organisation (ILO):

http://www.ilo.org
The Occupational S&H Administration:
http://www.osha.org
The European Agency for S&H at Work (EU):
http://agency.osha.eu.int
The Health & Safety Executive (UK):
http://www.hse.gov.uk
Worksafe (Western Australia):
http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au
 Communication
Safety Signs and Signals
Signs are likely to fall into one of the following groups
and must comply with the approved styles:

• Prohibition.

• Mandatory.

• Warning.
• Safe condition.
 Safety Signs and Signals
• Prohibition

• Mandatory

• Warning

• Safe condition
Definitions of Communication
Communication is the process of conveying or
exchanging information to another individual or group
and where necessary, triggering a response.

This process can be done

consciously or unconsciously.
The information may be facts,
feelings or ideas.
The Environment of Communication
The environment can be positive or negative to
effective communication:

• The context and culture may affect

the words and gestures used.

• Interference - known as ‘noise’:

- Transmission affected by physical
interference.
- Fatigue and distractions affect
decoding.
 Forms of Communication
• Verbal communication, i.e. use of words:
- Written - informal or formal.
- Oral - face-to-face, phone and meetings.
• Non-verbal communication:
- Pictures and graphic symbols.
- Body language.

Don’t forget listening skills!

 Communication - Effective Listening
• Positive listening techniques:
- Attentive.
- Empathetic.

• Questioning techniques:
- Use of closed questions.
- Use of open questions.

• Clarification and justification:

- Avoid leading questions.
 Communication - Effective Listening
• Use of open questions:

"I keep six honest serving men.

They taught me all I know.
Their names are
What and Why and When
and How and Where and Who."
Rudyard Kipling

Remember this for questioning techniques in accident investigation.

 Methods of Communication
Some examples:
• Worker handbooks.
• Procedure manuals.
• Safety briefings.
• Toolbox talks.
• Memoranda.
• Notices, posters and films.
• Signs.
How effective are they?
Think of relative advantages and disadvantages.
Organising - Co-operation

• What is co-operation?

• Who needs to co-operate on health and

safety?

• How is co-operation achieved?

 Organising - Consultation
It is a legal duty to consult with workers
concerning health and safety in many
countries.
Standards found in:
• ILO-C155 - Article 20.
• ILO-R164 - Article 12.

Aim is to bring about co-operation.

It is good practice even though it may
not be legal requirement.
Organising - Consultation

Consultation should take place on:

• New measures and technologies.

• Appointment of competent people to give health and
safety advice.
• Development of training programmes.
• Matters relating to workers’ health and safety.
 Organising - Consultation
Non-formal consultation:
• Safety circles – informal
discussion groups. People can
share ideas and suggest solutions.
• Work and office committees.

• Weekly meetings of shop floor staff, supervisors

and managers.

Formal consultation – includes formal committees.

 What is Competence?

Competence can be defined as:

“…a combination of knowledge,

ability, training and education,
to enable effective performance of
the work.”

‘Competent KATE’
 Training

Training can be defined as:

“…a planned process to modify attitude, knowledge

or skill behaviour through learning experience to
achieve effective performance in an activity or range
of activities.”
 Training
What is training?

Training is:
“…. the systematic development of
attitudes, knowledge and skills
required to perform adequately, a
given task or job.”

The suitably and sufficiently trained

person will therefore be
competent.
 Training
What does it achieve?
It develops specific skills to:
• Use new equipment.
• Operate a computer.
• Write a letter or report.
It may assist in career growth.

How is it identified?
By carrying out a training needs analysis.
 Training
Identifying Training Needs

Stage 1 - Analyse job content and performance standards:

- Task and job analysis (e.g. JSA).
- Refer to risk assessments.
Stage 2 - Decide what knowledge, skills and experience
are needed.
Stage 3 - Assess existing competence, by:
- Past experience and qualifications.
- Performance appraisal and observations.

The difference between Stage 2 and 3 is the training need.

 Training
Who Needs Training and When?
• Induction - newly appointed
employee from outside the
organisation. What needs to be
covered, in what detail and
when?

• Job or process change - newly

promoted, transferred or
employees facing change.

• Changes in legislation.
 Training
Training Techniques

1. Face-to-face:
- Classroom situation.
- Lecture situation.
- Demonstrations.
- Toolbox talks.
- On-the-job training.
- Role plays.

2. Distance or open learning.

 Training
Alternatives to Training

• Discipline.
• Posters.
• Fear tactics.
• H&S videos.
• Interactive training and
discussion groups.
 Benefits of Training
Employee Employer
Less suffering Less accidents
Quality of life Less absenteeism
Job satisfaction Less compensation
Earning capacity Less legal
Reach standard Improved morale
Flexibility of staff Less product damage
Improve Safety attitude Greater productivity
Improved efficiency

69
© TWI Gulf WLL 2008
 Syndicate Group Exercise
Design a health and safety induction training
programme for new starters. Consider the following:

• What topics should be included?

• In what order?
• What sort of timescale will your programme run
over?