Occupational safety and

health
Lecture by:
Ahmad Shazrin Mohamed Azmi
 INTRODUCTION
• Modern Occupational Safety and Health was started in
1970’s in UK. The concept emerged after various studies
had been conducted due high industrial incident cases during
the industrial revolution. The legislation on safety aspects at
work place has been implemented by many countries since
then.
• The legislation then becomes more comprehensive and
covers almost aspects of building occupation and work
place.
• Malaysia started to adopt self-regulatory legislation in 1994.
 PRINCIPLES
The Ministry of Labour and National Service (UK) postulated the
following six principles of accident prevention in 1956:

1. Accident prevention is an essential part of good management and of

good workmanship
2. Management and workers must cooperate wholeheartedly in securing
freedom from accidents.
3. Top management must take the lead in organising safety.
4. There must be definite and known safety policy in each workplace.
5. The organisation and resource necessary to carry out the policy must
exist.
6. The best available knowledge and methods must be applied.

These principles are included in Occupational Safety and Health Act

1994 (OSHA 1994)
 INCIDENT
• Incident is an unexpected, unplanned event in sequence of
events that occurs through a combination of causes which
result in physical harm (injury, ill-health or disease) to an
individual, damage to property, a near-miss, a loss or any
combination of these effects.
• Incident do not necessarily mean an event that cause
immediate injury or damage. It can also happened in the
long-term which may not be detected immediately.
 Why prevent incident

1. Legal reasons – OSHA 1994 specifically requires

employers to prevent accidents and ill-health in the
workplace

2. Moral Issue – incidents cause suffering to individual,

families and colleagues

3. Business reasons – incident lower the productivity and

therefore profitability of an organization. Also can
tarnish the image of the business.
 Accident causation theories

1. Domino Theory – an injury from incident is the result of

a series of events or circumstances that dependent on
each other.

2. Loss causation model – introduced the thought of

managerial error into the accident causation sequence.

3. Multicausality Accident Model – refer to the fact that

any accident can be contributed by more than one
reasons.
 DU pont 10 principles of safety
management
1. All injuries and occupational illness are preventable

2. Management is directly responsible for doing this

3. Safety is a condition of employment

4. Training is required

5. Safety audits and inspections must be carried out

6. Deficiencies must be corrected promptly

 DU pont 10 principles of safety
management
7. All unsafe practices, incidents and injury accidents will
be investigated

8. Safety away from work is as important as safety at work

9. Accident prevention is cost effective; the highest cost is

human suffering

10. Employees must be actively involved

 Safety and health policy
statement
• The statement is a document that sets out how the
organization will manage health and safety at the
workplace.
• OSHA 1994 states that an organization should have a
written general statement of safety and health policy.
• It is a statement from top management that declares their
commitment to the statements in the policy. Employees
can use the statements to guide their actions.
 Steps in implementing safety and health
policy

1. Formulate and write the policy – look simple but it needs to

fulfill certain criteria. It should have statements of vision and
goals, the objectives and important statements that enough to
make the statement on.

2. Implement policy by making arrangements

3. Communicate the policy – treat the policy as public document.

Everybody must know and has access to this document.

4. Monitor and revise as necessary – to ensure it meets the target

and comply with new regulations.
 Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems in
the organization

5 Steps in OSH
Management System
 1) Policy
• The employer, in consultation with workers and their representatives, should
set out in writing an OSH policy, which should be:
a) specific to the organization and appropriate to its size and the nature of
its activities
b) concise, clearly written, dated and made effective by the signature or
endorsement of the employer or the most senior accountable person in
the organization
c) communicated & readily accessible to all persons at their place of work
d) reviewed for continuing suitability
e) made available to relevant external interested parties, as appropriate.
 Example of Safety Policy

MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES

Safety and Health Policy Statement

We are dedicated to providing a safe and healthful environment for employees and customers, protecting the public,
and preserving MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES assets and property.

At MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES our most valuable resource are the people who work for us. Injuries can be
prevented, INSYAALLAH. To achieve this objective, MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES will make all reasonable
efforts to comply with all government regulations pertaining to safety and health issues. An effective Safety and
Health Program will be carried out throughout our organization.

The Safety and Health Program will assist management and non-supervisory employees in controlling hazards and
risks which will minimize employee and customer injuries, damage to customer’s property and damage or destruction
of MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES property.

All employees will follow this program. This program is designed to encourage all employees to promote the safety
of their fellow employees and customers. To accomplish our safety and health goals, all members of management are
responsible and accountable for implementing this policy, and to insure it is followed.

MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES is sincerely interested in the employee’s safety. The policy of MWA
CONSULTANCY SERVICES is to provide safe equipment, adequate tools and training, and the necessary protective
equipment. It is the employee’s responsibility to follow the rules of safety as established for their protection and the
protection of others, and to use the protective devices, which MWA CONSULTANCY SERVICES provides.
 Policy
Worker Participation
• Worker participation is an essential element of the OSH management system
in the organization.
• The employer should ensure that workers and their safety and health
representatives are consulted, informed and trained on all aspects of OSH,
including emergency arrangements, associated with their work.
• The employer should make arrangements for workers and their safety and
health representatives to have the time and resources to participate actively in
the processes of organizing, planning and implementation, evaluation and
action for improvement of the OSH management system.
• The employer should ensure, as appropriate, the establishment and efficient
functioning of a safety and health committee and the recognition of workers'
safety and health representatives, in accordance with national laws and
practice.
 organising

There are 5 important points in organising OSH

1) Responsibility and Accountability

2) Structure and Process

3) Competencies and Training

4) OSH Documentation

5) Communication
 2) Organizing
1 - Responsibility & accountability

1. Responsibility and accountability

• The employer should have overall responsibility for the
protection of workers' safety and health, and provide
leadership for OSH activities in the organization.

• The employer and senior management should allocate

responsibility, accountability and authority for the
development, implementation and performance of the
OSH management system and the achievement of the
relevant OSH objectives.
 2) Organizing
2 – Structure & Processes
Structures and processes should be established which:

i. ensure that OSH is a line-management responsibility which

is known and accepted at all levels
ii. define and communicate to the members of the organization
the responsibility, accountability and authority of persons
who identify, evaluate or control OSH hazards and risks
iii. provide effective supervision, as necessary, to ensure the
protection of workers' safety and health
iv. promote cooperation and communication among members
of the organization, including workers and their
representatives, to implement the elements of the
organization's OSH management system
 2) Organizing
2 – Structure & Processes

v. fulfill the principles of OSH management systems contained in

relevant national guidelines, tailored guidelines or voluntary
program, as appropriate, to which the organization subscribes;
vi. fulfill the principles of OSH management systems contained in
relevant national guidelines, tailored guidelines or voluntary
program, as appropriate, to which the organization subscribes;
vii. establish and implement a clear OSH policy and measurable
objectives;
viii. establish effective arrangements to identify and eliminate or
control work-related hazards and risks, and promote health at
work
 2) Organizing
2 – Structure & Processes
ix. establish prevention and health promotion program
x. ensure effective arrangements for the full participation of
workers and their representatives in the fulfillment of the
OSH policy;
xi. provide appropriate resources to ensure that persons
responsible for OSH, including the safety and health
committee, can perform their functions properly
xii. ensure effective arrangements for the full participation of
workers and their representatives in safety and health
committees, where they exist.
 2) Organizing
3 – Competencies & training
Competencies and training
• The necessary OSH competence requirements should be
defined by the employer, and arrangements established
and maintained to ensure that all persons are competent to
carry out the safety and health aspects of their duties and
responsibilities.

• The employer should have, or should have access to,

sufficient OSH competence to identify and eliminate or
control work-related hazards and risks, and to implement
the OSH management system.
 2) Organizing
4 - OSH documentation
According to the size and nature of activity of the
organization, OSH management system documentation should
be established and maintained, and may cover:-

a) the OSH policy and objectives of the organization

b) the allocated key OSH management roles and
responsibilities for the implementation of the OSH
management system
c) the significant OSH hazards/risks arising from the
organization's activities, and the arrangements for their
prevention and control
d) arrangements, procedures, instructions or other internal
documents used within the framework of the OSH
management system.
 2) Organizing
5 - Communication
• Arrangements and procedures should be established and
maintained for:

a) receiving, documenting and responding appropriately to

internal and external communications related to OSH
b) ensuring the internal communication of OSH
information between relevant levels and functions of the
organization
c) ensuring that the concerns, ideas and inputs of workers
and their representatives on OSH matters are received,
considered and responded to.
 3) Planning and Implementation

1. Initial Review
The initial review should be carried out by competent persons, in
consultation with workers and/or their representatives, as
appropriate. It should:

1. identify the current applicable national laws and

regulations, national guidelines, tailored guidelines,
voluntary program and other requirements to which the
organization subscribes
2. identify, anticipate and assess hazards and risks to safety
and health arising from the existing or proposed work
environment and work organization
3. determine whether planned or existing controls are
adequate to eliminate hazards or control risks
4. analyze the data provided from workers' health
surveillance.
 3) Planning and Implementation

• The result of the initial review should:

1. be documented;
2. become the basis for making decisions regarding the
implementation of the OSH management system
3. provide a baseline from which continual improvement of
the organization's OSH management system can be
measured.
 3) Planning and Implementation

2. Planning
The purpose of planning should be to create an OSH
management system that supports:-
1. as the minimum, compliance with national laws and
regulations
2. the elements of the organization's OSH
management system
3. continual improvement in OSH performance
 3) Planning and Implementation

3. Occupational safety and health objectives

• Consistent with the OSH policy and based on the initial or
subsequent reviews, measurable OSH objectives should be
established, which are:
1) specific to the organization, and appropriate to and
according to its size and nature of activity
2) consistent with the relevant and applicable national laws
and regulations, and the technical and business obligations
of the organization with regard to OSH
3) focused towards continually improving workers' OSH
protection to achieve the best OSH performance
4) realistic and achievable
5) documented, and communicated to all relevant functions
and levels of the organization
6) periodically evaluated and if necessary updated.
 3) Planning and Implementation

4. Hazard prevention
i. Prevention and control measures
• Hazards and risks to workers' safety and health should be
identified and assessed on an ongoing basis. Preventive and
protective measures should be implemented in the following
order of priority:
a) eliminate the hazard/risk
b) control the hazard/risk at source, through the use of
engineering controls or organizational measures
c) minimize the hazard/risk by the design of safe work
systems, which include administrative control measures
d) where residual hazards/risks cannot be controlled by
collective measures, the employer should provide for
appropriate personal protective equipment, including
clothing, at no cost, and should implement measures to
ensure its use and maintenance.
 3) Planning and Implementation

4. Hazard prevention
ii. Management of change
• The impact on OSH of internal changes (such as those in staffing
or due to new processes, working procedures, organizational
structures or acquisitions) and of external changes (for example, as
a result of amendments of national laws and regulations,
organizational mergers, and developments in OSH knowledge and
technology) should be evaluated and appropriate preventive steps
taken prior to the introduction of changes.
• A workplace hazard identification and risk assessment should be
carried out before any modification or introduction of new work
methods, materials, processes or machinery. Such assessment
should be done in consultation with and involving workers and
their representatives, and the safety and health committee, where
appropriate.
• The implementation of a "decision to change" should ensure that
all affected members of the organization are properly informed
and trained.
 3) Planning and Implementation

4. Hazard prevention
iii. Emergency prevention, preparedness and response
arrangements should be established and maintained. These
arrangements should identify the potential for accidents and
emergency situations, and address the prevention of OSH
risks associated with them. The arrangements should be
made according to the size and nature of activity of the
organization.
 3) Planning and Implementation

They should:
a) ensure that the necessary information, internal communication
and coordination are provided to protect all people in the event
of an emergency at the worksite
b) provide information to, and communication with, the relevant
competent authorities, and the neighborhood and emergency
response services
c) address first-aid and medical assistance, firefighting and
evacuation of all people at the worksite
d) provide relevant information and training to all members of the
organization, at all levels, including regular exercises in
emergency prevention, preparedness and response procedures

Emergency prevention, preparedness and response arrangements

should be established in cooperation with external emergency
services and other bodies where applicable.
 3) Planning and Implementation

4. Hazard prevention
iv. Procurement
Procedures should be established and maintained to ensure
that:
a) compliance with safety and health requirements for the
organization is identified, evaluated and incorporated
into purchasing and leasing specifications
b) national laws and regulations and the organization's
own OSH requirements are identified prior to the
procurement of goods and services
c) arrangements are made to achieve conformance to the
requirements prior to their use.
 3) Planning and Implementation

4. Hazard prevention
v. Contracting
Arrangements for contractors working on site should:
a) include OSH criteria in procedures for evaluating and
selecting contractors
b) establish effective ongoing communication and
coordination between appropriate levels of the
organization and the contractor prior to commencing
work. This should include provisions for communicating
hazards and the measures to prevent and control them
c) include arrangements for reporting of work-related
injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents among the
contractors' workers while performing work for the
organization;
 3) Planning and Implementation

d) provide relevant workplace safety and health

hazard awareness and training to contractors or
their workers prior to commencing work and as
work progresses, as necessary
e) regularly monitor OSH performance of contractor
activities on site
f) ensure that on-site OSH procedures and
arrangements are followed by the contractor(s).
 4) Evaluation
1. Performance monitoring and measurement
• Procedures to monitor, measure and record OSH
performance on a regular basis should be developed,
established and periodically reviewed. Responsibility,
accountability and authority for monitoring at different
levels in the management structure should be allocated.

• The selection of performance indicators should be

according to the size and nature of activity of the
organization and the OSH objectives.
 4) Evaluation
• Both qualitative and quantitative measures appropriate to the
needs of the organization should be considered. These
should:

1. be based on the organization's identified hazards and

risks, the commitments in the OSH policy and the OSH
objectives

2. support the organization's evaluation process, including

the management review.
 4) Evaluation
• Investigation of work-related injuries, ill health, diseases and
incidents, and their impact on safety and health performance
• The investigation of the origin and underlying causes of work-
related injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents should
identify any failures in the OSH management system and
should be documented.
• Such investigations should be carried out by competent
persons, with the appropriate participation of workers and their
representatives.
• The results of such investigations should be communicated to
the safety and health committee, where it exists, and the
committee should make appropriate recommendations.
 4) Evaluation
• The results of investigations, in addition to any
recommendations from the safety and health committee,
should be communicated to appropriate persons for
corrective action, included in the management review and
considered for continual improvement activities.
• The corrective action resulting from such investigations
should be implemented in order to avoid repetition of
work-related injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents.
• Reports produced by external investigative agencies, such
as inspectorates and social insurance institutions, should
be acted upon in the same manner as internal
investigations, taking into account issues of
confidentiality.
 4) Evaluation
2. Audit
• Arrangements to conduct periodic audits are to be established in
order to determine whether the OSH management system and its
elements are in place, adequate, and effective in protecting the
safety and health of workers and preventing incidents.

• An audit policy and program should be developed, which

includes a designation of auditor competency, the audit scope,
the frequency of audits, audit methodology and reporting.

• The audit includes an evaluation of the organization's OSH

management system elements or a subset of these, as
appropriate.
 4) Evaluation
The audit should cover:

1. OSH policy
2. worker participation
3. responsibility and accountability
4. competence and training
5. OSH management system documentation
6. communication
7. system planning, development and implementation
8. prevention and control measures
9. management of change
10. emergency prevention, preparedness and response
 4) Evaluation
11. procurement
12. contracting
13. performance monitoring and measurement;
14. investigation of work-related injuries, ill health,
diseases and incidents, and their impact on safety and
health performance
15. audit
16. management review
17. preventive and corrective action
18. continual improvement
19. any other audit criteria or elements that may be
appropriate.
 4) Evaluation
• The audit conclusion should determine whether the
implemented OSH management system elements or a subset of
these:
i. are effective in meeting the organization's OSH policy
and objectives
ii. are effective in promoting full worker participation
iii. respond to the results of OSH performance evaluation
and previous audits
iv. enable the organization to achieve compliance with
relevant national laws and regulations
v. fulfill the goals of continual improvement and best OSH
practice.
 4) Evaluation
• Audits should be conducted by competent persons internal
or external to the organization who are independent of the
activity being audited.

• The audit results and audit conclusions should be

communicated to those responsible for corrective action.

• Consultation on selection of the auditor and all stages of the

workplace audit, including analysis of results, are subject to
worker participation, as appropriate.
 4) Evaluation
3. Management Review

Management reviews should:

1. evaluate the overall strategy of the OSH management
system to determine whether it meets planned
performance objectives
2. evaluate the OSH management system's ability to meet
the overall needs of the organization and its
stakeholders, including its workers and the regulatory
authorities
3. evaluate the need for changes to the OSH management
system, including OSH policy and objectives
(continue)
 4) Evaluation
4. identify what action is necessary to remedy any
deficiencies in a timely manner, including adaptations
of other aspects of the organization's management
structure and performance measurement
5. provide the feedback direction, including the
determination of priorities, for meaningful planning
and continual improvement
6. evaluate progress towards the organization's OSH
objectives and corrective action activities
7. evaluate the effectiveness of follow-up actions from
earlier management reviews.
 5) Action for Improvement

1. Preventive and corrective action

• Arrangements should be established and maintained for
preventive and corrective action resulting from OSH
management system performance monitoring and
measurement, OSH management system audits and
management reviews. These arrangements should include:
a) identifying and analyzing the root causes of any non-
conformities with relevant OSH regulations and/or OSH
management systems arrangements

b) initiating, planning, implementing, checking the

effectiveness of and documenting corrective and
preventive action, including changes to the OSH
management system itself.
 5) Action for Improvement

• When the evaluation of the OSH management system or

other sources show that preventive and protective
measures for hazards and risks are inadequate or likely to
become inadequate, the measures should be addressed
according to the recognized hierarchy of prevention and
control measures, and completed and documented, as
appropriate and in a timely manner.
 5) Action for Improvement

2. Continual improvement
• Arrangements should be established and maintained for the
continual improvement of the relevant elements of the OSH
management system and the system as a whole. These
arrangements should take into account:

1. the OSH objectives of the organization

2. the results of hazard and risk identifications and
assessments
3. the results of performance monitoring and measurements
4. the investigation of work-related injuries, diseases, ill
health and incidents, and the results and
recommendations of audits
5. the outcomes of the management review
 5) Action for Improvement

7. the recommendations for improvement from all

members of the organization, including the safety
and health committee, where it exists
8. changes in national laws and regulations, voluntary
program and collective agreements
9. new relevant information
10. the results of health protection and promotion
program

• The safety and health processes and performance of the

organization should be compared with others in order
to improve health and safety performance.
 Tutorial Jan 2016
• The legislation on safety aspects at work place has been
implemented by many countries and has become more
comprehensive. It covers almost all aspects of building
occupation and the work place.
• Elaborate the De Pont Safety Principles that may be used
in establishing a safety and health policy at the work
place.
• (25 marks)