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Overview of System Components
Now let's talk about the safety and health management system and its components:
- A system is an established arrangement of components that work together to attain
a certain objective, in this case to prevent injuries and illnesses
in the workplace.
- Within a system, all parts are interconnected and affect each other.
Using this definition, let's consider a safety and health system at a worksite.
All elements of a safety and health system are interrelated. All pieces are
related to all other pieces. A flaw in one piece will probably impact
all the other pieces, and therefore the system as a whole.
- Management leadership and employee involvement
are tied together because one is not effective without the other. A plant
manager can be totally committed, but if employees follow blindly or
are not involved, problems will only temporarily be solved.
- Management must provide the resources and authority so all personnel can find the hazards
in the worksite and, once found, to eliminate or to control those hazards.
- Training is the backbone of this system. For management to lead, for personnel to analyze the worksite for hazards,
and for hazards to be eliminated or controlled, everyone involved must
be trained.
- No parts of this system exist independently. An effective and functioning program
is the sum of all the parts.
Also, see the Safety and Health Program Management Fact Sheets
that are related to each of the sections above.
Once you know what it takes to make a safety and health system operate effectively,
how can you tell if the system measures up (or if there is a system)?
After you have looked over the information on the safety and health system
components go to Module 3 to rate your company's
current safety and health program. You’ll be able to get an idea how it
rates in each component and how to improve. See you there!
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