Safety Program Implementation - Essay Example

They would be held accountable if a lack of safety management tools would result in an unfortunate event within their organization. The Senior Management would have the authority to direct, control, or change any policy, procedure, or accountability assigned to any person as they are the main decision-makers. However, it would be the responsibility of the assigned Committee/Executive to manage the operational activities and SMS implementation & continuation.

The first step in implementing an SMS is to define the requirements in a Safety Policy and align it with safety standards at both national and international levels. Safety Policy should be communicated with willing endorsement throughout the organization. A periodic review of the same should also be ensured. The responsibility for managing the SMS is given to one Accountable Executive or a Committee is designed (outsourced help if required). This is a focal point of an SMS's effective. From then it becomes the responsibility of the Committee or Executive to assign safety responsibilities to all employees for their support, involvement, and ownership of the issue since employees are the best source for identification and control of hazards. According to the Hawthorne effect, employee involvement increases productivity so it is a win-win situation for both. Executive or the Committee is responsible for managing hazard identification, its investigation, preventive measures, and monitoring. They would be held accountable if any gaps in the process lead to an incident.

It is the responsibility of the Senior Management to monitor the Committee and overlook the steps taken by the Executive. Their involvement is pivotal for continuous improvement in SMS and the reliability of its effectiveness. The Committee / Executive would be responsible for training and educating employees and ensuring effective communication regarding SMS policies, procedures, and concepts are done.

Let’s take an example of a construction site under a well-known construction company. It is the responsibility of the upper management to ensure they have a safety program for employees on site. Which they would assign a committee or personnel to design and manage the safety program as per requirement and monitor the same. The upper management has the authority to alter procedures, policies, and committee members if they are not satisfied. That safety committee would be accountable for the implementation of the onsite safety program, it's monitoring, and effective communication to all. Once they set the safety policy, procedures, and requirements they will buy tools and equipment (such as safety suits, helmets, face masks, etc), have the procedures and requirements communicated to all the employees on the ground, and make them aware of the circumstances as well as give training and practice regular drills. It would be the responsibility of each employee to adhere to the safety measures like wearing proper equipment while entering the site and report any discrepancy or hazard immediately for correction and future prevention. However, it would be the responsibility of the committee to ensure that all employees follow the policy and procedures, any incident that would occur proven to be due to a lack of safety measures would put the committee accountable.