Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
tools For A sAFety And heAlth ProgrAm Assessment
There.are.three.basic.methods.for.assessing.safety.and.health.program.effectiveness..
This. discussion. explains. each. of. them.. It. also. provides. more. detailed. information.
on.how.to.use.these.tools.to.evaluate.each.element.and.subsidiary.component.of.a.
safety.and.health.program..The.three.basic.methods.for.assessing.safety.and.health.
program.effectiveness.are
.
1.. Checking.documentation.of.activity
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2.. Interviewing. employees. at. all. levels. for. knowledge,. awareness,. and.
perceptions
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3.. Reviewing.site.conditions.and,.where.hazards.are.found,.inding.the.weaknesses.
in.management.systems.that.allowed.the.hazards.to.occur.or.to.be.“uncontrolled”
Some.elements.of.the.safety.and.health.program.are.best.assessed.using.one.of.
these.methods..Others.lend.themselves.to.assessment.by.two.or.all.three.methods.
D
oCumEntAtion
Checking.documentation.is.a.standard.audit.technique..It.is.particularly.useful.for.
understanding.whether.the.tracking.of.hazards.to.correction.is.effective..It.can.also.
be. used. to. determine. the. quality. of. certain. activities,. such. as. self-inspections. or.
routine.hazard.analysis.
Inspection. records. can. tell. the. evaluator. whether. serious. hazards. are. being.
found,.or.whether.the.same.hazards.are.being.found.repeatedly..If.serious.hazards.
are. not. being. found. and. accidents. keep. occurring,. there. may. be. a. need. to. train.
inspectors.to.look.for.different.hazards..If.the.same.hazards.are.being.found.repeat-
edly,. the. problem. may. be. more. complicated.. Perhaps. the. hazards. are. not. being.
corrected.. If so,. this. would. suggest. a. tracking. problem. or. a. problem. in. account-
ability.for.hazard correction.
If.certain.hazards.recur.repeatedly.after.being.corrected,.someone.is.not.taking.
responsibility. for. keeping. those. hazards. under. control.. Either. the. responsibility. is.
not.clear,.or.those.who.are.responsible.are.not.being.held.accountable.
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mPloyEE
i
ntErviEws
Talking.to.randomly.selected.employees.at.all.levels.will.provide.a.good.indication.
of. the. quality. of. employee. training. and. of. employee. perceptions. of. the. program..
If safety.and.health.training.is.effective,.employees.will.be.able.to.tell.you.about.the.
hazards.they.work.with.and.how.they.protect.themselves.and.others.by.keeping.those.
hazards.controlled..Every.employee.should.also.be.able.to.say.precisely.what.he.or.
she.is.expected.to.do.as.part.of.the.program..And.all.employees.should.know.where.
to.go.and.the.route.to.follow.in.an.emergency.
Employee.perceptions.can.provide.other.useful.information..An.employee's.opin-
ion.of.how.easy.it.is.to.report.a.hazard.and.get.a.response.will.tell.you.a.lot.about.how.
well.the.hazard.reporting.system.is.working..If.employees.indicate.that.the.system.