Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Each of these factors must be included in the formal-
ised policy and procedures contained within the safety
management system. It is likely that such issues as the
standards and frequency of monitoring will refl ect legisla-
tion, British/European Standards and industry guidance,
e.g. emergency lighting equipment should be checked to
ensure all units are in a good state of repair and in good
working order on a monthly basis (BS 5266).
The responsibility for undertaking the monitoring
will be determined by the type of monitoring that will
need to be undertaken and the competencies of those
involved. Some anticipated results are obvious, such
as in the case of emergency lighting units which should
function upon test; others such as how well a permit to
work has been complied with, will need greater defi ni-
tion and are likely to refl ect the policy and procedures.
It is in these instances that an aide memoir or checklist
may be usefully applied.
Figure 11.4
Formal active monitoring system
may also include attitudinal surveys which exam-
ine the employees' and management's attitudes
towards safety
11.2.2 Proactive monitoring methods and
techniques
➤
Safety sampling
- which involves the sampling
of specifi c areas such as the effectiveness of fi re
doors, positioning of fi re extinguishers; these may
be conducted by a range of staff members where
specifi c areas of safety are targeted
An organisation will need to decide how it will allocate
responsibilities for proactive monitoring at the different
levels within its management chain and the level of detail
that is considered appropriate. It is likely that the deci-
sions will refl ect the company or organisation's structure
and also its existing management systems, e.g. qual-
ity management system, environmental management
system.
Each manager should be given the responsibility
for monitoring the achievement of company objectives
and compliance with standards for which they and their
team are responsible, ideally this should be refl ected in
their own performance indicators. The methods involved
will vary from those that will be undertaken within the
management chain and those that may be required as
part of an independent analysis.
A variety of methods may be used in assessing
safety performance including:
➤
Audits
- involving comprehensive and independ-
ently executed examinations of all aspects of an
organisation's safety performance against stated
objectives
➤
Health or medical surveillance
- which involves
using medical techniques that analyse human per-
formance such as hearing, lung function (particularly
with regard to industrial fi re teams).
Audits are discussed later in the chapter and due to their
similarity, safety inspections and safety tours will be dis-
cussed as one.
Safety surveys and safety sampling involve closer
scrutiny of areas that may be missed when undertak-
ing an overall inspection or tour and are likely to take a
greater proportion of time to prepare for and conduct,
due to their specifi c focus.
Health and medical surveillance, particularly in
relation to fi re safety management, is likely only to be
required by those involved in fi re fi ghting action; however,
in general occupational safety and health it is necessary
to confi rm the effectiveness of areas such as dust and
solvent control, where ill-health effects on the human
body can have a devastating effect. It is, however, prudent
to mention that health surveillance relating to stress must
be considered, particularly for those who may be engaged
in fi re fi ghting and rescue actions (critical incident stress
disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder). Regardless
➤
Safety inspections
- these involve the straight-
forward observation of a workplace and/or activ-
ities or equipment within it. They may also include
visual checks on documents and records; this is
usually carried out by a manager (or on some occa-
sions employee representative), often aided by the
use of a checklist with the aim of identifying hazards
and assessing the use and effectiveness of control
measures
➤
Safety tours
- similar to safety inspections but
which involve unscheduled checks on issues such
as means of escape, housekeeping and PPE
➤
Safety surveys
- which focus upon a particular
activity such as hot work or manual handling; they
