NEBOSH International General Certificate

in Occupational Safety and Health

IGC1
Element 2: How Health and Safety
Management Systems Work and What
They Look Like

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 Learning Objectives

• Give an overview of the elements of an

occupational health and safety management
system and the benefits of having a
formal/certified system.
• Discuss the main ingredients of a OHSMS that
make it effective – policy, responsibilities,
arrangements.

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 2.1: Occupational Health and Safety
Management Systems

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 Introduction to OHSMSs
The PDCA cycle:
• Plan – what you’re going to do.
• Do – it!
• Check – that what you’re doing is working.
• Act – if what you’re doing could be improved.

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 ILO-OSH 2001: The ILO OHSMS

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 ILO-OSH 2001: The ILO OHSMS
• Policy
‒ Clear statement of commitment to health and safety.

• Organising
‒ Roles and responsibilities for health and safety.
‒ At all levels in the organisation.

• Planning and implementing

‒ Detailed arrangements to manage H&S.
‒ Risk assessments!

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 ILO-OSH 2001: The ILO OHSMS
• Evaluation
‒ Methods to monitor and review the effectiveness of the

arrangements.
• Audit
‒ Independent, critical and systematic review of the management

system.
• Action for improvement
‒ Steps to correct issues found in the review.

• Continual improvement
‒ The SMS will develop over time.

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 ISO 45001: The OHSMS Standard

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 End of Module 2.1 Exercise

What are the key elements of the

ILO-OSH health and safety
management system?

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 Element 2.2

Making the Management System Work –

The Health and Safety Policy

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 Introduction to Health and Safety Policies
An important document:
• The foundation stone for good
health and safety management
in an organisation.
• Sets out the organisation’s aims.
• Identifies who is responsible for achieving these aims.
• States how the aims are to be achieved.
• Specific to each organisation’s requirements.
(Not to be confused with ‘Policy’ in the H&S
management system model.)

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 Group Discussion Point

Why might the health and safety policy of two

organisations be different?

Why isn’t there a prescribed, ‘one size fits all’

approach to developing a policy?

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 Group Exercise

• Why is an organisation’s health and safety

policy so important?
• Why might two organisations doing similar
work have different policies?

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 Standards and Guidance
Article 14
ILO Recommendation R164

Requires employers to set down in writing, policy and

arrangements for health and safety management:
• Where circumstances warrant it.
• In a readily-understood language or medium.

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 The Three Parts of a H&S Policy

1. Statement of Intent
‒ What is going to be done.

2. Organisation
‒ Who is going to do it.

3. Arrangements
‒ How they're going to do it.

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 General Statement of Intent
• Setting overall aims and objectives.
• Complying with law.
• Achieving standards.
• Reminds workers at all levels of their
responsibilities.
• Signed and dated by the most senior person.
• Regular review.

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 Setting SMART Objectives
• Specific – clearly defined, precise.
• Measurable – towards a target, quantified.
• Achievable – it can be done.
• Reasonable – within timescale, and resources.
• Time-bound – deadline, timescale.

e.g. ‘review all 48 risk assessments

within a 12-month period’.

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 Setting SMART Objectives

It will be important to consider:

• Who is going to set the objectives.
• How objectives will be set at each functional level.
• Legal and other requirements.
• Hazards and risks.
• Technological options.
• Financial, operational and business requirements.
• Views of interested parties.

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 Group Exercise

Targets may be included in the statement of intent

to show commitment to improvement.

What targets could be included? (General examples

only needed.)

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 Organisational Roles and Responsibilities
• Outlines the chain of command for health and safety
management.
• Identifies the roles and responsibilities of staff.
• Usually includes an organisational chart relating to
health and safety.
• Shows lines of communication and feedback.

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 Organisational Roles and Responsibilities

Health and Safety Organisation Chart

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 Organisational Roles and Responsibilities
Defines responsibilities for:
• The CEO or MD – ultimately responsible and accountable.

• Management – responsible for day-to-day management.

• All employees – responsible for acting safely.

• Competent persons – first aiders, fire marshals, etc.

• Specialist health and safety practitioners – responsible for

providing advice to support management and employees.

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 Arrangements

• Describes how things are done.

• Detailed description of policies

and procedures.

• Usually a long document.

• Often separate from the policy document.

• Unique to each organisation

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 Arrangements
General topics:
• Carrying out risk assessments.
• Information, instruction and training.
• Accident and near-miss reporting, recording and investigation.
• Consultation with workers.
• Developing safe systems of work.
• Welfare and first-aid provision.
• Fire safety and prevention.
• Emergency procedures.
• Compliance monitoring, including auditing.

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 Individual Activity
Can you think of any other specific health and safety
hazards?

Write down as many as you can think of, which you

believe should be included in the Arrangements
Section of a Health and Safety Policy.

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 Arrangements
Specific Risks and Problems
• Lone working.
• Noise-exposure control.
• Vibration-exposure control.
• Control of exposure to toxic materials.
• Control of crowds.
• Control of transport risks.

• Specific health surveillance requirements.

• Waste disposal.
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 H&S Policies

How can a policy be effectively communicated?

When should it be reviewed?

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 Reviewing Policy

Changes in:
• Key personnel. • Following an incident.
• Management structure. • As a result of enforcement
• Processes. action.
• Technology. • After an audit.
• Legislation. • After worker consultation.
• Passage of time, e.g. Annually.

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 End of Module 2.2 Exercise

1. What are the three key parts to a health and

safety policy?

2. What type of targets might be referenced in the

policy (and where)?

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 Summary
In this element, we have:
• Looked at the ILO-OSH 2001 OHSMS, which can be summarised as: Policy,
Organising, Planning and Implementation, Evaluation, Action for
Improvement, and Audit.
• Outlined the ISO 45001 SMS: Context of the organisation; Leadership and
worker participation; Planning; Support; Operation; Performance evaluation;
Improvement.
• Identified the OHS policy of an organisation as an important document, which
sets out what the organisation’s aims are with regard to OHS, who is
responsible for achieving those aims, and how those aims are to be achieved.
• Explained that the policy is usually presented in three parts: the General
Statement of Intent, the Organisation section, and the Arrangements section.
• Noted that OHS policies have to be reviewed in order to stay current and
relevant, and that reviews might be carried out periodically, or in response to
changes.

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