5. Cautions in using accident and ill health data: – Accident and ill health data are important, as they are a direct indicator of safety and health performance. However, some cautions relating to their use are:
- most organisations have too few injury accidents or cases of work-related ill health to distinguish real trends from random effects.
- if more work is done by the same number of people in the same time, increased workload alone may account for an increase in accident rates.
- the length of absence from work attributed to injury or work-related ill health may be influenced by factors other than the severity of injury or occupational ill health. Such factors can include poor morale, monotonous work, stressful working conditions, poor management / employee relations and local advice or traditions.
- accidents are often under-reported, and occasionally over-reported. Levels of reporting can change. They can improve as a result of increased workforce awareness and better reporting and recording systems.
- a time delay can occur between safety and health management system failures and harmful effects. Moreover, many occupational diseases have long latent periods. Management should not wait for harm to occur before judging whether safety and health management systems are working.
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What is safety management in simple words?
Description – Safety management is commonly understood as applying a set of principles, framework, processes and measures to prevent accidents, injuries and other adverse consequences that may be caused by using a service or a product. It is that function which exists to assist managers in better discharging their responsibilities for operational system design and implementation through either the prediction of system’s deficiencies before errors occur or the identification and correction of system’s deficiencies by professional analysis of safety occurrences.
What is safety management for?
A safety management system (SMS) is defined as an organization-wide process designed to manage safety risk in the workplace. A safety management system can be created to fit any business type and/or industry sector. Generally, effective SMS processes and procedures: Define how the organization manages risk.
What does PPE stand for in HSE?
Using PPE to control risks at work –
Use PPE to protect your workers Assess risk to decide if you need PPE Choose the right PPE and use it properly Look after PPE and make sure you store it correctly Choose the right type of PPE to protect different parts of the body Make sure any PPE you provide complies with product supply law
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