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organizing OSH, setting OSH policy, and assigning
OSH accountability, Management must hold
intermediate management levels accountable for all
preventable mishaps. To be effective, a mishap
investigation must not coerce, convict, or punish
managers, supervisors, or workers. It should strive to be
impartial when assessing the evidence and then develop
recommendations to avoid future mishaps. The cause
may not be one single event or design flaw. Management
should work toward a safe and healthy operation or
system through appropriate managerial methods.
4. Safety is economical: Mishaps cost money.
Costs include those for damage repair, lost work time,
worker replacement and training, and compensation
claims. Safety specialists must advise management
supervisors of how safety will reduce lost work time and
enhance productivity, operational effectiveness, and
morale. Money allotted to provide protective equipment
and safe working conditions is a good investment.
5. First-line supervisors are essential to safety
management: The first-line supervisor (shop foreman,
work center supervisor, leading petty officer) needs time
for stand-up briefings. He or she also needs the proper
tools and personal protective equipment for safe
operation. The first-line supervisor must have adequate
resources and must be accountable for production and
operation safety. Command support, including funding,
is critical to safe operations.
6. Eliminate unsafe acts to reduce mishaps:
Unsafe acts, unsafe conditions, and mishaps are
symptoms of problems in the management system. You,
as a manager or supervisor, must examine the symptoms
to find and eliminate their causes. Lack of training, poor
motivation, personality conflicts, drug or alcohol abuse,
and bad attitudes are potential mishap causes. All of
these problems are correctable through good
management and supervision.
7. Severe mishaps should receive first priority:
Certain circumstances and conditions carry a higher risk
of producing severe injuries or costly damage. You can
normally identify, anticipate, and control some of the
following potentially hazardous conditions:
a.
b.
c.
Unusual, nonroutine activities, like weapons
handling
Nonproductive activities, during which
boredom can lead to horseplay or unsafe acts
Activities involving high-energy sources
such as melting metals in a foundry
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Certain construction activities, such as
demolition of a building
Catastrophic conditions and recovery from
such conditions
Explosive operations
Lack of proper on-site supervision
Inadequate operator skills or untrained
workers
8. Safety is an administrative role: The OSH
manager, safety professional, or safety officer serves as
an advisor. The manager is responsible for safety and
safe decision making, including loss control and risk
management. The safety advisor monitors and aids in
the investigation of mishaps, collection of data,
evaluation of trends, and development of analyses. He
or she also promotes and educates workers in safety
strategies, controls, and mishap prevention techniques.
By definition, the safety officer, advisor, or manager is
a spokesperson, cooperating with all levels of the
organization. Each helps management and workers
achieve a safe and healthy workplace.
9. Setting a safety example is contagious: If
management ignores safety precautions or fails to wear
protective equipment, workers receive the wrong
message. Strict safety compliance by all levels of
supervision sets the right example. When workers see
others wearing proper protective equipment and
following precautions, they are inclined to do the same.
Management must never display the attitude that safety
takes too much time or money.
10. Safety is a commitment: All levels of the
organization must see management’s motivation and
commitment to safety. Therefore, management must
issue safety policy and work closely with safety councils
and committees. It must address hazard abatement,
allocate resources for mishap prevention research,
develop mishap prevention strategies and actions,
endorse recordkeeping, and maintain accountability.
Supervisors and middle management must follow safety
precautions. They must convince workers that
management is committed to safety. These efforts must
be convincing to motivate workers to cooperate with
safety policies. Real mishap rate reductions result in
improved effectivencss and cost savings.
11. Safety must be marketed: Management must
“sell safety” to the workers through a visible show of
support. Promotions, contests, competitions,
recognitions, and posters are ways of making your
safety program visible to the workers. Positive program
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