Assignment Prompt & Instructions
See attached
**files (2)**
– ## UnitVIIProject.docx
– ## UnitVIIStudyGuide.pdf
**## UnitVIIProject.docx**
**Unit VII Project:**
**Outlining a Training Program Proposal**
In this assignment, you will develop a plan for an effective training program that is tailored for the specific needs of newly hired, adult employees. You are encouraged to consider your own current or former workplace as a basis for this training plan.
Develop your plan by addressing each of the requirements in the order presented below.
· Begin by identifying the type of worksite and whether a safety management system, a behavior-based system approach, or both are used to effectively manage safety performance. Explain why this approach is effective in this worksite environment.
· Next, clearly define a critical safety-related need that will be met using your training.
· It is suggested you choose a safety issue that is either most prevalent at the worksite, or one to which all employees are exposed. For example, do not choose forklift operator safety training if there is only one or two people who operate a forklift at the work site.
· Explain what resources you would use to define this need. Create at least of two learning objectives stating how your training will address the need. Be sure to use the ABCD concept when developing your objectives.
· Explain how you would design the training to be focused on newly hired, adult participants using activity-based learning concepts. Include at least two activities you would have the participants complete.
· Identify at least five resources, references, or materials you would use to develop the training materials, and explain how they will support the objectives. At least two of the five resources must be found in the CSU Online Library. These could include technical publications on your topic, scholarly articles, peer-reviewed research, or videos.
· Outline how your course would be delivered, including what resources would be needed (i.e., educational resources, rooms, projectors, other physical requirements).
· Describe how you would plan the participants’ time and provide feedback on their actions and responses during the training, ensuring that you have policies in place to maintain control of the training.
· Prepare a method for evaluating the training; provide at least five example questions that could be used to assess the participants’ retention of knowledge and evaluate the training’s course content and delivery.
Your project must be at least four pages but no more than five pages in length, not counting the title page (if used) or references page. Your project must have in text citations and references formatted in APA Style.
**## UnitVIIStudyGuide.pdf**
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Discuss safety and health management systems approaches for controlling workplace hazards.
4.1 Describe how the safety management systems approach can be used in conjunction with
efforts focused on safe behaviors.
4.2 Identify the challenges to effective employee involvement in safety and health programs.
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 3: Human Performance and Safety Culture, pp. 41–48, 71–74
Chapter 5: Employee Involvement
In order to access the following resources, click the links below.
Read pp. 109–110 of the following article.
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Read pp. 3–8, 11–14, and 27–29 of the following report.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Recommended practices for safety and health
programs (OSHA Report No. 3885).
https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf
UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
Safety Management Systems
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
This course has covered several key elements for managing safety and health. Unit I covered the roles
and responsibilities of the safety professional. In Units II and III, the concept of hazard identification was
presented. Units IV and V discussed the various controls that can be put into place to reduce the risk of
the identified hazards. Unit VI explained how to develop an effective program for training adult employees
on those controls. In this unit, we will tie these elements together under the framework of a safety
management system.
Like any other critical aspect of business, safety must be managed. Numerous organizations have published
frameworks for developing an effective safety management system. Several of these frameworks come in the
form of consensus standards that organizations can choose to follow. These include the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) publication American
National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Z-10, the British Standards
Institution’s (BSI) Occupational Health and Safety System Standard OHSAS-18001, and the International
Organization for Standardization’s Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Guidelines for implementing safety management systems have also been published. These include the
National Safety Council’s Nine Elements of a Successful Safety & Health System and the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) publications Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
and Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. While these all differ in their levels of
complexity and content, they all focus on similar elements:
• management commitment,
• employee participation,
• hazard identification and assessment,
• hazard control,
• safety and health training, and
• commitment to continuous improvement.
These elements should sound familiar since they have all been covered to some extent in this course. Let’s
look at each one in more detail and examine how they are all interrelated.
In most—if not all—organizations, you will see posters, banners, or policy statements that reference a
commitment to zero injuries, or posters and signs stating mottos and slogans such as “All employees will go
home the same way they came to work.” Does that alone demonstrate management commitment to
employee safety and health? No, it does not—it is only one component of it.
While management’s commitment to safety and health must be clearly stated, it must also state that safety
and health is as important as all other components of the business including quality, profit, production, and so
on (OSHA, 2015). The statement must also include a commitment of resources to support health and safety
improvements, noting that the highest levels of senior management will be responsible for safety and health
performance. To back up the written statement, management must establish goals for which they will hold
themselves accountable. These goals should be focused on specific actions, not general injury and illness
performance (OSHA, 2015).
The goal of zero injuries should be obvious; no member of management ever wants employees injured at
work. However, what specific goals are management committed to achieving in order to reduce the risk of
employees being exposed to workplace hazards? An example goal might state, “Encourage employees to
report workplace hazards by ensuring that they are free from retaliation and by providing a system that will
track the controls put into place to mitigate the risk of the reported hazards.”
Goals such as this also demonstrate management’s commitment of resources to safety and health—another
critical requirement. Finally, management must hold all levels of the organization accountable for achieving
the goals that they have set. All employees must be made aware of their roles and responsibilities with a clear
explanation of what is expected from them (OSHA, 2015). Both positive and constructive feedback must be
given to ensure that employees are continually aware of whether their actions and behaviors align with the
organization’s commitment to safety.
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Without management commitment, a safety management system is not possible. However, an effective safety
management system cannot be implemented in a top-down approach—the employees must be involved.
Employees must be engaged in all aspects of the system, from program development through its
implementation and continuous improvement. If employees are involved in the program, they will take
ownership of it and want it to succeed. Engaged employees are more likely to provide feedback that will
provide insight concerning where the program should focus its efforts as part of its continuous improvement.
They are also more likely to fully participate in the program’s initiatives, including hazard reporting, incident
investigations, and training (OSHA, 2015).
When a management team committed to reducing safety and health risks is combined with the support of an
engaged workforce, hazards can be effectively identified and assessed. An important part of this is
conducting quality investigations of incidents when they occur. This includes those incidents that result in an
injury or illness as well as high-potential near misses or other conditions that identify a clear hazard (OSHA,
2015). Remember, an effective safety and health management system is concerned with more than injuries
and illness alone; it strives to reduce the risk of their occurrence. It is vital that employees are engaged so
that they report near misses and other unsafe conditions proactively, before they are found because of an
injury or illness.
The purpose and focus of these investigations cannot be to assign blame. If that happens, employee trust will
be lost, and the workforce may become disengaged. In addition to being counterproductive, assigning blame
will not remove the hazard. Incident investigations must focus on the possibility of root causes, plural,
because there may be more than one (OSHA, 2015). Outside of incident investigations, other tools such as a
job hazard analysis (JHA) can also be used to identify hazards.
Once hazards are identified, controls must be put into place. This provides important feedback for the
employees and demonstrates that the hazards they are reporting are indeed being addressed. If no action is
taken, the employees will likely feel that their input is being ignored, causing them to lose interest and stop
reporting hazards.
As covered in Units IV and V, control strategies should be based on the hierarchy of controls. Employees
must be involved in the application of these controls. Preference should be given to the higher level of
controls of elimination, substitution, and engineering controls, which will have a greater impact in terms of risk
reduction than the lower levels of controls—administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Management can demonstrate commitment to employee safety and health by supporting the higher levels of
controls, even though these will generally cost more to apply and implement than the lower levels. This
support, despite increased costs, demonstrates to the workforce that management’s commitment to the safety
and health management system is more than just a written statement.
Once hazards have been identified and appropriate controls have been put into place, this information must
be communicated to employees. Health and safety training that increases hazard awareness and educates
employees on the applicable controls is a critical component of an effective safety management system
(OSHA, 2015). As discussed in Unit VI, a needs assessment must be completed so that focused objectives
can be developed to meet the specific needs of the employees who require the training.
In establishing a safety management system, all levels of the organization will have a need for some level of
awareness training so that a consistent message is delivered. The objectives of this training should be clear:
• communicate the goals of the safety management system,
• explain the safety and health policy for the organization,
• reinforce management’s commitment to safety and health,
• describe the importance of employee participation,
• encourage the reporting of unsafe acts and conditions, and
• define the roles and responsibilities of each level of the organization.
Once implemented, the organization is not finished with the design and development of the safety
management system; it must enter a process of continuous improvement. According to Meiling et al., (2014),
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
continuous improvement is a process of applying the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle to make incremental
enhancements to a process as the need for them becomes evident:
• Plan: plan an action to address a current deficiency.
• Do: apply the action.
• Check: evaluate how effective the action is at correcting the deficiency.
• Act: respond to the evaluation and return to the planning stage if the action was not effective.
The PDCA cycle can be applied to ensure continuous improvement of a safety management system.
Do—This step involves turning these
objectives into plans, polices, procedures, and
workplace improvements.
Plan—Planning should focus on creating specific
objectives that support the goal established under the
safety management system.
Check—The results of these plans, polices, procedures,
and improvements must be checked using key
performance
indicators
(KPIs) that
include both
leading and
lagging
values.
Testing critical KPIs provides
feedback during the Check step of
the PDCA cycle.
(Group of Diverse, 2018)
The PDCA cycle starts with planning to
determine objectives and actions that
support established goals of the safety
management system being developed.
(Reyes, 2018)
Plans, policies,
procedures, and
improvements
outlined in the
planning stage are
implemented during
the Do step of the
PDCA cycle.
(LaRochelle, 2017)
During the Act step of the PDCA cycle,
actions are taken to fully implement
policies, procedures, and workplace
improvements that have proven
effective.
(Bruckner, 2018)
Visual depiction of the PDCA cycle outlines the steps in the Plan-Do-Check-Act process
(Meiling et al., 2014, p. 110)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 5
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Act—If the KPIs demonstrate that the objectives were met, the actions become standards, formalizing them in
the organization. If the KPIs demonstrate that an objective was not met, the cycle reverts to the planning
stage to make improvements on the action before trying it again.
Unit VII brought together the concepts covered in the first six units of this course, tying them to the essential
elements of a safety management system. The unit content demonstrates how the safety and health concepts
covered in this course can be organized around the framework of a safety management system for
implementation in any organization.
References
Bruckner, E. (2018, April 17). Gate, fence, sign and sunlight [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/o1jqBoyB9qY
Group of diverse people having a business meeting [Photograph]. (2018). Rawpixel.
https://www.rawpixel.com/image/414143/group-diverse-people-having-business-meeting
LaRochelle, M. (2017, October 8). Welding, welder, mask and burning [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/c-vWdiICscA
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=eds-live&scope=site
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Reyes, A. (2018, July 12). Bulletin board with flow chart [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/qWwpHwip31M
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 6
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resource, click the links below.
Access the document listed below to learn about the components the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) believes are important to safety management as well as implementation tools and
resources. The information provided will be useful when establishing, implementing, maintaining, and
improving safety and health programs.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.
Think about safety measures put into place where you work or have worked in the past. Prepare a one-page
essay that aligns these safety measures with the key elements of a safety management system. Provide
specific examples; for example, fire extinguisher training would fit in the category of safety and health training.
Briefly describe how each of the safety measures relates to and supports each of the others across the
elements. If you cannot provide an example of a safety measure implemented at your workplace for any of
the elements, describe how your workplace could implement a safety measure under that element.
If you are not currently working, describe examples of safety measures that could be put into place under
each element.
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
– Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
– Required Unit Resources
– Unit Lesson
– References
– Suggested Unit Resources
– Learning Activities (Nongraded)
**## UnitVIIStudyGuide.pdf**
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Discuss safety and health management systems approaches for controlling workplace hazards.
4.1 Describe how the safety management systems approach can be used in conjunction with
efforts focused on safe behaviors.
4.2 Identify the challenges to effective employee involvement in safety and health programs.
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 3: Human Performance and Safety Culture, pp. 41–48, 71–74
Chapter 5: Employee Involvement
In order to access the following resources, click the links below.
Read pp. 109–110 of the following article.
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Read pp. 3–8, 11–14, and 27–29 of the following report.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Recommended practices for safety and health
programs (OSHA Report No. 3885).
https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf
UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
Safety Management Systems
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
This course has covered several key elements for managing safety and health. Unit I covered the roles
and responsibilities of the safety professional. In Units II and III, the concept of hazard identification was
presented. Units IV and V discussed the various controls that can be put into place to reduce the risk of
the identified hazards. Unit VI explained how to develop an effective program for training adult employees
on those controls. In this unit, we will tie these elements together under the framework of a safety
management system.
Like any other critical aspect of business, safety must be managed. Numerous organizations have published
frameworks for developing an effective safety management system. Several of these frameworks come in the
form of consensus standards that organizations can choose to follow. These include the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) publication American
National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Z-10, the British Standards
Institution’s (BSI) Occupational Health and Safety System Standard OHSAS-18001, and the International
Organization for Standardization’s Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Guidelines for implementing safety management systems have also been published. These include the
National Safety Council’s Nine Elements of a Successful Safety & Health System and the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) publications Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
and Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. While these all differ in their levels of
complexity and content, they all focus on similar elements:
• management commitment,
• employee participation,
• hazard identification and assessment,
• hazard control,
• safety and health training, and
• commitment to continuous improvement.
These elements should sound familiar since they have all been covered to some extent in this course. Let’s
look at each one in more detail and examine how they are all interrelated.
In most—if not all—organizations, you will see posters, banners, or policy statements that reference a
commitment to zero injuries, or posters and signs stating mottos and slogans such as “All employees will go
home the same way they came to work.” Does that alone demonstrate management commitment to
employee safety and health? No, it does not—it is only one component of it.
While management’s commitment to safety and health must be clearly stated, it must also state that safety
and health is as important as all other components of the business including quality, profit, production, and so
on (OSHA, 2015). The statement must also include a commitment of resources to support health and safety
improvements, noting that the highest levels of senior management will be responsible for safety and health
performance. To back up the written statement, management must establish goals for which they will hold
themselves accountable. These goals should be focused on specific actions, not general injury and illness
performance (OSHA, 2015).
The goal of zero injuries should be obvious; no member of management ever wants employees injured at
work. However, what specific goals are management committed to achieving in order to reduce the risk of
employees being exposed to workplace hazards? An example goal might state, “Encourage employees to
report workplace hazards by ensuring that they are free from retaliation and by providing a system that will
track the controls put into place to mitigate the risk of the reported hazards.”
Goals such as this also demonstrate management’s commitment of resources to safety and health—another
critical requirement. Finally, management must hold all levels of the organization accountable for achieving
the goals that they have set. All employees must be made aware of their roles and responsibilities with a clear
explanation of what is expected from them (OSHA, 2015). Both positive and constructive feedback must be
given to ensure that employees are continually aware of whether their actions and behaviors align with the
organization’s commitment to safety.
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Without management commitment, a safety management system is not possible. However, an effective safety
management system cannot be implemented in a top-down approach—the employees must be involved.
Employees must be engaged in all aspects of the system, from program development through its
implementation and continuous improvement. If employees are involved in the program, they will take
ownership of it and want it to succeed. Engaged employees are more likely to provide feedback that will
provide insight concerning where the program should focus its efforts as part of its continuous improvement.
They are also more likely to fully participate in the program’s initiatives, including hazard reporting, incident
investigations, and training (OSHA, 2015).
When a management team committed to reducing safety and health risks is combined with the support of an
engaged workforce, hazards can be effectively identified and assessed. An important part of this is
conducting quality investigations of incidents when they occur. This includes those incidents that result in an
injury or illness as well as high-potential near misses or other conditions that identify a clear hazard (OSHA,
2015). Remember, an effective safety and health management system is concerned with more than injuries
and illness alone; it strives to reduce the risk of their occurrence. It is vital that employees are engaged so
that they report near misses and other unsafe conditions proactively, before they are found because of an
injury or illness.
The purpose and focus of these investigations cannot be to assign blame. If that happens, employee trust will
be lost, and the workforce may become disengaged. In addition to being counterproductive, assigning blame
will not remove the hazard. Incident investigations must focus on the possibility of root causes, plural,
because there may be more than one (OSHA, 2015). Outside of incident investigations, other tools such as a
job hazard analysis (JHA) can also be used to identify hazards.
Once hazards are identified, controls must be put into place. This provides important feedback for the
employees and demonstrates that the hazards they are reporting are indeed being addressed. If no action is
taken, the employees will likely feel that their input is being ignored, causing them to lose interest and stop
reporting hazards.
As covered in Units IV and V, control strategies should be based on the hierarchy of controls. Employees
must be involved in the application of these controls. Preference should be given to the higher level of
controls of elimination, substitution, and engineering controls, which will have a greater impact in terms of risk
reduction than the lower levels of controls—administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Management can demonstrate commitment to employee safety and health by supporting the higher levels of
controls, even though these will generally cost more to apply and implement than the lower levels. This
support, despite increased costs, demonstrates to the workforce that management’s commitment to the safety
and health management system is more than just a written statement.
Once hazards have been identified and appropriate controls have been put into place, this information must
be communicated to employees. Health and safety training that increases hazard awareness and educates
employees on the applicable controls is a critical component of an effective safety management system
(OSHA, 2015). As discussed in Unit VI, a needs assessment must be completed so that focused objectives
can be developed to meet the specific needs of the employees who require the training.
In establishing a safety management system, all levels of the organization will have a need for some level of
awareness training so that a consistent message is delivered. The objectives of this training should be clear:
• communicate the goals of the safety management system,
• explain the safety and health policy for the organization,
• reinforce management’s commitment to safety and health,
• describe the importance of employee participation,
• encourage the reporting of unsafe acts and conditions, and
• define the roles and responsibilities of each level of the organization.
Once implemented, the organization is not finished with the design and development of the safety
management system; it must enter a process of continuous improvement. According to Meiling et al., (2014),
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
continuous improvement is a process of applying the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle to make incremental
enhancements to a process as the need for them becomes evident:
• Plan: plan an action to address a current deficiency.
• Do: apply the action.
• Check: evaluate how effective the action is at correcting the deficiency.
• Act: respond to the evaluation and return to the planning stage if the action was not effective.
The PDCA cycle can be applied to ensure continuous improvement of a safety management system.
Do—This step involves turning these
objectives into plans, polices, procedures, and
workplace improvements.
Plan—Planning should focus on creating specific
objectives that support the goal established under the
safety management system.
Check—The results of these plans, polices, procedures,
and improvements must be checked using key
performance
indicators
(KPIs) that
include both
leading and
lagging
values.
Testing critical KPIs provides
feedback during the Check step of
the PDCA cycle.
(Group of Diverse, 2018)
The PDCA cycle starts with planning to
determine objectives and actions that
support established goals of the safety
management system being developed.
(Reyes, 2018)
Plans, policies,
procedures, and
improvements
outlined in the
planning stage are
implemented during
the Do step of the
PDCA cycle.
(LaRochelle, 2017)
During the Act step of the PDCA cycle,
actions are taken to fully implement
policies, procedures, and workplace
improvements that have proven
effective.
(Bruckner, 2018)
Visual depiction of the PDCA cycle outlines the steps in the Plan-Do-Check-Act process
(Meiling et al., 2014, p. 110)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 5
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Act—If the KPIs demonstrate that the objectives were met, the actions become standards, formalizing them in
the organization. If the KPIs demonstrate that an objective was not met, the cycle reverts to the planning
stage to make improvements on the action before trying it again.
Unit VII brought together the concepts covered in the first six units of this course, tying them to the essential
elements of a safety management system. The unit content demonstrates how the safety and health concepts
covered in this course can be organized around the framework of a safety management system for
implementation in any organization.
References
Bruckner, E. (2018, April 17). Gate, fence, sign and sunlight [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/o1jqBoyB9qY
Group of diverse people having a business meeting [Photograph]. (2018). Rawpixel.
https://www.rawpixel.com/image/414143/group-diverse-people-having-business-meeting
LaRochelle, M. (2017, October 8). Welding, welder, mask and burning [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/c-vWdiICscA
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=eds-live&scope=site
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Reyes, A. (2018, July 12). Bulletin board with flow chart [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/qWwpHwip31M
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 6
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resource, click the links below.
Access the document listed below to learn about the components the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) believes are important to safety management as well as implementation tools and
resources. The information provided will be useful when establishing, implementing, maintaining, and
improving safety and health programs.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.
Think about safety measures put into place where you work or have worked in the past. Prepare a one-page
essay that aligns these safety measures with the key elements of a safety management system. Provide
specific examples; for example, fire extinguisher training would fit in the category of safety and health training.
Briefly describe how each of the safety measures relates to and supports each of the others across the
elements. If you cannot provide an example of a safety measure implemented at your workplace for any of
the elements, describe how your workplace could implement a safety measure under that element.
If you are not currently working, describe examples of safety measures that could be put into place under
each element.
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
– Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
– Required Unit Resources
– Unit Lesson
– References
– Suggested Unit Resources
– Learning Activities (Nongraded)
**## UnitVIIProject.docx**
**Unit VII Project:**
**Outlining a Training Program Proposal**
In this assignment, you will develop a plan for an effective training program that is tailored for the specific needs of newly hired, adult employees. You are encouraged to consider your own current or former workplace as a basis for this training plan.
Develop your plan by addressing each of the requirements in the order presented below.
· Begin by identifying the type of worksite and whether a safety management system, a behavior-based system approach, or both are used to effectively manage safety performance. Explain why this approach is effective in this worksite environment.
· Next, clearly define a critical safety-related need that will be met using your training.
· It is suggested you choose a safety issue that is either most prevalent at the worksite, or one to which all employees are exposed. For example, do not choose forklift operator safety training if there is only one or two people who operate a forklift at the work site.
· Explain what resources you would use to define this need. Create at least of two learning objectives stating how your training will address the need. Be sure to use the ABCD concept when developing your objectives.
· Explain how you would design the training to be focused on newly hired, adult participants using activity-based learning concepts. Include at least two activities you would have the participants complete.
· Identify at least five resources, references, or materials you would use to develop the training materials, and explain how they will support the objectives. At least two of the five resources must be found in the CSU Online Library. These could include technical publications on your topic, scholarly articles, peer-reviewed research, or videos.
· Outline how your course would be delivered, including what resources would be needed (i.e., educational resources, rooms, projectors, other physical requirements).
· Describe how you would plan the participants’ time and provide feedback on their actions and responses during the training, ensuring that you have policies in place to maintain control of the training.
· Prepare a method for evaluating the training; provide at least five example questions that could be used to assess the participants’ retention of knowledge and evaluate the training’s course content and delivery.
Your project must be at least four pages but no more than five pages in length, not counting the title page (if used) or references page. Your project must have in text citations and references formatted in APA Style.
**## UnitVIIStudyGuide.pdf**
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Discuss safety and health management systems approaches for controlling workplace hazards.
4.1 Describe how the safety management systems approach can be used in conjunction with
efforts focused on safe behaviors.
4.2 Identify the challenges to effective employee involvement in safety and health programs.
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 3: Human Performance and Safety Culture, pp. 41–48, 71–74
Chapter 5: Employee Involvement
In order to access the following resources, click the links below.
Read pp. 109–110 of the following article.
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Read pp. 3–8, 11–14, and 27–29 of the following report.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Recommended practices for safety and health
programs (OSHA Report No. 3885).
https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf
UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
Safety Management Systems
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
This course has covered several key elements for managing safety and health. Unit I covered the roles
and responsibilities of the safety professional. In Units II and III, the concept of hazard identification was
presented. Units IV and V discussed the various controls that can be put into place to reduce the risk of
the identified hazards. Unit VI explained how to develop an effective program for training adult employees
on those controls. In this unit, we will tie these elements together under the framework of a safety
management system.
Like any other critical aspect of business, safety must be managed. Numerous organizations have published
frameworks for developing an effective safety management system. Several of these frameworks come in the
form of consensus standards that organizations can choose to follow. These include the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) publication American
National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Z-10, the British Standards
Institution’s (BSI) Occupational Health and Safety System Standard OHSAS-18001, and the International
Organization for Standardization’s Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Guidelines for implementing safety management systems have also been published. These include the
National Safety Council’s Nine Elements of a Successful Safety & Health System and the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) publications Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
and Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. While these all differ in their levels of
complexity and content, they all focus on similar elements:
• management commitment,
• employee participation,
• hazard identification and assessment,
• hazard control,
• safety and health training, and
• commitment to continuous improvement.
These elements should sound familiar since they have all been covered to some extent in this course. Let’s
look at each one in more detail and examine how they are all interrelated.
In most—if not all—organizations, you will see posters, banners, or policy statements that reference a
commitment to zero injuries, or posters and signs stating mottos and slogans such as “All employees will go
home the same way they came to work.” Does that alone demonstrate management commitment to
employee safety and health? No, it does not—it is only one component of it.
While management’s commitment to safety and health must be clearly stated, it must also state that safety
and health is as important as all other components of the business including quality, profit, production, and so
on (OSHA, 2015). The statement must also include a commitment of resources to support health and safety
improvements, noting that the highest levels of senior management will be responsible for safety and health
performance. To back up the written statement, management must establish goals for which they will hold
themselves accountable. These goals should be focused on specific actions, not general injury and illness
performance (OSHA, 2015).
The goal of zero injuries should be obvious; no member of management ever wants employees injured at
work. However, what specific goals are management committed to achieving in order to reduce the risk of
employees being exposed to workplace hazards? An example goal might state, “Encourage employees to
report workplace hazards by ensuring that they are free from retaliation and by providing a system that will
track the controls put into place to mitigate the risk of the reported hazards.”
Goals such as this also demonstrate management’s commitment of resources to safety and health—another
critical requirement. Finally, management must hold all levels of the organization accountable for achieving
the goals that they have set. All employees must be made aware of their roles and responsibilities with a clear
explanation of what is expected from them (OSHA, 2015). Both positive and constructive feedback must be
given to ensure that employees are continually aware of whether their actions and behaviors align with the
organization’s commitment to safety.
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Without management commitment, a safety management system is not possible. However, an effective safety
management system cannot be implemented in a top-down approach—the employees must be involved.
Employees must be engaged in all aspects of the system, from program development through its
implementation and continuous improvement. If employees are involved in the program, they will take
ownership of it and want it to succeed. Engaged employees are more likely to provide feedback that will
provide insight concerning where the program should focus its efforts as part of its continuous improvement.
They are also more likely to fully participate in the program’s initiatives, including hazard reporting, incident
investigations, and training (OSHA, 2015).
When a management team committed to reducing safety and health risks is combined with the support of an
engaged workforce, hazards can be effectively identified and assessed. An important part of this is
conducting quality investigations of incidents when they occur. This includes those incidents that result in an
injury or illness as well as high-potential near misses or other conditions that identify a clear hazard (OSHA,
2015). Remember, an effective safety and health management system is concerned with more than injuries
and illness alone; it strives to reduce the risk of their occurrence. It is vital that employees are engaged so
that they report near misses and other unsafe conditions proactively, before they are found because of an
injury or illness.
The purpose and focus of these investigations cannot be to assign blame. If that happens, employee trust will
be lost, and the workforce may become disengaged. In addition to being counterproductive, assigning blame
will not remove the hazard. Incident investigations must focus on the possibility of root causes, plural,
because there may be more than one (OSHA, 2015). Outside of incident investigations, other tools such as a
job hazard analysis (JHA) can also be used to identify hazards.
Once hazards are identified, controls must be put into place. This provides important feedback for the
employees and demonstrates that the hazards they are reporting are indeed being addressed. If no action is
taken, the employees will likely feel that their input is being ignored, causing them to lose interest and stop
reporting hazards.
As covered in Units IV and V, control strategies should be based on the hierarchy of controls. Employees
must be involved in the application of these controls. Preference should be given to the higher level of
controls of elimination, substitution, and engineering controls, which will have a greater impact in terms of risk
reduction than the lower levels of controls—administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Management can demonstrate commitment to employee safety and health by supporting the higher levels of
controls, even though these will generally cost more to apply and implement than the lower levels. This
support, despite increased costs, demonstrates to the workforce that management’s commitment to the safety
and health management system is more than just a written statement.
Once hazards have been identified and appropriate controls have been put into place, this information must
be communicated to employees. Health and safety training that increases hazard awareness and educates
employees on the applicable controls is a critical component of an effective safety management system
(OSHA, 2015). As discussed in Unit VI, a needs assessment must be completed so that focused objectives
can be developed to meet the specific needs of the employees who require the training.
In establishing a safety management system, all levels of the organization will have a need for some level of
awareness training so that a consistent message is delivered. The objectives of this training should be clear:
• communicate the goals of the safety management system,
• explain the safety and health policy for the organization,
• reinforce management’s commitment to safety and health,
• describe the importance of employee participation,
• encourage the reporting of unsafe acts and conditions, and
• define the roles and responsibilities of each level of the organization.
Once implemented, the organization is not finished with the design and development of the safety
management system; it must enter a process of continuous improvement. According to Meiling et al., (2014),
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
continuous improvement is a process of applying the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle to make incremental
enhancements to a process as the need for them becomes evident:
• Plan: plan an action to address a current deficiency.
• Do: apply the action.
• Check: evaluate how effective the action is at correcting the deficiency.
• Act: respond to the evaluation and return to the planning stage if the action was not effective.
The PDCA cycle can be applied to ensure continuous improvement of a safety management system.
Do—This step involves turning these
objectives into plans, polices, procedures, and
workplace improvements.
Plan—Planning should focus on creating specific
objectives that support the goal established under the
safety management system.
Check—The results of these plans, polices, procedures,
and improvements must be checked using key
performance
indicators
(KPIs) that
include both
leading and
lagging
values.
Testing critical KPIs provides
feedback during the Check step of
the PDCA cycle.
(Group of Diverse, 2018)
The PDCA cycle starts with planning to
determine objectives and actions that
support established goals of the safety
management system being developed.
(Reyes, 2018)
Plans, policies,
procedures, and
improvements
outlined in the
planning stage are
implemented during
the Do step of the
PDCA cycle.
(LaRochelle, 2017)
During the Act step of the PDCA cycle,
actions are taken to fully implement
policies, procedures, and workplace
improvements that have proven
effective.
(Bruckner, 2018)
Visual depiction of the PDCA cycle outlines the steps in the Plan-Do-Check-Act process
(Meiling et al., 2014, p. 110)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 5
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Act—If the KPIs demonstrate that the objectives were met, the actions become standards, formalizing them in
the organization. If the KPIs demonstrate that an objective was not met, the cycle reverts to the planning
stage to make improvements on the action before trying it again.
Unit VII brought together the concepts covered in the first six units of this course, tying them to the essential
elements of a safety management system. The unit content demonstrates how the safety and health concepts
covered in this course can be organized around the framework of a safety management system for
implementation in any organization.
References
Bruckner, E. (2018, April 17). Gate, fence, sign and sunlight [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/o1jqBoyB9qY
Group of diverse people having a business meeting [Photograph]. (2018). Rawpixel.
https://www.rawpixel.com/image/414143/group-diverse-people-having-business-meeting
LaRochelle, M. (2017, October 8). Welding, welder, mask and burning [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/c-vWdiICscA
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=eds-live&scope=site
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Reyes, A. (2018, July 12). Bulletin board with flow chart [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/qWwpHwip31M
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 6
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resource, click the links below.
Access the document listed below to learn about the components the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) believes are important to safety management as well as implementation tools and
resources. The information provided will be useful when establishing, implementing, maintaining, and
improving safety and health programs.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.
Think about safety measures put into place where you work or have worked in the past. Prepare a one-page
essay that aligns these safety measures with the key elements of a safety management system. Provide
specific examples; for example, fire extinguisher training would fit in the category of safety and health training.
Briefly describe how each of the safety measures relates to and supports each of the others across the
elements. If you cannot provide an example of a safety measure implemented at your workplace for any of
the elements, describe how your workplace could implement a safety measure under that element.
If you are not currently working, describe examples of safety measures that could be put into place under
each element.
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
– Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
– Required Unit Resources
– Unit Lesson
– References
– Suggested Unit Resources
– Learning Activities (Nongraded)
**## UnitVIIProject.docx**
**Unit VII Project:**
**Outlining a Training Program Proposal**
In this assignment, you will develop a plan for an effective training program that is tailored for the specific needs of newly hired, adult employees. You are encouraged to consider your own current or former workplace as a basis for this training plan.
Develop your plan by addressing each of the requirements in the order presented below.
· Begin by identifying the type of worksite and whether a safety management system, a behavior-based system approach, or both are used to effectively manage safety performance. Explain why this approach is effective in this worksite environment.
· Next, clearly define a critical safety-related need that will be met using your training.
· It is suggested you choose a safety issue that is either most prevalent at the worksite, or one to which all employees are exposed. For example, do not choose forklift operator safety training if there is only one or two people who operate a forklift at the work site.
· Explain what resources you would use to define this need. Create at least of two learning objectives stating how your training will address the need. Be sure to use the ABCD concept when developing your objectives.
· Explain how you would design the training to be focused on newly hired, adult participants using activity-based learning concepts. Include at least two activities you would have the participants complete.
· Identify at least five resources, references, or materials you would use to develop the training materials, and explain how they will support the objectives. At least two of the five resources must be found in the CSU Online Library. These could include technical publications on your topic, scholarly articles, peer-reviewed research, or videos.
· Outline how your course would be delivered, including what resources would be needed (i.e., educational resources, rooms, projectors, other physical requirements).
· Describe how you would plan the participants’ time and provide feedback on their actions and responses during the training, ensuring that you have policies in place to maintain control of the training.
· Prepare a method for evaluating the training; provide at least five example questions that could be used to assess the participants’ retention of knowledge and evaluate the training’s course content and delivery.
Your project must be at least four pages but no more than five pages in length, not counting the title page (if used) or references page. Your project must have in text citations and references formatted in APA Style.
**## UnitVIIStudyGuide.pdf**
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
4. Discuss safety and health management systems approaches for controlling workplace hazards.
4.1 Describe how the safety management systems approach can be used in conjunction with
efforts focused on safe behaviors.
4.2 Identify the challenges to effective employee involvement in safety and health programs.
Required Unit Resources
Chapter 3: Human Performance and Safety Culture, pp. 41–48, 71–74
Chapter 5: Employee Involvement
In order to access the following resources, click the links below.
Read pp. 109–110 of the following article.
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Read pp. 3–8, 11–14, and 27–29 of the following report.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). Recommended practices for safety and health
programs (OSHA Report No. 3885).
https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf
UNIT VII STUDY GUIDE
Safety Management Systems
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site](https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=ehost-live&scope=site)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 2
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Unit Lesson
This course has covered several key elements for managing safety and health. Unit I covered the roles
and responsibilities of the safety professional. In Units II and III, the concept of hazard identification was
presented. Units IV and V discussed the various controls that can be put into place to reduce the risk of
the identified hazards. Unit VI explained how to develop an effective program for training adult employees
on those controls. In this unit, we will tie these elements together under the framework of a safety
management system.
Like any other critical aspect of business, safety must be managed. Numerous organizations have published
frameworks for developing an effective safety management system. Several of these frameworks come in the
form of consensus standards that organizations can choose to follow. These include the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI) and American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) publication American
National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems Z-10, the British Standards
Institution’s (BSI) Occupational Health and Safety System Standard OHSAS-18001, and the International
Organization for Standardization’s Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
Guidelines for implementing safety management systems have also been published. These include the
National Safety Council’s Nine Elements of a Successful Safety & Health System and the Occupational
Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) publications Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
and Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs. While these all differ in their levels of
complexity and content, they all focus on similar elements:
• management commitment,
• employee participation,
• hazard identification and assessment,
• hazard control,
• safety and health training, and
• commitment to continuous improvement.
These elements should sound familiar since they have all been covered to some extent in this course. Let’s
look at each one in more detail and examine how they are all interrelated.
In most—if not all—organizations, you will see posters, banners, or policy statements that reference a
commitment to zero injuries, or posters and signs stating mottos and slogans such as “All employees will go
home the same way they came to work.” Does that alone demonstrate management commitment to
employee safety and health? No, it does not—it is only one component of it.
While management’s commitment to safety and health must be clearly stated, it must also state that safety
and health is as important as all other components of the business including quality, profit, production, and so
on (OSHA, 2015). The statement must also include a commitment of resources to support health and safety
improvements, noting that the highest levels of senior management will be responsible for safety and health
performance. To back up the written statement, management must establish goals for which they will hold
themselves accountable. These goals should be focused on specific actions, not general injury and illness
performance (OSHA, 2015).
The goal of zero injuries should be obvious; no member of management ever wants employees injured at
work. However, what specific goals are management committed to achieving in order to reduce the risk of
employees being exposed to workplace hazards? An example goal might state, “Encourage employees to
report workplace hazards by ensuring that they are free from retaliation and by providing a system that will
track the controls put into place to mitigate the risk of the reported hazards.”
Goals such as this also demonstrate management’s commitment of resources to safety and health—another
critical requirement. Finally, management must hold all levels of the organization accountable for achieving
the goals that they have set. All employees must be made aware of their roles and responsibilities with a clear
explanation of what is expected from them (OSHA, 2015). Both positive and constructive feedback must be
given to ensure that employees are continually aware of whether their actions and behaviors align with the
organization’s commitment to safety.
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 3
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Without management commitment, a safety management system is not possible. However, an effective safety
management system cannot be implemented in a top-down approach—the employees must be involved.
Employees must be engaged in all aspects of the system, from program development through its
implementation and continuous improvement. If employees are involved in the program, they will take
ownership of it and want it to succeed. Engaged employees are more likely to provide feedback that will
provide insight concerning where the program should focus its efforts as part of its continuous improvement.
They are also more likely to fully participate in the program’s initiatives, including hazard reporting, incident
investigations, and training (OSHA, 2015).
When a management team committed to reducing safety and health risks is combined with the support of an
engaged workforce, hazards can be effectively identified and assessed. An important part of this is
conducting quality investigations of incidents when they occur. This includes those incidents that result in an
injury or illness as well as high-potential near misses or other conditions that identify a clear hazard (OSHA,
2015). Remember, an effective safety and health management system is concerned with more than injuries
and illness alone; it strives to reduce the risk of their occurrence. It is vital that employees are engaged so
that they report near misses and other unsafe conditions proactively, before they are found because of an
injury or illness.
The purpose and focus of these investigations cannot be to assign blame. If that happens, employee trust will
be lost, and the workforce may become disengaged. In addition to being counterproductive, assigning blame
will not remove the hazard. Incident investigations must focus on the possibility of root causes, plural,
because there may be more than one (OSHA, 2015). Outside of incident investigations, other tools such as a
job hazard analysis (JHA) can also be used to identify hazards.
Once hazards are identified, controls must be put into place. This provides important feedback for the
employees and demonstrates that the hazards they are reporting are indeed being addressed. If no action is
taken, the employees will likely feel that their input is being ignored, causing them to lose interest and stop
reporting hazards.
As covered in Units IV and V, control strategies should be based on the hierarchy of controls. Employees
must be involved in the application of these controls. Preference should be given to the higher level of
controls of elimination, substitution, and engineering controls, which will have a greater impact in terms of risk
reduction than the lower levels of controls—administrative controls and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Management can demonstrate commitment to employee safety and health by supporting the higher levels of
controls, even though these will generally cost more to apply and implement than the lower levels. This
support, despite increased costs, demonstrates to the workforce that management’s commitment to the safety
and health management system is more than just a written statement.
Once hazards have been identified and appropriate controls have been put into place, this information must
be communicated to employees. Health and safety training that increases hazard awareness and educates
employees on the applicable controls is a critical component of an effective safety management system
(OSHA, 2015). As discussed in Unit VI, a needs assessment must be completed so that focused objectives
can be developed to meet the specific needs of the employees who require the training.
In establishing a safety management system, all levels of the organization will have a need for some level of
awareness training so that a consistent message is delivered. The objectives of this training should be clear:
• communicate the goals of the safety management system,
• explain the safety and health policy for the organization,
• reinforce management’s commitment to safety and health,
• describe the importance of employee participation,
• encourage the reporting of unsafe acts and conditions, and
• define the roles and responsibilities of each level of the organization.
Once implemented, the organization is not finished with the design and development of the safety
management system; it must enter a process of continuous improvement. According to Meiling et al., (2014),
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 4
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
continuous improvement is a process of applying the Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) cycle to make incremental
enhancements to a process as the need for them becomes evident:
• Plan: plan an action to address a current deficiency.
• Do: apply the action.
• Check: evaluate how effective the action is at correcting the deficiency.
• Act: respond to the evaluation and return to the planning stage if the action was not effective.
The PDCA cycle can be applied to ensure continuous improvement of a safety management system.
Do—This step involves turning these
objectives into plans, polices, procedures, and
workplace improvements.
Plan—Planning should focus on creating specific
objectives that support the goal established under the
safety management system.
Check—The results of these plans, polices, procedures,
and improvements must be checked using key
performance
indicators
(KPIs) that
include both
leading and
lagging
values.
Testing critical KPIs provides
feedback during the Check step of
the PDCA cycle.
(Group of Diverse, 2018)
The PDCA cycle starts with planning to
determine objectives and actions that
support established goals of the safety
management system being developed.
(Reyes, 2018)
Plans, policies,
procedures, and
improvements
outlined in the
planning stage are
implemented during
the Do step of the
PDCA cycle.
(LaRochelle, 2017)
During the Act step of the PDCA cycle,
actions are taken to fully implement
policies, procedures, and workplace
improvements that have proven
effective.
(Bruckner, 2018)
Visual depiction of the PDCA cycle outlines the steps in the Plan-Do-Check-Act process
(Meiling et al., 2014, p. 110)
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 5
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Act—If the KPIs demonstrate that the objectives were met, the actions become standards, formalizing them in
the organization. If the KPIs demonstrate that an objective was not met, the cycle reverts to the planning
stage to make improvements on the action before trying it again.
Unit VII brought together the concepts covered in the first six units of this course, tying them to the essential
elements of a safety management system. The unit content demonstrates how the safety and health concepts
covered in this course can be organized around the framework of a safety management system for
implementation in any organization.
References
Bruckner, E. (2018, April 17). Gate, fence, sign and sunlight [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/o1jqBoyB9qY
Group of diverse people having a business meeting [Photograph]. (2018). Rawpixel.
https://www.rawpixel.com/image/414143/group-diverse-people-having-business-meeting
LaRochelle, M. (2017, October 8). Welding, welder, mask and burning [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/c-vWdiICscA
Meiling, J. H., Sandberg, M., & Johnsson, H. (2014). A study of a plan-do-check-act method used in less
industrialized activities: Two cases from industrialized housebuilding. Construction Management and
Economics, 32(1/2), 109–125.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=95004459&site=eds-live&scope=site
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Reyes, A. (2018, July 12). Bulletin board with flow chart [Photograph]. Unsplash.
https://unsplash.com/photos/qWwpHwip31M
OSH 2301, Introduction to Workplace Safety 6
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Suggested Unit Resources
In order to access the following resource, click the links below.
Access the document listed below to learn about the components the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) believes are important to safety management as well as implementation tools and
resources. The information provided will be useful when establishing, implementing, maintaining, and
improving safety and health programs.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2015). OSHA safety and health program management
guidelines: November 2015 draft for public comment.
https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf
Learning Activities (Nongraded)
Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit
them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.
Think about safety measures put into place where you work or have worked in the past. Prepare a one-page
essay that aligns these safety measures with the key elements of a safety management system. Provide
specific examples; for example, fire extinguisher training would fit in the category of safety and health training.
Briefly describe how each of the safety measures relates to and supports each of the others across the
elements. If you cannot provide an example of a safety measure implemented at your workplace for any of
the elements, describe how your workplace could implement a safety measure under that element.
If you are not currently working, describe examples of safety measures that could be put into place under
each element.
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
[https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf](https://www.osha.gov/shpmguidelines/SHPM_guidelines.pdf)
– Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VII
– Required Unit Resources
– Unit Lesson
– References
– Suggested Unit Resources
– Learning Activities (Nongraded)