Z 10 Safety Management System

Paper

On

ANSI Z10

Safety Management System

By: Lovish Bansal

MSA 612

Introduction

Quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety (OHS) management systems are used by many organizations in the U.S. and around the world. Quality and environmental systems share many basic concepts and principles with international voluntary consensus standards. Many organizations operate their own occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS), while others use systems that conform to available guidelines. Until the development of this voluntary consensus standard, there was no U.S. OHSMS consensus standard.

The use of management systems can improve organizational performance, including performance in the occupational health and safety arena. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) relies on management system principles and has reported success in improving occupational health and safety performance among participating companies. Finally, the fact that many organizations in the U.S. and abroad are implementing management systems in occupational health and safety is evidence that these systems add value to their businesses.

The purpose of the standard is to provide organizations an effective tool for continual improvement of their occupational health and safety performance. An OHSMS implemented in conformance with this standard can help organizations minimize workplace risks and reduce the occurrence and cost of occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

ANSI Z10 focuses primarily on the strategic levels of policy and the processes to ensure that the policy is effectively carried out. The standard does not provide detailed procedures, job instructions or documentation mechanisms. Each organization must design these according to their needs.

The management system approach is characterized by its emphasis on continual improvement and systematically eliminating the underlying or root...