Safety Management Research

Safety Management System

What is a safety management system? A safety management system is a well thought out plan to create a safety plan based on good business concepts that is implemented by an organization which enables the organization to control and monitor their occupational health and safety (OH&S) risks for employees and contractors alike while eliminating costs and improving performance. The history of safety management began in England during the Industrial Revolution when child labor in factories was common. Children worked long, hard hours in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. After sickness and disease caught up with the children working in the factories, the people of England began to demand for safer working conditions in the workplace. In 1802, the government took action by passing the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. The Act was proposed to improve working conditions in the factories and provide adequate housing/schooling for the benefit of the employees. The Health and Morals of Apprentices Act signify the start of governmental involvement in workplace safety.2

Workplace safety unofficially began in 1867 when the state of Massachusetts introduced the idea of factory inspection. In 1870s, workplace safety began to be taken more seriously by a few select states. The Pennsylvania legislature passed a mine safety law which stated that there must be two exits from all mines. Also, the first government formed organization known as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was created to monitor and record workplace accidents. In 1892, in Illinois, the first recorded safety program was established in a steel plant in response to an explosion scare. A committee was formed to examine the incident and prepare recommendations to avoid further incidents. Those recommendations were used as the basis for the development of what is considered to be the first form of a safety program in American history.2

What is an occupational health...