A Safety Management System (SMS) is crucial to creating a workplace where health and safety are paramount and the risk of work-related injuries minimises. As an organisation committed to the highest standards, this is a useful way to identify potential problems or risks that may arise in the workplace or during work-related activities and ensure that day-to-day operations are managed safely. It is part of the process of continuous evaluation that leading organisations strive for, and we can help you create a framework for your business to protect your employees and your workplace, as well as ensure your compliance with legal requirements and relevant legislation.
A Safety Management System is designed to set out exactly what is involved in maintaining health and safety across your organisation, identifying who is responsible for each area and how resources are allocated. The chains of command will be clearly identified, and there should be procedures in place to ensure that workers have an opportunity to offer input into the Safety Management System as well as be fully briefed and updated on it regularly.
How Will a Safety Management System Help Your Business?
A comprehensive Safety Management System will be transparent and easy to action, with a clear progression from planning processes to implementation of procedures and monitoring of these. The SMS should enable consistent improvement where potential risks or gaps are identified. The SMS gives your organisation guidance on all aspects of health and safety and represents the interests of everyone involved in the organisation, from employees to shareholders and clients.
A good Safety Management System will be tailored to the organisation it is designed for and will cover the following points:
- Policies and procedures. A thorough Safety Management System will lay out the policies and procedures that are in place to reduce the risk of workplace injuries and illness and will enable employees, managers and members of the public to understand these and take steps to comply with them. This will include your Safety Statement, which you are obliged to create under Section 20 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
- Planning and Emergency Procedures. Your Safety Management System should set out exactly how the policies and procedures will be put into place in the organisation, including the arrangement of management structures and the targets and objectives they are subject to. The SMS will also specify the essential processes that must be followed in the case of an emergency or accident in the workplace. This will ensure that best practice is followed and is an essential way to protect your business and its reputation in case of situations such as this.
- Responsibilities and operations. It is important for all employees and any external investigators to understand where responsibilities lie and who to seek help from when needed. All staff should receive comprehensive instruction in any duties that form part of their responsibilities at work, and they should always be given the correct training and support to carry out their work safely. Staff should be involved in the consultation process as the SMS is drawn up or updated, and all employees should be supported by visible and active leadership to create a positive health and safety culture at work.
- Measuring performance. It is vital that organisations can monitor or measure their performance in line with health and safety requirements, and being held accountable to the standards laid out in the SMS will show whether it is achieving its aims. Monitoring processes should cover all elements of the organisation’s practice, including the equipment, premises and individual performance of people involved in the organisation. When problems arise, it should be easy to identify these and work out what went wrong.
- Processes for auditing and reviewing policies. The key to successful health and safety practices is consistency and development, and a crucial part of your SMS is the potential to review and develop the existing policies and introduce new policies when required. Monitoring on an ongoing basis can ensure that performance is consistent and identify where improvements are required, driving up standards further. External audits can be informative as part of the improvement process and this can be undertaken as part of an annual review or report.
Creating an SMS that supports your business goals and ensures the safety of your personnel and your workplace is a way to bring together all elements of your health and safety provision to improve the way your organisation functions. A good SMS will help you to clarify and implement the health and safety procedures that will protect people, premises and your reputation, so it is well worth investing your time to ensure that every element is covered. You can check what is required from the HSA
Training Protects Your Team
It is also important to consider your training requirements when you are creating your SMS. Your training programmes are one of the most important ways to protect your staff and ensure that they understand safe working practices. Training opportunities must be appropriate to the role a worker is employed in and should be regularly updated. Training can often be organised in-house and ensuring that all staff have a good level of training is an essential way to minimise risk in your organisation.
Health and Safety Compliance in Ireland
At ASM, we have many years of expertise in health and safety training and we work with many organisations across several industries. We can help you to prepare your Safety Management System and this can be accredited by a third party if you choose to take this route. We can offer a wide range of health and safety training, including specialist training for those in high-risk roles, and we are proud of our role in driving up safety standards across Ireland.
Our experienced team includes health and safety experts who can advise, consult and work with your team to ensure that you, your workers and your premises are protected. We can also provide Safety Officers and services such as Risk Assessment and Gap Analysis to ensure that your organisation is fully compliant with legislation and with your statutory responsibilities as an employer. Talk to our Health and Safety Consultants in Ireland to find out more about working in partnership with us to safeguard your team and your business.
