Safety / Risk Management

In an ideal setting, every workplace should have a safety management system. That would mean having a well-defined set of plans and measures to

a) prevent accidents;
b) to ensure that, if they happen, the damages (personal and material) will be minimized;
c) to investigate and record the events thoroughly, and;
d) to assess who or which departments are responsible (to be held accountable or to flag a need for improvement).

So, in order to claim having proper risk management, the safety standards (such as the OHSAS 18001) recommend to organizations the development of the following elements:

- emergency planning
- first aid provision
- accident investigation
- appropriate record keeping
- active and reactive monitoring
- provision of rehabilitation programmes
- reviewing and auditing performance

This is one of the steps required for a occupational health and safety certification, which in turn brings a lot of credibility to any business, showing a commitment to the well-being of the workers, to improvement, and to an effective strategic management.