As people practitioners, HR has the unenviable task of balancing the best interests of

employees with those of the organisation.

While most conscientious senior managers really dont want to see their employees harmed at
work, there are unfortunately still some who view occupational health and safety (OSH) as a
burden and just another piece of legislation that will cost the business time, money and
resources. Lets face it: In tough economic times, and when there is already so much new
legislation impacting business, OHS is the last thing you want to hear about.
The very mention of health and safety also makes many HR professionals shudder. Given that
the directors of the organisation would rather focus on other operational and more pressing
aspects of business, OSH often becomes just another HR issue.
3 reasons why health and safety is good for business
There is, however, a very strong and positive business case for OSH compliance. While most
CEOs know their legal responsibilities, many still dont know the significant benefits OSH
has for business. As an HR professional, you can help make it clear to the directors that if
increasing employee productivity, enhancing the companys public reputation and increasing
annual profits all sound like the type of things they would like to see more of, its time to start
paying more attention to health and safety.
1. Injuries and ill-health caused by poor working conditions can impose significant
and often unrecognised financial and legal costs on business. Not to mention the
ramifications that could result if the company directors are found to have been negligent.
Word also gets out and a company with a poor health and safety record will be far less
appealing in a tender bid than one which is already fully compliant and has a good health and
safety record. Even those companies that do not tender for work still need to protect their
reputation.
2. A happy and healthy employee is a more productive employee. The last thing any
employer wants is a group of increasingly disgruntled employees who might view their
organisations management team as one that cares only about profits and nothing for
employee well-being because this group will not be very productive.
3. Health and safety compliance can have an extensive and highly positive impact on
your organisation. The costs involved in becoming OSH compliant and maintaining
compliance are not at all high, when compared with the possible costs involved in an accident
or fire. In short, health and safety compliance is a long-term investment in the well-being of a
company, its staff and its reputation.
What is the role of HR in OSH?
While HR professionals are not expected to understand all the technical aspects of OSH, they
1

can play an important role in administrating, communicating, facilitating and championing

the process.
1. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993, requires you, the employer, to bring
about and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a work environment that is safe and
without risk to the health of the workers. However, you are not solely responsible for health
and safety and the act recognises this. The Act is based on the principle that risks in the
workplace must be addressed by communication and cooperation between the workers and
the employer. The workers and the employer must share the responsibility for health and
safety in the workplace. Both parties must proactively identify possible risks and develop
control measures to make the workplace safe.
2. Health and safety compliance can be quite technical and often requires the services of
health and safety officer or an outsourced health and safety consultancy. However, HR is an
important link between management and employees.
3. While communicating the importance of occupational health and safety to management
not just from a legal, but business case perspective, HR also plays an important role in
ensuring that employee concerns are heard and raised. HR can in turn communicate the
organisations commitment to its employees and their health and safety, further boosting
employee morale and commitment to the organisation.
4. In addition to overseeing policies and procedures, and ensuring employees adhere to
these, HRs most important role is to ensure that every member of the organisation, from the
top down, understands that OSH is everyones responsibility.

Introduction
E m p l o y e e h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y a r e o f c o n c e r n , b o t h t o t h e employer and
to the employee.
The benefits of employee health ands a f e t y p r o g r a m s i n t e r m s o f t i m e , m
o n e y , a n d p r o d u c t i v i t y c a n b e extremely substantial.Pakistan, at present, like many
developing countries of theworld, does not have comprehensive occupational health
and safety laws.The incidence of injuries and illnesses is probably very high in
Pakistanb e c a u s e t h o u s a n d s o f w o r k e r s a r e r o u t i n e l y e x p o s e d t o h a z a r d o u s
chemicals and many more work in hazardous industries. However, there isno reliable data
2

on occupational safety and health injuries and

illnessesb e c a u s e a m a j o r i t y o f a c c i d e n t s a r e n o t r e p o r t e d t o t h e r e g
u l a t o r y agencies. The Regulatory agencies do not have an effective enforcementpolicy or
strict requirements for reporting injuries an illness a
workplaces.A n o v e r v i e w o f c u r r e n t l a w s / r e g u l a t i o n s r e l a t e
d t o occupational safety and health shows that there are several laws on thebook, such
as Factories Act, 1934: Provincial Factories
Rules; Hazardousoccupations Rules, 1963; Mines
Act, 1923; West Pakistan Shops andEstablishments Ordinance,
1969; Provincial Employees Social
SecurityO r d i n a n c e , 1 9 6 5 ; W o r k m e n s C o m p e n s a t i o n A c t , 1 9 2 3 a n d
C o c k Laborers, 1934.

The current regulations are, however, fragmented and thereis no single comprehensive piece
of legislation dealing with occupationalsafety and health. There is no formal legislative process for
setting up newstandards, codes of practice and occupational exposure limits. Whatever exists
on the book is frequently hampered with repeated martial laws. Thecurrent outdated Factories
Act, 1934, requires only a very basic level
of s a f e t y a n d h e a l t h m e a s u r e . T h e r e a r e n o g u i d e l i n e s f o r m i n i m u
m qualifications or employment of health and safety professionals in theindustry.
Components of Health and safety program
The contents of the Occupational health and safety programcould be included under the elements
discussed below.1 . O b j e c t i v e s a n d p o l i c i e s 2.Topmanagement support3 . O r g a n i z a t i o n . 4.Establishing responsibility for
safety5 . E n g i n e e r i n g 6 . J o b s a f e t y a n a l y s i s 7 . A n a l ys i s o f
a c c i d e n t s 8 . E d u c a t i o n a n d t r a i n i n g 9 . E n f o r c e m e n t 10.Healthful
work environment11.Adequate medical treatment12.Rehabilitation
1. Objectives and Policies
When top management decides that it wants to take steps toobtain a safe organization, it
must determine just how far it wants to goand what it wants to accomplish. Does
it want to have a company thatranks with the best in its industry in terms of low
injury frequency andseverity? Or does it simply want a safety effort that will reduce
workerscompensation costs to a tolerable level. Is it willing to invest
sufficientmoney to achieve a really no hazardous plant?
2. Top Management Support
Top management sets the safety objectives and policies
int h e f i r s t p l a c e ; a n d h o w t o p m a n a g e m e n t c h o o s e s t o s u p p o r t a n
d implement its own policies is crucial to the effectiveness of these
policies.T h e s i n g l e m o s t i m p o r t a n t e l e m e n t i n t h e s u c c e s s o r f a i l u r e o f a n
yc o m p a n y w i d e p r o g r a m , w h e t h e r i t i s s a f e t y, t r a i n i n g , r e s e a r c h
o r maintenance, is the emphasis given to that program by top management.
3. Organization
T h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a l a r r a n g e m e n t s t h a t a r e c r e a t e d a r e conditioned by the
size of the firm and the nature of its safety problems. Insmall firms, a full-time safety director is
justified; the assignment may begiven to the personnel director, to the plant superintendent,
or to
the heado f i n d u s t r i a l e n g i n e e r i n g . I n m e d i u m s i z e d f i r m s , a c o m p a n y u s u a
llyemplo ys a full time safety specialist. He is the part of the
3

p e r s o n n e l department. Large corporations, especially

those in hazardous industries,w i l l e m p l o y a w h o l e s t a f f o f s a f e t y e n g i n e e r s , s a
f e t y i n s p e c t o r s , a n d industrial hygienists.
4. Establishing Responsibility for Safety
S o m e i n d u s t r i a l i s t s t h i n k t h a t w i t h t h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f a safety director they
can wash their hands of all responsibility for safetyand get on with their main
business of obtaining high production, low costs, and adequate quality. Nothing could
be further form the truth. Theonly way to achieve and maintain a safe plant is to place
responsibility
of safety on equal status with responsibility for production, cost control,quality, and
profit making
.
The basic responsibility for injury prevention rests with linemanagement and safe director serves as
an innovator, organizer, creator,advisor, teacher, analyzer, investigator, stimulator, and a prodder. He
mustorganize the safety program throughout the plant, collect accident
data,investigate accidents, help develop engineering applications, conductsafety t
raining and information meetings for management personnel,a n a l y z e j o b s t
o d e v e l o p s a f e w o r k i n g p r o c e d u r e s , a n d p r e p a r e instructional
material for use by foremen in conducting meetings with
their e m p l o y e e s . T h e s t a f f s a f e t y d i r e c t o r r a r e l y h a s l i n e a u t h o r i t y t o o r d
e r supervisors and workers to take a particular action in regard to safety.
5.Engineering
Proper engineering to remove work hazards is fundamentalto any organized safety efforts.
Today technologyhas advanced to the point where many hazardousconditions have simply
been designed out of
thee q u i p m e n t a n d p r o c e s s e s a n d m o s t o f t h e remaining ones
have been adequately guarded.The first way of engineering for safety is simply
toeliminate the hazard from the machine, process, or structure. If it is not feasible to
carry out a basicredesign of the production process to eliminate thehazard, then the next
stage is to design and install a guard to preventworkers from coming in contact
with moving parts or point of operation elements. In the last, it is not possible to
eliminate the hazard or to guardthe equipment itself, it may be possible to have the workers
wear and useprotective clothing and equipment.
6. Job-Safety Analysis
Job-safety analysis is very useful for hazard elimination andfor designing safe work methods.
By such study the safety engineer maynote that a change in workplace layout, in the
operating controls of themachine, or in work procedures may eliminate or reduce the
possibility of injury to the operator.
7. Analysis of Accidents
Every accident that results in a personal injury, or could haveresulted in a serious injury, whether it is
simply a first-aid case or a moreserious disabling one, must be investigated
by the injured employeessupervisor to ascertain the cause and to determine what specific
remediesare required to avoid a recurrence.
8. Education and Training
S a f e t y e d u c a t i o n f o r a l l l e v e l s o f m a n a g e m e n t a n d f o r employees is a
vital ingredient for any successful safety program. Top andmiddle management require education in
the fundamentals of safety andthe need for an effective accidents, both human and dollar
costs, must bebrought to the attention of line management. Top management does notneed to
4

concern itself with the detailed mechanics of accident prevention,but it must acquire sufficient
awareness of safety fundamentals.
The safety director and his staff must undertake to
provideextensive education and training for first line supervisors.
At employeel e v e l t h e r e a r e t w o p r i n c i p a l o b j e c t i v e s : ( 1 ) t o d
e v e l o p s a f e t y consciousness and favorable attitudes toward safety and (2) to
achievesafe work performance from each employee in the job. To achieve thesegoals, a number
of things must be done.
9. Enforcement
Primary responsibility for enforcement of standard operatingprocedures and safety rules lies
with the first-line supervisor. When he
or s h e o b s e r v e s e m p l o y e e s w h o a r e n o t p e r f o r m i n g t h e i r j o b s i n t
h e approved manner he or she calls this to their attention and corrects them.With adequate
indoctrination and training there should seldom be need
for punitive measures for violation of safety regulations. However, wheni n d i v i d
u a l s d e l i b e r a t e l y r e f u s e t o c o o p e r a t e , t h e n t h e y n e e d t o b e discipline
d as they would for other rule violations.
10. Healthful Work Environment
The objective of environment control is the prevention
of o c c u p a t i o n a l d i s e a s e . T h e p o s s i b l e c a u s a t i v e a g e n t s i n t h e p l a
n t environment (dusts, fumes, toxic chemicals, noise, etc.) must first bei d e n t i f i
e d . T h e n c o r r e c t i v e a c t i o n m u s t b e t a k e n . T h e r e a r e m a n y correctiv
e methods that may be used. The best, from a worker
healths t a n d p o i n t , i s u s u a l l y t o e l i m i n a t e o r c o n t a i n t h e a g e n t a t i t s s o u r c
e . E q u i p m e n t a n d p r o c e s s e s c a n b e r e e n g i n e e r e d t o c u t d o w n n o i s e , eliminat
e leaks, or reduce vibration.
11. Adequate Medical Treatment
Every establishment should haveadequate facilities and tr
a i n e d p e r s o n n e l f o r rendering first aid to injured employees. The
smallcompany should have a clean, adequately equippedfirst-aid room. The larger
establishments have needfor the full-time services of an industrial nurse and a physician.
12. Rehabilitation
If an employee has suffered a serious temporary disablinginjury or a permanent disability, it
behooves the employer and the workerscompensation insurance company to exercise every effort
to rehabilitate that unfortunate individual. This includes helping him learn how to care
for daily needs of living, learn how to acquire useful job skills.
Health Services
A comprehensive company health program will include the followingfeatures:
1. Ventilation
Workplaces need to be adequatelyventilated. Fresh, clean air should be drawn froma source
outside the workplace,
uncontaminatedb y d i s c h a r g e s f r o m f l u e s , c h i m n e y s o r o t h e r process
outlets, and be circulated thorough the workrooms.Ventilation should also remove
anddilute warm, humid air and provide air movementwhich gives a sense of freshness
without causinga draught. If the workplace contains process or heating equipment or other
sources of dust, fumesor vapors, more fresh air will be needed to provideadequate
ventilation.Wi n d o w s o r o t h e r o p e n i n g s m a y p r o v i d e s u f f i c i e n t v e n t i l
a t i o n b u t , w h e r e necessary, mechanical ventilation systems shouldbe provided and regularly
maintained.
5

2. Work in hot or cold environments

The risk to the health of workers increases as conditions move further away from
those generally accepted as comfortable. Risk of heat stress arises, for example, from
working in high air temperatures,exposure to high thermal radiation or high
levels of humidity, such asthose found in foundries, glass works and laundries.
Cold stress mayarise, for example, from working in cold stores, food preparation areas andin the open air
during winter.
Action arising from assessment may include:
Introducing engineering measures to control the thermaleffects in a workplace
environment.

Restriction of exposure by, for example, rearranging tasks tobuild in rest periods or other breaks from work.

Medical pre-selection of employees to ensure that they arefit to work in these environments;

Use of suitable personal protection clothing.

Acclimatization of workers to the environment in which theywork, particularly for hot

environments;

Training in the precautions to be taken; and

Supervision, to ensure that precautions identified by theassessment are taken.

3. Lighting
L i g h t i n g s h o u l d b e s u f f i c i e n t t o e n a b l e people to work
and move about safely. If necessary,l o c a l l i g h t i n g s h o u l d b e p r o v i d e d a t i n d
i v i d u a l w o r k stations and at places of particular risk such as crossingpoints on traffic routes.
Lighting and light fittings shouldnot create any
hazard.Automatic emergency lighting, powered by anindependent source, should be
provided where suddenloss of light would create a risk.
4. Cleanliness and waste materials
Every workplace and the furniture, furnishings and fittingsshould
be kept clean and it should be possible to keep the surfaces of floors, walls and
ceilings clean. Cleaning and the removal of waste shouldbe carried out as necessary by
an effective method. Waste should be stored in suitable receptacles.
5. Room dimensions and space
Workrooms should have enough free space to allow peopleto move about with ease. The
volume of the room when empty should bedivided by the number of people normally working in it.
6. Workstations and seating
Workstations should be suitable for the people using themand for the work
they do. People should be able to leave workstationsswiftly in an emergency. If work
can or must be done sitting, seats whichare suitable for the people using them and for the
work they do should
bep r o v i d e d . S e a t i n g s h o u l d g i v e a d e q u a t e s u p p o r t f o r t h e l o w e r b a c k ; foo
trests should be provided for workers who cannot place their feet flaton the floor.
7. Medical Treatment
A p r o f e s s i o n a l s t a f f o f p h ys i c i a n s a n d nurses should be there for providing
proper firstaidt r e a t m e n t f o r o c c u p a t i o n a l i n j u r i e s a n d d i s e a s e s . S e r i o u s c a s e s a r
e r e f e r r e d t o p r i v a t e p r a c t i c e physicians and hospitals. Adequate facilities
6

are alsoprovided for emergency care of work injuries and

for c o n d u c t i n g p r e e m p l o y m e n t a n d p e r i o d i c m e d i c a l examinations.
Occupational safety
Accidents
An accident is an unexpected occurrence that interrupts theregular progress of an activity. In
effect it is any unplanned or uncalled for break or deviation from the expected. It is a negative or
unfortunate event.
Cost of accidents
Accidents are very expensive to the employer. Accidentscosts are classified into
two categories. First are the insured costs. Theinsured cost is the money paid
for doctor and hospital bills, for weeklybenefits while the injured employees are
absent from the work, and for any scheduled payments
due to death, accidental dismemberment, or permanent disability. This
cost is apparent and is net by the insurancepremium.
The second type of cost is uninsured costs. Some authoritiescall it indirect costs of accidents.
These costs are not apparent to topmanagement unless it assigns somebody to conduct a
specific researchproject to isolate them. These include lost time of injured worker, lost timeof
fellow employees who render aid to the injured person, time spent bysupervisory personnel to
assist the injured person and to investigate
thec a u s e o f a c c i d e n t , l o s t p r o d u c t i o n , p o s s i b l e d a m a g e d m a t e r i a l
o r equipment, and administrative expenses to process paperwork connectedwith the accident.
Causes of Accident
Accident causes can be classified into two major categories;1 . U n s a f e C o n d i t i o n s This include as
follows.

Inadequate mechanical guarding.

D e f e c t i v e c o n d i t i o n o f e q u i p m e n t o r t o o l s , f o r example, worn
electrical insulation, cracked ladder,split drive belt.

Unsafe design or construction, for example, pressurevessel that is too weak.

H a z a r d o u s a t m o s p h e r e , f o r e x a m p l e , t o x i c substances in air, poor

ventilation.

I n a d e q u a t e o r i m p r o p e r p e r s o n a l p r o t e c t i v e equi
pment.2 . U n s a f e a c t s This include as follows.

Failure to follow established safe-working procedures.

T a k i n g a n u n s a f e p o s i t i o n , s u c h a s u n d e r a suspended
load.

Failure to use designated protective clothing.

Removing safety devices or making them inoperative.

Prevention of accidents
I n p r a c t i c e , a c c i d e n t c a n b e p r e v e n t e d b y t w o b a s i c activities.

Reducing unsafe conditions

7


Reducing unsafe acts
1.Reducing unsafe conditions
Reducing unsafe conditions is always an employers first
lineo f d e f e n s e . S a f e t y e n g i n e e r s s h o u l d d e s i g n j o b s s o a s t o r e m o v e o r re
duce physical hazards. In addition, supervisors and managers play a role in reducing
unsafe conditions.Employers increasingly use computerized tools to designsafer
equipment. For example, Designsafe facilitates hazard analysis, riskassessment, and the identification of safety
control options.Sometimes the solution for eliminating an unsafe condition isobvious, and sometimes its
more subtle. For example, slips and falls atwork are often the result of debris or slippery
floor.Getting employees to wear personal protective equipmentcan be a famously
difficult chore. In addition to providing reliable barrier protection and durability, protective
clothing should fir properly; be easy tocare for, maintain, and repair; be flexible and lightweight;
provide comfortand reduce heat stress; have rugged construction; be relatively easy toput on
and take off; and be easy to clean, dispose of and recycle.
2.Reducing unsafe acts
U n s a f e a c t s c a n b e r e d u c e d t h r o u g h d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f measures.
(a)Reducing unsafe acts by emphasizing safety:
I t i s t h e s u p e r v i s o r s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o s e t t h e t o n e s o subor
dinates want to work safely. This involves more than talking upsafety, ensuring that
workers wipe up spills, or enforcing safety rules. Itsalso necessary to show by both word and
deed that safety is crucial. For example, supervisors should:

Praise employees when they choose safe behaviors

L i s t e n w h e n e m p l o y e e s o f f e r s a f e t y s u g g e s t i o n s , concerns, or complaints

Be a good example by following every safety rule anprocedure;

Visit plant areas regularly

Maintain open safety communications

b)Reducing unsafe acts through selection and placement
Screening is another way to reduce unsafe acts. Here, themanagers aim is to isolate
the trait that might predict accidents on the jobin question, and then screen candidates for this
trait.Also, ask a few safety-related questions during the selectioninterview, for example,
What would you do if you saw another employeeworking in an unsafe way?
(c)Reducing unsafe acts through training
S a f e t y t r a i n i n g i s a n o t h e r w a y t o r e d u c e u n s a f e a c t s , especially
for new employee. You should instruct them in safe practicesand procedures, warn them of
potential hazards, and work in developing asafety- conscious attitude.
(d)Reducing unsafe acts through motivation
Posters:E m p l o y e r s u s e v a r i o u s t o o l s t o m o t i v a t e workers to work more
safely.S a f e t y p o s t e r s a r e o n e . I n o n e s t u d y , t h e i r u s e a p p a r
e n t l y i n c r e a s e d s a f e behavior by more than
20%.H o w e v e r , p o s t e r s a r e n o s u b s t i t u t e
f
o r
a c o m p r e h e n s i v e s a f e t y program.Incentive
programs:Incentivep r o g r a m s h a v e a l s o b e e n s u c c e s s f u l a t r e d u c i
n g workplace injuries. It includes giving employees

recognition awards for attending safety meetings, for identifying hazards, or for
demonstratingtheir safety at work.Positive
reinforcement programs:Positive reinforcement programs area l s o i m p r o v e d s a f e t y
at work. The safety program
includes positivereinforcement and training. The firm set and communicated a
reasonablegoal (in terms of observed incidents performed safely). A training phase isnext
where employees receive safety information.
e)Reducing unsafe acts through behavior-based safety
B e h a v i o r - b a s e d s a f e t y m e a n s i d e n t i f y i n g t h e w o r k e r behaviors that
contribute to accidents and then training workers to avoidthese behaviors.
(f)Reducing unsafe acts through employee participation
There are two solid reasons for participation of emplo yees in designing
t h e safety program. First, those actually
doing the j o b s a r e o f t e n m a n a g e m e n t s b e s t s o u r c e o f i d e a s a b o u t w h a t t h
e p o t e n t i a l p r o b l e m s a r e and how to solve them. Second, it is
generallye a s i e r t o g e t e m p l o y e e t o a c c e p t a n d enthusi
astically follow the safety program whentheyve had a hand in designing it.
(g)Reducing unsafe acts through audits and inspections
P r o g r a m s f o r r e d u c i n g u n s a f e a c t s a r e n o s u b s t i t u t e f o r eliminating hazards.
Routinely inspect all premises for possible
safety andh e a l t h p r o b l e m s . I n v e s t i g a t e a l l a c c i d e n t s a n d n e a r m i s s e s . H a v
e a system in place for letting employee notify managers about hazards.
Review of research articles
Research article # 1
As discussed by the Kieran The safety movement has beendriven in some countries by
the instances of major health care
failures.T h e s e f a i l u r e s a r e d e f i n e d a s b r e a k d o w n i n h e a l t h c a r e s e r v i c e s
or
provision that does substantial harm to people. Natures of major failuresare

Longstanding problems

Well-known but not handled

Cause of immense harm

Lack of management system

Repeated incidencesThese failures are known and deliberately ignored. The harmcaused these can
be immense and may result in huge malpractice claimsby individuals. Some problems occur
again and again and can be broughtto light. First, an egregious event may force organization
to face up to theproblem and to act. Second, a staff member may raise his or her concernswithin and
outside the organization. Such while-blowers may expose
tov i c t i m i z a t i o n , d i s c i p l i n a r y a c t i o n o r e v e n d i s m i s s a l . T h i r d p e r s i s t e n t c
omplaint or the group of complains sufficiently
motivate to make thesystem or the authorities take notice
of their concerns. Fourth, mediaattention often contributes to the discovery of major failures.
Research article # 2

The research study shows that there is a positive

correlationbetween implementing and improving occupational health and safety( H
&S) management and workers satisfaction. The garage lev
e l m a n a g e m e n t m a y a f f e c t b o t h i n d i v i d u a l w o r k e r s s u b j e c t i v e w o r k envir
onment and the workers of each garages shared work environment.Internal
control implies informing the workers about hazards and theimprovements to
which they are entitled. A change in internal control
isp o s i t i v e l y c o r r e l a t e d w i t h a c h a n g e i n w o r k e r s s a t i s f a c t i o n w i
t h psychosocial factors, H&S-related behaviour and
musculoskeletal pain.I n t e r n a l c o n t r o l a p p l i e s b e s t i n l a r g e r c o m p a n i e s
because smaller companies do no have a comprehensive internal
c o n t r o l a s l a r g e r companies. It may seem that the smallest companies are more
reluctantto implement internal control, perhaps because of reduced competenceand motivation.
A company while implementing H&S management
systems h o u l d c o n s i d e r t h e s i z e a n d n e e d s o f t h e c o m p a n y. T h e p o s i t i v e l y c
hanging the occupational health and safety management i.e. internalcontrol in
companies may positively change workers satisfaction with thehealth and safety activities,
psychological work environment and health-related behaviour.
Research article # 3
O c c u p a t i o n a l h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y m a n a g e m e n t s y s t e m (OSHMS) has
improved working conditions. Similar concepts of OSHMSare applied in different countries
and industries. As the discrepancies
areo b v i o u s s o d i f f e r e n t n a t i o n a l s t r a t e g i e s O S H M S a r e t a k e n i n A s i a n c o
untries. There are four different kinds of national
approaches. (a)M a n d a t o r y O S H M S ( b ) N a t i o n a l l y a p p l i e d O S H M S
s t a n d a r d s ( c ) Promotion of National OSHMS Models (d) Encouragement of
voluntaryoccupational health and safety management. Any OSHMS should consistof
elements for (a) occupational health and safety inputs (b) Systematicrisk assessment and
control (c) Continual improvement. The adoption of OSHMS procedures is more in large
enterprises. This is helped by
publica t t e n t i o n t o o c c u p a t i o n a l h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y a n d b y t h e n e w n a t i o n a l
policies encouraging voluntary OSHMS as a part of employer duties.
Therecent progress in risk analysis and self
regulatory measures throughinformation and training services also contribute to the spreading
adoptiono f O S H M S . I n a c t i o n - o r i e n t e d r i s k m a n a g e m e n t , w e n e e d t o
a d a p t practical procedures for identifying the relevant workplace conditions andmaking
improvements on step-by-step basis. Practical assessment toolsmust be developed that
can facilitate the assessment of existing risks. For future, we must know the means of
enabling employer and employees
toact locally, conducting baseline performance evaluation, setting locallypolicies and goals,
and promoting participation at all levels. We also
needt o k n o w i n c i d e n t s a n d c a u s e i n v e s t i g a t i o n , p r e c e d e d w i t h c o n t i n u a l i
mprovement and succeed in management review.

10