Unit IGC1

Management of
International health
and safety

Element 1
Foundations in health
and safety

Learning outcomes
1.1
1.2

1.3

1.4
1.5

Outline the scope and nature of occupational health

and safety
Explain briefly the moral, social and economic
reasons for promoting good standards of health and
safety
Outline the role of national governments and
international bodies in formulating a framework for the
regulation of health and safety
Identify the nature and key sources of health and safety
information
Outline the key elements of a health and safety
management system

Contents of element
1.1
1.2

1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and safety

The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

Contents of element
1.1
1.2

1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and safety

The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

The multi-disciplinary nature of health and safety

Finance
Insurance
Health
Personnel
Production
Design
Purchase
Information technology (IT)

Four primary issues

Service
Quality and health
Safety and environment

 Technical
Procedural
Behavioural

Solutions for implementation

Health
A state of well being
Safety
Absence of danger of physical harm
Welfare
Facilities for workplace comfort
Environmental protection
A measure used to prevent harm to the environment
of the world

Occupational accidents
An unplanned, uncontrolled event which led to, or could
have led to loss
Dangerous occurrences
An accident not resulting in personal injury reportable to the
national competent authority
Near-misses
An accident that results in no apparent loss
Work related ill-health (physiological and psychological)
Harm to a workers health caused by their work

Hazard
Something that has the potential to cause harm (loss)
source or situation with a potential for harm in terms of injury
or ill health, damage to property, damage to the workplace
environment or a combination of these OHSAS 18001:1999

Risk
The likelihood of a given loss occurring in defined
circumstances
combination of the likelihood and consequence(s) of a
specified hazardous event occurring OHSAS 18001:1999

Contents of element
1.1
1.2
1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and

safety
The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

Moral, social and economic reasons

General argument
Moral
Social
Economic

Size of the problem

Every day at least one person is killed and over 6,000
injured at work
2005 / 2006 HSE statistics:
212 workers were killed at work
Nearly 150,000 other injuries reported under RIDDOR
About 30,000,000 days lost due to work related ill health
and injury
54% of all fatal injuries are as a result of falls from
height, being struck by a vehicle and falling objects
38% of all major injuries involve slipping and tripping

Health and safety requirements

Common law obligates the employer to take reasonable
care of those that might foreseeably be affected by its
acts or omissions
Extends to employees and to others e.g. visitors
Neighbour principle
Employers duty in criminal law is established in
HASAWA 1974 in the UK
so far as is reasonably practicable

Health and safety requirements

A safe place of work

Safe appliances and equipment
A safe system of work
Competent and safety conscious personnel

Health and safety requirements

A safe place of work

Safe appliances and equipment
A safe system of work
Competent and safety conscious personnel

Health and safety requirements

A safe place of work

Safe appliances and equipment
A safe system of work
Competent and safety conscious personnel

Health and safety requirements

A safe place of work

Safe appliances and equipment
A safe system of work
Competent and safety conscious personnel

The business case for health and safety

Direct and indirect costs of accidents and ill-health
Direct costs
Lost time of injured worker
Damage
Medical or first aid costs
Time and materials
Insurance
Court costs
Fines

The business case for health and safety

Direct and indirect costs of accidents and ill-health
Indirect costs
Lost time by other workers
Lost time by supervisor or other managers
Interference with production

The business case for health and safety

Insured and uninsured costs
Uninsured costs between 8 and 36 times greater than costs
of insurance premiums
Following Accident costs iceberg represents the ratio of
insured to uninsured costs incurred by the main contractor
during the building of a supermarket

Costs incurred by the main contractor

during the building of a supermarket
Insured costs
Employers liability
Public / Third party liability
Contractors all risks
Plant and building damage
Tool and equipment
Uninsured costs
Product and materials damage
Emergency supplies
Production delays
Overtime and temporary labour
Investigation time
Supervisors time diverted

11

Source: RMS Publishing

The business case for health and safety

Employers liability insurance
Enables organisations to meet the costs of compensation
and legal fees

Contents of element
1.1
1.2
1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and

safety
The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

Role of national governments and international bodies

Employers responsibilities
Workers responsibilities and rights
Role of enforcement agencies and consequences of noncompliance
International standards and conventions

Absolute and qualified requirements

Absolute statutory requirements
Practicable requirements
Reasonably practicable requirements

Source: Corel Clipart

Foundations in health and safety

Contents of element
1.1
1.2
1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and

safety
The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

Sources of information on health and safety

Internal to the organisation

Accident / ill-health and absence data

Results of audits / inspections
Investigation reports
Maintenance records
Cost and other management performance data
Compliance data

Internal to the organisation

Accident / ill-health and absence data

Accident / injury incidence rates
Accident / injury frequency rates
Accident / injury severity rates
Mean duration rate
Duration rate
Absence data

Internal to the organisation

Results of audits / inspections

Interviewing individuals
Examining information
Observation of physical conditions
Observation of work practices

External to the organisation

Manufacturers data
Legislation
Good practice and guidance
International
European
British

IT Sources
Encyclopaedias
Professional bodies
Lawyers
Consultants
Training courses

Information provided by national and international agencies

International Labour Organisation (ILO)

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (USA)
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (UK)
Worksafe (Western Australia)

Contents of element
1.1
1.2
1.3

1.4
1.5

The scope and nature of occupational health and

safety
The moral, social and economic reasons for
maintaining and promoting health and safety
The role of national governments and international
bodies in formulating a framework for regulation of
health and safety
Sources of information on health and safety
The key elements of a health and safety management
system

Key elements of a health & safety management system

Key elements

Setting policy
Organising
Planning and implementing
Evaluation
Auditing
Action for improvement

Key elements of a health & safety management system

Source: ILO-OSH 2001, HSG65, HSE books