CHAPTER 24THE SYSTEMS APPROACH TO MANAGING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
VICTOR M. TOY
Insyst OH&S, 7 West 41st Ave., #508, San Mateo, CA, 94403
The popularity of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS) has grown since the concept was first introduced in the mid‐1990s. While a single global standard has been long in coming, a recent survey conducted by the OHSAS (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) project group shows these types of standards are being used by organizations in 127 countries. Countries have now worked on the development of a single global OHSMS standard through the International Standards Organization process (ISO). ISO is the organization responsible for the quality (ISO 9001) and environmental (ISO14001) standards that have successfully increased focus in these areas.
The reasons for the growth of management systems in general and their application to OHS may well be tied to the interconnectivity in the global economy. Organizations, particularly large multidisciplinary corporations, have also sought the benefits of improved efficiencies and effectiveness with this approach for maintaining safe workplaces. More to the point is the realization of the need to manage risks and their impact on the safety of workers and organizational goals.
Management systems seek to systematize how objectives are met. In the past, the management of health and safety has mostly been hazard centric or issue specific. A look at regulatory requirements ...