Establishing an OSH management system

• Pages: 155-172

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Annex III

Establishing an OSH management system (adapted from the

ILO Guidelines on occupational safety and health management

systems, ILO-OSH 2001)

1. Introduction

1.1. The positive impact of introducing occupational safety

and health (OSH) management systems at the enterprise level,

both on the reduction of hazards and risks and on productivity, is

now recognized internationally by governments, employers and

workers. The mutual benefits that accrue from the introduction of

such systems should not be ignored if progress on improving safety

and health and productivity in the shipbreaking industry is to be

achieved.

1.2. While systems need to be specific to a shipbreaking facil-

ity and appropriate to the size and nature of activities, many elem-

ents of the ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines are generic and assistance

from other industry sectors should not be difficult to obtain when

implementing such a system. The design and application of OSH

management systems at national and facility levels for shipbreak-

ing should be guided by the ILO Guidelines on occupational safety

and health management systems, ILO-OSH 2001.

1.3. The competent authority should:

(a) promote the implementation and integration of OSH manage-

ment systems as an integral part of the overall management of

shipbreaking facilities;

(b) elaborate national guidelines on the voluntary application

and systematic implementation of OSH management systems

based on the ILO Guidelines on occupational safety and health

management systems, ILO-OSH 2001, or other internationally

recognized safety and health management system compatible

with ILO-OSH 2001, taking into consideration national con-

ditions and practice;

Safety and health in shipbreaking

156

(c) encourage the elaboration by authorized institutions of spe-

cific (tailored) guidelines on OSH management systems in

shipbreaking facilities;

(d) provide support and technical guidance to labour inspector-

ates, OSH services and other public or private services, agen-

cies and institutions dealing with OSH, including health-care

providers;

(e) ensure that guidance is provided to employers and workers to

assist them to comply with their legal obligations under the

policy;

(f) ensure cooperation between employers whenever two or more

facilities engage in activities on the same project;

(g) recognize the need, so long as the safety and health of workers

are not compromised, to protect confidential information that

could potentially cause harm to an employer’s business.

Annex III

1.4. With a view to developing, implementing and operating

OSH management systems, employers should:

(a) set out in writing their respective OSH policy, programmes

and safety and health protection arrangements as part of the

general facility management policy;

(b) define the various safety and health responsibilities, account-

ability and authority levels and communicate these clearly to

their workers, visitors or any other persons working in the

facility, as appropriate;

(c) ensure effective arrangements for the full participation of

workers and their representatives in the fulfilment of the OSH

policy;

(d) define both the necessary OSH competence requirements for

all persons and the consequent individual training needs;

(e) ensure workers have sufficient information, in a form and lan-

guage that they understand, to protect their health from haz-

ardous ambient factors;