What is Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Management System?
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
In today’s environment, organisations are under growing pressure to comply with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) regulations and standards. While there are various aspects to creating and maintaining a safe working environment, the key is to develop and implement an effective safety management system.
A HSE Management System is an integrated approach where all the 3 HSE factors are effectively managed to reduce risks in the workplace. The objective of a Safety Management System is to provide a structured management approach to control safety risks. The 3 main components to reduce HSE risks are commitment and leadership, implementation of new policy and risk management.
HSE Management System
A formal management system or framework helps manage health and safety. Examples provided by various national and international standards include:
- ISO 45001:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use (HSE’s position statement on ISO 45001)
- BS EN ISO 9001:2008 Quality management system
- Energy Institute’s High-level framework for process safety management
Regardless of the industry you are in, all organisations need a comprehensive, well-documented safety management system to ensure that all personnel are safe. A safety management system must be written down, communicated, and practiced. The key elements of a successful HSE management system include:
- Safety plan and inspection checklists
- Risk assessments and monitoring
- Reporting
- Training and induction
- Safety plan and inspection checklists
A safety plan is a strategic action plan which sets out all current and prospective risks for a company. It provides an analysis of all risks present, with an outline of how to remove said risks. It sets out the timeline for the management system as well, with the allocated budget in place. This safety plan helps set up a framework for all the worker to follow and be held accountable to maintain the safety record of the workplace. A safety plan also comprises of safety inspection checklists and emergency response plans, that all help in documenting the safety procedures and provide data for management to refer to.
OSHA requires emergency response plans to include how to report an emergency, evacuation procedures and assembly points, procedures to shut down project operations, rescue and medical duties for any workers assigned to perform them, and contact information for individuals with more information.
- Risk assessments and monitoring
In addition to a safety plan, risk assessments document all risks in the workplace. This helps in protecting all workers from potential hazards, as well as the organisation from potential lawsuits. All areas of safety non-compliance are outlined in the assessment and aids in ensuring proper solutions are in place. After assessing, it is also important for management to maintain safety through risk monitoring. In general, the higher the risk, the more frequent and detailed the risk monitoring need to be.
- Training and induction
Regardless if it is a low-risk or high-risk industry, all workers in the organisation need to receive adequate training on the various rules and safety procedures of the worksite. A thorough training program includes a safety training aspect, where fire drills, accident stimulations and hazardous waste management are covered. It is best practice to keep a documentation of these trainings, as well as request for feedback from workers for a successful HSE management system.
- Reporting
Every business relies on performance metrics or key performance indicators to improve their bottom line, and HSE departments are no exception. These metrics help identify areas that need improvement, as well as trends over time. Key performance indicators for health, safety, and environment include:
- Lost Time Rate (LTR)
- Total Accident Rate (TAR)
- Accident Severity Rate (ASR)
- Total Recordable Injuries
- Working Days Since Last Incident
Every HSE management system needs to be reviewed to verify that current goals are being met and new initiatives are implemented. Review of your management system and team by senior leadership should be conducted on a regular basis. This keeps staff and the system accountable and presents the opportunity for discussion between safety personnel and upper management.
Overall, for any successful HSE Management System, the management plays a critical role in terms of leadership and communicating these safety aspects to the whole organisation. Communication of the management’s intention to commit to good HSE practices is a must.
Best Practises for HSE Management is a 3-day training course held from 3-5 December 2019 (Kuala Lumpur). During this three-day course, participants will discover the real HSE challenges that face the Executive Management team and their sub-ordinate managers and staff within a global business developing and operating any high hazard facility, but with a focus on the upstream, mid-stream and downstream oil, gas and petrochemicals business segments. The course will describe industry HSE management systems, to cater for both occupational and process safety hazards and the specific aspects requiring control to ensure risks are controlled to As Low as Is Reasonably Practicable, ALARP, through the people, processes and plant utilised in the business.