ILO guidelines on
occupational safety and
health management systems
(OSH-MS)
2
Session objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
1. Understand why occupational safety and
health management systems (OSH-MS) are
needed.
2. Explain the development of OSH-MS.
3. Describe the components of an OSH-MS at
the enterprise level.
4. Identify the 6 steps for OSH-MS
implementation.
Nepal
5. Provide examples of national frameworks.
The development of OSH-MS
Question:
What is your understanding of an occupational safety and
health management system (OSH-MS)?
5
Why an OSH-MS?
We spend a third of our working life at the workplace,
where we are exposed to multiple different risks.
Systematic way to manage OSH activities in the
organization.
Make OSH an integral part of the organization's value
system.
Reduce hazards and risks, accidents and diseases.
Result in low absenteeism, higher productivity, greater
job satisfaction.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
6
The development of OSH-MS
Liberalisation of trade and economies by the 1990s.
Led to an increase in occupational accidents and
diseases.
Traditional command-control mechanisms were
inadequate.
“Systems” approach applied for the first time to OSH.
Development of standards in collaboration with the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
1996 International Workshop on OSH-MS
Standardization.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
7
What was the ILO response?
Development of ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines.
Practical tool for organizations to continuously
improve OSH.
Unique, one of a kind model.
Compatible with other OSH-MS standards.
Action on 2 levels:
▪ National level
▪ Organization level
8
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
9
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
10
National OSH-MS Framework
Provides a national policy on OSH-MS.
Allows for the development of national
guidelines (based on ILO-OSH 2001).
Formulation of tailored guidelines,
reflecting the specific conditions and needs
of organizations.
Supported by national laws and
regulations.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
11
Elements of the national framework for OSH-MS
ILO guidelines
on OSH-MS
National
OSH-MS in
guidelines on
organizations
OSH-MS
Tailored
guidelines on
OSH-MS
Source: Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO/OSH 2001) (Geneva 2001)
OSH-MS in the
organization
13
OSH in the organization
Main elements
1. Policy
2. Organising
3. Planning and implementation
4. Evaluation
5. Action for improvement
14
1. Policy
Basis of the OSH-MS
Sets direction for the organization to follow
Contain elements of:
OSH policy
▪
▪ Worker participation
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
15
1. Policy
OSH policy
Foundation from which all management system components originate and are
developed.
Short, easily understood, known by all.
Expression of the organization’s commitment to OSH.
Reflects integration of OSH values into all strands of the organization’s fabric.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
16
1. Policy
Worker participation
Along with management commitment and
leadership, it is the most important component of
OSH arrangements.
Active involvement in emergency preparedness,
task analysis, safety assessments, Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) and work
instructions, training programmes, evaluations
and audits.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
17
2. Organizing
Make sure the structure is in place.
Establishes the building blocks.
Allocates responsibilities/accountabilities.
Contains elements of:
▪ Responsibility and accountability
▪ Competence and training
▪ OSH documentation
▪ Communication
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
18
2. Organizing
Responsibility and accountability
Addresses manner in which roles and accountability structures of OSH-MS involved
personnel and employees are defined.
High degree of responsibility results when employees know who is doing what and that
when there are OSH concerns, they will be undertaken in a timely manner.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
19
2. Organizing
Competence and training
All employees should possess the necessary skills and
knowledge to work safely.
Management and workers should demonstrate
competence to safely conduct or supervise.
Should be appropriate to the organization’s OSH
hazards/risks.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
20
2. Organizing
OSH documentation
Essential for those companies seeking
registration/certification.
Key indicator of conformance.
Tailored to size/need of the organization (SMEs).
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
21
2. Organizing
Communication
A defining component of an OSH-MS.
Means whereby information is transmitted
throughout the organization.
Ensures that those with OSH
responsibilities have the structures to
receive and transmit information.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
22
3. Planning and implementation
Show the current status of the organization
Baseline for OSH policy implementation
Contains elements of:
Initial review ▪
▪ System planning, development & implementation
▪ OSH objectives
▪ Hazard prevention
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
23
3. Planning and implementation
Initial review
Necessary before a robust OSH-MS can be formed and implemented.
Identifies OSH hazards and risks.
Audit with a difference as it is more thorough, and always geared to implementation.
More attention placed on organizational culture.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
24
3. Planning and implementation
System planning, development & implementation
Addresses initial OSH-MS development and ongoing revision/modification of the
system.
Nucleus of OSH-MS as it addresses overall planning, development & implementation of
ILO-OSH 2001.
Performance based nature of ILO-OSH 2001 implies a number of structures.
Crucial, if not well done, problems in implementation.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
25
3. Planning and implementation
OSH objectives
Follows naturally from OSH policy.
Represents beginning of progression of OSH policy to operational realm expressed in
system design/structure and measurement.
Should be measurable and appropriate to the size and nature of the organization.
Should reflect the organization’s values.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
26
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements):
Prevention and control measures
Management of change
Emergency prevention, preparedness and
response
Procurement
Contracting
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
27
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements)
Prevention and control measures
• Proactive measures for controlling hazards/risks.
• Hierarchy of controls (eliminate, substitute,
minimise through engineering, minimise through
administration, PPE).
• According to national laws and regulations.
• Training an essential component as workforce
needs to understand hazards/risks.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
28
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements)
Management of change
• Addresses OSH concerns when there is installation of new processes or operations
(internal changes) or changes in law or regulations (external changes).
• Organization should assess here how changes in work processes or law can affect
work safety and health.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
29
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements)
Emergency prevention, preparedness and response
• Manner in which the organization responds to OSH emergencies and accidents.
• Actions initiated and conducted immediately when events occur.
• Fire safety, disaster/incident management, evacuation/contingency plans, training,
back-to-work systems, communication etc.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
30
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements)
Procurement
• Knowledge of items entering the facility.
• MSDS for identifying hazardous
substances.
• Identification of substitute materials
through review.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
31
3. Planning and implementation
Hazard prevention (5 sub-elements)
Contracting
• Contractor selection and on-site work practices covered.
• Ensure contractor work is performed safely by informing them of hazards/risks.
• Stopping their work if unsafe.
• Potential contract termination due to unsafe work.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
32
4. Evaluation
Shows how the OSH-MS is functioning (measures
performance)
Identifies weaknesses
Contains elements of:
▪ Performance monitoring & measurement
▪ Investigation
▪ Audit
▪ Management review
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
33
4. Evaluation
Performance monitoring & measurement
Addresses the manner in which OSH performance is measured.
Iterative process that evolves as the overall OSH-MS matures.
Part of OSH-MS performance measurement sub-system that starts with OSH policy,
then incorporates objectives, and is followed up with audit & management review.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
34
4. Evaluation
Investigation of work-related injuries, ill health, diseases and incidents, and their
impact on safety and health performance
Purpose to determine the root-causes.
See at what points the OSH-MS failed.
Provides: narrative description, employee/equipment/task characteristics, time factors,
Preventive measures, injury characteristics, training issues, warnings, root causes (both
proximal physical and systemic cause(s)).
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
35
4. Evaluation
Audit
Part of the OSH-MS performance measurement sub-
system.
Addresses the manner in which OSH performance
can be determined.
Should be undertaken for all elements periodically.
Either internal or third-party.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
36
4. Evaluation
Management review
Should assess the overall OSH-MS.
Aggregate lessons learned.
Improve performance.
Modify system in response.
Through this activity that the OSH-MS, the organization and environment external to the
organization are linked – necessary for successful OSH-MS as it provides the feedback.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
37
5. Action for improvement
Implements corrective actions identified in
Evaluation stage
Continual improvement in OSH performance
Contains elements of:
▪ Preventive and corrective action
▪ Continual improvement
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
38
5. Action for improvement
Preventative and corrective action
Actions taken in response to, or in anticipation of, system breakdowns or high
hazard/risk events.
Key concept is that actions should be taken as anticipatory as possible (i.e. in
advance).
Suggested goal is to reach a point where workforce take P & C actions when
confronted with a situation.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
39
5. Action for improvement
Continual improvement
Provides guidance on how OSH performance can be provided on an on-going
basis.
Measurable improvement is only attainable if measurable OSH objectives are
chosen.
May mean reduction in injury rates or meeting objectives.
Requires that the organization collects suitable performance data.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
40
ILO-OSH 2001 - Translations
Published in:
• Arabic • Japanese
• Bulgarian • Korean
• Czech • Polish
• Chinese • Russian
• English • Spanish
• Finnish • Thai
• French • Vietnamese
Translated into:
• Hindi • Malay
• Hebrew • Portuguese
• German
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
Implementation
guidance for
ILO-OSH 2001
42
OSH-MS implentation
ILO practical guidance document on taking an OSH idea, plan or policy to fruition.
6 steps can be identified:
1. Initiation: initial assumptions and goal setting
2. Estimation: organizational dynamics
3. Selection: choosing an approach
4. Implementation: taking action
5. Evaluation: measuring effectiveness
6. Correction: continual improvement or termination
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
OSH-MS implementation 43
44
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
Four countries signed a MoU with the ILO to implement a national framework to promote
the implementation of ILO OSH 2001 (Argentina, Brazil, Ireland and Israel).
CIS countries (Russia and most of the former Soviet Union countries) developed a
standard based on the ILO OSH 2001. ([Link]
work/occupational-safety-and-health/lang--en/[Link]).
France developed an auditing guide to certify French enterprises based in the ILO OSH
2001.
ILO also developed an audit matrix for the ILO OSH 2001.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
45
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
Singapore
Factories Act 1994.
Mandatory external audits.
14 mandatory elements in org. OSH-MS.
Government responsible for mandatory safety audits, formulation of criteria for approval
and accreditation of 3rd party auditing companies and providing further guidance for
implementation (COP’s usually).
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
46
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
China
Significant improvements in the areas of OSH.
National Accreditation Committee for Safety Certification (17 members, tripartite).
Office for OSH-MS at National Centre for Safety Science and Technology.
34 certification agencies registered.
800 enterprises certified.
4,600 external auditors and 30,000 internal auditors.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
47
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
Japan
National guidelines promotion.
Voluntary certification by organizations –
provided by Japan Industrial Safety and
Health Association (JISHA).
Developed a tailored OSHMS based on
the ILO OSH 2001 for the construction
sector.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
48
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
India
Enabling steps toward improved OSH
management.
Private certification – no government
involvement.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
49
National frameworks to support OSH-MS
Norway
Internal control (self-regulation regime).
Mandatory under Norwegian law.
7 elements in OSH-MS.
Led to change in way of inspection.
Inspect smooth functioning of system as compared to detailed traditional inspection.
Incentives/penalty driven.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
ISO 45001:
Occupational health
and safety
management systems
Requirements and guidance
for use
51
Background
An organization is responsible for the occupational health and safety of workers and others who
can be affected by its activities. This responsibility includes promoting and protecting their
physical and mental health.
The adoption of an OH&S management system is intended to enable an organization to provide
safe and healthy workplaces, prevent work-related injury and ill health, and continually improve
its OH&S performance.
This document is applicable to any organization regardless of its size, type and activities.
This document does not state specific criteria for OH&S performance, nor is it prescriptive about
the design of an OH&S management system. This document enables an organization, through its
OH&S management system, to integrate other aspects of health and safety, such as worker
wellness/wellbeing.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
52
Aim of an OH-S management system
An OH&S management system can be more effective and efficient when taking early
action to address opportunities for improvement of OH&S performance.
Provides autonomy: Implementing an OH&S management system conforming to this
document enables an organization to manage its own OH&S risks and improve its own
OH&S performance.
An OH&S management system can also assist an organization to fulfil its legal
requirements and other requirements.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
53
Success factors
The implementation and maintenance of an OH&S management system, its
effectiveness and its ability to achieve its outcomes are dependent on:
Top management leadership, commitment, responsibilities and accountability.
Top management developing, leading and promoting a culture in the organization that supports the intended
outcomes of the OH&S management system.
Communication.
Consultation and participation of workers, workers’ representatives.
Allocation of the necessary resources to maintain it.
OH&S policies, which are compatible with the strategic objectives of the organization.
Effective process(es) for identifying hazards, controlling OH&S risks and taking advantage of OH&S opportunities.
Continual performance evaluation and monitoring.
Integration of the OH&S management system into the organization’s business processes.
OH&S objectives that align with the OH&S policies.
compliance with its legal requirements and other requirements.
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle 54
55
End of session activity
Group work
56
Group work
You have been appointed as head of the occupational safety and health department
at the Ministry of Labour in your country
1. You are required to design a national framework to promote OSH Management
systems in your country: How would you go about this?
2. You are also required to oversee the establishment of a management system in one of
the organizations where you used to work: Describe the activity of the organization and
what actions you would take
Advancing social justice, promoting decent work
Key ILO resources
Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems (2001).
Exposure to hazardous chemicals at work and resulting health impacts: A global review (2021).
The GHS in the world of work: Mapping synergies between ILO Instruments and the Globally Harmonized System
of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
ILO Instruments on Chemical Safety – Analysis and synergies with other international frameworks on the sound
management of chemicals (2020).
The Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste in the World of Work (2019).
All You Need to Know: Convention No. 170.
Major hazard control: A practical manual (1993).
Safety in the use of chemicals at work: code of practice (1991).
Prevention of major industrial accidents: code of practice (1991).
ILO indicators of progress in implementing SAICM (2021).