Policies and Processes

Policies help to develop procedures.

Now let’s take a look at safety policies and processes to see how they fit into the CSMS.

Developing CSMS Policies

Safety policies help to set standards and guidelines for decision-making. They let managers, supervisors and employees make safety decisions with some degree of confidence without having to constantly check with "the boss." Managers, supervisors and workers know they are making decisions that conform to corporate safety policies.

The safety policy is usually stated in three different ways:

1. What you intend to do in safety: "It will be our policy to perform safe-construction or no-construction."
2. Who will be involved in safety: "Site supervisors/foreman will be responsible for the safety of workers on their site."
3. How you will control safety: "Lockout/Tagout will be performed for electrical work on 50V circuits or higher."

Sample Policies

Below are a few more examples of various safety policies that may be important to include:

• No job or task is more important than worker health and safety.
• If a job represents a potential safety or health threat, every effort will be made to plan a safe way to do the task.
• Every procedure will be a safe procedure. Shortcuts in safe procedures by either foremen or workers will not be tolerated.
• If a worker observes any unsafe condition, which may pose a potential threat to their health or safety, it will be expected that employees will immediately correct the situation when feasible or inform management. Management has the responsibility to take adequate precautions, comply with OSHA standards, and assure the Safety of employees.
• If a job cannot be done safely it will not be done.
• Management will provide visible ongoing commitment, resources, and leadership to assure the implementation of the CSMS. All employees should be provided equally high quality safety and health protection.
• Leadership within a company will acknowledge the importance of creating a positive safety culture through employee involvement and effective policies and procedures.

Rules are mandatory:
Guidelines are not.

Rules vs. Guidelines

It’s important to understand the difference between "rules" and "guidelines". It’s simple: rules are required – guidelines are not.

To be valid, rules include words like "must", "shall", or "will". Remember, rules do not give a person a choice: they are mandatory. By the way, if no word is listed, assume it’s a rule.

Guidelines, on the other hand, do give employees a choice. They contain words like "should", "recommend" or "may." It’s very important to know that you can’t really "enforce" guidelines because they are voluntary. If you find that you have guidelines and rules listed together, be sure to define the concepts and separate them so that everyone clearly understands the difference.

You're probably familiar with the safety rules within your company, but, just to make sure, we've listed a few of the more common rules generally found at construction sites:

• Compressed air shall not be used to blow dust or dirt from clothes, hair, or hands.
• Any fear of working at heights must be reported to the immediate supervisor.
• Employees working at height must keep back at least 10 feet from all power lines.
• Do not remove a safety device or safeguard on equipment without proper authorization.
• Excavations more than five feet deep will be shored or sloped as required. Keep out of trenches or cuts that are not properly shored or sloped.
• All workers will use the "four to one" rule when using a ladder. One foot of base for every four feet of height.
• Portable ladders in use shall be equipped with safety feet unless the ladders are tied, blocked or otherwise secured.

Developing CSMS Processes

A process is nothing more than sequence of interdependent and linked procedures. Each CSMS program may include one or more processes used to build residential or commercial buildings, construct highways or to construct dams. The emphasis would be to ensure safe procedures and practices.

Here are some more common processes for building a residential building.

• Worksite inspection
• Accident investigation
• Laying a foundation
• Electrical installation
• Roof construction
• Painting
• Framing the structure
• Installing HVAC
• Obtaining permits

We'll discuss two more common processes within CSMS programs in the next few sections.

Accident Investigation Process

All accidents on your worksite resulting in injury or property damage should be investigated. The investigation is a very important process that includes procedures for documenting the accident scene, analyzing the facts, and interviewing witnesses.

The accident investigation process will make sense if you understand that ultimately, the purpose of the investigation is to improve the safety management system. If you conduct the investigation for any other reason, it will likely result in ineffective solutions.

Here are the six basic procedures in conducting accident investigations.

1. Secure the accident scene
2. Conduct interviews
3. Develop the sequence of events
4. Conduct cause analysis
5. Determine the solutions
6. Write the report

Accountability - Disciplinary Process

"Accountability" can be thought of as the "obligation to fulfill a task to a required level of performance or else." When you are held accountable, your performance is measured against some specific criteria or standard and consequences are applied appropriate to the level or quality of performance.

Without the expectation of consequences, accountability has no credibility and will not be effective. In other words, no consequences - no accountability. Consequences need to be appropriate as well as effective. This is the element with which everyone is probably most familiar. Unfortunately, in some companies, consequences are either not appropriate, not effective, or both.

Criteria for Appropriate Consequences

There are some violations that are so dangerous to the worker and/or others that they will result in immediate termination if justified. For more information on developing an effective accountability program that includes an effective disciplinary process, be sure to take Course 700, Introduction to Safety Management, 702, Effective Accident Investigation, or 704, Hazard Analysis and Control.

Instructions

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