How Can I Set Safety Objectives for ISO Compliance Without a Safety Department?

Seeking Guidance on Safety Standards in a Metallurgical Company

Please guide me regarding the problem, i.e., our factory has the following ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001 standards but does not have a safety standard. It is a very small metallurgical company, and there is no safety department. However, I am working as a safety officer under the HR & A department.

My problem is that the Management Representative of ISO is pressurizing me to provide safety objectives for the safety department, even though we don't have a safety department. I explained to him that safety objectives for the year 2011 are not applicable as our company does not follow either OHSAS 18001 or HSE 18001 standards. Also, safety objectives are not required for ISO standards. I had an argument with the Management Representative.

Please advise if what I have done is correct. If not, please advise me as a single man, as a safety professional, what safety objectives could be set for ISO. I am waiting for your valuable advice to overcome this problem.

Regards

I have posted about setting safety objectives for an ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14001 company and urgently need help and guidance from experts. Please, active members, help me.

With regards to all,
vallibasha.

You are right in stating that Safety Objectives do not fall under the purview of ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004. We are also certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. In the entire process, the Safety Department's role is in Emergency Preparedness, specifically in Clause 4.4.7 of ISO 14001 regarding Emergency Preparedness and Response. As the Safety Officer of the company, it is your responsibility to ensure the availability of an On-Site emergency plan to meet this requirement. Failure to do so would result in a major non-conformance under ISO 14001.

Preparing an IMS Manual

You need to prepare an IMS Manual that briefly mentions the roles of each department. If you have a safety department, briefly outline its roles such as compliance with legal requirements under the factories act and the preparation and updating of on-site emergency plans.

If you require specific Safety Objectives, please let me know, and I can provide you with the same. Keep participating and sharing your thoughts with us.

All the best.

Thank you for the valuable information. As you rightly said, regarding the entire process where the Safety Department comes into play, it is in the Emergency Preparedness part - Clause no: 4.4.7, ISO 14001 - Emergency Preparedness and Response. As per this, we have drafted an Emergency Preparedness plan, obtained approval from the Factory Directorate of Safety, and are conducting mock drills once every 3 months on various identified associated hazards. The mock drill reports are being sent to the Factory Directorate of Safety, and the ISO copy is being maintained.

Please advise if this is sufficient or if, as per the MR's suggestion, we need to prepare safety objectives for ISO. I also request you to kindly attach the safety objectives.

I would like to express my thanks to Mr. Raguvaran Chakravarthy for his advice.

Thanks & Regards,

Valli Basha

You don't need to maintain anything further from the Safety Department side for ISO 14001 certification. Safety Objectives are not required for the same.

Safety Objectives

Below are the Safety Objectives for your reference. You can make changes according to your plant and culture and use the same:

1. To reduce the accident frequency and severity rate by creating a safe work environment.
2. To create awareness of safe work methods among the employees, including contractors and workmen.
3. Assisting and cooperating with the management in achieving the aims and objectives outlined in the health and safety policy and in legal matters.
4. Ensure the smooth running of the Safety Management System of the plant.
5. Conduct periodic audits/surveys of the workplace to ensure the existence of a safe working environment.

Regards

Dear all,

Responsibilities of a Safety Officer in a Plant

This is regarding the safety officer working under the HR department. What will be the responsibility of the safety officer in a case where he is the only safety person in the entire plant? I am also working in the same position. Being in HR and working as a safety person is quite a tedious job. You are reporting to a person who is not from the safety field. This brings HR work that you will not like to do because you find nothing safety-related in such a job.

Considering a Career Move for Future Growth

Is it better to shift from such a company to another that has a safety department for future growth?

Dear members, please reply.

Regards,
Mithun

Dear Mithun, we were discussing the issue regarding ISO 14001 and the Safety Objectives. I appreciate your keen follow-up on threads, which enables you to make an observation about the Safety Officer working under the HR Department.

My Views on the Situation

Let me share my views on this situation. I can visualize it clearly.

• Don't think of giving up so easily and early.

• Your company appointed you as a Safety Officer, possibly to fulfill legal requirements. If so, you have a scope of work in your company. Don't get frustrated.

• Whether you work under the HR Department or in a Full-Fledged Safety Department under a Safety Manager, as a Safety Officer, the job responsibilities remain the same. The workload can be shared in the second scenario, whereas in the first, you have to work individually. In my view, this is a great opportunity. You can handle things independently, which will provide more opportunities to learn and sharpen your skills.

• If the HR Department assigns you HR-related tasks due to company demands, do them. However, when you have the chance to work on safety-related tasks, ensure that your work is noticed by the top management. If your efforts are recognized, you will be given tasks related to your specific function.

• What efforts have you made to establish your identity in your current company? Try something new that your company can accept within its budget.

• Lastly, if none of the above works, remember that the job market is open. You can explore better opportunities. However, consider that the situation in a new job may not be better than your current one. You may end up with a Safety Manager worse than your present HR Manager. Ponder on this before making any decisions.

Thank you.

Safety Comes First

Whichever department you work in, whether or not you have OHSAS 18001, you should have a safety approach. You can have safety objectives as follows:

1. Reduction in Severity Rates (Number of mandays lost * 10,000,000 / Total number of manhours worked)
2. Reduction in Frequency Rates (Number of accidents * 10,000,000 / Total number of manhours worked)
3. If you have 5S practices, you can improve upon the housekeeping score.
4. You can start a safety suggestion scheme and aim to increase the number of safety suggestions.
5. You may set an objective of training the personnel on Health and Safety; objectives can be the number of man-days per employee per year.
6. You can set objectives to reduce the hazards and exposures of your employees.

Please think about it.

Regards,
Sudhir

Thank you for the valuable suggestion. I agree that safety comes first, regardless of the department in which you work. Whether or not you have OHSAS 18001, a safety approach should be in place. My question pertains to the following issue:

Issue with ISO Safety Objectives

My problem is that the MR of ISO is pressurizing me to provide safety objectives for a safety department even though we do not have one. I informed him that safety objectives do not fall under the purview of ISO 9001-2008 and ISO 14001-2004. Is my understanding correct?

Please provide your comments on this matter, sir.

Thanks with regards.

To me, any work is welcome. Why create compartments when there is an opportunity to learn? As per ISO 9001:2008, although it is not mandatory to have procedures other than the six compulsory ones, many organizations, as a best practice, prepare SOPs for most operations. The instructions for Environment, Health, and Safety can be included in the SOPs.

Regarding the safety function, 70% is general knowledge, and 25% is science, which may require guidance. Setting objectives and working on establishing a system for them could provide you with an advantage.