Posted By Ciaran McAleenan
Dear Haroon

'Assessment' is only one aspect of operational management and when viewed in isolation often fails to achieve the desired effect; namely the safe completion of the work operation or activity. The operational analysis and control model is the way forward. In this model you will integrate all aspects of your work operation including occupational health.

The purpose behind the operational analysis and control model is to ensure that work operations are carried out in strict accordance with all relevant safe working procedures. In this way we can make sure that our people, plant and property is protected from harm prior to, during and after the work operation, regardless of the nature of the hazards faced.

This emerging model, that has been functioning successfully in a Government Department in N. Ireland for some time now, is in three stages as follows;

A. Operation

1. What can cause harm? (Look for the harm factors in the work operation itself, the workers, the materials, the machinery and plant, the public & visitors and the environment).

2. What are you doing about it? (Once you know what can cause harm you look for the controls that are needed to prevent that harm from occurring).

3. Is it enough? (At this stage, before embarking on the work operation consider whether you have done enough to prevent harm. If necessary seek specialist advice e.g. from trade or professional associations, manufacturers, your National Statutory Safety Body, other safety professionals etc).

B. Manage

1. What has to be done? (Having carried out the analysis you must list what needs to be done to ensure a safe outcome to the work operation. E.g. have you made your employees aware of what can cause them harm and what they must do?, do you know what training they need?, are there written safety instructions? Does everyone know who is responsible and for what? etc).

2. What resources do you need? (Material, human, financial).

3. Make them available. (Some will be needed well in advance of any work operation. Build your controls into your budget and business plan).

C. Review

Believing that you have a safe workplace is a sure way of ensuring that you have not. Like every aspect of your work safety needs to be continually managed and improved, as necessary. Things can go wrong and you must be able to anticipate and act in advance to ensure that they don’t happen. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What could go wrong?
2. How could it happen?
3. How would you deal with it?

Should an accident occur use these three questions (the first two looking back to and the third looking forward to how to prevent the accident being repeated). If we do not always get it right there is no reason to give up or accept a lesser standard. Accepting accidents as inevitable is fatalistic. Our objective of integrating the highest standards of health and safety with improved business performance means that our end product/ service must be achieved in a manner that protects our employees and the public from harm. Operating to any less a standard will only guarantee this negative outcome and ensure that accidents continue.

You can download a PowerPoint™ graphic of the Operational Analysis and Control Model from my website

http://www.web-safety.com/

Follow the links to the safety exchange, presentations and download the “5 Minute Safety Sideshow”.

Let me know if I can help further.

Regards

Ciaran

mailto:ciaran@confinedspaces.com