What is Safety Management?

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Safety management is the set of processes and principles that companies use to identify risks and take steps to prevent safety incidents in the workplace. 

The safety management framework is slightly different for each company, and even in different departments, primarily depending on the risks identified in each setting. 

Regulatory authorities, including OSHA and the HSE have specified safety management guidelines for certain industries with an elevated risk, such as the construction industry. 

However, safety management is a broad principle and can be applied in any industry where there are risks to worker health and safety. 

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How to Implement Safety Management in the Workplace

There are four key elements to consider when implementing safety management in the workplace: 

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Hazard Identification and Assessment 

The first step in creating a safe workplace is to identify and assess the hazards present. This can be done by conducting a walk-through of the workplace and looking for potential hazards. 

Once hazards have been identified, they must be assessed for their potential to cause harm. This includes determining how likely it is that someone will be exposed to the hazard and how severe the consequences would be if they were.

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Controls 

Once hazards have been identified and assessed, controls must be put in place to eliminate or minimize them. 

There are three types of controls that can be used: administrative controls, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment.

Administrative controls involve changing the way work is done to eliminate or minimize exposure to hazards. Engineering controls involve physical changes to the workplace that make it safer, such as installing ventilation systems. 

Personal protective equipment is used when other controls are not feasible or effective. It includes items like gloves, respirators, and earplugs.

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Training

Employees must be trained on how to safely work in the presence of hazards. Training should include information on what the hazard is, how it can be avoided, and what to do if exposure does occur. 

Training should be provided on an ongoing basis so that employees are kept up-to-date on new or changed hazards in the workplace.

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Monitoring

The final step in safety management is monitoring the workplace to ensure that hazards remain under control and that employees are following safe work practices. Monitoring can be done through regular inspections, employee interviews, and review of injury and illness records.

Conventional monitoring techniques, including visual inspections, are not a very scalable option. Instead, many companies are now turning to AI-powered tools to improve safety monitoring. 

AI systems can be plugged into existing CCTV networks, and can be trained to monitor employee behavior and hazards in the workplace. 

In case it detects a breach in safety protocols, the system immediately acts upon a set of preconfigured rules, such as sending a notification to those in charge of workplace safety. 

The good thing about using AI systems is that they continue to improve over time, as more data is fed into the system. As a result, the more data that the AI system processes, the more accurate it becomes.

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The Importance of Safety Management

There are many reasons why businesses should use safety management, but one of the most important is that it can help you meet standards set by regulatory authorities such as OSHA. 

OSHA or HSE standards are put in place to protect employees from workplace hazards. By having a good safety management system, you can proactively identify potential hazards and address them before they cause any accidents or injuries. 

In addition, if an accident does occur, a good safety management system will help you quickly investigate the accident and take steps to prevent it from happening again in the future. 

A well-run safety management system can save your business time and money by preventing accidents before they happen and by quickly addressing them when they do occur. 

In addition, meeting OSHA standards can help protect your business from liability in the event of an accident or injury. 

Workplace accidents are costly — not just in terms of medical bills and workers' compensation claims, but in terms of productivity loss as well. 

A single workplace accident can set your business back months — or even years — in terms of lost productivity. A safety management system helps companies take a more proactive approach towards workplace safety.

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Use Protex AI to Improve Safety Management in Your Organization

‍Protex AI is a workplace safety tool that integrates into all modern CCTV networks. It uses AI to monitor safety performance in real time, sending unsafe behaviours to their event log functionality. 

The system continues to learn over time, becoming more accurate and being capable of detecting all kinds of safety protocol breaches, such as not wearing gloves, hard hats, or other PPE on site.