Safety Management Systems - Discussion and two essays
Core System Components, Supporting Processes, and System Support
This week we have explored Kausek’s organization of a management system in which we have core system components, supporting processes, and system supporting or integrity processes. Core processes produce the services in our system, supporting processes provide the direct input to the core, and system supporting processes guard the integrity of the system as a whole.
At the same time I have taught that a safety management system reflects the organization’s ability to learn as a collective unit. What else is it when a hazard is discovered and then countered? In order to facilitate organizational learning, (the prevention of repeat incidents from significantly similar causes) the system must be comprehensive toward safety and
Collect relevant statistics and information (gather the right facts)
Organize and analyze the data (investigate the facts)
Counter problems and produce standards
Monitor changes (implement the counters, organizational change)
Communicate with all components of the organization.
The core duties of safety at an organization are said to be:
Identification of hazards (and we can extend this to include threats, and vulnerabilities)
Assessment of the hazards (investigate for causes)
Produce countermeasures to the hazards/ produce company standards
Implement the countermeasure plan/make organizational change
Re-assess changes for effectiveness (continual improvement)
The article in the discussion board “Safety Management Systems: Comparing Content & Impact” gives you elements, or criteria that are mandated to be central in the supporting processes of your safety management system. These are listed as:
Management Commitment
Employee Involvement
Planning
Implementation & Operation
Proactive Checking & Corrective Action
Reactive Checking & Corrective Action
Management Review
Now this is not always clear and easy to combine. Let me suggest my interpretation of the lessons conveyed this week. Let me start out by saying that the core processes that produce the services to our customers are not stand alone policies or procedures. They are instead a collection of policy and procedure that are supporting processes that combine to provide the services. Allow me to also suggest that measures of any process are always system support because they show the effectiveness of the supporting in delivering the services. This is in contrast to Kausek. So consider the organization below:
Core Process Supporting Processes System Support
| Gather Facts | Reporting Procedures | Incident documentation/logs/records |
| ID of Hazards, Threats,Vulnerabilities |
| Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
| Assessment of Hazards | Investigation programs System Safety Committees | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
| Planning Countermeasures | System Safety Analysis Committees/Problem Solving methods Emergency response/First Aid Programs | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
| Implementing Change | Organizational Change Plans | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
| Re-assessment | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training | |
| Organizational Communication | Production of company standards | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
| Injury Management | Return to Work Programs Safety Away from Work programs (SAW’s) | Program Effectiveness Audits Metric Tracking Formal procedures Training |
There may be other programs/policies that can be fitted into the supporting and system supporting categories. But overall the core processes are examined to see if and how well they are delivering the services to the customers. Each process that provides direct input to the core duty, then is also examined for improvement in order to increase service output. Of course some supporting processes can provide input to more than one core duty or process, such as those listed as supporting to the ID of Hazards, theses also are a source for gathering the relevant facts.
Notice in my model how vitally important training is at every core duty. It preserves the integrity of the system. Where does training fit with or in the article from the DB? Training is and education is relevant at all levels, floor associates, supervision, management, and executive management.
Management commitment and employee participation must be elements in any system because they are the two primary measures of safety culture. Furthermore, it is imperative that the general manager for safety, have and establish a clear overall philosophy for managing safety. The visual model we completed in week 1 and our continued exploration of this concept in week 2 governs the overall approach to our system. Systems may play out very differently if governed by a different guiding philosophy.
Now later on when we are writing safety operations plans, or written plans for how we will manage safety, I call the supporting processes, core management programs to distinguish them from day to day safety policies such as lock out – tag out.
