Health & Safety Management Lecturing Resource
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LECTURE NOTES:
HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
Objectives of this Section

To define the concepts and components of a health and safety
management system;

To outline recent developments in health and safety management
including the development of OHSAS18001 and accreditation.
1.0
Introduction
Many of the industrially developed countries of the world have seen injury and illness rates
decline over the last 50 years. However these rates have generally reached a plateau over
the last decade. This fact, coupled with the realisation of the role of management and
organisational (latent) failures in accident causation, has lead to new approaches in
managing health and safety, most notably the use of a systems approach. The importance of
managing health and safety has been highlighted in recent official reports of major accidents
and has received increasing emphasis in OH&S legislation.
A Health and Safety Management System can be defined as ‘the means by which an
organisation controls risk through the management process’.
The BSI define a OH&S management system as ‘part of the overall
management system that facilities the management of the OH&S risks
associated with the business of the organisation. This includes the
organisational structure, planning activities, responsibilities, practices,
procedures, processes and resources for developing and achieving,
reviewing and maintaining the organisation’s OH&S policy.
2
2.0
What is meant by a systems approach?
A systems approach to management is based on system theories developed primarily in the
natural and social sciences. Four elements common to general systems theories are input,
process, output and feedback. Systems are also classed as being either open or closed.

An open system is one where there are identifiable pathways where the system interacts
with the external environment and is subject to external influences. In health and safety
these influences include legislation, public opinion and the economy.

Closed systems do not interact with the environment and so their ability to adapt or
respond to changing internal conditions is limited.
A management system is an open system, and based on the following approach:
INPUT
PROCESS
OUTPUT
FEEDBACK
Organisation
External Environment
In the past organisations put a great deal of emphasis on safety programmes. These are
different from health and safety management systems in a number of ways:

Programmes are focused on compliance with the standards/regulations within and do not
have the strong or any feedback mechanisms where the contents are adjusted or
modified to accommodate changing circumstances. Systems have this facility.

The performance of a programme is based on compliance with the system and with
trailing (or reactive) indicators such as the number of accidents, injuries etc. In a systems
approach performance is also measured from the input and process components of the
system.
In 1991 the HSE published a document entitled “Successful Health and Safety Management”
which was designed to be a practical guide for businesses who wanted to improve their
health and safety performance. Their approach to health and safety management has six
elements:
3

Policy

Organising

Planning and implementing

Measuring performance

Reviewing Performance

Auditing
A summary of this guidance is given in the next section.
4
3.0
Key elements of a H&S Management System
The key elements of successful health and safety management are set out in this summary.
This is taken from the HSE Guidance document HSG651. Diagram I outlines the relationship
between them.
Policy
Organising
Audit
Policy development
Organisational
development
Planning and
Implementation
Measuring
Performance
Developing
techniques of
planning,
measuring and
reviewing
Reviewing
Performance
Policy
Effective health and safety policies set a clear direction for the organisation to follow.
They contribute to all aspects of business performance as part of a demonstrable
commitment to continuous improvement. Responsibilities to people and the environment are
met in ways which fulfil the spirit and letter of the law. Stakeholders' expectations in the
activity (whether they are shareholders, employees, or their representatives, customers or
society at large) are satisfied. There are cost-effective approaches to preserving and
developing physical and human resources, which reduce financial losses and liabilities.
1
HSE (1997) Successful Health and Safety Management, HSG65, HSE Books.
5
Organising
An effective management structure and arrangements are in place for delivering the
policy.
All staff are motivated and empowered to work safely and to protect their long-term health,
not simply to avoid accidents. The arrangements are:

underpinned by effective staff involvement and participation; and

sustained by effective communication and the promotion of competence which allows all
employees and their representatives to make a responsible and informed contribution to
the health and safety effort.
There is a shared common understanding of the organisation's vision, values and beliefs. A
positive health and safety culture is fostered by the visible and active leadership of senior
managers.
Planning
There is a planned and systematic approach to implementing the health and safety
policy through an effective health and safety management system.
The aim is to minimise risks. Risk assessment methods are used to decide on priorities and
to set objectives for eliminating hazards and reducing risks. Wherever possible, risks are
eliminated through selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes. If risks
cannot be eliminated, they are minimised by the use of physical controls or, as a last resort,
through systems of work and personal protective equipment. Performance standards are
established and used for measuring achievement. Specific actions to promote a positive
health and safety culture are identified.
Measuring performance
Performance is measured against agreed standards to reveal when and where
improvement is needed.
Active self-monitoring reveals how effectively the health and safety management system is
functioning. This looks at both hardware (premises, plant and substances) and software
(people, procedures and systems) including individual behaviour and performance. If
controls fail, reactive monitoring discovers why by investigating accidents, ill health or
6
incidents which could cause harm or loss. The objectives of active and reactive monitoring
are:

to determine the immediate causes of substandard performance; and

to identify the underlying causes and the implications for the design and operation of the
health and safety management system.
Longer~term objectives are also monitored.
Auditing and reviewing performance
The organisation learns from all relevant experience and applies the lessons.
There is a systematic review of performance based on data from monitoring and from
independent audits of the whole health and safety management system. These form the
basis of self-regulation and of complying with sections 2 to 6 of the Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) and other relevant statutory provisions. There is a strong
commitment to continuous improvement involving the constant development of policies,
systems and techniques of risk control. Performance is assessed by:

internal reference to key performance indicators; and

external comparison with the performance of business competitors and best practice,
irrespective of employment sector.
Performance is also often recorded in annual reports.
7
4.0
Recent Developments in OH&S Management Systems
Standardisation
In recent years a great deal of emphasis has been placed on standards and standardisation.
One of the main reasons for this is that most major companies in the industrially developed
world are multinational and favour a standardised approach to aspects of their business.
Over the last decade the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has produced two
major standards for organisations namely:

ISO 9000 series: Quality Management Systems

ISO 14000 series: Environmental Management Systems
Both these standards integrate their respective functions within a business and management
framework and have been developed internationally by the world community.
A standard is defined by the BSI as:
A document, established by consensus and approved by a recognised
body, that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines, or
characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of
the optimum degree of order in a given context.
Such Standards are voluntary and are designed to be externally verified by nationally
accredited bodies. It is argued that companies who register with these schemes will
experience market advantages, a better relationship with regulatory authorities, investors,
insurance companies as well as experiencing financial benefits through greater efficiency.
Within these series mentioned above there are two types of ‘standards’ document, which are
specifications and guidance documents.

A specification is a “detailed set of requirements to be satisfied by a product, material,
process or system, indicating the procedures for checking conformity to these
requirements”. Specifications are written in such a way to enable conformity to be
verified by any first party (supplier), second party (purchaser) or third party (independent
certifier).

A guidance document provides advice rather than a set of verifiable requirements and is
designed as an internal management tool.
It has long been recognised that a health and safety management system is analogous to an
environmental management system and much debate has taken place across the world on
whether such a certifiable standard should be produced for health and safety management
8
systems. The ISO 14001 management system model is shown in the figure below and as
can be seen there is a great deal of overlap with the HSE model described earlier.
Continual
Continu
Improvement
Improvem
al
ent
Status
OHS
Policy
Review
OHS
Policy
OHS
Policy
Planning
Plannin
Planning
g
Implementation
Management
Manageme
Review
Revie
nt
w
Checking &
Checking
Corrective
Correctiv
Action
&
Implementation
& Operation
& Operation
Actio
e
n
In 1997 the ISO decided for various reasons not to proceed with the development of a formal
international standard on health and safety management systems. As a result a number of
individual country based standards have been produced, and a recent survey undertaken by
the University of Michigan
2
identified a total of 31 standards, guidance documents and
codes of practice available in the world community. The publishers of these documents
include national and state/provincial governments, national standards organisations and
professional health and safety associations. The UK was one of the first countries to produce
such a document when in 1996 the British Standards Organisation produced BS 8800.
BS 8800
BS8800 3was written as a guidance document and describes how the management system
models in both the HSE publication (HSG65) and ISO 14001 can be used to enable the
2
Dairymple at al (1998), Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems: Review and Analysis
of International, national and regional systems and proposals for a new international document,
Report prepared by International Occupational Hygiene Association for the International Labour
Office.
3
BSI (1996): BS8800: Guide to Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems.
9
integration of health and safety management within an overall management system. BS8800
is intended to be suitable for both large and small organisations covering a wide range of
manufacturing and service industries and gives advice on:

How to evaluate shortcomings with an existing health & safety management system
(OHSMS);

What an adequate system should comprise of;

How to progress from existing system to an adequate system.
Over 7000 copies of BS8800 were sold in the first twelve months and absence of any
‘officially’ accredited certification scheme lead to a large number of organisations offering
‘unofficial’ certification to the guidance.
The OHSAS Series
Following the success of BS8800 and the concern over the number of organisations, such
as consultancies offering independent certification to the guidance in BS8800, several
organisations (both from the UK and internationally) lead by the BSI got together to produce
a OHSMS specification. The principal aim of this was to produce some consistency. The
result was the publication in 1999 of OHSAS 180014. This is not an official British Standard
nor an ISO standard, however many of the major accreditation companies are offering
certification to the standard.
The management system model used in OHSAS 18001 is the ISO 14001 model. As a
specification, OHSAS 18001 lists a number of management system requirements using
‘shall’ statements such as ‘the organisation shall establish and maintain documented health
and safety objectives, at each relevant function and level within the organisation’.
The elements and sub-elements of OHSAS 18001 are shown in the diagram below:
4
BSI (1999): OHSAS 18001: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems – Specification.
10
1.
2.
Continual
Continu
Improvement
Improvem
al
ent
3.
Management
Manageme
Review
Revie
nt
w
Checking &
Checking
Corrective
Correctiv
Action
&
Status
OHS
Policy
Review
OHS
Policy
OHS
Policy
Planning
Plannin
Planning
g
Implementation
4.
& Implementation
Operation
& Operation
Actio
e
n
5.
OH&S Policy
1.1. The Health & Safety Policy
Planning
2.1. Planning for hazard identification, risk
assessment and control
2.2. Legal and other requirements
2.3. Objectives
2.4. OH&S management programme(s)
Implementation and Operation
3.1. Structure and responsibility
3.2. Training, awareness and competence
3.3. Consultation and Communication
3.4. Documentation
3.5. Document and data control
3.6. Operational Control
3.7. Emergency preparedness and response
Checking and Corrective Action
4.1. Performance measurement and monitoring
4.2. Accidents, incidents, non-conformances
and corrective and preventative action
4.3. Records and record management
4.4. Audit
Management Review
5.1. Management Review
In 2000 the BSI produced OHSAS 18002 5 to provide generic guidance on the application of
18001. This document describes the intent, typical inputs, processes and typical outputs,
against each requirement of 18001 listed above in order to aid the understanding and
implementation of OHSAS 18001.
5
BSI (2000): OHSAS 18002 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems: Guidelines for
the Implementation of OHSAS 18001.
11
5.0
Practical Aspects of a H&S Management system
Whatever the management system adopted whether it be that of OHSAS 18001, the HSE or
any other international model, they are all based on the systems model described earlier (i.e.
input, process, output and feedback) and all have a number of common requirements.
This purpose of this section is to look at some of those common elements from a practical
perspective. The order these elements are presented is based on the OHSAS18001 model.
The Health and Safety Policy
An OH&S policy establishes an overall sense of direction and sets the principles of action for
an organisation. It sets goals for the level of OHS responsibility and performance required
from the organisation. It demonstrates the formal commitment towards good OH&S
management, particularly that of the organisation’s top management.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, there is an obligation on all organisations
with five or more employees to prepare a written statement of general policy on occupational
health and safety. Most organisations should, therefore, already have a ‘mission’ statement
committing themselves to managing health and safety effectively.
BS8800 sets out nine specific commitments that must be included to develop a
comprehensive policy statement.
1. Recognising that OH&S is an integral particle of its business performance
OH&S should not be a 'bolt-on' to your existing management process. It is essential
that a proactive approach is adopted, embracing OH&S within the overall management
system. This is the most cost effective way and one which will reap the maximum
benefit for the organisation.
2. Achieving a high level of OH&S performance, with compliance to legal requirements as a
minimum, and to continual cost-effective improvement in performance.
Inevitably society's expectations are increasing pressure on organisations to reduce the
risk of ill-health accidents and near-miss incidents in the workplace.
In addition to
meeting legal responsibilities, the aim should be to move ahead, in a cost-effective
manner to improve OH&S performance, and continuously evolve the management
system to meet changing business and legislatory needs.
12
3. Provide adequate and appropriate resources to implement the policy
Planning and adequate preparation are the key to successful implementation. Often
policy statements and objectives are unrealistic because there are inadequate and/or
inappropriate resources available to deliver them.
4. The setting and publishing of OH&S objectives, even if only by internal notification'
While the basic requirements and aims of health and safety management remain, the
impetus of producing and reviewing an annual plan acts as a business focus. It also
enables organisations to demonstrate to employees and other stakeholders how OH&S
management is being developed. All employees should be aware of the objectives.
5. Place the management of OH&S as a prime responsibility of line management, from the
most senior executive to first line supervisory level
Including a safety objective as part of the annual management performance review
reinforces this responsibility as well as maintaining an individual focus on your specific
safety targets.
6. To ensure that the policy statement is understood, implemented and maintained at all
levels in the organisation
Any policy statement should be clear and concise and related to the activities of the
organisation. Effective communication to staff at all levels throughout the organisation is
vital. Initial induction training should be used to demonstrate to new staff from day one
the genuine commitment of the organisation to OH&S management.
7. Employee involvement and consultation to gain commitment to the policy and its
implementation.
Involving employees is often neglected. In most, if not all industries, employees wish to
contribute, positively to OH&S management to reduce the likelihood of costly incidents
and/or claims. At the end of the day, they recognise that OH&S needs to be managed
cost-effectively to maintain the security of their employment and the quality of their workenvironment.
8. Periodic review of the policy, the management system and audit of compliance to policy
OH&S management cannot be compartmentalised. It must evolve continually as part of
overall management philosophy to meet changing business demands, new legislation
and new technology, as well as maintaining the complete involvement of all employees.
9. Ensure that employees at all levels receive appropriate training and are competent to
carry out their duties and responsibilities.
13
It is a common misconception that the only employees needing training are those
working at the sharp end. This is not the case: management at all levels need to
understand their responsibilities and be competent to undertake the tasks they are
required to perform.
Training must be appropriate to the needs of each employee and to the positive benefit
of the organisation.
Training should not be a 'one-off but tailored to business demands and supported by
appropriate refresher courses to maintain standards,
Planning for Health & Safety Management
From the outset, it is essential that there is commitment at the highest level within the
organisation to the OH&S management system. The planning process should be based on a
proactive approach, identifying those areas of risk that are not tolerable, and putting in place
controls wherever this is deemed to be necessary. Planning for OH&S involves:

Identifying requirements for the system
- what needs to be done

Setting clear performance criteria
-what is to be done

Identifying who is responsible
- who gets it done

Setting time scales
– when it should be done by

Identifying the desired outcome
-what should be the result
Both BS8800 and OHSAS 18001 identify three key areas which need to be addressed
during the planning stage.
Risk Assessment and Management
The intent of this requirement is so that the organisation can appreciate all significant OH&S
hazards facing it using the process of risk management. This is described in full in another
part of this course.
Legal requirements
The organisation should identify all legal requirements applicable to it as well as any other
industry or company specific requirements to which it subscribes
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Health & Safety Objectives and Programmes
Health and safety objectives are a major part of a management system and are defined as
“the goals in terms of H&S performance that an organisation sets itself to achieve and
should be quantified wherever practicable”.
OH&S Objectives should be set annually. Examples of types of an OH&S objective include:

The introduction of additional features into the OH&S management system (e.g. permit
to work systems for specific tasks, strategic OH&S safety training for supervisors etc.)

The improvement of existing features, or the constancy of their application across the
organisation (e.g. accident reporting, communication of standard procedures etc.).

The elimination or the reduction in frequency of particular undesired incidents (e.g.
reduce accidents by 20%, remove all hazardous material etc.)
Suitable indicators should be defined for each objective. These indicators should allow for
the monitoring of the implementation of the objectives.
Formal action plans should be drawn up for each OH&S objective that has been identified.
These should form the basis of the business plans for each forthcoming year.
The OH&S action plans should identify the:

Individuals who are responsible for the deliverance of the objectives across the
organisation and/or within each operation

Various tasks that need to be undertaken in order to meet each objective.
These action plans should be developed in consultation with the responsible person(s).
Implementation & Operation
For successful implementation and operation of an OH&S management system the following
requirements should be addressed.
Roles and Responsibilities
At all levels within the organisation, people need to be aware of their roles and
responsibilities. According to BS8800 the following aspects should be addressed:
1) Individual OH&S responsibilities should be clearly defined. Where job descriptions
are used it may be appropriate to include such responsibilities.
2) All personnel should be given the authority and resources (including time) necessary
to carry out their responsibilities.
15
3) Appropriate arrangements should exist whereby people are held accountable for
discharging their responsibilities.
4) Reporting relationships should be clear and unambiguous.
5) Where personnel appraisal systems exist OH&S responsibilities should be included.
Training & Competence
The quarry should have effective procedures for ensuring the competence of personnel to
carry out their designated functions. According to BS8800 the OH&S management system
should include:
1. Systematic identification of the competencies required by each employee and the
training needed to remedy any shortfall.
2. Provision of training identified as being necessary in a timely and systematic
manner;
3. Assessment of individuals to ensure that they have acquired and maintain the
knowledge and skills necessary for the level of competence required.
4. The maintenance of appropriate training/skills records.
Ensuring the training and competence of employees is also a specific requirement of the
Quarries Regulations, 1999 (Regulation 9).
Consultation & Communication
The organisation should encourage participation in, and support for, OH&S, from all those
affected by its operations, by a process of consultation and communication. BS8800 states
that organisations need to ensure that they have effective arrangements for:
A. Identifying and receiving relevant OH&S information from outside the
organisation including:
1. New, or amendments to legislation;
2. Information necessary for the identification of hazards and evaluation and
control of risks;
3. Information and developments in OH&S management practice.
B. Ensuring that pertinent OH&S information is communicated to all people in the
organisation who need it. This requires arrangements to:
1. Determine information needs;
16
2. Ensure that these needs are met, bearing in mind the legal requirement
that relevant information has to be provided in a form and manner that is
comprehensible to the person receiving it.
3. Ensure that information does not just flow from the top down, but also
from the bottom up and across the various parts of the organisation.
4. Avoiding restricting OH&S items to dedicated OH&S meetings by
including them on the agenda of a variety of meetings wherever
appropriate.
5. Report hazards and shortcomings in OH&S arrangements;
C. Ensuring that relevant information is communicated to people outside the
organisation who require it.
D. Encouraging feed-back and suggestions from employees on OH&S matters.
Documentation
The organisation should document, and maintain up-to-date sufficient documentation to
ensure that its OH&S management system can be adequately understood and effectively
and efficiently operated.
This requirement will be covered later in the course as it is analogous to Regulation 7 of the
Quarries Regulations, 1999 which require the production of a health and safety document.
Operational Control
The organisation should establish and maintain arrangements to ensure that activities are
carried out safely. These arrangements should be based on the results of the risk
assessment, and any health and safety objectives that have been defined. Depending on the
results of the risk assessment these arrangements could be in the form of instructions, rules
and procedures, which are a specific requirement of the Quarry Health and Safety Document
(Regulation 7) and Regulation 10 of the Quarries Regulations, 1999.
The organisation should also plan and prepare for all foreseeable accident, incident and
emergency situations. This again should be based on the risk assessment and is a
requirement of Regulation 15 of the Quarries Regulations, 1999.
17
Measuring Performance
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
- Peter Drucker
“Management will attach an increased dimension of importance to
anything that is quantified.”
- Frank E. Bird
“Performance measurement and motivation are almost synonymous.”
- Dan Peterson
“What gets measured gets done.”
- Thomas J. Peters
Performance measurement is an essential part of a OH&S management system. According
to BS8800 and OHSAS 18002 the key purposes of measuring performance are to:
1) Determine whether OH&S plans have been implemented and objectives achieved;
2) Check that risk control measures are in place and are effective;
3) Learn from system failures such as areas of non-compliance, accidents and
incidents.
4) Promote the implementation of plans and risk controls by providing feedback to all
parties
5) Provide information that can be used to review, and if necessary to improve aspects
of an OH&S management system.
An organisation’s performance measurement system should incorporate both active and
reactive monitoring as follows:

Active measuring systems should be used to check compliance with the
organisations OH&S activities. Examples of active monitoring data are:

The extent to which plans and
objectives have been set and
achieved.

Whether a director for OH&S
has been appointed.

Whether a safety policy has
been published.

Extent of compliance with statutory
requirements Frequency of OH&S audits

Frequency and effectiveness
committee meetings.

OH&S specialist reports

Health Surveillance reports
18
of
OH&S


The numbers trained in OH&S

Workplace exposure levels

Number of risk assessments
completed

Personal protective equipment use.

Extent of compliance with risk
controls
Reactive monitoring should be used to investigate, analyse and record OH&S
management system failures, including accidents and incidents. Examples of
reactive monitoring data include:

Unsafe Acts

Sickness absences

Unsafe conditions

Criticisms made by regulatory agency staff

Near misses

Complaints made by members of the public.

Lost time accidents

Major accidents & fatalities
Investigating Accidents and Incidents
Organisations should have procedures for both the reporting and investigating of accidents
and incidents. The prime purpose of these procedures should be to prevent further
occurrence of the situation by identifying and dealing with the root causes. Accident and
Incident Investigation is covered later in this course.
Auditing
OH&S auditing is a process whereby an organisation can review and continuously evaluate
the effectiveness of their OH&S management system.
Safety auditing is a positive and proactive means of checking the safety performance of an
organisation. The general principals of auditing below are based on those given in OHSAS
18002.
Scheduling
An annual plan should be prepared for carrying out internal safety audits. The safety audit
should cover the entire operation which is subject to the OH&S management system, and
assess compliance with OHSAS 18001. Audits should be carried out according to a written
procedure, and only by competent independent personnel. The results of the audits should
be recorded and reported to management. A review should be carried out by management
and effective corrective actions(s) taken, where necessary.
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Management Support
For OH&S auditing to be of value, senior management should be fully committed to the
concept of auditing and its effective implementation within the organisation . This includes a
commitment to consider audit findings and recommendations and to take appropriate action
as necessary, within an appropriate time. Once it has been agreed that an audit should be
carried out it should be completed in an impartial way. All relevant personnel should be
informed of the purposes of auditing and the benefits. Staff should be encouraged to cooperate fully with the auditors and to respond to their questions honestly.
Audits
Audits provide a comprehensive and formal assessment of the organisation’s compliance
with OH&S procedures and practices. The end result of an audit should include a detailed
written assessment of OH&S procedures, the levels of compliance with procedures and
practices and should where necessary identify corrective actions.
Auditors
One or more persons may undertake audits. A team approach may widen the involvement
and improve co-operation. They should be independent of the part of the organisation or the
activity that is to be audited.
Auditors need to understand their task and be competent to carry it out. Thy need to have
the experience and knowledge of the relevant standards and systems they are auditing to
enable them to evaluate performance and identify deficiencies. Auditors should be familiar
with the requirements set out in any relevant legislation. In addition, auditors should be
aware of and have access to standards and authoritative guidance relevant to the work they
are engaged in.
Data collection and interpretation
The techniques and aids used in the collection of the information will depend on the nature
of the audit being undertaken. The audit should ensure that a representative sample of
essential activities is included in the audit and various personnel should be interviewed.
Relevant documentation should be examined. This may include.

OH&S management system documentation

OH&S Policy statement

OH&S emergency procedures
20

Permit to work systems and procedures

Minutes of OH&S meetings

Accident/Incident Reports and records

Training records

Reports or communication with the enforcing authority
Wherever possible checks should be built into the system to help to avoid misinterpretation
or misapplication of audit records.
Audit results
At the end of the audit, and before submitting their report, the auditor or the Audit team
should hold a meeting with the responsible manager of the audited area. The main purpose
of such a meeting is to communicate the results of the audit to the responsible manager in
order to ensure that it is understood and agreement is reached. Minutes should be kept of
such meetings.
The content of the final audit report should be clear, precise and complete. It should be
dated and signed by the auditor. It should, depending on the case, contain the following
elements:

The audit objectives and scope

the particulars of the audit plan, identification of the members of the auditing team
and the audited representative, dates of audit and identification of the area subject to
audit;

The identification of reference handbooks used to conduct the audit;

The cases of non conformance.

The auditors assessment of the degree of conformity to OHSAS 18001

The ability of the OH&S management system to achieve the stated OH&S objectives
The results of all audits should be fed back to all relevant parties as soon as possible to
allow corrective actions to be taken.
As many employees as possible., including the
employee safety representative where selected, should be consulted on activities in their
area during each audit. An action plan of agreed remedial measures should be drawn up
21
together with identification of responsible persons, completion date, and reporting
requirements.
Follow-up monitoring arrangements should be established to ensure
satisfactory implementation of the recommendations.
22