3.1 Organisational Health And Safety Roles And Responsibilities Of Employers, Directors, Manages And Supervisors

Question 1

Nebosh Learning Outcome 2016

3.1 Outline the organisational health and safety roles and responsibilities of employers, directors, managers and supervisors

Answer 1

3.1 Organisational health and safety roles and responsibilities of employers, directors, managers and supervisors
- Organisational roles of directors / managers / supervisors
- Senior management demonstrating commitment by:
- ensuring availability of resources so the occupational health and safety management system is established, implemented and maintained
- defining roles and responsibilities
- appointing member of senior management with specific responsibility for
health and safety
- appointing one or more competent persons and adequate resources to
provide assistance in meeting the organisation’s health and safety obligations
including specialist help where applicable (link 1.5)
- engagement and management of contractors (link 1.6)
- role in reviewing health and safety performance.

Question 2

INDG417
States that there are four elements that boards need to incorporate into their management of health and safety?

What are they:

Answer 2

These are:

• Planning the direction of health and safety
• Delivering the plan for health and safety
• Monitoring health and safety performance
• Reviewing health and safety performance.

Question 3

For the Directors to deliver the plan for health and safety.

Delivery depends on an effective management system to ensure?

Answer 3

So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable

• The health and safety of employees, customers and members of the public.
• Organisations should aim to protect people by introducing management systems and practices that ensure risks are dealt with sensibly, responsibly and proportionately.

Question 4

What essential actions are needed by the board to take responsibility and ‘ownership’ of health and safety?

Answer 4

Members of the board must ensure that:

• Health and safety arrangements are adequately resourced
• They obtain competent health and safety advice
• Risk assessments are suitable and sufficient
• Employees or their representatives are involved in decisions that affect their health and safety.

Question 5

(3.1) What are a typical Managers Organisational Responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare of all those who work or visit the organisation?

Answer 5

Responsible and accountable for health and safety performance within the organisation

• They must ensure that adequate resources are available for the health and safety requirements within the organisation
• Establish, implement and maintain a formal, written health and safety programme for the organisation that encompasses all areas of significant health and safety risk
• Approve, introduce and monitor all site health and safety policies, rules and procedures
• Review annually the effectiveness and, if necessary, require revision of the health and safety programme.

Question 6

Because of the special role and importance of directors, the HSE have published INDG417.
- As effective health and safety performance is directed from the top down, members of the board have both collective and individual responsibility for health and safety.

Answer 6

Directors need to take action so that:

• The health and safety of employees and other, such as members of the public are protected
• Risk management includes not only health and safety risks but also becomes a key business risk consideration in board decisions
• Health and safety duties imposed by legislation are followed.

Question 7

The principle departmental MANAGER is responsible for the health, welfare and safety of all employees and visitor to an organisation.
- In particular, they:

Answer 7

• Are responsible and accountable for health and safety performance of their department
• Are responsible for the engagement and management of contractors to ensure they are properly supervised
• Ensure that any machinery, equipment or vehicles used within the department are maintained, correctly guarded and meet agreed health and safety standards
• Copies of all maintenance records, statutory instruments,insurance inspections are accessible by the departmental managers
• Develop a training plan that includes specific job safety instructions
• Copies of all training must be kept by the departmental manager
• Personally investigate all lost workday cases and dangerous occurrences
• Must ensure that adequate resources are available for the health and safety requirements within the organisation
• establish, implement and maintain a formal, written health and safety programme for the organization that encompasses all areas of significant health and safety risks
• approve, introduce and monitor all site health and safety policies, rules and procedures; review annually the effectiveness and, if necessary, require revision of the health and safety programme.

Question 8

Supervisors report to and are responsible to their departmental managers.
They are also responsible for, in particular:

Answer 8

• Their team’s health and safety performance
• Enforce all safe systems of work and procedures that have been issue by the departmental manager are complied with
• Instruct employees in relevant health and safety rules, make records of this instruction and enforce all health and safety rules and procedures
• Supervise all contractors that are working within their area of expertise
• Enforce personal protection equipment requirements, make spot checks to determine that protective equipment is being used
• Periodically appraise the condition of all equipment and plant.
• Record any infringement of the organisations personal protection equipment policy

Question 9

One or more competent persons must be appointed to help managers comply with their duties under health and safety law.

Answer 9

The essential point is that managers should have access to expertise to help them fulfil the legal requirements.
However,
- They will always remain as advisers and will not assume responsibility in law for health and safety matters.
- This responsibility always remains with line managers and cannot be delegated to an adviser whether inside or outside the organisation.

Question 10

Who could be appointed as a competent person?

The HSE have produced a leaflet entitled Getting specialist help with health and safety INDG420.

This gives simple guidance for those looking for specialist health and safety help.

Answer 10

• The employer themselves if that they are competent.
• This may be appropriate in a small, low-hazard business
• One or more employees, provided that they have sufficient time and other resources to undertake the task properly
• A person(s) from outside the organisation who has sufficient expertise to help.
• When there is an employee with the ability to do the job, it is better for them to be appointed than to use outside specialists.

Question 11

There is a wide range of specialists available for different types of health and safety problem, who could fill the role of appointed person(s), safety practitioners and other advisors these include:

Answer 11

• Engineers for specialist ventilation or chemical processes
• Occupational hygienists for assessment and practical advice on exposure to chemical (dust, gases, fumes, etc.), biological (viruses, fungi, etc.) and physical (noise, vibration, etc.) agents
• Occupational health professionals for medical examinations and diagnosis of work-related disease, pre-employment and sickness advice, health education
• Ergonomists for advice on suitability of equipment, comfort, physical work environment, work organisation
• Physiotherapists for prevention and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders
• Radiation protection advisers for advice on compliance with the Ionising Radiation Regulations
• Health and safety practitioners for general advice on implementation of legislation, health and safety management, risk assessment, control measures and monitoring performance.