OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) Objectives and Targets

rocks · May 1, 2013

Hi,
I am working for a Company which aims at obtaining its Safety Certification (ISO 18001) by end of 2014. Being the team leader in Safety, I have put together a OHS Objectives and Targets (called OHS Strategic Action Plan 2012 - 2014) which was reviewed by the OHS Committee and approved by GM. This plan is updated monthly and published quarterly.
My issue here is that, as we begin implementation to achieve targets, we have come across numerous changes in structure, processes etc, hence some of the actions identified on the plan needs to changed i.e: made redundant. Is it right to make changes to the action items without changing the Objectives and Targets?

Please help me out! :bonk:

Thanks

Rocks

Randy · May 1, 2013

Re: OHS Objectives and Targets

You can do whatever you want as long as it's controlled, even change your objectives...BTW, OHSAS 18001 does not reference Targets, just objectives and programs

And keep it simple, it already sounds complicated and complicated fails 99 times out of 100

Colin · May 1, 2013

Re: OHS Objectives and Targets

It sounds very sensible to me that they will change as the system and the company progress. I worry more about those companies where the objectives never change!

kgott · May 1, 2013

rocks said:
Hi,
My issue here is that, as we begin implementation to achieve targets, we have come across numerous changes in structure, processes etc, hence some of the actions identified on the plan needs to changed i.e: made redundant. Is it right to make changes to the action items without changing the Objectives and Targets?

Please help me out!
Thanks

Rocks

Something I have learned is that more than 2-3 objectives is too many. More than that they get lost and it requires far more effort to monitor and measure them than is warranted.

In safety, its somewhat obligatory to have 'no lost time injuries' (really??), no lost work days etc etc. By the time you add objectives such as:

Achieve and maintain certification to 18001 and;
comply with safety legislation applicable to the business,

IMO, you've got enough safety objectives.

Randy · May 2, 2013

jackbey said:
Finally,
1) Ensure your EH&S personnel have their training certs, OSHA 1910, HazMat, Occupational, etc., proudly hung on their office walls to show anyone who walks in how much professional training the staff has engaged in to assure a safe environment each employee has to work in.

it takes the wind out of the employee who just read about an OSHA subject last night off the internet and wants to challenge how the organization is handling what the employee believes is a significant safety issue and is going to immediately report the company to OSHA if it is not fixed correctly (per their internet experience base) and NOW! (not that I know this from personal experience!! i dialed the OSHA rep for the employee and let them talk to the SME--lol! )

2) Hang your organizational safety policy, signed by the highest mgmt. rep and union rep at every entrance to the facility as well as every major section. Change annually!!

Yep, this stuff always impresses me when I do an audit :horse:

Now back to original question...As earlier stated develop some real and meaningful objectives...Zero injuries & lost time are for the lazy

Look back at your OHS history of problems as see if you can capture something that could actually be improved upon and then try to do it, whether it be increasing employee safety competence (Notice that I didn't say training?), or reducing/eliminating some kind of existing hazard, or back-tracking near-hits (Notice that I didn't say near-miss?) look for trends and going after their causal factors...Do something real though and not just some warm, fuzzy, nobody really gives a krap, PC, who cares objective.

kgott · May 2, 2013

jackbey said:
I must humbly disagree about the obligatory blanket comments regarding lost time/injuries. This perspective is neither unrealistic nor organizationally attainable and is truly not the intent of OSHA?s guidance.

First, it perpetrates the myth mgmt. can eliminate these type of incidents.

Second, mgmt. pursues this myth through scare tactics ? you will be held responsible for your own medical costs etc., and scares employees to not report incidents or injuries to the appropriate levels of mgmt. so the issue(s) can be mitigated or corrected. Note I am not talking about a significant incident where someone is seriously injured or a death occurs!

Third, it propagates the practice of the employee being put on leave or other such absence sytem to preclude documenting the incident on the Form 300.

Fourth, there is no measureable criteria to show an assessor with these type of subjective statements?oh wait, yes there is, a review of the Form 300 log shows incidents?.oh darn, my third postulate is in effect so there are no entries!!

Suggested verbiage:
Mitigate lost time from injuries through a viable employee and mgmt. training program with appropriate oversight from the organizational EH&S section.

Mitigate lock I/O errors through a blah blah blah?

Suggestion: one measurable criteria based objective for each area for which you can provide viable artifacts to anyone from mgmt., employees, OSHA rep, or assessor.

Finally,
1) Ensure your EH&S personnel have their training certs, OSHA 1910, HazMat, Occupational, etc., proudly hung on their office walls to show anyone who walks in how much professional training the staff has engaged in to assure a safe environment each employee has to work in.

it takes the wind out of the employee who just read about an OSHA subject last night off the internet and wants to challenge how the organization is handling what the employee believes is a significant safety issue and is going to immediately report the company to OSHA if it is not fixed correctly (per their internet experience base) and NOW! (not that I know this from personal experience!! i dialed the OSHA rep for the employee and let them talk to the SME--lol! )

2) Hang your organizational safety policy, signed by the highest mgmt. rep and union rep at every entrance to the facility as well as every major section. Change annually!!

Sorry mate, I think I gave you the wrong end of the stick on this one. I hate such pitiful, silly, stupid objectives just as much as you do.

While 'zero injuries' may be desirable and laudable my very scant knowledge of statistical process control tells me that you can set whatever target or objective you want but you will never get anything more that what the process is capable of delivering. This is what the safety profession fails to understand.

Don't they say that objectives must be SMART? - R stands for Realistic

cheers

Randy · May 3, 2013

kgott said:
Don't they say that objectives must be SMART? - R stands for Realistic

cheers

You are absolutely correct, and I see so little of it along with little true OHS value added objectives. Mediocrity is the name of the game in OHS just as it is in Quality and EMS

ajitrajendra · Mar 16, 2014

why it is written that oh&s objectives shall be measurable wherever practicable as standard wants every objective shall be SMART.

Steve Prevette · Mar 16, 2014

You may want to consider this article:

http://www.workplacemagazine.com/Ezine/FullStory.aspx?EzineDataID=2136

ajitrajendra · Mar 17, 2014

Dear sir thanks for info, but still is it possible for u to explain the term wherever possible? what does wherever possible mean. pl give some examples

OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) Objectives and Targets

rocks

Randy

Colin

Quite Involved in Discussions

kgott

Randy

kgott

Randy

ajitrajendra

Steve Prevette

Deming Disciple

ajitrajendra

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