This is a simple model process outlined in CSA Z1000-06, Occupational Health and Safety Management. The fundamental elements of each phase of the process are:
PLAN
Establish, implement, and maintain a documented Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS). Have a company policy in place that outlines what your company will do. This OHSMS will ensure that your company has reviewed applicable Acts, Regulations, and laws and has established appropriate policies and practices to address safety to it's workers. The document would address legal obligations, hazards and risk identification and assessment, and establish objectives and targets.
DO
Decide what action your company will take to implement practices to ensure worker safety. Some of the elements that would be reviewed are: preventive & protective measures, emergency prevention, emergency preparedness, emergency response. As well as competence and training of employees, communication and awareness, procurement, contracting and management of change (MOC).
CHECK
After you have implemented your OHSMS you must manage it proactively and maintain it. You must carry out monitoring and measurement with respect to ensuring the management system is effective, ensure you properly investigate incidents, analyze the incident for root cause and implement corrective measures. You must complete internal audits of your OHSMS and implement preventative and corrective actions to keep it current and ensure that it is effective.
ACT
You must ensure management is involved, and that management review of the performance of the OHSMS occurs, and that you continually seek to improve the tools in the OHSMS.
ELECTRICAL SPECIFIC OHSMS - ELECTRICAL SAFETY PROGRAM
With respect to electrical safety and your specific electrical safety OHSMS content you really have to step back first and consider "do I have a safe installation?" In Canada and the USA, both the Canadian Electrical Code and National Electrical Code address requirements for safe electrical installations, and the use of approved equipment. Without this solid foundation, you could inherently have an unsafe electrical power system for workers, and you may increase the risk to workers of been exposed to an electrical arc flash or contact with energized electrical conductors or circuit parts.
The graphic below depicts that solid foundation as a brick wall, a good starting point. After you install it, check it, and commission the electrical power system, workers in certain circumstances will still be exposed to the electrical hazards of arc flash, and shock. The "Arc Flash Triangle" in the middle of the image below is a graphical representation of some of the key elements that impact the level of an arc flash, and the triangle also graphically demonstrates electrical contact which can result in shock or electrocution if the worker is not wearing the right electrical specific PPE.
Where the Electrical Safety Program fits in is the hexagon with the six circles. The hexagon is the administrative "glue" (the overriding Safety Management System elements i.e. management commitment, organizational chart, roles & responsibilities, etc...). This is the electrical discipline specific OHSMS, and can be comprised of six tool boxes:
- Engineering, Safety By Design (Owner).
- Equipment, Safety By Design (Owner).
- Electrical Equipment Maintenance (Owner).
- Electrical Specific PPE (Owner & Contractor).
- Electrical Safe Work Practices & Procedures (Owner & Contractor).
- Electrical Safety Training (Owner & Contractor).
These six tool boxes can provide a variety of resources (tools) that fulfill the requirements of a Safety Management System with the focus on mitigating or reducing the electrical hazards of working within the proximity of energized electrical conductors or circuit parts.
Of course you should apply the principles outlined in CSA Z1000, Plan, Do, Check and Act to ensure your Electrical Safety Program is applied properly, is maintained, and is achieving results.
CSA Z1000-06
Some of the sections within CSA Z1000 provide good guidance on what you should consider within your overall OHSMS or discipline specific content (i.e. the Electrical Safety Program).
4.2 Commitment, Leadership, and Participation
4.2.1 General
4.2.2 Management commitment, and leadership
4.2.3 Worker participation
4.2.4 Occupational health and safety policy
4.3 Planning
4.3.1 General
4.3.2 Review
4.3.3 Legal and other requirements
4.3.4 Hazard and risk identification and assessment
4.3.5 Occupational health and safety objectives and targets
4.4 Implementation
4.4.1 General
4.4.2 Preventive and protective measures
4.4.3 Emergency prevention, preparedness, and response
4.4.4 Competence and training
4.4.5 Communication and awareness
4.4.6 Procurement and contracting
4.4.7 Management of change
4.4.8 Documentation
After you have implemented the OHSMS (i.e. general or discipline specific content like an Electrical Safety Program), it provides further guidance on the CHECK and ACT elements.
4.5 Evaluation and corrective action
4.5.1 General
4.5.2 Monitoring and measurement
4.5.3 Incident investigation and analysis
4.5.4 Internal audits
4.5.5 Preventive and corrective actions
5 Management review and continual improvement
Reference & Credit:
National Standard of Canada, CAN/CSA-Z1000-06, Occupational Health and Safety Management
ISBN 1-55436-089-7
To order a copy of CAN/CSA-Z1000-06 go to the Canadian Standards Association website:
www.csa.ca