Hello everyone,
In this post we're going to look at the changes which have been made to HSG65 which have brought us the Managing for Health and Safety (MHFS) microsite. One of the biggest changes, replaced the widely used POPIMAR system with the simplified Plan, Do, Check, Act - we'll cover this more later on in this post.
The Managing for Health and Safety microsite contains four major segments:
1. Core elements of managing for health and safety.
2. Are you doing what you need to do?
3. Delivering effective arrangements.
4. Resources, including a number of useful links.
According to the HSE's website, Section 3 is the most considerable change, this is where you will find information on the implementation of Plan, Do, Check, Act. MHFS also provides information on worker consultation and involvement as well as leading and managing.
One reason for the revised guidance is to provide an improved balance between the 'systems' and 'behavioural' aspects of management. One of the ways in which this is achieved is through targetting different areas of MHFS towards various stakeholders, such as the first two sections being aimed at business leaders, owners, trustees and line managers, while the third part will be of particular interest to health and safety professionals and advisors.
Plan, Do, Check, Act
MFHS replaced the widely used POPIMAR (Policy, Organising, Planning & Implementing, Measuring Performance, Audit, Reviewing Performance) with PDCA - Plan, Do, Check, Act.
Plan:
Determine your policies - Mainly, What, how and who?
Planning for implementation - Here you must identify and seek to control risks such as health risks, compliance with legislation and guidance and involving people throughout the organisation e.g workforce. The HSE provides a full list of actions which must be taken such as creating a statement of intention, setting out clear roles and responsibilities; outlining what will be done, how it will be done and who will do it.
Remember to think about the positive safety culture you wish to create.
Do:
Here you need to profile your health and safety needs, including thorough risk assessments taking into account every aspect of your business including workforce, business activities, stakeholders and equipment. Following this you should involve your workforce and communicate as clearly as possible the expectations and requirements of health and safety. Finally, implement your plan, having made a record of the potential risks, a decision must be made as to what control measures are required and ensure that they are put in place, once again taking care to communicate these measures to your workforce.
Check:
Measuring performance - Safety audits are a vital component to ensure that you're achieving your aims. It is also very important to investigate all accidents, incidents and near misses, as without these investigations you won't know whether your controls are effective.
Act:
Review performance - The Plan, Do, Check, Act model as shown above is a cyclical model which constantly repeats itself with the help of the leadership. There is a constant learning loop which takes place. Within the 'act' section of the model you should be taking what you have learned from the previous parts and improve upon your current safety culture.
To sum up:
- Managing for Health and Safety is a microsite split into four parts aimed at leaders, health and safety professionals and the workforce.
- POPIMAR has been replaced with Plan, Do, Check, Act.
- Plan - What, how and who?
- Do - Profiling your health and safety needs.
- Check - Measuring performance.
- Act - Review performance.
Speak soon,
Danny
