Right Sizing a Safety Management System

The primary objective of a Safety Management System (SMS) is to create an organization-wide structure of processes that are designed to remove or sharply mitigate risk created by safety exposures at company work sites and facilities. A structured SMS-centered approach to managing safety functionally supports continuous improvement and assists an organization with dovetailing safety within the overarching organizational culture.?Procedures, policies, processes, and practices for managing safety risks become embedded into the way an organization and its personnel does business. Adoption of an SMS approach signals to all areas of an organization that safety must be treated with the same importance as other core business activities.

A SMS can be created to fit any organization type, size and/or industry sector. An effective SMS will define how the organization manages risk through processes and procedures. Many global SMS guidelines such as ISO 45001: 2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) globally, ANSI Z10ANSI/ASSP Z10.0-2019 (Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems) in the US, HSG65 (Managing for Health and Safety) in the UK, and other similar guidance documents from around the world share many of the same structural requirements. However, “right-sizing” an SMS for specific organizations (and how to do it) is a matter of debate among safety professionals. This process of right-sizing and SMS leaves professionals caught between trying to apply a one-size-fits all approach and an approach that applies an organic growth mindset to SMS fit for specific company parameters.

The most important part of SMS that must be agreed upon is that - if there is no SMS in place at all when a safety professional starts working for an organization - a solid foundation for its creation needs to be set before the guidelines, rules, and regulations can be implemented in any integrated structured manner. An issue with setting the strength of the SMS foundation arises when a safety professional insists on implementing all of the components of ISO 45001 or ANSI/ASSP Z10 standard (although sparse in their wording and broad in their requirements) in an organization whose core culture is not advanced enough yet to accept the full force of SMS concepts. In this case, the organization may need to ease into the idea of organized, cohesive safety management through a phased, right-sized SMS approach.

Right-sizing relative to any organizational function is the process of assessing and adjusting the resources available and required to complete overall or specific organizational goals. The goal of right-sizing is to provide streamlining for the baseline needed to take the organization to the next level (continuous improvement) or in a new direction. SMS adoption can also needs to be thoughtfully right-sized, in order for there to be successful cultural integration in the hearts, minds, and work practices of the workers that make an equal practice in every task they undertake to complete their work. Not every company – sometimes based on size, sometimes based on past practices and priorities – is ready for the safety professional to come in with presentations on ISO 45001 or ASSP/ANSI Z10, but they are ready for “baby steps” toward a full functioning SMS. Here is one way to start any organization on the road to SMS guidance compliance and continuous SMS improvement.

Step 1: Know Your Business Operations

• What are the hazards associated with the organization’s business operations? Has the company spent time looking critically at the tasks that are being performed and appropriately categorized the potential risks to workers, property, and the environment? What are the parameters that will limit implementation or force a measured rollout approach of SMS components and functions?
• Many small companies will be experts in what they do for work, know the hazards at the point of task (powered mostly by worker institutional knowledge and skill set), but they may not have taken the time to list, categorize, codify, and risk assess what they do every day. To help put together the right programs, policies, procedures, and systems, this first step must be done through collaboration throughout the company organizational functions. Tasks, hazards, risk assessment and categorization, and all the pieces of defining what a company does in writing

Step 2: Policies and Procedures

• Every organization should start with a set of policies and procedures to keep its workforce safe. Taking the time to formulate and codify policies and procedures for safe work jump starts the process of weaving safety into every part of a company’s operations, with specific safety goals being outlined to outline expectations for specific tasks, work types, and other areas of the organization’s business practices that result in magnifying unmitigated safety risk to workers or operational risk to the company.
• Accountability and duties attributed to safety should be taken just as seriously as any other area of business. This idea of accountability falls flat is the policies and procedures are vague and/or do not specifically address the task, hazards, risks, and other categories defined in Step 1. Good documentation yields strength in communication of expectations throughout the organization, strong knowledge of how a company expects work to be done, and who is responsible for each step in the work process.

Step 3: Build the Structure and Promote the Process

• Once an organization knows its tasks, risks, hazards, and other potential pitfalls and good programs and policies in place. It is important to work on other areas of SMS requirements. Communication and commitment to these policies brings the need to put together (and stick to) an evaluation structure that promotes growth and improvement in the items of safety management that were created in the initial steps. Training on and promotion of the program components will hopefully result in a strengthening of organizational culture and, in turn, create seeds of commitment to safety as a core value.

What is Missing?

• In some companies, EVERYTHING is missing when it comes to an SMS. The learning curve in these instances is great. Right-sizing means a slow and well documented and reasoned approach to starting small and eyeing the full SMS structural process as a “stretch goal”. In larger organizations, all of the SMS components might be in place and all it takes is some diligent work from the safety department to pull things together and put the full SMS into action. The last thing a small company needs is to be told how far behind they are on the curve of safety and that it will take more money or person-power than they have to achieve the benefits of a fine-tuned SMS like more chances to bid work, qualifying in prequalification programs to vendor to larger companies, and more. The answer is clear with regard to the debate – right-size with the end goal in mind, but stick to the basics as you grow a smaller or less savvy organization towards a world-class SMS. You and your client or employer will be glad you took the time to put careful thought into each step of building that SMS structure, because it will lead to a safety program that is woven to the fabric of the organizational culture that will not be broken.

Mariner Gulf & Consulting and Services?has extensive experience in establishing safety management systems that are intended to maximize the overall safety and health of the workplace for organizations in every industry. We can assist with the programmatic components of evaluating potential high-hazard producing processes and assist your efforts in ensuring that each and every worker is able to come home safe at the end of the day.

James Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO?is the Chief Executive Officer for Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services, Chair of the Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board, master trainer, and keynote speaker.

Contact Information:

James A. Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, CSHO

[email protected]

504-373-0678