Summarized Notes – Key Topics (IG1 Focus)
1. Why Manage Health & Safety? (Element 1 – Foundations)
• Moral reasons: Prevent death, injury, and ill-health; duty of care to protect people.
• Legal reasons: Comply with national laws (e.g., Kenya OSHA 2007) and international standards
(ILO conventions); avoid prosecution, fines, or enforcement notices.
• Financial reasons: Direct costs (medical, compensation, fines) and indirect costs (lost
production, damaged equipment, reputation loss, increased insurance premiums).
• Consequences of poor standards: Worker suffering, business disruption, legal action, higher
absenteeism.
2. Health and Safety Management Systems (HSMS)
• Based on ILO-OSH 2001 or ISO 45001 (Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle).
• Key elements:
• Policy: Statement of intent + organization + arrangements. Must be signed by top
management, communicated, and reviewed regularly.
• Organizing: Clear roles, responsibilities, competence, consultation, and worker
involvement.
• Planning: Risk assessment, legal compliance, setting objectives, safe systems of work
(SSoW), permit-to-work systems.
• Doing: Implementing controls (hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer,
administrative, PPE).
• Checking: Active (inspections, audits) and reactive (incident reporting) monitoring.
• Acting: Review, audit, continual improvement.
• Benefits of a formal HSMS: Improved culture, reduced incidents, better reputation, legal
compliance.
3. Managing Risk – Understanding People and Processes
• Hazard: Something with potential to cause harm (e.g., unguarded machinery, slippery floor,
chemical).
• Risk: Likelihood × Severity of harm.
• Risk assessment process (5 steps):
1. Identify hazards.
2. Identify who might be harmed and how.
3. Evaluate risks and decide on controls (hierarchy of control).
1. Why Manage Health & Safety? (Element 1 – Foundations)
• Moral reasons: Prevent death, injury, and ill-health; duty of care to protect people.
• Legal reasons: Comply with national laws (e.g., Kenya OSHA 2007) and international standards
(ILO conventions); avoid prosecution, fines, or enforcement notices.
• Financial reasons: Direct costs (medical, compensation, fines) and indirect costs (lost
production, damaged equipment, reputation loss, increased insurance premiums).
• Consequences of poor standards: Worker suffering, business disruption, legal action, higher
absenteeism.
2. Health and Safety Management Systems (HSMS)
• Based on ILO-OSH 2001 or ISO 45001 (Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle).
• Key elements:
• Policy: Statement of intent + organization + arrangements. Must be signed by top
management, communicated, and reviewed regularly.
• Organizing: Clear roles, responsibilities, competence, consultation, and worker
involvement.
• Planning: Risk assessment, legal compliance, setting objectives, safe systems of work
(SSoW), permit-to-work systems.
• Doing: Implementing controls (hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer,
administrative, PPE).
• Checking: Active (inspections, audits) and reactive (incident reporting) monitoring.
• Acting: Review, audit, continual improvement.
• Benefits of a formal HSMS: Improved culture, reduced incidents, better reputation, legal
compliance.
3. Managing Risk – Understanding People and Processes
• Hazard: Something with potential to cause harm (e.g., unguarded machinery, slippery floor,
chemical).
• Risk: Likelihood × Severity of harm.
• Risk assessment process (5 steps):
1. Identify hazards.
2. Identify who might be harmed and how.
3. Evaluate risks and decide on controls (hierarchy of control).
