To enable effective management of the occupational safety and health issues, the Civil Service Bureau has been encouraging government bureaux/departments to set up their own safety management systems.
A full-fledged safety management system consists of the following 14 elements:
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1. Safety policy
- A safety policy which states the commitment of management to safety and health at work
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2. Safety organisational structure
- A structure to assure implementation of the commitment to safety and health at work
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3. Safety training
- Training to equip personnel with knowledge to work safely and without risk to health
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4. In-house safety rules
- In-house safety rules to provide instruction for achieving safety management objectives
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5. Inspection programme
- A programme of inspection to identify hazardous conditions and for the rectification of any such conditions at regular intervals or as appropriate
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6. Personal protection programme/equipment
- A programme to identify hazardous exposure or the risk of such exposure to the workers and to provide suitable personal protective equipment as a last resort where engineering control methods are not feasible
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7. Accident/Incident Investigation procedures
- Investigation of accidents or incidents to find out the cause of any accident or incident and to develop prompt arrangement to prevent recurrence
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8. Emergency plans
- Emergency preparedness to develop, communicate and execute plans prescribing the effective management of emergency situations
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9. Contractors’ awareness of safety obligation
- Evaluation, selection and control of contractors to ensure that contractors are fully aware of their safety obligations and are in fact meeting them
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10. Occupational safety and health committee
- Safety committees to identify, recommend and keep under review measures to improve the safety and health at work
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11. Risk assessments and safety procedures
- Evaluation of job related hazards or potential hazards and development of safety procedures
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12. Promotional activities
- Promotion, development and maintenance of safety and health awareness in a workplace
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13. Accident control programmes
- A programme for accident control and elimination of hazards before exposing workers to any adverse work environment
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14. Health hazards protection
- A programme to protect workers from occupational health hazards