General principles of control
6.5 Safe systems of work
6.5.1 What is a safe system of work (SSOW)?
A critical element in controlling primary fi re and other workplace hazards is the use of a safe system of work (SSOW). This SSOW, in simple terms, defi nes a way of undertaking a task in a safe manner, for instance it would defi ne the safe way of refuelling a forklift truck
powered by LPG, or the safe way of undertaking hot work processes.
Safe systems of work appear in a variety of forms including:
➤ Standard operating procedures
➤ Safe operating procedures
➤ Method statements.
Such a system of work would on the majority of occa-sions be formally recorded and documented, taking into account all foreseeable risks associated with the oper-ation and detail the procedure for minimisoper-ation of the risk, or where reasonably practicable the complete elimin-ation of the risk.
As can be seen from the above defi nition the safe system of work should provide a step-by-step approach which integrates all the facets that will secure the safety of not only those undertaking the task or job, but also those who may be affected by it.
As previously discussed, it is the risk assessment that determines the need for a safe system of work to be introduced, as part of the mechanisms by which the hazard and associated risks are controlled. The safe system of work relies heavily upon human behaviour and discipline and therefore selecting a safe system of work above other control strategies, such as elimination, should not be considered.
The procedural controls developed in the creation of the safe system of work will also have to take into account technical control measures including design features such as the use of guards on cutting equipment, noise reduction systems and workplace modifi cations. Each of these will be supported by behavioural controls which address the individual in terms of selection and training, which are included in the ‘safe person approach’.
The actual control measures should be selected on the basis of their effectiveness, applicability, practicability and, fi nally, cost. Some controls may be dictated by legal requirements, e.g. equipment guards. In most cases, however, it is usual to apply a hierarchy of measures such as that given in the publication Successful Health and Safety Management (HS(G)65).
It is often the case that complex or unusual tasks are required to have a formally documented SSOW. Over recent years the formal system has been adopted for the majority of routine tasks as their production assists in defi ning the safety standards required of an operation or process and importantly provides a basis for the provision of information, instruction and training programmes.
A number of pieces of current legislation refer to the requirement for the production of safe systems of work, together with the provision of information, instruc-tion and training. Therefore in addiinstruc-tion to introducing measurable standards, the introduction of safe systems Figure 6.8 Diagram of levels of supervision from HS(G)65
Defi nition of a safe system of work:
A step-by-step procedure based upon the integration of people, equipment, mater ials, and the environment, to produce an accept-able level of safety.
Level of supervision
High 100%
Low
Low High
Formal supervision
Self supervision
High Low Competence
risk 0%
of work assists an employer or responsible person to comply with the law.
In order for an organisation to effectively use safe systems of work as part of its risk control strategy it will be necessary to consider the follow:
➤ When a safe system of work is required
➤ How safe system of work will be developed
➤ How the safe system of work will be documented
➤ How the system will be communicated and persons trained
➤ How the system will be monitored, reviewed and when necessary revised.
6.5.2 When is a safe system of work required?
As discussed above a safe system of work may well be recorded and documented for the majority of tasks or operations undertaken. In general the risk assessment of an operation will determine the need to document the safe system or consider that an informal approach is appropriate. To assist in determining the level of for-mality that a safe system of work takes the following key factors may be considered:
➤ The level of risk identifi ed in the risk assessment
➤ The legal requirements, i.e. (Construction Design Management Regulations ACoP)
➤ Guidance from trade bodies in relation to ‘best prac-tice’ (Fire Protection Association)
➤ Complexity of the task or operations
➤ Previous experience (safety events, accidents, incidents)
➤ Level of resources required to implement and moni-tor the SSOW:
➤ Documentation
➤ Training
➤ Supervision.
Safe systems of work do not always require document-ing, for example the changing of a light bulb on a desk lamp. If, however, there is no formal safe system of work the mechanisms by which people undertake tasks and operations may vary and there is the potential that people may be harmed as a result. A formalised system enables standards to be communicated, implemented, monitored and reviewed which will assist in managing the risk.
6.5.3 Developing a safe system of work
The development of a safe system of work for a work activity requires an adequate level of resources to be committed. The level of resources required will refl ect the complexity of the operation, those that will be involved and the resources available.
One key area in the development of a safe system of work is to gather suffi cient information from a variety of sources. Table 6.1 identifi es such sources of informa-tion and provides a brief overview of the informainforma-tion that may be provided.
Once the information has been gathered the develop-ment of the system of work will need to be coordinated and recorded. The responsibility for this task rests with the employer or responsible person. Assistance of a competent person will on many occasions be required, so that the coordination of the team producing the SSOW and the development of the system refl ect the preventive and protective measures required by law.
The competent person is likely to have knowledge of a variety of techniques for analysing the operation including:
➤ Job safety analysis (JSA)
➤ Hazard and operability study (HAZOP)
➤ Fault tree analysis (FTA)
➤ Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).
The last three may assist in preparing the safe system of work, particularly when the operation may have a high loss potential.
The JSA technique is frequently used to assist in the development of a system for a variety of operations and includes the follow-ing steps:
Select the job to be analysed Record the component parts of the
job in chronological order Examine each component part to
determine the risk of harm Develop control measures for each
step to reduce the risk of harm
Record the job safety instruction Communicate the information in the
instruction to operators and supervisors
Maintain the safe system to ensure it remains effective
Regardless of the technique adopted to develop the system of work, there are four essential factors that must be considered when developing it: people, equipment, materials and the environment.
General principles of control
People – a safe system of work should be designed to:
➤ Ensure the person doing the work has the right mental and physical capabilities
➤ Ensure adequate training is provided
➤ Promote safe behaviour
➤ Ensure employees are properly motivated towards safe working
➤ Ensure the correct level of supervision is exercised to ensure compliance with the system.
Equipment – a safe system of work should ensure that:
➤ All equipment, including any personal protective equipment, is suitable and fi t for its intended use
➤ Safety specifi cations are considered such as ergo-nomics, noise, etc.
➤ Any specifi c risks presented by the equipment are controlled
➤ There are adequate maintenance procedures to ensure equipment remains in an effi cient state
➤ Emergency shutdown procedures have been established
➤ Any training required for safe operation of the equip-ment is provided.
Materials – materials must be safe during use or processing:
➤ Any materials used during the work process must be considered, including any by-products created during the process
➤ Appropriate waste disposal measures should be employed
Source of information Comment
Employees that undertake Vital source of information on how the work is actually undertaken, or how it is likely to be the operation or task undertaken. Previous knowledge of similar activities, the hazards and risks. History of faults,
failures and success
Very valuable asset as part of the legally required consultation process
Legislation, ACoP and Provide minimum standards required by law. For example, Confi ned Space Regulations require a guidance issued by system of work for confi ned spaces and the ACoP goes on to identify the main elements to enforcing authorities consider when designing the safe system including the use of permit to work
Enforcement bodies Verbal or written information provided while in face-to-face contact during an inspection themselves
Guidance from trade Written information from these bodies can take the shape of guidance notes such as in the case bodies of Fire Prevention on Construction Sites published by the Construction Confederation and the
Fire Protection Association. This guide provides information on, among others, arrangements for storing fl ammable liquids and LPG
British, European and These documents detail the minimum industry standards that should be applied and are often International standards cross-referenced by other guidance such as in the case of Building Regulations Guidance
Approved Document B that cross-references BS 5839 Part 1 Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fi re detection and alarm systems for buildings Manufacturer’s information The range of information available is vast, e.g. how to test and maintain systems, chemical and guidance hazards and personal protective equipment that should be used to protect against residual risks Risk assessments and The information from previously completed risk assessment and JSA records provide a backbone job safety analysis on which to formalise a safe system of work
Organisation’s policy, Information from existing policies and procedures such as those relating to the management of procedures and standards vehicles may provide a basis from which to determine the safe systems for reversing or refuelling
vehicles
Safety event investigations The fi ndings and recommendations contained in an investigation report may assist in reviewing the safe system of work
Results of health surveillance The results are likely to be able to confi rm that the effective use of PPE has reduced exposure or not and that the system is effective or not
Table 6.1 Sources of information available when developing a safe system of work
➤ End products must conform to the required quality and safety standards.
Environment – a safe system must consider (where necessary):
➤ Control of temperature, lighting and ventilation
➤ Appropriate controls for dust, fumes, vapours, radi-ation, chemical and biological hazards
➤ Safe access and egress
➤ Provision of adequate welfare facilities
➤ Noise and vibration
➤ Variations:
➤ In climatic conditions
➤ Due to the time of day or year
➤ Due to other persons in the work environment
➤ Evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Any safe system of work should be designed to com-bine these four elements to produce an integrated method of working which will ensure that tasks are car-ried out in the safest way that can be achieved under the circumstances.
To illustrate how an effective safe system of work might be developed, it is useful to consider the require-ments for a ‘lone worker’ who by the very term works by themselves without close or direct supervision.
There are a range of work situations that may involve lone working and include:
➤ Cleaners (out of hours)
➤ Security staff
➤ Delivery drivers
➤ Installation and maintenance engineers
➤ Warehouse persons
➤ Police offi cers
➤ Social workers.
In addition to those listed above, any member of staff may work out of normal work hours or be working in a remote location and as such may be deemed to be lone working.
Using the people, equipment, material and environ-ment approach detailed above the procedure adopted would take into account as a minimum:
People – ensuring that the selection process takes into account the psychological capabilities required of the role and that adequate training assists in attain-ing the required level of competence and confi dence.
Regular periodic visits from their line manager to ensure that adequate monitoring of operations is maintained.
Equipment – the provision of safe equipment for the tasks being carried out taking into account only one person is available. Other equipment including communications equipment (mobile phone, pager, radio)
to enable regular contact with the line manager and others in the team must also be considered. Mobile fi rst aid kit and automatic warning devices in the event of an emergency should also be made available.
Materials – each work situation would dictate consideration of a variety of chemicals (cleaners, delivery drivers, installation and maintenance engineers, warehouse workers) that persons could come into contact with or in the case of installation and mainten-ance engineers the products conform to the required quality and safety standards.
Environment – safe access and egress arrange-ments which would include arrangearrange-ments in the event of an emergency. Any specifi c arrangements for the provision of adequate welfare facilities, perhaps through liaison with a third party, must be considered. The safety of those working in the hours of darkness must be taken into account and work patterns considered accordingly.
This list is not exhaustive but is used to indicate how a safe system of work may be considered and then produced.
6.5.4 Documenting a safe system of work
Having assessed when a safe system of work is needed, and a competent person has been engaged to assist in its development, the next stage of the process is to document the system. As discussed previously it should be noted that not all safe systems of work will need to be documented; this decision is likely to be made by the competent person.
How the system is to be documented should be considered and refl ect among other issues; the nature of the operation, the level of control required, who will be operating it.
Figure 6.9 Consideration of the people, equipment, materials and environment is required when conducting a job safety analysis
General principles of control
The documentation should be written in such a way as to be easily intelligible whosoever will refer to it. It should be user friendly and avoid the use of tech nical jargon as far as possible. Many safe operating procedures within industry are reproduced as summary sheets, which are on many occasions posted adjacent to or on the machinery to which they relate.
Documentary control is an essential part of managing a successful system and in particular when introducing a safe system of work. An effective document management system will ensure that the most up-to-date system of work is being operated to, particularly when amendments have been made to reduce the overall risk.
To assist an organisation to record and document its safe systems of work many will adopt a standard format such as the use of a template. This is particu-larly prevalent in the construction industry sector where templates for the production of method statements exist.
Whichever format is developed it is likely that it will need to include as a minimum:
➤ The name of the task or operation
➤ The address or location
➤ A brief description of the operation
➤ The sequence of work or operations that are to be carried out
➤ The plant, tools or machinery involved
➤ Any chemicals or hazardous substances that may be involved or produced
➤ Foreseeable hazards associated with the operation (cross-reference to the risk assessments, COSHH assessments, manual handling assessments, etc.)
➤ Workplace precautions to be used to minimise the risks to all persons who may be affected, for higher risk operations a permit to work may be required
➤ Competency or specifi c training requirements of the persons undertaking the work or operations
➤ Supervisory management levels
➤ Emergency procedures
➤ Monitoring arrangements
➤ Revision number and associated documentary con-trol measures.
6.5.5 Permits to work
In circumstances where it is necessary to adopt a highly formalised safe system of work it is often necessary to introduce a ‘permit to work’ system. A permit to work system documents details relating to the work to be done, the hazards involved, the precautions necessary and the persons responsible. Typical examples of work that may require a permit to work system include:
➤ Working with pressurised systems
➤ Working adjacent to overhead crane tracks
➤ Working with asbestos-based materials
➤ Work involving high voltage electrical equipment
➤ Work involving underground services
➤ Any work in confi ned spaces
➤ Hot work.
The permit to work system is more fully described in Chapter 8 specifi cally as it relates to the control of hot work.
6.5.6 Safe system of work – communication Having documented the safe system of work and prior to its implementation a critical factor that will affect the success of this procedural control measure will be ensuring that the information contained in the safe sys-tem of work is communicated to all those involved with the operation, including the operators, supervisors and managers.
How the information is communicated will vary from a briefi ng sheet to a full training programme depend-ent upon the complexity, familiarity, competence, etc. of those needing to receive the information.
It may also be necessary to provide information to other persons who may directly or indirectly be affected by the operation, such as the facilities management team (if isolations are required as part of a permit to work system).
The content of a typical training programme for those involved with the operation of a safe system of work is detailed below:
➤ What a safe system of work is
➤ Why the safe system of work is required
➤ What the work involves
➤ Hazards associated with the work and the fi ndings of the risk assessment
➤ The control measures that will be adopted including (if appropriate):
➤ Permit to work
➤ Guarding systems
➤ Isolations
➤ Personal protective equipment
➤ Monitoring (air sampling, health, etc.)
➤ Emergency procedures
➤ How the work will be supervised.
6.5.7 Monitoring, reviewing and revising
To ensure that any safe system of work remains effect-ive an organisation must establish a management pro-gramme for monitoring, reviewing and where necessary revising the system of work.
Monitoring of the system is often undertaken by fi rst line management as part of their job function. It is the
role of supervisors to identify the effectiveness of the system in controlling the hazards and risks relating to the operation. Where there appears to be a shortcom-ing in the arrangements this should be reported to the senior management so that a review of the system can be undertaken.
In many organisations formal systems exist to undertake periodic reviews of safe systems of work regardless of whether shortcomings have been identifi ed.
This ‘active’ or ‘proactive’ approach has some distinct benefi ts such as:
➤ Re-enforcing the organisation’s safety culture
➤ Identifying where technological advances can be introduced to the safe system of work, to reduce the risk
➤ Assist the organisation to fulfi l its obligation to con-sult with its workforce
➤ Prevent conditions worsening that could result in injury, damage or loss.
Part of the monitoring and review programme should also take into account emergency procedures, which will not necessarily be tested on a regular basis, such as a gearing mechanism breaking down on an industrial machine or a tower crane operator suffering an ill-health effect that prevents descent via the access ladder.
Emergency procedures and arrangements are discussed later in this chapter.
Systems of work that are out of date, ineffective or present an obstacle to production or service delivery will be unlikely to be fully implemented. It is therefore essential that an organisation ensures that it has a robust system for monitoring, reviewing and revising its safe systems of work.