Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Figure 1.27 The provision of fi re safety information
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
(IOSH) and the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) produce
monthly journals, as does the British Safety Council, all of
which provide a valuable insight into specifi c safety areas.
In relation to fi re the Passive Fire Protection
Federation (PFPF) and the Fire Protection Association
(FPA) also produce a range of industry information and
guidance on both practical and managerial aspects of
fi re safety.
1.7 The basis of a system for managing
safety
Over a number of years a variety of management systems
have been produced, any of which can be utilised
to assist in establishing a safety management system.
Many organisations are familiar with BSEN ISO 9001,
a quality management system which can be accredited
by an external organisation. The same can be said
for BSEN ISO 14001, the environmental management
system.
The production of an integrated management
system such as OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and
Safety Assessment Series) has enabled mapping to be
achieved between the systems mentioned above and a
health and safety management system.
While OHSAS 18001 has not been designated as
a British Standard it has been produced by the British
Standards Institution (BSI) to enable external validation
of an organisation’s safety management system to be
achieved.
Originally when fi rst published in 1994 the British
Standard BS 8800, which is a guide to Occupational
Health and Safety Management Systems, only concentrated
on a choice between HSG65 and ISO 14001. In
26
Management
review
Checking and
corrective action
Figure 1.28 OHSAS 18001
Continual improvement
OH&S policy
Planning
Implementation
and operation
its review and update in 2004 it also shares common
management system principles with ISO 9000 series,
ISO 14000 series and is consistent with ILO-OSH 2001
(International Labour Organisation – Occupational Safety
and Health) and OHSAS 18001.
A schematic view of each of the available systems
has been included for reference within this book,
although the system known as HSG65 produced by the
HSE will be discussed in more depth.
The basic elements of each of the above systems
include, in one defi nition or other, the same phases
which are:
➤ Planning
➤ Performance
➤ Performance assessment
➤ Performance improvement.
The HSE’s guidance simplifi es these phases into ‘Plan,
Do, Check, Act’ as detailed below:
Plan – this involves the setting of standards for safety
management that refl ect legal requirements and the
risks (risk assessment fi ndings) to an organisation.
Do – involving putting into place or implementing the
plans to achieve overall aims and objectives set during
the planning phase.
Check – the measurement of progress against the plans
and legal standards to confi rm compliance.
Act – consider and review the status against the plans
and standards and taking of action when appropriate.