Is a management system management system judged to be perfectly in tune with your business when it’s implemented, or when zero non-conformances are identified during an audit, or when the Management Review process finds no recommendations for improvement?
All good answers …. But the problem with all of these answers is that they assume that the work ecosystem in which the system operates is static, when it is quite the opposite. The dynamic nature of work operations means what worked well yesterday, is not guaranteed to work well tomorrow.
Workplaces and their associated hazards are constantly changing with new technologies, new management, new processes, new personnel and new materials, all introducing variability. In addition, on a day-to-day basis, the ‘Human Factor’ is a major variable, with minor variations and deviations from standard or normal practice commonplace.
While it is ideal to strive for perfection, the management of WHS is a journey rather than a destination. There will always be room for improvement, refinement and enhancement and the same goes for the management system and processes. A core principle of effective safety management is the commitment to ongoing evaluation, and to the continuous improvement of the system.
By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, organisations can be more open to the variations and changes that occur in their operating environments, and more attuned to the need to manage these minor impacts or major changes systematically. The ‘back-end ‘ processes within the management system that support this drive to continual improvement – the workplace monitoring processes, incident management, audits, management review processes – all have a purpose whereby different sets of eyes are being brought to scrutinise the workplace processes with the aim of identifying how they can be improved and foster greater levels of compliance. These regular review functions (aka governance) should serve to consider the changes that have occurred within the workplace (either at a macro or micro level) and prompt a little rethink to the system’s procedures and processes.
QRMC can assist to strengthen this process to achieve more beneficial outcomes, by reinvigorating the back-end review processes of your management system, or by bringing an independent view in auditing your workplace processes. Please contact us if we can assist.
