I am sure we have all heard this reference about safety and common sense. Unfortunately there are a lot of businesses with senior management that believe this. I find even those businesses that struggle with minimum compliance requirements will typically have this mindset about safety. But those businesses who are going beyond the traditional OSHA compliance approach have come to realize that true safety professionals have a lot to bring to the table and much of what we bring can actually reduce their frustration with safety. But this means a formal safety management system (SMS) is in place, and senior management is MANAGING SAFETY (e.g., the safety pros are RESOURCES to management to help achieve the safety goals of the business).
Senior management is responsible for determining the COMPETENCES and RESOURCES necessary to carry out the organization’s activities safely and shall provide them. We define “RESOURCES” as …
