You are a newly hired health and safety advisor for a metal parts fabricating company that employs about 520 persons and is located in Southern Ontario. You have been hired to help the Human Resources Manager improve the company's safety performance. The Human Resources Manager, a management representative on the JHSC, has been working to establish a fully functioning OHS system; however, progress has been slow and the company's safety performance hasn't improved in the last three years.

During your first weeks on the job you review inspection, training and accident records and meet with production and maintenance supervisors and lead hands. You also observe a variety of production processes and maintenance activities. The supervisors and lead hands explain that for most work there are standard good practices that have evolved over time along with the fairly constant upgrading of machinery.

From your review and analysis of accident records you find that accidents appear to occur primarily in production. Some of the accidents have resulted in serious injuries (severe cuts to hands and arms). The majority of the accidents have occurred with employees who have less than four years experience. About ten percent of the staff turnover in a year. New staff are given an orientation by the supervisors, which includes WHMIS training and a brief review of general safety rules. New employees are also trained for a number of different production tasks by more senior employees over a two to three week period.

Your observations confirm that there are a number of standard safe work practices. The company has a written lockout procedure, which maintenance staff appears to follow when working on the larger forming and cutting machines; however, there have been recent accidents involving maintenance staff who were working on locked out equipment. There are a few other written procedures, but the documents are dated, and other than the H&S Policy the only other written up-to-date procedures focus on inspection for product quality. You conclude that safety performance could be improved by implementing a standard operating procedures program.

Prepare a one page overall plan for the successful implementation and on-going maintenance of a standard operating procedures program for this company. Clearly identify how you expect to develop and implement the standard operating procedures as well as how you intend to incorporate industry best practices and keep the documents current.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

In order to ensure successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of a standard operating procedures program the company can follow a series of ste... View the full answer