What is safety management and safety management systems?

What is safety management?

Safety management is managing business activities and applying principles, frameworks, processes to help prevent accidents, injuries and to minimize other risks.

What is a safety management system (SMS)?

A safety management system is a systematic approach to managing safety, including organizational structures, accountabilities, policies, and procedures. An SMS is scalable so it can be tailored to the size and complexity of your organization.

Components and elements

The universally accepted framework for SMS includes four main components and twelve elements, representing the minimum requirements for an SMS.

They are:

  • Safety policy and objectives
  • Management commitment and responsibility
  • Safety accountabilities
  • Appointment of key safety personnel
  • SMS implementation
  • Contractors/third party interfaces
  • Coordination of emergency response planning
  • SMS documentation
  • Safety risk management
  • Hazard identification
  • Risk assessment and mitigation
  • Safety assurance
  • Safety performance monitoring and measurement
  • Internal safety investigation
  • The management of change
  • Continuous improvement of the SMS
  • Safety promotion
  • Training and education
  • Safety communication