MANAGEMENT & PROTECTION SYSTEMS

DOCUMENTS: - SAFETY

E - BS 8800

The BS 8800 standard, "Guidelines for Health and Safety Management Systems", has been active at European level since 1996. We have already had the opportunity to emphasize that they are not a standard for system certification, and that they form the basis of OHSAS 18001.

In practice, the BS 8800 Guidelines, based on the general principles of good management, have played the role of guiding companies in implementing the Safety and Health Management System (SGSS), while the OHSAS 18001 standard aims to certify it .

The nodal point is the following: the SGSS must be integrated into the overall management system of the company. To do this, BS 8800 had already foreseen the possibility of using two distinct approaches that do not present substantial differences in content:

• the first based on the HS (G) 65 Guidelines of the HSE
• the second on ISO 14001, the standard for the environmental management system.

The organization can use them according to their own opportunities.

It is also envisaged that the organization can integrate the Safety management system with the Quality management system: for this purpose a special Annex A establishes the connections between the BS 8800 and ISO 9001.

An important point that is not reflected in ISO 9001 is "the analysis of the initial situation" with reference to the legislation, to the efficiency and effectiveness of the available resources.