Types of Safety Management Systems

Safety management systems are in place to ensure worker safety and to protect equipment from damage. The different models of safety management focus on certain areas of the workplace as the root cause of injuries. Each system has its own benefits for workers and management, with some styles being more appropriate for factory settings and some that are geared toward human resources.

Work-Centric System

• A work-centric safety management system uses mechanisms, tool improvements and careful adjustment of space problems to ensure that the environment is as safe as possible. For example, businesses using this system will ensure that emergency cutoff devices and safety rails are installed on all equipment, and train employees in the correct and safe operation of the equipment. Businesses will also work to increase the space in which employees work to reduce the risk of injury due to cramped conditions.

Worker-Centric System

• Worker-centric safety management systems focus on training employees to limit accidents. Training is geared toward improving job performance and decision making. Employees and management work together to develop safety guidelines that are built upon the decisions workers are faced with on a daily basis. A worker is able to view the safety management system as something that he contributed to, and sees his place in the system as integral to its success.

Autocratic Safety Management

• Autocratic safety management systems are characterized by top-down communication with staff. Executives and other management create safety strategies without consulting those that will actually be affected by the new policies. This system empowers immediate supervisors and human resource managers to enforce the tenets of the safety management system. Autocratic safety management is often associated with the "unsafe act" theory of workplace hazards, which focuses on careless decision making as a primary reason for workplace injury.

Democratic Safety Management

• A democratic safety management system focuses on the dissemination of authority, and empowers workers to shape safety policies. This improves morale because workers' input carries as much weight as policies proposed by management.