Page 93 - IGC BOOK

(a) to provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment, and use work methods,
which are as safe and without risk to health as is reasonably practicable.”

Role of Competent Person

Safe system of work should be developed by competent person with relevant Knowledge,
experience, training and skills, depending on the technical issues and the risk associated with the
task, it may be necessary to have competent person to develop SSoW. Absence of competence
may lead to key issues being overlooked, hence results in poor quality of SSoW and in effective in
controlling the risk to an acceptable level.

Worker Involvement

It is essential to involve workers when developing and reviewing the safe system of work to
ensure that a safe behaviour is followed. The workers are working on grounds and they know
the practical difficulties which arise out of the risk, the flaw in the existing working methods such
as absence of equipment or the need to involve more workers to the task than normal force.
Workers can also involve themselves in assessing plans, writing proposed system of work,
providing feedback on the existing proposed system.

The proposed system of work must be communicated with the workers to understand the
practical difficulties in implementing and taking into account of proposed system of work.
Involving workers ensures they understand the hazards and risks involved in the task, and how
effectively safe system of work will reduce such risks, thus it brings ownership and commitment
to the proposed system of work, involving workers in the developing safe system of work is likely
to improve positive safety culture of the organisation.

Written Procedures

The documented safe system of work results in increased
level of consistency, it becomes a reliable reference for all
work activities. Procedures may be difficult to follow when
communicated verbally, it is unreliable communication
method which could lead to errors.

Written safe system of work provides a reliable reference
used for the purpose of training new workers.

The importance of creating written procedures is that they
serve as a clear setting of standards of work, including how Written document provides a consistency
the risks of the work are to be combated. Written procedures approach
can contribute to tender document use to win work, will
enable supervisors and others to monitor health and safety against set standards.

The construction industry makes particular use of written procedures in the form of ‘method
statement’.

ENSIGN| Unit IG1 – Element 3 – Managing Risks – Understanding People and Processes 48