Overview

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Z10-2005 Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems encourages agencies to reduce the risks of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in a cost effective manner. This article provides an overview of this voluntary standard, including its purpose, principles, and the five basic elements of the standard. Agencies will benefit from the information provided when working to develop or improve existing workplace safety programs.

Just What Is ANSI Z10?

First, it is a consensus standard, which means representatives and interested parties from various industries created and agreed upon the best possible process.

Next, the standard is another tool to be used in addition to any regulatory requirements or guidelines. It bridges the gap between what is required and what is suggested as a best practice. This standard is non-mandatory, but serves as a “blueprint for widespread benefits in health and safety as well as in productivity, financial performance, quality, and other organizational and business objectives.”¹

The standard was developed as a management tool or process to ensure that safety and health programs are continually being improved. It helps organizations and agencies meet the intent of OSHA/VOSH’s General Duty Clause to provide a workplace that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”² It also establishes a system to prevent lost time and lost resources due to worker injuries.

The standard has five elements and is best applied within organizations that have relied on traditional safety programs and traditional methods of delivering those programs.

The Elements of ANSI/AIHA Z10

The five elements of the ANSI Z10 standard are:

• Management leadership and employee participation;


• Planning;


• Implementation and operation;


• Evaluation and corrective action; and


• Management review

Management Leadership

Because the occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) focuses on management spearheading safety efforts, implementing the ANSI Z10 standard requires strong leadership and a solid commitment from upper management within the organization. Management must first establish a safety and health policy and communicate the dated and signed information to all employees. The documented policy should include the following commitments:

• “Protection and continual improvement of employee health and safety;


• Effective employee participation;


• Conformance with the organization’s health and safety requirements; and


• Compliance with applicable laws and regulations.”³

Employees have a personal responsibility to comply with all safety and health rules established by management. Employees must also have the opportunity to participate in any safety related planning, implementation, evaluation, and corrective/preventive actions geared toward addressing hazards in the workplace.

Combined Support

Management and employees, especially non-supervisory employees, must work together and have the opportunity to provide input into the OSHMS to ensure success.

Planning

The planning process is a key component to help the organization systematically prioritize OSHMS issues, establish appropriate objectives, and devise a plan to meet the established objectives. Proper planning involves:

• Thoroughly documenting and reviewing all equipment and processes to determine risk factors;


• Conducting a hazard analysis to identify potential and existing hazards and exposures and to evaluate the frequency employees will be exposed to the hazards, and


• Identifying the hazard control measures/methods and evaluating the potential severity of the hazard.

Implementation and Operation

This involves applying specific controls and applying risk-reducing methods to implement a strong OHSMS.

• “Eliminat[ing] the hazard,
• Substitut[ing] a less hazardous material, process, or equipment,
• Engineering controls,
• Warnings
• Administrative controls
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)”⁴

Remember that PPE should be considered after other methods have been exhausted to remove employee exposure to the hazard.

Evaluation and Corrective Action

Regular and frequent evaluations of the program should be conducted by management. The audits as well as corrective actions and follow-ups should be documented. These audits/evaluations should identify areas not compliant with the ANSI Z10 standard.

Management Review

Annually reviewing agency standards and safety programs and comparing them to ANSI Z10 may also help identify and correct weak areas in an effort to improve the way processes and procedures are performed and, as a result, decrease the frequency and severity of injuries.

This review provides management with a clear picture of the effectiveness of the OSHMS as well as its impact on the business needs of the organization.

Implementing the OSHMS process shifts the focus of safety in the workplace to long-term solutions rather than one-time fixes. Whether an existing safety program needs improvement or a new one needs developed, ANSI Z10 provides the guidance to make your program soar.

¹American National Standards Institute, Incorporated. (n.d.) Document Details ANSI/AIHA Z10 American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Retrieved 7/30/07 from: http://webstore.ansi.org/RecordDetail.aspx?sku=
ANSI%2FAIHA+Z10%2D2005&source=best_sellers_landing_page.

²Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (1970). General Duty Clause.

³American National Standards Institute, Incorporated/American Industrial Hygiene Association (2005) American National Standard-Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association.

⁴Ibid

References/Resources:

Abrams, Adele L. (n.d.). Legal Perspectives- ANSI Z10-2005 Standard Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Retrieved August 2, 2007 from www.asse.org/membership/docs/92ArticleaboutZ10Legal Perspectives.pdf.

American National Standards Institute, Incorporated/American Industrial Hygiene Association (2005) American National Standard-Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Fairfax, VA: American Industrial Hygiene Association.

ANSI/AIHA Z10, OHS Management Systems. (December 2005). Professional Safety, pp. 18, 56.

Eckhardt, Bob. (March 1, 2006). U.S. submits first safety management standard. Concrete Products. PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media, Inc.

Leibowitz, Alan. (November 1, 2005). ANSI Z10: Overview. Retrieved 7/31/07 from http://ohp.nasa.gov/disciplines/env-health/vits/2005/2005-11-01_NASA_Z10.pdf.

Virginia Department of Human Resource Management. (2007). Safety as a Business Management System. Retrieved 8/2/07 from: http://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/workerscomp/presentations/
SD2007/SafetyasaBusinessManagementSystem.pdf