Occupational Health and Safety Management in Polish Enterprises Implementing TQM Systems

摘要

On the basis of presented survey results, it can be concluded that OHS management in these enterprises is not yet approached in the same way as other areas recognized to be the most significant to the enterprise's functioning and development (e.g., quality management, personnel management). Current status of OHS MS developed and implemented in these enterprises can be compared to OHS MS existing in other enterprises using the proposal of management-level hierarchy presented in Table 2 (Weinstein, 1997). By comparing what is generally known about OHS in various Polish enterprises to the classification proposed in Table 2, we can estimate that level Ⅰ management systems are currently found in the majority of small enterprises, level Ⅱ systems are adequate for the majority of average large and medium-sized enterprises, level Ⅲ systems are being implemented in a relatively small group of enterprises on the basis of the requirements defined in the standardization documents, for example, in the PN-N-18001 standard, whereas level Ⅳ systems are characteristic for the enterprises implementing TQM. On the basis of the results presented in Table 1, it can be concluded that the OHS management systems practiced in the majority of the 10 analyzed enterprises are located somewhere on the border between levels Ⅱ and Ⅲ, so they are compatible with the overall TQM-based management system of the enterprise. Analyzing the criteria adopted in these enterprises for OHS MS, as well as implemented management methods and tools, some elements of those systems can be evaluated positively. However, many of them require significant improvement in order to ensure better compliance with the existing law provisions and standard specifications. Elements of OHS MS in analyzed enterprises also require better integration with the overall management system of the enterprise. In order to support enterprises on the way to such integration, relevant guidelines, aids, and training materials are needed now. The Central Institute for Labour Protection has already undertaken activities in this direction within the framework of the project mentioned in the introduction, and dissemination of final results is expected at the beginning of 2001.