HSE urges industry to control safety risks in organisational change

Citation

(2004), "HSE urges industry to control safety risks in organisational change", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 51 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2004.12851bab.007

HSE urges industry to control safety risks in organisational change

HSE urges industry to control safety risks in organisational change

Keywords: Health and safety, Organisational change, Hazardous materials

HSE has published a free information sheet for employers in major hazards industries looking at how to control safety risks in organisational change.

Organisational change and major accident hazards. Chemical Information Sheet CHIS7 provides guidance on how to manage the impact of organisational change on their control of hazards. It is aimed primarily at on and offshore, chemical and petrochemical industries, though operators of railways and nuclear installations may also find the information useful when involved in planning or implementing such changes to their business.

The guidance focuses on change at operational and site levels, but is also relevant to changes at corporate level, which can have a significant impact on safety at operational level. The information sheet points to changes to roles and responsibilities, organisational structure, staffing levels and staff disposition as some of the changes that may have an affect on safety.

HSE inspectors have been concerned at finding weaknesses in the control of major hazards resulting from organisational changes across a number of industry sectors. In many instances, organisational changes are not analysed and controlled, resulting in reduced defenses against major incidents.

Chris Wilby, Head of HSE's Hazardous Installations Directorate, said: “Although organisational changes are a normal and increasingly frequent part of business life, businesses working in major hazard industries must take particular care to avoid risks to their employees and the public.”

“Companies with major hazards must learn to assess and control the human and organisational risks of changes just as we assess and control engineering risks from plant changes. This guidance sets out, for the first time, a practical three step framework, which will help companies to identify and control risks and comply with health and safety law.”