Health and Safety Resources Caution to Users Many of the resources in this archive were originally prepared by WSN s predecessor organizations for use by industry clients. While much of the information and many of the forms included with them are still valuable, users should recognize that examples, contact information and data such as legislative references may be out of date. The resources are offered as free tools for companies to use in an effort to continuously improve their health and safety systems. But users of these resources also need to ensure that they are aware of the most recent legislation, equipment and processes, as well as current practices.
February 2003 Leader s Notes - Who s Responsible? - The Internal Responsibility System in our Workplace Note: Overheads and Power Point slides are coordinated with this safety package. Italic notations are suggestions for session leaders and do not appear in the participants manuals. When possible, use audience participation to retain session focus and relevance. The internal responsibility system (or IRS) is part of the foundation of health and safety. In this session, we ll talk about what the IRS is, its history, and how each of us plays a part in it. Slide 1 The Internal Responsibility System in our workplace Ask who has heard of the IRS before, and where.(expect to hear some other definitions for the term, such as internal revenue service.) Slide 2 What is the IRS? The Internal Responsibility System (IRS): A group of people with defined responsibilities and relationships, working with mutual commitment to eliminate or control workplace hazards. EVERY workplace has an IRS. Lots of people have taken a crack at defining IRS. Essentially, there are two ideas. the first is that it s made up of people in the workplace, and the connections between them all. It s a bit like the chain of command,and it stretches from the directors and officers to the workers. The second idea is that all these people share a commitment to safety, and they have specific duties for safety. Every workplace has an IRS. But no matter how well the IRS is working, there s always room for improvement. 1
Slide 3 Where does IRS come from? Idea comes from a government commission (Ham Commission) in 1974 Ham said preventing accidents depends on each person s ability to perform his job within clear boundaries of authority and responsibility IRS became foundation for Ontario s Occupational Health and Safety Act in 1979 In the 1970s, there was a lot of concern about the number of accidents and fatalities in mining. The provincial government set up a commission, and their report was the first time IRS was talked about in Ontario. Now these ideas are part of the health and safety law in Ontario the Occupational Health and Safety Act, or what we call the green book. Slide 4 Everyone is responsible for safety. Health and safety is not an extra. It is part of doing the job. Here s what it all boils down to: everyone in the workplace is responsible for safety. Being safe is just another part of the job. Before you show the next slide, say: In that IRS network we talked about, there are groups that are directly involved in safety, and there are groups that play a supporting role. Ask if anyone can name what groups of people would have direct responsibility, and which groups might be the supporters. Discuss. Slide 5 Two kinds of responsibility under the IRS: Direct responsibility Board of Directors Senior executive officers Mine managers Supervisors Workers Contributive responsibility Joint health and safety committee Safety department Safety association/ Workers Centre Union Ministry of Labour In this case, responsibility means an obligation to do something, or to not do something. Those with direct responsibility are involved in carrying out the work. The groups with contributive responsibility, even though they might be inside the workplace, like the joint health and safety committee, are more involved in providing information and supporting the systems. That doesn t make their role any less important. 2
Slide 6 Health and safety law is the foundation: Duties of employers, supervisors, workers laid out in Part 3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (especially Sections 25 to 29) Act also protects rights of workers: The right to participate in decisions The right to know about hazards The right to refuse unsafe work IRS starts with the legal requirements, and goes beyond them The IRS became part of the law in 1979. For lots of the groups we just talked about, their basic duties and responsibilities are written right into that law. Meeting the requirements of the law is the starting point, but a good internal responsibility system goes beyond that. Slide 7 An exampleof responsibilities under the IRS: SUPERVISOR Plan the work and assign workers to produce safely Ensure workers understand their duties & are trained Be aware of legislation and company procedures Encourage workers to report health and safety problems Ensure that workers follow established procedures and legislation, and hold them accountable for their actions Supervise, advise and coach workers as required Manage the available resources Involve workers in work planning and problem solving Let s look at an example. Remember, James Ham said that to prevent accidents, each person needed to know their authority and responsibilities. Here are some of a supervisor s responsibilities under the IRS. Slide 8 An example of responsibilities under the IRS: Joint Health and Safety Committee Be an advocate for the IRS and its improvement Monitor the functioning of the IRS Inspect the workplace to ensure hazards are being controlled Investigate incidents and accidents to prevent future ones Help resolve workers concern when IRS fails Help develop safe working procedures Facilitate discussion among workplace parties Follow up on recommendations for change Here s another example. Read through the list. For the joint health and safety committee, the basic requirements are in the law as well. They re in Section 9 of the Act. You can see from this list that the joint health and safety committee is intended to act as a resource, and a back-up for the other systems that are in place to take care of safety problems. Slide 9 Under the IRS, others are responsible for YOU: For example: CEO is responsible to make sure the IRS is working by ensuring audits are done, and by receiving and acting on reports Manager is responsible to provide and manage resources to provide a safe and healthy workplace Supervisor is responsible to ensure you have the knowledge and skills to work safely Co-workers are responsible to use their initiative to reduce or eliminate hazards If the IRS is working well, then everybody takes responsibility for keeping others safe. Here are a few of the people in the company that are responsible for keeping you safe. Review the slide. Keep in mind that the points listed are just examples of the various responsibilities each of these people have for safety. You might talk about how some of these points play out in your workplace. 3
Slide 10 YOU are responsible too: Workers roles & responsibilities under IRS: Perform assigned duties Use safety equipment and devices as required Correct or report unsafe conditions, serious incidents and other events Participate in joint decision-making and problem -solving Work in a way that will not endanger yourself or others Advise other workers of known unsafe conditions or work practices Be aware of and follow all applicable legislation and safe work procedures Use initiative to improve workplace processes to reduce or eliminate hazards If others are responsible for us, we each have responsibilities too. These lists come from one of the government studies on the IRS. Here s what they found to be a worker s roles and responsibilities. Review slide. Slide 11 How does it work? IRS processes put the ideas into action: Safety problems should be dealt with first by people with direct responsibility Worker identifies a problem and corrects it himself If he can t fix it, he takes the issue to his supervisor Problem goes all the way up to senior management if necessary Everyone should be creative in looking for ways to improve health and safety Communication at all levels should be open and honest Back-up systems are in place in case the processes don t work If a problem isn t dealt with by those directly responsible, worker can go to worker representative or JHSC Right to refuse unsafe work and right to stop work are available as a last resort Lists of responsiblilities aren t much good unless you can put them into practice. Here are some examples of the way this theory plays out. Ask if anyone can give examples of solving a safety problem on their own, of how it might be brought to their supervisor (e.g. face-to-face or through 5-Point Safety System cards), or of being creative in solving problems. Slide 12 So, what does the IRS look like? Imagine if You and your partner are building a staging platform near a ventilation raise. Your partner decides not to put on his safety harness because it s uncomfortable, and he ll only be near the edge a few minutes. According to the IRS: what should you do? why? who else is responsible? There s some pretty big ideas here. But one of the studies of the IRS found that even if people weren t familiar with the term IRS, they still had a pretty good idea of how systems should work at their level of the organization. Discuss the examples on slides 11 and 12. If the IRS is working well, how should these situations be dealt with? (For examples of who else is responsible, you can refer to slide #5.) Slide 13 So, what does the IRS look like? Imagine if It s the second time this shift the remote control for the LHD has stopped working. You reported it last week, but nothing was fixed. Fortunately, if you jiggle the joystick a bit, it ll work again for a while. According to the IRS: what should you do? why? who else is responsible? 4
IRS Review A good IRS means EVERYBODY is responsible for safety EVERY company has an IRS but it can always be improved What can YOU do to make the IRS stronger? Review the main points from the presentation. Workers may sometimes feel like they don t have the power to make things better in the workplace. Ask if anyone has ideas about small things they can do to make the IRS stronger. Slide 14 Additional resources on the Internal Responsibility System: MASHA Safety Focus newsletter, February 2001 issue MASHA IRS Awareness one-day training course WSIB Video On the Internal Responsibility System Occupational Health and Safety Act - Sections 9, 25-28 Ministry of Labour publication A Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act MASHA recognizes that individual companies must develop health and safety policies and programs which apply to their workplaces and comply with appropriate legislation. The information contained in this reference material is distributed as a guide only to assist in developing those policies and programs. The course material contained in this manual is protected by copyright. The reproduction or transmission of all or any part of this material without the prior written consent of the Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association is a violation of national and international copyright laws. Copyright 2002, Mines and Aggregates Safety and Health Association For more information please contact: 5 690 McKeown Avenue, P.O. Box 2050 Stn. Main North Bay, Ontario P1B 9P1 Phone: (705) 474-7233 Fax: (705) 472-5800 email: info@masha.on.ca