ANSI/AIHA Z10:2005 Accredited Certification

INTRODUCTION TO ANSIAIHA Z-10:2005 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety (OH&S) management systems are used by many organizations in the U.S. and around the world. Quality and environmental management systems are frequently in conformance to international voluntary consensus standards (i.e. ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001, etc), or they share many basic concepts and principles with them. The development of international OH&S management system standards and guidelines is a more recent phenomenon.
Many organizations operate their own occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS), while others use systems that conform to available guidelines. Until the development of the ANSI Z-10 voluntary consensus standard, there was no U.S. OHSMS consensus standard. There is widespread agreement that the use of management systems can improve organizational performance, including performance in the occupational health and safety arena.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) relies on management system principles and has reported success in improving occupational health and safety performance among participating companies. In addition, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) reports success in improving the environmental performance of participating organizations. 
The basic elements of the standard address management leadership and employee participation, planning, implementation, evaluation, audit and corrective action and management review. Thus, in many important aspects, the Z10 standard encompasses the basic tenets that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first propounded in its draft Safety and Health Management Standard, which was later withdrawn from its regulatory agenda .  

However, the Z10 standard goes beyond the OSHA draft standard’s requirements because it also contains provisions that address risk controls, audits, incident/accident investigations, responsibilities and authorities.

The major professional health and safety organizations are also on record in support of management systems as effective tools for improving health and safety performance, as well as for contributing to the overall success of the business.
Finally, the fact that many organizations in the U.S. and abroad are implementing management systems in occupational health and safety is evidence that these systems add value to their businesses.

BRIEF HISTORY of ANSI/AIHA Z10

In 1999, the American National Standards Institute officially approved the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee Z10, with the American Industrial Hygiene Association as its Secretariat, to begin work on a U.S. OH&S Standard. A committee was formed with broadly representative members from industry, labor, government, professional organizations and general interest participants. The committee examined current national and international standards, guidelines and practices in the occupational, environmental and quality systems arenas.

Based on extensive deliberations, they adapted the principles most relevant from these approaches into a standard that is compatible with the principal international standards as well as with management system approaches currently in use in the United States. The process of developing and issuing a national consensus standard is expected to encourage the use of management system principles and guidelines for occupational health and safety among American organizations. It may also yield widespread benefits in health and safety, as well as in productivity, financial performance, and quality and other business goals.
ANSI Z-10 is a voluntary consensus standard on occupational health and safety management systems. It uses recognized management system principles in order to be compatible with quality and environmental management system standards such as the ISO 9001:2000 QMS and ISO 14000 EMS. The ANSI Z-10 Standard also draws from approaches used by the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) guidelines on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems and from systems in use in organizations in the United States. This compatibility encourages integration of the ANSI Z-10 standard requirements into other business management systems (ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14000) in order to enhance overall organizational performance. 
Each organization electing to conform to the ANSI Z-10 Standard will determine how it will evaluate its conformance to the standard.  The purpose of the standard is to provide organizations an effective tool for continual improvement of their occupational health and safety performance. An OH&SMS implemented in conformance with the ANSI Z-10 standard can help organizations minimize workplace risks and reduce the occurrence and cost of occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Some organizations already have developed an effective OH&SMS appropriate to their needs but that may not conform precisely to the ANSI Z-10 Standard. In those instances, the standard may serve as a voluntary tool to identify possible opportunities to improve their systems.

THE ANSI Z-10 OH&S MANAGEMENT SYSTEM APPROACH

The OH&SMS cycle entails an initial planning process and implementation of the management system, followed by a process for checking the performance of these activities and taking appropriate corrective actions.
The next step involves a management review of the system for suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness against its policy and the Z-10 standard. 
The complete cycle is repeated, resulting in ongoing continual improvements in occupational health and safety. Improvements result from reducing hazards and risks in a systematic manner; a goal that is traditionally pursued through independent programs that often are not coordinated through common management principles and processes. 
In addition to the direct benefits of improved employee health and safety, an OHS management system can also yield positive business outcomes, including enhanced productivity, financial performance, and employee satisfaction.

The management system approach is characterized by its emphasis on continual improvement and systematically eliminating the underlying or root causes of health and safety deficiencies which may cause injuries or even death of an employee. For example, in a systems approach, if an inspection finds an unguarded machine, not only would the unguarded machine be fixed, but there would also be a systematic process in place to discover and eliminate the underlying reason for the deficiency. 
This process might then lead to the goal of replacing the guards with a more effective design, or to replacement of the machines themselves so that the hazard is eliminated. This systematic approach seeks a long-term solution rather than a one-time fix. 

THE ANSI Z-10 OH&S MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FORMAT

The ANSI Z-10 Standard is formatted into two columns to help distinguish requirements from recommended practices and explanatory information. Requirements are in the left column and are identified by the word “shall.” An organization that chooses to conform to the ANSI Z-10 Standard is expected to fulfill these requirements. The text in the right hand column uses the word “should” to describe recommended practices, or explanatory notes to the requirements on the left. This use of the terms “shall” and “should” to identify requirements and distinguish them from recommendations and explanatory notes is common practice in ANSI and other international standards.

ANSI Z-10 APPROVAL PROCESS

The ANSI Z-10 Standard was processed and approved through ANSI by the ASC Z10 Accredited Standards Committee on Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems in 2005.
See Press Release regarding STR-R’s ANSI/AIHA Z10:2005 Accreditation.

For further information on ANSI/AIHA OH&S Accredited Certification contact Bryce.Carson@STR-R.com.