Revised Z10 Standard Has Huge Impact on Safety Management
The Z10 system-based standard is committed to reducing workplace injuries, saving lives, and maximizing financial performance. As of late, ASSP released a revised ANSI/ASSP Z10.0-2019 standard.
A new Z10 standard is available from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) after being recently approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The goal? To guide implementation of safety and health management systems and set an operational foundation to ensure these processes are successfully integrated.
pGiven that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports over 5,000 workplace fatalities and 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries occur each year, it’s simply not enough to have safety regulations in place. Standards that guide implementation of safety management systems are key to enforcing these standards for an overall workplace culture that is safe and health.
Officials say this revised version is a blueprint for safety management: p“This update establishes Z10 as one of the most comprehensive systems-based standards in the world for occupational safety and health management,” said Jim Howe, CSP, chair of ASSP’s Z10 committee. “The standard is a blueprint for any company to develop and administer a safety and health management system.”
pANSI/ASSP Z10.0-2019 has a couple new facets: it improves organizational alignment and communication by eliminating silos and incorporating planned processes into business systems. Safety and health management systems has customizable elements as well, and they are based on an organization’s characteristics like hazard exposures, risk levels, industry type and business processes. Other workplace factors—like permanent, temporary, contracted, or translent employees.
pA number of factors affect a work environment’s safety, such as organizational leadership, employee engagement, risk assessments, hazard controls, and monitoring and pmeasurement. “There are widespread benefits when a business makes occupational safety and health a priority,” said ASSP President Diana Stegall, CSP, CFPS, ARM, SMS, CPCU. “Quality and productivity flourish when workers are well-protected through a systems-based approach. It also helps organizations achieve sustainable growth and meet social responsibilities.”
pASSP is offering a safety management systems track at its ASSP SafetyFOCUS Immersive education event from February 13-20, 2020, in Las Vegas. Full-day courses will highlight systems-based thinking and the Implementation of the revised Z10 standard. Attendees can learn about Integrating Z10 elements with other applicable management systems such as ISO 9001, 14000 and 45001 as well as with voluntary protection programs and “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs” from OSHA.
pFor more information, read ASSP’s news article about the newly released Z10 standard.