Overview

The preceding chapters have indicated the nature of and the background to the problem of safety and loss prevention (SLP). The starting point for its solution is the management and the management system.

The importance of effective management systems has been stressed in a number of reports on safety in the chemical industry, including Safety and Management by the Association of British Chemical Manufacturers (ABCMs) (1964/3), in Safe and Sound and Safety Audits by the British Chemical Industry Safety Council (BCISC) (1969/9, 1973/12). It was the main lesson drawn from the Flixborough disaster and is the principal theme of the three reports of the Advisory Committee on Major Hazards (ACMH) (Harvey, 1976, 1976b, 1984). The Cullen Report on the Piper Alpha disaster (Cullen, 1990) has a similar emphasis. Accounts of process safety management (PSM) include Safety Management (D. Petersen, 1988b) and Techniques of Safety Management (D. Petersen, 1989).

Management systems help ensure long-term sustainability of effective safety health and environmental performance. Competent people drive performance. And effective management systems drive sustainability. The importance of having both strong people and well-documented effective management systems cannot be overemphasized.

The importance of management has long been recognized by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which has produced a series of publications on safety management and on its regulation, including Success and Failure in Accident Prevention (HSE, 1976d), Managing Safety (HSE, 1981d), Monitoring Safety (HSE, 1985c), Effective Policies for Health and Safety (HSE, 1986a),