Key Approaches in Hazard Control at Work

The Occupational Health and Safety Management System (SMK3) is very diverse according to the company / industrial field where SMK3 is built, closely related to the type of danger faced, the size of the work area, statistics of events and injuries that have occurred, the organizational structure of the company / corporation, and company membership in a union / association.

There are 3 (three) main approaches in controlling workplace hazards, namely safe places, safe people and safe systems.

Safe place strategies

A safe strategy is supported by a process of risk assessment and the application of a hierarchy of control up to the point where changes are made to the existing physical environment. Safe place strategies also include arrangements for abnormal emergency situations, as well as monitoring and evaluation to assess the efficacy of the solutions implemented. This technique is most effective when hazards are predictable and there is plenty of information available about existing problems.

Safe person strategies

Safe people strategies involve all techniques that focus on equipping people with knowledge of skills to avoid/create dangerous conditions, for example the ability to deal with unsafe situations; communicate on situations that have the potential to cause harm; or by the recovery of a person after an illness or injury whether physical or psychological. Methods to overcome possible hazards can be in the form of creating awareness of the presence of hazards in the work environment. Safe person strategies have the advantage of being able to handle potential hazards that are more complex and disordered.

Safe System Strategies

A safe systems approach addresses hazards associated with lack of leadership and policies such as safety policies in supplier selection, raw materials, design and equipment. A secure system approach usually requires the provision of regular feedback and the presence of open communication. Therefore, it can be seen that the safest and most effective system strategy is to build security starting from the concept stage and delivered in appropriate techniques.

According to Makin & C. Winder, the implementation of the management cycle: Plan, Do, Check and Act (POAC), is one form of implementing the K3 Management System, as can be seen in the table below:

The table above illustrates the balance between strategic elements involving planning, elements of implementation that may involve either routine tasks or require special skills, provisions for contingency plans where prevention and control strategies, as well as examining elements of measurement and monitoring that can be used as feedback to improve processes. And with the right approach, it is hoped that hazard control in the workplace can run effectively.