Safety

Open Comment Period for ANSI Z10 Occupational Health and Safety Management Standard Ends Soon

Jan. 6, 2012

The open comment period for an updated AIHA/ANSI Z10 standard ends Jan. 9. This standard defines minimum performance requirements for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS).

Sandy Smith

The American Industrial Hygiene Association(AIHA) is the secretariat for the standard, which uses recognized management system principles in order to be compatible with quality and environmental management system standards such as the ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 series. The 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.

The design of ANSI Z10 encourages integration with other management systems to facilitate organizational effectiveness using the elements of Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model as the basis for continual improvement. The adoption of Z10 fits well with organizations desiring long-term sustainable growth in a socially responsible manner by reducing injury and illness and improving overall employee wellbeing. An OHSMS implemented in conformance with the Z10 standard can help organizations minimize workplace risks and reduce the occurrence and cost of occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

To obtain an electronic copy of the draft or comment, visit
http://www.aiha.org/insideaiha/standards/Pages/Z10.aspx.

About the Author

Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is the former content director of EHS Today, and is currently the EHSQ content & community lead at Intelex Technologies Inc. She has written about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990.