ANSI/AIHA Standard Z10, which is designed to help businesses comprehensively integrate occupational health and safety management into their business practices and systems, was approved by ANSI in late July. The standard is now available for purchase through AIHA, ANSI and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
"It took stakeholders from industry, labor, business, professional organizations and government to make this standard possible, and we look forward to seeing the impact their good work will have on the health and safety of working people everywhere," said AIHA President Roy Buchan, Ph.D., CIH.
The new standard enables organizations to integrate occupational health and safety (OHS) management into their overall business management systems. It focuses on principles that are broadly applicable to organizations of all sizes and types, not on detailed specifications.
It is compatible with relevant OHS, environmental and quality management standards such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 and 14000 and with approaches to OHS management in common use in the United States.
The Z10 publication includes sections on management leadership and employee participation in an organization's occupational health and safety management system as well as planning, implementation and operation; evaluation and corrective action; and management review.
Appendices provide additional information on areas of special interest such as policy statements, roles and responsibilities; employee participation; initial and ongoing review; assessment and prioritization; incident investigation guidelines; and audits.
"The new Z10 standard is another resource to help increase workplace safety and health for businesses of all sizes and from all industries," said James Smith, CSP, ASSE vice president of Practices and Standards and ASSE representative to the Z10 committee. "Research data has shown that solid occupational safety, health and environmental management programs are part of any sound business strategy and can positively impact an organization's bottom line."
To order copies of Z10, visit http://www.aiha.org/marketplace.htm, http://www.asse.org or http://www.ansi.org.
Orders also can be placed through AIHA at (703) 849-8888 and ASSE at (847) 699-2929.
An ASSE audio conference on the Z10 standard and its implementation is planned for this winter.
