Safe system of work
A formal procedure resulting from systematic examination of a task that defines safe methods to ensure that hazards are eliminated or risks minimised. Required by both statute and common law where an employer knows of a hazard.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“safe system of work”Exact equivalentHSWA 1974 section 2(2)(a) requires employers to provide and maintain plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health. A safe system of work goes beyond equipment maintenance to encompass the procedures and working arrangements that minimise risk. Common law and MHSWR 1999 regulation 5 reinforce the duty to plan and manage work safely.
Irish HSA
“safe system of work”Close equivalentSection 8(2)(b) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to manage and conduct work activities in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of employees. This encompasses the development and maintenance of safe systems of work as a central element of the general duty.
US OSHA
“safe work procedure”Partial equivalentOSHA does not use safe system of work as a regulatory term. Individual standards such as 29 CFR 1910.147 (lockout/tagout) require documented energy control procedures, and 29 CFR 1910.119 (PSM) requires written operating procedures. These are the nearest US regulatory equivalents to a safe system of work for specific hazard categories.
Practitioner note: The system is what people actually do, not what the document says. Supervision and monitoring are part of the duty, not an optional extra.