Series: OHS — Foundation and Evolution · Part 1 of 2

Good practices in safety management in the industrial sector

After two decades in the field of occupational health and safety, one truth is confirmed in every company I have audited: Safety is not a department—it is a culture built through leadership, systems, and daily habits.

1. Visible leadership commitment

When Paul O'Neill became CEO of Alcoa in 1987, he began his first investor meeting by talking about worker safety—not profits. The reaction on Wall Street was shock. Investors who held out were rewarded.

Leadership sets the tone: When executives walk around the plant and stop unsafe work, behavior changes. Safety, declared the number one priority, is not PR—it is an operational program.

2. Hierarchy of control measures

PPE are the last one line of defense, not the first. The correct order is: eliminate the hazard, replace it with a safer alternative, limit it through engineering solutions, then add administrative measures — only then protect with personal protective equipment.

3. Risk assessment as a living process

ISO 45001:2018 requires dynamic, not paper-based, risk assessments. A folder on a shelf protects no one. The Toyota Principle genchi genbutsu ("go and see") is fully applicable: assess the hazards where the work is actually done, together with the people doing it. Update the assessment after any change in equipment, process or personnel.

4. Learning from incidents — and from close calls

The explosion at BP's Texas City refinery on March 23, 2005, killed 15 workers and injured 180 more. An investigation by the American Chemical Safety Board found years of ignored near-miss reports, delayed maintenance, and a corporate culture that rewarded production over reporting.

The lessons of Heinrich's pyramid are simple: before every serious injury, there are hundreds of warning signs. Build culture of reporting without accusations — reward observations, not silence.

5. Worker participation

DuPont’s STOP (Safety Training Observation Program) trains employees to observe their colleagues and intervene constructively—with a focus on behavior, not blame. In thousands of facilities around the world, it has reduced reported incidents by over 50%.

Key practices include: safety committees with a real mandate, the right of any worker to stop work when at risk, and peer monitoring. Workers are the experts in their own work—the system needs to listen to them.

6. Continuous learning

A risk assessment left in a folder protects no one. Toolbox talks, real-world scenario exercises, and periodic training keep attention fresh between audits. Knowledge degrades — without refresher training, even the best system slowly erodes.

Industrial safety is not a cost—it is operational efficiency. The same discipline that prevents injuries also prevents downtime, defects, and reputational damage. The companies with the most mature OH&S systems are also some of the most competitive.

Regulatory framework — Bulgaria and international standards

International standards

• ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational health and safety management systems. Establishes management responsibility (clause 5), worker consultation (clause 5.4) and risk-based thinking (clause 6.1).
• ILO-OSH 2001 — ILO Guidelines on occupational safety and health management systems.
• Framework Directive 89/391/EEC — Basis for national legislation in the EU; transposed into Bulgarian law through the Health and Safety Act.

Bulgarian legislation

• OHS — The main regulatory act; defines the employer's obligations, the rights of workers and the role of the occupational health service.
• Ordinance No. 5/1999. — requires a documented and periodically reviewed risk assessment for each workplace.
• Regulation RD-07-2/2009. — defines the four types of briefings (initial, on-the-job, periodic, daily).
• Ordinance No. 3/1996. — safety, occupational hygiene and fire safety training.
• Labor Code, Art. 275 — the general obligation of the employer to ensure healthy and safe working conditions.
• Ordinance No. 7/1999. — the minimum requirements for health and safety conditions at workplaces and when using work equipment.