ILO-OSH 2001 Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems 3.3.1-3.3.2: Employer holds overall responsibility and leads OSH; employer and senior management allocate responsibility, accountability and authority through structures and processes that make OSH a line-management duty, define roles for those controlling hazards, supervise, promote cooperation, set policy and measurable objectives, control hazards, run prevention and health promotion programmes, enable full worker participation and resource OSH roles

What does 3.3.1-3.3.2 require?

Overall responsibility for protecting workers rests with the employer, who leads the organisation's OSH activity. Employer and senior management assign responsibility, accountability and authority for building, running and evaluating the system and for reaching the OSH objectives, through structures and processes that: make OSH a duty of line management known and accepted at every level; define and communicate the responsibility, accountability and authority of everyone who identifies, evaluates or controls hazards and risks; supervise effectively where needed; foster cooperation and communication across the organisation, workers and representatives included; honour the principles of whatever national, tailored or voluntary guidelines the organisation follows; set a clear policy and measurable objectives; put effective arrangements in place to find and remove or control hazards and risks and to promote health at work; run prevention and health promotion programmes; secure full worker participation in delivering the policy and in any safety and health committee; and resource those with OSH duties, the committee among them, so they can do their jobs.