Design And Develop A Written Operational SMS (Safety Management System)

Safety Management System
Name
Institution Affiliation
Safety Management System
Walmart’s Safety Policy
Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, which is an American multinational company that operates several supermarkets, discount departments, and grocery stores, whose parent company is located in Bentonville, Arkansas. The firm was established in 1962 by the Walton family, and since then, it has managed to open more than 11000 stores in more than 30 countries across the world (Walmart, 2017). Walmart is the world’s largest company as far as the generation of revenue is concerned and is the biggest private employer, with more than 2.2 million workers (Walmart, 2017). A Company with such a huge number of employees must have an effective safety management system (SMS) to ensure that their health is not jeopardized. Walmart management believes that employees at all levels are entitled to safe and healthy working environment; free from coercion. The company recognizes various risk factors associated with different activities such as movement within the stores, operation of various machines, and chemical composition of different products and equipment (Walmart, 2017). Thus, safety issues in Walmart fall under five categories, which include ergonomic, psychological, physical, chemical, and security. Walmart recognizes the importance of providing a safe working environment for employees. The firm has Responsibility Sourcing program and various collaborative initiatives that are aimed at promoting respect and dignity among workers. There are high standards of employee dignity and welfare in their operations (Walmart, 2017). The company is working collaboratively with various firms, governments, and non-governmental institutions in a bid to improve working conditions for their employees all over the world. The company believes that improving the livelihoods and safety of workers' benefits their wellbeing and community as well as strengthen its business (Walmart, 2017). Their safety policy indicates that when employees are provided with a safe environment, they will work for the good of the company.
According to Eskandari et al. (2017), individuals working in modern firms are facing difficulties and risks associated with various activities such as the operation of technological machines and equipment. The authors state that human, technical, organizational, and operational factors influence the frequency of occupational accidents (Eskandari et al., 2017). Nevertheless, organizational factors have been proven to play a major role in the occurrence of workplace accidents. Occupational accident refers to the occurrences in the workplace that results in physical or mental injury. Workplace accidents have led to over 321000 deaths and more than 317 million injuries all worldwide (Eskandari et al., 2017). Management and subordinates are main constituents of a company, and thus, can play a crucial role in creating a safe working environment. Occupational accidents mainly result from either employee carelessness or employer negligence. Organizations have a critical role to play in preventing accidents in the workplace by emphasizing the importance of occupational health and safety, implementing preventive measures, a...