Apply the material from the Case Study to answer all questions.

Case Study

You are the newly hired safety manager, who joined ABC Pte Ltd, which specialises in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of commercial aircraft engines. Your responsibilities are to manage the plant’s safety management system and address all environmental, health and safety aspects of the plant.

1. Receiving inspection

2. Disassembly

3. Visual inspection

4. Chemical cleaning

5. Structural inspection

6. Non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection

7. Dimensional inspection

8. Repair and replacement

9. Reassembly

10. Testing

The plant is licensed to store and use controlled chemicals, under the purview of the National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) respectively.

During your scheduled audit, the following are noted:

1. You asked the Head of Operations (HOD) how the workers were informed of any occupational health and safety issues (OH&S) relevant to their safety. She replied stating that all OH&S issues are addressed in weekly ‘toolbox’ talks. These talks are held every Monday morning, and all staff members must attend. You asked the HOD how the organisation ensures all staff members attend. The HOD replied that maintaining records was deemed unnecessary, as it has been a long-standing practice for all staff to attend. When asked how they ensure those staff members who are unable to attend these talks because of other duties, illness or holidays etc. were informed of OH&S issues, she stated that “we do not have any formal arrangements, but we expect area managers to update anyone who missed a talk when they return to work.”

2. During site inspection in the Fire Command Center (FCC) room, the Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) suit and Chemical Suit for the Emergency Response Team (ERT) were found to be faulty.

3. During disassembly processes, the engine technician was required to extend his arm underneath the engine, to drain the engine oil sumps and remove the oil filter. The technician (not wearing chemical resistant glove) was required to drain the oil into a suitable container and strain it through a clean cloth.

4. During chemical cleaning, chemicals kept in containers were not labelled in accordance with the Global Harmonized System (GHS). Chemicals were transferred to plastic drinking bottles, instead of appropriate secondary storage containers. A technician interviewed highlighted that there was a “rotten egg” smell in the chemical storage area.

5. During structural inspection, technicians were found seated on moveable low stools, conducting visual inspections at elevated angles.

6. During non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection, there were several incidents reported, whereby non-authorized workers had entered a restricted area, segregated by barriers, In the restricted area, radiographic testing (RT) was conducted using Xradiation to find imperfections or internal cracks in turbine blades. An X-ray generator or radioactive isotope was used to send radiation into the turbine blades being tested.

7. During dimension inspection, technicians had to ensure that the engine’s component parts and clearances meet the manufacturer’s specifications. Several technicians were exposed to sharp edges on the engine components. They were not wearing cut resistant gloves during manual handling of engine components.

8. During the repair and replacement processes, a welder was required to perform welding operation on the damaged section of the engine parts. Welding fumes were observed. Localized flexible and forced extraction air system was not used. Power driven tools (grinders, hammer drills, etc.) do not come with Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW)’s inspection stickers.

9. During reassembly processes, all serviceable and new engine components need to be cleaned, organised, and laid out in the order they were to be assembled at different modules. A technician interviewed highlighted that he was required to manually lift more than 20kg of engine components and lay them out to facilitate the re-assembly activities.

10. The completed re-assembly of the fully built engine was placed on an engine stand, which was manually pushed by several technicians to the test cell area, so that the engine could be evaluated for its performance, prior to transporting them to customers for commercial usage.

Question 1

You are appointed by ABC Pte Ltd (ABC) management to form an audit team to evaluate the effectiveness of the ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System.

Discuss the formation of an audit team and present your answers in a table format. Explain the following:

• How the audit team members are selected
• Auditor’s roles and responsibilities
• Competence training that the representatives are required to attend
• Audit skills and knowledge that the appointed representative must have

Question 2

To examine the effectiveness of the ISO 45001: 2018 management system, you are appointed to lead the internal team to apply auditing tools, techniques and procedures in a ONE (1) day audit. Document the internal audit schedule plan. Present in a table format and describe the activities to be audited, members of the audit teams to be involved, clause of ISO 45001:2018, etc.

Question 3

A requirement of the ISO 45001:2018 Clause 5.1 Leadership and Commitment is that the top management should demonstrate leadership and commitment with respect to the OH&S management system.

Using Clause 5.1 of ISO 45001:2018, illustrate with a checklist in a table format for interviewing the managing director of ABC Pte Ltd to appraise if the organisation conforms to this requirement. Describe the WSH performance and monitoring indicators.

Question 4

The internal audit team has completed a ONE (1) day audit. You, as the lead auditor, are required to conduct a closing meeting with the ABC Pte Ltd management team. Examine the following in a table format and appraise the non-conformance findings.

• Description of the nonconformity
• Evidence
• ISO 45001 clause and requirement
• Propose corrective actions for non-compliance