Safety Management System In Automotive And Energy Industries

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to report the key results and lessons of a study in Thailand. Occupational safety and health is the foundation of ISO 26000, which emphasizes on corporate social responsibility. This study underlines the needs on gradually preparing the industries for market integration.Design/methodology/approach - Two leading companies in automotive and energy industries are selected. The automotive industry is one of Thailand's largest clusters in terms of investment, employment, and sale turnovers. On the other hand, the energy industry is critical as Thailand seeks to import energies from neighboring and other countries. The in-depth analysis aims to identify excellent practices, elements, and success factors commonly shared by the two selected companies. The interviews with the companies' executives follow this identification for the findings' confirmation and possible extension.Findings - The findings provide a description of the process of how an integrated safety management system is implemented and reports results such as the following. The two leading companies apparently share many common practices, elements, and success factors. They include safety culture (empowerment, behavior, communication, etc.), system and structure (processes, instruction, documentations, records, etc.), and use of external influences (e.g. safety audits by international partners and customers) to sustain the safety management system.Originality/value - This study should inform executives and managers who are concerned with how to prepare an organization when attempting to adapt to Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems 18000 and subsequently to ISO 26000. Building a strong safety culture should be considered as the foundation, while relying on regulatory compliance and enforcement alone is not adequate.