Incorporating Total Quality Management Into Safety Program: General Approach

An increasing number of articles in professional journals in safety field address the natural fit between safety and quality. As a group, safety professionals strive to improve organizational performance through application of loss control and safety management techniques. The total quality management (TQM) philosophy also emphasizes improvement of overall organizational performance via application of quality management concepts and techniques. This paper presents a conceptual model and framework for developing a comprehensive safety program with incorporating elements of TQM which contribute to potential hazards and accidents reduction. These methods are demonstrated on the example of safety program for Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSC). The goal of this program is to analyze various components interfaces and interrelationships to ensure that they meet specified safety criteria. The proposed program is based on a proven managerial approach to provide timely documentation for design and operations associated with systems, facilities, and equipment. As a result of this program, provisions and actions for quality assurance, reliability, safety, and hazard prevention and control have been put in place to reduce all identifiable potential hazards to a low risk level.