A GREY-BASED DECISION-MAKING APPROACH TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF OHS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The objective of this paper is to present and verify the approach, using which it is possible to rank management system elements according to the decision-making criteria adopted by decision-makers, in order to reduce incoherence levels within the frameworks of the decision-making process concerning targeting of the system improvement measures. This approach makes use of the grey systems concept and properties of grey numbers. The following three cost-based parameters were used as assessment criteria of the particular elements of the system in terms of improvements: meeting requirements, performance costs, and performance time. This approach was verified in a furniture manufacturing company, based upon the work health and safety management system according to PN-N 18001, which was in place in this company. By using the proposed approach, it was possible to rank all the assessed elements of the system, and to identify those elements that could be improved in the first sequence, taking into account the adopted assessment criteria. This paper makes up for shortages in using the grey system theory to improve work health and safety management systems, and constitutes an original application of this concept in the area of work health and safety management systems. The approach presented herein may constitute a significant tool of improving not only health and safety management systems, but also other management systems as well.