Citation

Gunningham N. Pol. Pract. Health Saf. 2007; 5(2): 3-24.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (Great Britain))

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper explores various approaches to standard-setting, with a view to identifying best practice regulation, and what sort of standards should be imposed in particular circumstances. It argues that the answer to these questions is often context- and industry-specific. Taking the Australian mining industry as an example, it examines the respective merits of prescriptive-, performance-, principles- and process-based standards, before going on to consider, in more detail, the value of a fifth type of standard, the safety case, which in the past has mainly been applied to major hazard facilities. It concludes that while there is particular value in moving towards 'meta-regulation' through the mechanism of a safety case, such an approach should be adopted with caution and applied only to large, complex, high risk organisations. Other forms of regulation are best suited to other types of enterprise.