The HSMS ensures responsibility and accountability for health and safety roles at all levels of the company. Which statement best describes this?

• A. Only senior management is accountable.
• B. Everyone knows what their safety responsibilities are.
• C. It eliminates the need for safety training.
• D. Accountability rests solely with the safety officer.

Answer: (B)

A health and safety management system works best when responsibilities are clearly defined for every level of the organization, and everyone understands what they are accountable for. When each person knows their safety duties, ownership shifts from “someone else will handle it” to concrete actions. This clarity supports proactive hazard control, consistent procedures, and effective reporting, because the people closest to the work know what they must do and can be held accountable for it.

This is why the statement that everyone knows what their safety responsibilities are is the best fit. It captures the distributed accountability across workers, supervisors, and managers, not just one role. It also aligns with the idea that safety training supports understanding and fulfilling those duties, rather than replacing them or concentrating blame or responsibility in a single person.