• Any system that relies on human behavior is inherently unreliable.
• Administrative controls should be used in conjunction with more effective or reliable engineering controls.

Administrative or management controls are aimed at reducing employee exposure to hazards that engineering controls fail to eliminate. Management controls work by designing safe work practices into job procedures and adjusting work schedules. These controls are only as effective as the safety management system that supports them. It’s always better to eliminate the hazards rather than rely on controls that tend to work only as long as employees work safely.

Here’s an important principle that reflects this idea: Any system that relies on human behavior is inherently unreliable. To make sure controls are effective in the long term, they must be designed from a base of solid hazard analysis and sustained by a supportive safety culture. Then they must be accompanied by adequate resources, training, supervision, and appropriate consequences. Remember, administrative controls should be used in conjunction with, and not as a substitute for, more effective or reliable engineering controls. Examples of this are:

• Removing tripping and slipping hazards using signage,
• Rotating shifts of workers in hazardous areas, and
• Maintaining equipment and tools in good repair by using a maintenance schedule.