Fuzzy TOPSIS in the assessment of OHS management system

Occupational health and safety (OHS) management is a cycle of decision-making processes, many of which are in fact multi-criterion processes in nature. Therefore, it is important to look for and develop tools to support decision-makers in their actions aimed at improving work safety levels. The objective of this paper is to propose and verify the fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method applied to compare and assess the ways OHS management systems function in different companies. The fuzzy TOPSIS method has already been used for a number of years in assessments of alternative solutions in many different areas, but the application that uses ordered fuzzy numbers is quite original in nature. It is especially beneficial to use the fuzzy approach in OHS management systems, as it makes it possible for experts to assess different criteria using most frequently used linguistic variables. The adopted approach was verified in the study of OHS management systems in four furniture manufacturing companies. Assessment criteria were requirements of the PN-N 18001:2004 Standard. Thanks to the ordered fuzzy TOPSIS method, the analysed OHS management systems were streamlined from the point of view of 24 assessment criteria, and the best and the worst functioning system was identified. The approach presented here may constitute a significant tool for improving OHS management systems.