Health & Safety at Workplace

The bottom line is that success in controlling a particular hazard is proportional to the amount of attention given to that hazard.

Health & Safety at Workplace (Contd)

It is safe to assume that most employers consider their employees to be their most important asset. That is why it is so important for employers to protect workers from hazards, or potential hazards, in the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health provisions in the Labour Act (Act 651) requires employers to provide a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to employees. To achieve that end, employers should develop a comprehensive safety and health plan.

Health & Safety at Workplace (Contd)

Developing and maintaining an organizational culture of health and safety requires management commitment at all levels. Regardless of the type of industryfrom manufacturing and construction to knowledge management and retailsafety is managed by focusing on training and accident prevention.

Health & Safety at Workplace (Contd)

In todays litigatious society, organizations cannot afford to be ignorant regarding occupational safety. Further, if companies want to maintain a positive employer brand and reputation, safety is key

Health & Safety at Workplace (Contd)

Employers receive big dividends from an effective safety and health plan. Studies have shown that a good plan: Reduces the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses. Improves employee morale and productivity. Lowers workers compensation costs. Helps with retention and recruiting, due to the organizations good reputation for safety.

Health & Safety at Workplace (Contd)

Every effective safety and health plan has four key elements: management commitment and employee involvement; worksite analysis (risk assessment); hazard prevention and control; and training and education.

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

There are seven steps that contribute to the successful involvement of both managers and employees in developing a safety and health plan: 1. . Go to the top officer in the organization and present the plan; request the support of each member of management as well. Ask that safety and health be made a core value of the company and that managements actions reflect that commitment. Without strong support from the head of the organization, the plan cannot succeed.

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

2. Develop a safety and health policy and be sure to communicate that policy to all employees. It should be posted on the bulletin board of each company location and included in the employee handbook. 3. Develop short-term and long-term goals and communicate them to all employees. Develop a plan to help achieve the goals and provide feedback on the progress made.

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

4. Create a safety and health manual and be sure it defines responsibilities at all levels. 5. Be sure that all levels of management have a visible role in the implementation of the plan. If management is not in evidence, employees will not take managements commitment to safety and health seriously. Managers can reinforce the plan by complying with its provisions themselves. If safety glasses are required in a certain area, for example, be sure managers wear safety glasses when they are in that area.

Management Commitment and Employee Involvement

6. Ensure employee participationa critical factor. Levels of involvement for workers range from contributing advice to serving on a safety committee. If there is to be an incentive plan based on safety achievements, be sure that the employees, not just managers, take part. Share the goals and objectives with employees and ask for their support and commitment. Review the plan regularly. It should be reassessed at least once a year to evaluate its success in meeting the established goals and objectives. When a new standard comes out or an existing standard is revised, update the written plan.

7.

Worksite Analysis
After managers and employees are committed to the safety and health plan, specific job issues should be addressed. Walk through the facility and conduct a thorough needs analysis. Once the analysis is complete, develop a job safety analysis for each position. A job safety analysis looks at each function of a job, identifies any potential hazards, and lists what should be done to protect employees from those hazards. After the safety and health plan has been implemented, conduct frequent and regular inspections of the workplace. This will reveal issues that may have been omitted from the original plan, or facets of the plan that require modification. If problems are uncovered, adjust the plan to correct them.

Hazard Prevention & Control

The first step in preventing or eliminating hazards should be the use of engineering controls. Engineering controls can include lowering work benches, installing safety switches, adding lifting devices, or changing the chemicals used in a particular process. In addition, layouts can often be redesigned to eliminate hazards. Administrative controls are another way to reduce hazards. One example is reducing the length of time employees are exposed to particular hazards. If an employee has worked for two or three hours in a noisy area, allow him (or her) to work in another section of the facility for a while. When the total time of exposure is calculated, the employee should be below the threshold limit. In such cases, be sure to document any administrative actions taken to reduce exposure. The last method used to protect employees is the use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE). PPEs must be provided by the employer at no cost to the employee

Training and Education

Employees should be trained person in a specific areas of safety, such as fall protection, scaffolding and excavations. Regular training should be conducted with all employees. Some safety standards require that all employees who are exposed to a hazard be trained in how to recognize the hazard and protect themselves. The final step in education is to have regularly scheduled safety meetings. A weekly safety talk of five to 10 minutes is an ideal way to continue the educational process. Use the weekly talk to provide feedback on safety goals, talk about a close call incident, or educate employees about a wide array of safety and health issues.

Health & Safety Committee Operating Procedures

Purpose: In accordance with the companys commitment to safety, each company element will be responsible for establishing a Health and Safety Committee for the following purposes: 1. To maintain and enhance employee interest in health and safety issues. 2. To ensure that managers, supervisors and employees are aware through training activities that they are responsible for the prevention of workplace accidents. 3. To help make health and safety activities an integral part of the organization's operating procedures, culture and programs. 4. To provide an opportunity for discussion of health and safety problems and possible solutions. 5. To inform and educate employees and supervisors about health and safety issues and research findings, etc. 6. To help reduce the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses. 7. To help ensure compliance with federal and state health and safety standards.

Health & Safety Committee Operating Procedures

Functions: To accomplish these objectives, the Health and Safety Committee will: 1. Develop a written mission statement in accordance with corporate requirements. 2. Define duties and responsibilities of committee members. 3. Identify and prioritize goals and establish action plans to achieve each goal. 4. Include representation from different levels and areas of the company element. 5. Meet at least monthly. 6. Record and disseminate minutes of meetings, documenting attendance, problems, and issues, as well as corrective action proposed and actions taken to address each issue. 7. Make attendance mandatory with the penalty of removal for repeated absences. 8. Develop methods to increase and maintain safety awareness. 9. Organize special subcommittees to address specific issues, projects or programs.

Safety Scorecard System

Building a world-class workplace safety program takes time, dedication and commitment. The following 10 steps are guidelines for organizations to design a safety scorecard system.4 1. Review the organizational culture, starting from top management. 2. Collect information on organizational safety goals, objectives, performance measures and training documentation. 3. Assign safety responsibilities to all management. 4. Establish a safety steering team. 5. Develop systems to measure success regarding safety. 6. Establish a safety committee (develop a mission, conduct training on health and safety issues, and define roles and responsibilities of members). 7. Brainstorm safety ideas. 8. Provide additional training to safety steering team and safety committee (e.g., ergonomics, OSHA topics, hazard analysis skills, safety conferences, plant tours). 9. Deliver safety training to management (e.g., incident investigation skills, corrective action development and tracking, safety scorecard measurements, and safety program responsibilities). 10. Provide safety training for the entire workforce.

Elements of a Safety Program

A workplace safety program is more than training. It encompasses a wide range of issues and topics, as listed below, and establishes clear roles and responsibilities regarding health and safety within the organization. Written safety policy. Safety committee (safety inspections, accident investigation, safety record keeping). Companywide safety training. Training on workplace violence prevention. Health issues (e.g., drug-free workplace, smoke-free work environment). Fire drills. Ergonomics. Emergency response plan (e.g., medical emergencies, terrorism). Training for first aid and CPR. Employee assistance program.

Lessons Learned/Best Practices

In the safety arena, learning from past mistakes is important. These lessons, however, do not happen in isolation. Workplace safety is closely tied to the organizational culture supported by the leadership and management of the entire organization. To enhance the safety program, organizations may want to include a lessons learned or best practices program. For employee access, this information may be posted in a safety newsletter on the company intranet.

Other Health & Safety Concerns (Research)

Security abroad for expatriates will increase to ensure personal and business safety and to deal with terrorist kidnappings and blackmail. Obesity and diabetes among the working population will increase, affecting health and the ability to work. Work intensification will occur as employers try to increase productivity with fewer employees and resources. This could drive up stress and stress-related illnesses. Businesses will increasingly ban smoking as more cities/states enact Clean Indoor Air laws. Real-time video surveillance via high-speed Internet is becoming affordable to more effectively monitor employee activity and safety and prevent theft.

Part XV of the Labour Act (Act 651)-Occupational Health, Safety & Environment 118 (1) It is the duty of an employer to ensure that every
worker employed by him works under satisfactory and health conditions. An employer shall: (a) maintain at the workplace, plant and the system of work that are safe and without risk to health.
(b) ensure the safety and absence of risks to health in connection with use, handling, storage and transport of and substances

,safe

articles

(c) Provide the necessary information, instructions, training and supervision having regard to the age, literacy level and the other circumstances of the worker to ensure ,so far as is reasonably practicable ,the health and the safety at the work of those other workers engaged on the particular ;

Part XV of the Labour Act (Act 651)-Occupational Health, Safety & Environment d) Take the steps to prevent contamination of the workplaces by,
and protect the workers from, toxic gases ,noxious substances vapours, dust, fumes, mists and other substances or materials likely to cause the risk to safety or health. (e) Supply and maintain at no cost to worker adequate safety appliances, suitable fire-fighting equipment, personal protective equipment, and instruct the workers in the use of appliances or equipments; (f) Provide separate, sufficient and suitable toilet and washing facilities and adequate facilities for the storage, changing, drying, and cleansing from the contamination of clothing for male and female workers;

(g) Provide adequate supply of clean drinking water at the workplace; and (h)Prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of connected with, or occurring in the course of, work by minimizing the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment. It is the obligation of every worker to use the safety appliances fire-fighting equipment and personal protective equipment provided by the employer in compliance with the employers instructions.

Part XV of the Labour Act (Act 651)-Occupational Health, Safety & Environment

Part XV of the Labour Act (Act 651)Occupational Health, Safety & Environment
An employer shall not be liable for injury suffered by a worker who contravenes subsection (3) where the injury is caused solely by non-compliance by the worker. An employer who, without reasonable excuse ,fails to discharge any of the obligations under subsection (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 1000 penalty units or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or both.

Part XV of the Labour Act (Act 651)-Occupational Health, Safety & Environment Exposure to imminent hazards
119. (1) When a worker finds himself or herself in any situation at the workplace which she or he has reasonable cause to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to his or life ,safety or health ,the worker shall immediately report this fact to his or her supervisor and remove himself or herself from the situation. An employer shall not dismiss or terminate the employment the worker or withhold any remuneration of the a worker who has removed himself or herself from the wok situation which the worker has reason to believe presents imminent and serious danger to his or her life, safety or the health. (3) An employer shall not require a worker to return to work in circumstances where there is a continuing imminent and serious danger to the life, safety or health of the worker.