18-1 EXCEL BOOKS

Chapter

18

HEALTH AND SAFETY

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ANNOTATED OUTLINE

EMPLOYEE HEALTH: INTRODUCTION

Poor working conditions affect employee performance badly. Under
such stressful conditions, employees may not be able to concentrate
on work, leading to serious accidents, at times. Companies with poor
safety record, not surprisingly, find it difficult to hire and retain skilled
labour force on a long term basis. In their own interest, therefore,
employers should take up health and safety issues seriously and do
everything possible to improve the living conditions of employees.

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Typical health and safety
responsibilities
H R U n it
 C o o r d in a t e s h e a lt h a n d s a f e t y p r o g r a m m e s
 D e v e lo p s s a fe ty re p o r tin g s y s te m
 O f fe r s a c c id e n t i n v e s t ig a t io n e x p e r t is e
 P r o v id e s te c h n ic a l e x p e r tis e o n a c c id e n t
p r e v e n tio n
 D e v e lo p s r e s tr ic t e d - a c c e s s p r o c e d u r e s
a n d e m p lo y e e id e n t if i c a t io n s y s t e m s
 T r a in s m a n a g e r s to r e c o g n is e a n d h a n d le
d if f ic u lt e m p l o y e e s i t u a t i o n s
Health And Safety
M a n a g e rs
 M o n it o r h e a l th a n d s a f e ty o f e m p l o y e e s d a ily
 C o a c h e m p lo y e e s to b e s a fe t y c o n s c io u s
 I n v e s t ig a t e a c c id e n ts
 O b s e r v e h e a lth a n d s a fe t y b e h a v io u r o f e m p l o y e e s
 M o n i t o r w o r k p la c e f o r s e c u r it y p r o b l e m s
 C o m m u n ic a t e w it h e m p lo y e e s t o id e n t if y p o t e n t ia ll y
d if f i c u l t e m p lo y e e s
 F o llo w s a fe ty p r o v is io n s a n d s e c u rit y p r o c e d u re s
a n d re c o m m e n d c h a n g e s a s n e e d e d
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EMPLOYEE HEALTH

Legal provisions regarding health( section 11 to 20, Factories Act,

1948)
 Cleanliness
 Wastes
 Ventilation and temperature
 Dust and fumes
 Artificial humidification
 Overcrowding
 Lighting
 Drinking water
 Latrines and urinals
 Spittoons

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Measures to promote employee

health
Health promotion focuses on prevention rather than treatment or
cure. The core health promotion activities cover the following areas
 Healthy living
 Eating wisely
 Exercise and physical fitness
 Smoking cessation
 Stress management
 Protecting oneself from workplace hazards

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Components of a typical wellness

programme
The basic objective of wellness programmes is to help employees build lifestyles
that will help them to achieve their full physical and mental potential. Such a
programme is built around the following things:
 Educating employees about health-risk factors such as high blood pressure,
smoking, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, obesity,
stress, poor nutrition etc.
 Identifying the health- risk factors that each employee faces
 Helping employees eliminate or reduce these risks through healthier
lifestyles and habits
 Enabling employees to self monitor and evaluate where they stand from
time to time.

Employee assistance programmes covering workplace violence

 Employee assistance programmes offer counselling, medical help
and rehabilitation opportunities to all troubled employees.

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Dealing with violent employees

S u p e rv is o ry /O u ts id e
F e atu res C on seq u ences P re v e n tiv e S te p s
s u p p o rt

 F r u s t r a t io n  V e r b a l th r e a ts
B la m in g o th e r s
 H is to r y o f 
a g g r e s s io n  P ic k in g f ig h ts
 Loner  I n t i m id a t i n g
 S tre s s  U p s e t o v e r m in o r
 Te m p e r lo s s in ju s t ic e s
 A n g ry m o s t o f  A s s a u lt iv e p h y s ic a l
th e tim e a c tio n s
 Ta l k t o e m p lo y e e
 A llo w th e p e r s o n to v e n t
s o m e o f t h e h o s t il it y a n d
anger
 In v o lv e H R e x p e r ts o r
t r a in e d c o u n s e l lo r s in
t h e w e lln e s s
p ro g ra m m e .
 C o n s u lt s p e c ia lis t s w h o w o u ld h e lp
f o r m u la t e a p la n fo r id e n tif y in g ,
d e f u s in g a n d r e c o v e r in g f r o m a v io le n t
a c t.
 E s t a b li s h a p r o c e d u r e f o r in v e s t ig a t in g
a n y p o t e n t ia ll y v i o l e n t t a lk o r a c t i o n .
 S e t u p a c ris is m a n a g e m e n t te a m to ta k e
d e c is io n s q u ic k ly ( c o u n s e l lin g t h e v ic t im ,
h a n d l in g m e d ia e t c . )
 T r a in s u p e r v is o r s a n d m a n a g e r s s o th a t
t h e y c a n i d e n t if y t h e w a r n i n g s ig n a ls
e a r l y, a n d r e s o lv e c o n f l ic ts s m o o th ly.
 H e lp e m p l o y e e s a d j u s t t o c h a n g e s s u c h
a s d o w n s iz in g , V R S , r e tr e n c h m e n t e t c .
 B e a w a re o f p o te n tia l ris k s a n d r e s p o n d
a p p r o p r ia t e ly. W h e n th e e m p lo y e e
th r e a te n s to k ill s o m e b o d y, ta k e it
s e r io u s ly a n d r e s p o n d p r o a c t iv e ly
in s te a d o f p r e s u m in g th a t h e w ill n o t
i n d u l g e i n s u c h a t r o c i o u s b e h a v i o u r.

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EMPLOYEE HEALTH

Emotional problems
Depressed employees are difficult to handle in that they show signs of
irritation, carry guilt feelings and indulge in violence Employees with
such emotional problems could be helped through
 Listening attentively and sympathetically; extending emotional
support
 Removing irritants
 Taking to a psychologist

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Dealing with alcoholism and drug

abuse: supervisory role

 Confront the employee with evidence

 Provide coaching to improve employee performance
 Encourage the employee to take up assistance programmes
 Inform the employee about consequences of poor performance
 Arrange for in-house counselling in case of drug addicts
 Initiate disciplinary proceedings against those unwilling to learn

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Employee Safety

The main purpose of effective safety programmes in an organisation

is to prevent work related injuries and accidents. Safety measures in
a factory would cover:
 Slipping and falling hazards
 Collision and obstruction hazards
 Equipment hazards
 Fire hazards
 Hazards from falling objects

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Causes for accidents

 Improperly guarded equipments

 Defective equipment, machines
 Unsafe storage: congestion, overloading
 Improper illumination: glare, insufficient light
 Improper ventilation
 Falls on stairs, ladders, walkways
 Congested workplace
 Unsafe acts such as throwing materials
 Unsafe procedures in loading, placing or mixing or by lifting improperly
 People with impaired vision; under the influence of drugs or alcohol; and who
exhibit negative, violent behaviours

[D. Hoffmann A. Stetzer, A cross level investigation of factors influencing unsafe behaviours and accidents. Personnel Psychology,
49,1996.]

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Employee Safety

Indian scenario: Laws governing employee safety

 The Factories Act
 The Indian Electricity Act
 The Pesticides Act
 The Boiler Act
 The Environment Protection Act etc.

Supervisors who are supposed to oversee the implementation of the

provisions of various legislative pieces in India are a stretched lot,
since they have to cover lot of ground. Employers, typically, are also
not interested in putting latest safety equipment in place. Due to
poverty and unemployment, workers especially women and child
labour are forced to work under totally unsafe conditions. Supervisors
in such a scenario, have a great role to play .
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Employee Safety
Any salary increase awarded to an employee based on his or her
performance is called merit pay. It is like rewarding the best performers with
the largest increases in Effective safety management
This would include the following steps
 Establishing a safety policy
 Ensuring top management support
 Creating safety committees
 Promoting safety discipline
 Instituting safety engineering procedures
 Offering safety training
 Investigating reasons for accidents
 Evaluating safety efforts
Seeking support from government pay as an appreciative gesture from the
employer. When high achievers are rewarded, they set the benchmarks for
others to follow. But the whole process of recognising merit, measuring
performance, picking up the winners need to be followed objectively.
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Safety: Legal Provisions

 Fencing Of Machinery
 Working On Or Near Machinery In Motion
 Employment Of Young Persons
 Striking Gear And Devices For Cutting Off Power
 Self Acting Machines
 Casing Of New Machinery
 Employment Of Women, Children Near Cotton Openers
 Hoists And Lifts
 Lifting Machines, Chains And Ropes
 Revolving Machinery
 Pressure Plant

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Safety: Legal Provisions

 Floors, Stairs And Means of Access

 Pits, Sumps, Openings In Floors
 Excessive Weights
 Protection of Eyes
 Dangerous Fumes And Gases
 Precautions With Regard To Portable Electrical Light
 Explosive or Inflammable Gas or Dust
 Precautions In Case of Fire
 Safety of Building And Machinery
 Safety Officers

Health And Safety