Assignment Cover Sheet

Student Name: GAUTHAM GOPAKUMARA MENON

Student Number: 275318
Course: Diploma in HR management
Assignment No: 5

Marking Criteria:

We expect the learners to write minimum one well expressed point in three lines against each
allocated mark. This means one needs to write 15 lines with 5 well expressed points to get high
grades for a 5 marks question.

For high grades use examples and illustrations where appropriate.

Please insert your completed assignment ( in word format) here:

ASSESSMENT 5:

1.Give short answers to the following questions:

i. What are the main purposes of the Health and Safety at Work Act?

The main purposes of the Health and Safety at Work Act est.1974 are:

 To secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work. This simply means that
any activity conducted during the operations of the business shall not affect the
basic health, safety and welfare of the employees.

 To protect the public from risks that may arise from workplace activities. The
general public population shall not be at risk of any type of physical or other type of
harm due to any workplace activity.
  To control the use and storage of dangerous substances. Any type of dangerous
substances like chemicals or radioactive substances must be stored and used by the
company in a safe and controlled manner.

 To control potentially dangerous environmental emissions. Any form of emissions

from the workplace i.e. from a factory for example, should be controlled and should
not be a threat to the nearby population or the environment.

ii. Outline the benefits of Health and Safety at a workplace?

Some of the benefits of Health and Safety at the workplace are:

 Higher productivity
 Lower levels of absence
 Avoidance of cost and litigation from accidents.
 Improved staff morale
 Improved employee relations
 Reduced costs for mandatory flu injections and other mandatory healthcare options
that need to be provided by the employer.
 Manual-handling can be eliminated.
 Hours lost due to injuries can be reduced to zero.
 Money can be saved on manual-handling improvements.
 Reduced compensation costs
 Better workplace culture
 Improved efficiency
 Attracts better employees

iii. What is risk assessment about?

Risk assessments are used to identify hazards or potential hazards and to provide analysis of
any risks attached to them. A hazard would be anything that may cause harm to a person’s
body. For example, lifting a heavy object, working on construction sites or working with
chemicals can all be considered hazardous activities. A risk is a chance of harm actually
occurring due to a particular hazard. Thus risk assessments are about looking for hazards
and evaluating the level of risk associated with them.

iv. What are the different types of risk assessment?

There mainly 2 types of risk assessment:

 Quantitative risk assessment
 Qualitative risk assessment

The first one is quantitative risk assessment. It produces an objective probability estimate
based upon risk information that is immediately applicable to the circumstances in which
the risk occurs. The second one is qualitative risk assessment. This is more subjective and is
based on judgment backed by the data which is generalized. Quantitative risk assessment is
preferred if the precise data are available. Qualitative risk assessment may be acceptable
when there are no precise data but it must be made systematically and based on working
conditions, hazards and informed judgment on the likelihood of any real harm being done.

v. What is Health and Safety Audit?

According to Saunders (1992), A health and safety audit can be defined as follows:
‘A safety audit will examine the whole organization in order to test whether it is meeting its
safety aims and objectives. It will examine hierarchies, safety planning processes, decision
making, delegation, policy making and implementation as well as all areas of safety program
planning. Health and safety audits deliver a more comprehensive review of all aspects of
health and safety policies, procedures, and practice programs. A health and safety audit can
be performed by safety advisors or personnel specialists. However, it is always better for the
employees, managers and trade union representatives to be involved. These audits are
usually conducted under the auspices of a health and safety committee with the members
taking an active role in carrying them out. In some cases, companies decide it is better to
use outside agencies to carry out independent audits.
2. Discuss different approaches that employers can adopt to help employees manage
stress.

In order to manage stress, employers can administer different programs such as:
- Positive health programs
- Corporate Wellness programs
- Stress Education
- Promoting Employee Resilience
- Employee Assistance Programs

These programs promote and encourage healthy lifestyles. There are many campaigns
involved in this program encouraging healthy eating, quitting smoking and support.
Resources are also provided for physical activities. For example, in Google’s headquarters
they have provided employees with sleep pods for whenever they are exhausted from
overload in work and they need to take a nap. These companies have given high priority to
their staff’s wellbeing. In some companies, corporate wellness retreats or programs are also
conducted so that employees can indulge in activities like yoga or meditation which is
rejuvenating for the mind. Many employers offer training and programs to reduce
workplace stress. These can be anything from educating employees about the risks of stress.
It can be how the mind and body react to stress. They can also include things like setting up
a healthy work life balance and time off on the weekends. It also includes educating
employees on their legal rights are workers.

Employers who want to promote employee resilience offer workshops, planning tools,
coaching sessions, educational events and other things. These provide an outlet for
frustration and reduce anxiety at work. These types of workshops often promote self-
awareness. This is the key to dealing with any kind of problem effectively. One way that
many employers try to reduce workplace stress is by providing Employee Assistance
Programs. This is a service that provides access to counseling services whenever they are
needed.
Employers also provide opportunities for stress relief for employees through a variety of
ways like :
 Taking breaks throughout the day.
 Lunchtime mini yoga classes.
 Wearing headphones to listen to meditation music.
 Offering on site massage chairs.

Employers should also make sure that an employee’s most basic needs are met. This
includes enough money and time off. If these 2 factors are met, at least 50% of the stress
level can be easily brought down.

REFERENCE:
https://mantracare.org/employee-wellness/stress-management-programs/

Student Statement:

By submitting this assignment, I confirm that this is my own work.

Student Signature: GAUTHAM GOPAKUMARA MENON Date: 25/11/2022

For Tutor / Assessor Use Only

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