MODULE 3

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

MODULE 3

 INTRODUCTION
 This module presents three of the important aspects that Basic Occupational
Health and Safety encompasses – OSH Programming, OSH Training , and lastly, OSH
Legislation. These three lessons are anchored in strengthening the employees’ line of
defense against workplace hazards and occupational risks as well as safeguarding their
safety and health all the time.

OBJECTIVES

After studying the module, you should be able to:

1. discuss the core elements of OSH Programming as well as their importance;

2. elaborate how OSH training is conducted;
3. familiarize the various OSH legislation and OSHS provisions created over the
years.

 DIRECTIONS/ MODULE ORGANIZER

There are three lessons in the module. Read each lesson carefully then answer
the exercises/activities to find out how much you have benefited from it. Work on these
exercises carefully and submit your output to your tutor or to the Engineering office.

In case you encounter difficulty, discuss this with your tutor during the face-to-
face meeting. If not contact your tutor at the Engineering office.

Good luck and happy reading!!!

Lesson 1

 OSH Programming
The construction of various Occupational Safety and Health Programs is a vital aspect
in ensuring not only the safety of the workplace environment but also the well-being of
all entities involved. The United States Department of Labor enunciated that the main
goal of OSH programming is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and mostly deaths.
Moreover, it aims to avert, as much as possible, the suffering and financial burden that
such unprecedented events can cause for workers and their families altogether. Finding
and fixing hazards before they even bring harm is believed to be a far more effective
approach rather than waiting for a problem before implementing the solution. As they
always said, prevention is better than cure.

What Makes a Successful OSH Program?

OSHA identified the seven core elements in which any OSH program must be grounded
to.

1.Management Leadership
The management is responsible in providing leadership, concrete vision as well as the
needed resources for implementing an effective safety and health program which
means that business owners, managers, and supervisors do the following:
 They make safety a core value, rather than prioritizing safety for the very
reason that priorities have a habit of changing, especially when things get
rough along the
way. Values, on
the other hand,
Management
Leadership
do not change.
As a value,
Multi-employer
Communication
safety is
and Worker
Participation
reflected in this
Coordination
statement:
“Safe
production or
7 Core Elements
no production.”
of Occupational
Safety and Health  They are
Program
Programs
Hazard fully committed
Evaluation and Identification
Improvement and Assessment to eliminating
hazards,
protecting
workers, and
continuously
Safety and
Health
Hazard
Prevention and improving
Education Control workplace
safety and
health.
 They provide sufficient resources such as time, people, money, training,
etc. to properly execute and maintain the safety and health program.
  They visibly demonstrate and communicate their safety and health
commitment to workers and others.
 They set an example manifesting through their actions which,
consequently, lead to the employees following them.

2.Worker Participation
In order to be effective in doing their jobs right, workers and their corresponding
representatives need to emerge themselves into different safety and health programs.
Worker participation means workers are involved in establishing, operating, evaluating,
and improving the safety and health program.

Reasons why workers should participate in OSH programs:

 Workers have so much to gain from a successful program, and the most to lose if
the program fails.
 They often know the most about potential hazards associated with their jobs.
Successful safety programs tap into this knowledge base.
 All workers at a worksite should be involved including those employed by
contractors, subcontractors, and temporary staffing agencies.

3.Hazard Identification and Assessment

One of the root causes of workplace incidents such as injuries and grave illnesses is the
failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present or otherwise anticipated as
discussed in the previous modules of this course.

A critical element of any efficient safety and health program is a proactive ongoing
process in identification and assessment of such hazards.

Effective hazard identification and assessment includes:

 Procedures are put in place to identify workplace hazards and evaluate
risks continuously.
 Safety and health hazards from routine, non-routine, and emergencies
are thoroughly identified and assessed.
 An initial assessment of existing hazards, exposures, and control
measures is followed by periodic inspections and reassessments to
identify new hazards.
 Non-injury incidents are investigated with the goal to identify the root
cause.
 Identified hazards are prioritized for control.

4.Hazard Prevention and Control

Hazard prevention and control processes are conducted after hazards are identified and
assessed. These aid the administration in preventing existing and potential hazards that
might cause harm and eliminate or otherwise control hazards in the workplace.
 Employers and workers cooperate to identify and select methods for eliminating,
preventing, or controlling workplace hazards.
  Controls are selected per the hierarchy controls that first try to eliminate
hazards, as already tackled in the previous lessons.
 Plans are then developed to ensure controls are implemented, interim protection
is provided, progress is tracked, and the efficiency is verified.
Effectives hazard prevention and control methods protect workers and have the
following benefits:
 Eliminate or reduce workplace hazards.
 Help avoid injuries, illnesses, and incidents.
 Minimize or eliminate safety and health risks.
 Help employers provide workers with safe and healthful working conditions.

5.Safety and Health Education

Safety and health education through general instruction and technical training is
important for informing workers and managers about workplace hazards and controls
so they can work more safely and be more productive.
 General safety instruction tells employees why safety is important through
lecture, videos, discussions, etc.
 Technical safety training shows them how to do the task or procedure safely.
Technical training requires demonstration and practice to make sure workers
gain the required skills to work safely. On-the-Job Training (OJT) is one of the
most effective methods used to teach and verify skills.

Furthermore, it also provided workers and managers with a greater understanding of

the safety and health program itself so they can contribute to its development and
implementation.

Effective safety and health education programs have the following characteristics:
 All workers are trained to understand how the program works and how to carry
out their responsibilities under the program.
 Administrators, managers, and supervisors receive training on safety concepts
and their responsibilities to protect workers’ rights and respond to workers’
reports and concerns.
 All workers are trained to recognize workplace hazards and to understand the
control measures that are implemented.

6.Program Evaluation and Improvement

Once a safety and health program has been established, it should be evaluated initially
to verify if it is implemented as intended. Administrators should periodically assess the
program regarding what is working and not working and whether the program is on track
to achieve its fixated goals. Whenever these assessments identify opportunities to
improve the program, management should adjust and monitor how well the program
performs. Sharing the results of monitoring and evaluation within the workplace as well
as celebrating successes, whether big or small, will help drive further improvement.

Effective program evaluation and improvement include the following characteristics:

  Programs are analyzed, evaluated, and improved by using leading indicators.
 Control measures are evaluated for effectiveness periodically.
 Processes are established to monitor program performance, verify program
implementation, and identify program shortcomings improvement opportunities.
 The program and overall safety and health performance are improved by taking
necessary actions.

7.Multi-employer Communication and Coordination

In today’s economy, staffing agencies assign an increasing number of workers to work
at specific “host” worksites under the host employer’s direction and control. Examples
include seasonal workers, such as delivery driver and warehouse workers who help fill
temporary staffing needs. In this kind of situation, the staffing agency and the host
employer need to communicate and coordinate to provide and maintain a safe work
environment for their workers.

Some workers are employed by a host employer and others by a contractor or

subcontractor in other situations. Examples can be electrical or mechanical contractors
working in a facility, a vendor installing or maintaining equipment, or long-term
contractors providing building cleaning and maintenance. In these circumstances, each
employer and contractor must consider how its work and safety activities can affect
the safety of other employees and workers at the site.

Characteristics of effective multi-employer communication and coordination consist,

but not limited to, the following:
 Host employers, contractors, and staffing agencies commit to providing the same
level of safety and health protection to all employees.
 Staffing agencies provide general safety education to temporary employees and
host employers provide specific technical training for required tasks and
procedures.
 Host employers, contractors, and staffing agencies communicate the hazards
present at the worksite and the hazards that contract workers may create on
site.
 Host employers establish specifications and qualification for contractors and
staffing agencies.
 Before beginning work, host employers, contractors, and staffing agencies
coordinate work planning and scheduling to identify and resolve conflicts that
could affect safety and health.

Employees may find effectively implementing the best practices described in each of
these core elements brings other benefits as well as:
 There are improvements in product process, and service quality.
 It creates higher workplace morale. If management cares, employees are more
likely to care.
 It creates improved employee recruiting and retention.
 There is a more favorable image and reputation as an industry leader.
 There is a better relationship with regulatory agencies.
An Effective OSH Program must:

 Identify and control hazards in the workplace.

 Help prevent injuries and disease.
 Limit an organization's financial losses resulting from injuries and disease.
 Promote a positive health and safety culture.
 Outline the importance of, and provide guidance on, health and safety processes
such as workplace inspections, investigations, safe work procedures,
management meetings for health and safety, joint health and safety committee
requirements, and the tracking and trending of OHS records and statistics.
 Include sub-programs focused on health and safety issues pertinent to your site.
For example, your site may have a specific lockout program, a fall protection
program, or a confined space entry program.

Kinds of OSH Program:

1. Formal Occupational Safety and Health Program

- Formal ones are utilized when a workforce of 20 or more and is housed in

a workspace that is prone to moderate or high-risk danger.
Contents of a Formal Occupational Safety and Health Program

 (a) a statement of the employer’s aims and the responsibilities of the employer,
supervisors, and workers;
 (b) provision for the regular inspection of premises, equipment, work methods
and work practices, at appropriate intervals, to ensure that prompt action is
undertaken to correct any hazardous conditions found;
 (c) appropriate written instructions, available for reference by all workers, to
supplement the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation;
 (d) provision for holding periodic management meetings for the purpose of
reviewing health-and-safety activities and incident trends, and for the
determination of necessary courses of action;
 (e) provision for the prompt investigation of incidents to determine the action
necessary to prevent their recurrence;
 (f) the maintenance of records and statistics, including reports of inspections
and incident investigations, with provision for making this information available
to the joint committee or worker health and safety representative, as applicable
and, upon request, to an officer, the union representing the workers at the
workplace or, if there is no union, the workers at the workplace; and
 (g) provision by the employer for the instruction and supervision of workers in
the safe performance of their work.

2. Less Formal Occupational Safety and Health Program

- Less formal ones are used when a workforce consists of less than 20
workers.
- Operations with a workforce of fewer than 20 workers must initiate and
maintain a less formal program. Such programs must include regular
monthly meetings with workers for discussion of health-and-safety
matters, the correction of unsafe conditions and practices, and the
maintenance of a cooperative interest in the health and safety of the
workforce. The employer must maintain a record of the meetings and the
matters discussed.