BINDURA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

NAME :

REG NUMBER :

COURSE : OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION

COURSE CODE : ESM 206

PROGRAMME : SHEM

QUESTION

Kunaishe Engineering Group has been in operation for the past 40 years without safety
department .Top management and workers at Kunaishe Engineering Group (KEG) sometimes
follow instructions and sometimes do not follow OHS law prescribed in the organizational
procedures .As a safety officer describe steps that you will take to ensure top management
and workers comply to OHS law (30)
A hundred things happen at once in an organization and each of these activities needs to take
place in a safe environment .No matter how small or large a company is ,workers in all fields
of industry face workplace dangers that can threaten their health and safety .Because hazards
are present in all types of industries , it is essential for companies to prioritize occupational
health and safety for improved efficiency and productivity due to fewer employees missing
work from illness or injuries.

Kunaishe Engineering Group top management should establish ,implement and maintain an
occupational health and safety policy according to ISO 45001 :2017 clause 5.2 .A health and
safety policy is a written statement of principles and goals explaining the company’s
commitment to workplace and safety .The policy shall include a commitment to provide
health and safe working conditions for the prevention of work related injuries ,a commitment
to fulfill legal requirements and other requirements and also a commitment to consultation
and participation of workers ,and where they exist ,workers representatives .Examples of
polices that can be implemented are the personal protective equipment policy and the incident
reporting equipment policy .The policy shall be documented ,communicated within all levels
of the organization and be available to all interested parties .If employees are not aware of
what is expected from them ,they cannot be blamed for making mistakes ,therefore there is
need to advise all employees to adhere to the policy of the company since effective and
clearly communicated safety policies are crucial to our company for occupational health and
safety. This is supported by Occupational Safety and Health Act, section 9 which talks about
occupational health and safety policy implantation.

In addition, health and safety policies should followed by enforcing the policies. Effective
and clearly communicated safety policies with a matching disciplinary program are crucial to
our organization .Disciplinary policies need to be communicated and enforced
consistently .The most effective disciplinary programs tend to be accumulative, with a first
offense or a minor infraction earning a mild consequence such as a verbal warning, while
severe or repeated disregard for safety can lead to consequences up to and including
termination.

There should be engagement of workers through creation of platforms for worker

participation and consultation .Workers may be involved in selection and purchasing
decisions for personal protective equipment and other safety equipments .If workers have a
hand in picking out their own PPE ,it is more likely that they will wear it consistently and
compliantly .If safety policies are addressed through a punishment –based model without
worker involvement ,employees may become afraid to raise safety concerns or ask
questions .They are the ones who will notice and encounter hazards before anyone else ,so if
they know they can raise concerns without fear of reprisal ,the workplace will be a safer place
for everyone. As part or worker participation there should be appointment of a SHE rep in
every department and also a SHE committee for easy coordination on issues concerning
occupational health and safety .Therefore, keeping an open dialogue where we meet regularly
with our staff and discuss health and safety issues is very crucial in our company.
With the help of top management we will create a plan for improving health and safety .We
will identify hazards in our workplace and take steps to minimize or eliminate them if
possible .There is need for the development of a safety plan and ensure workers’
safety .According to Factories and Works Act 0f 1976 general regulations :Employees should
have access to properly equipped first aid kit in cases of injuries provided that where the
number of persons employed exceeds one hundred ,an additional first aid box for every
additional one hundred persons or fraction therefore ,shall be provided and maintained .Each
first aid box shall contain suitable appliances and requisites ,in accordance with the nature of
the activities carried on and the appropriate schedule of equipment and each box shall be kept
in a place readily accessible in case of accident .Workers shall be protected against noise .No
worker shall be exposed to sound levels exceeding ninety dB (A) unless such person has been
supplied with ear protectors of a type approved by inspectors ,which reduce the sound –level
reaching the user’s ear to or below the limits allowed for an unprotected ear .

Workers should be well educated and provided with effective trainings .In order to gain
employee –buy in, a strong training program should be contacted .Training is specifically
required in many occupational health and safety standards .Employees can not comply with
the programs if they do not know ,and training is the key to bridging the gap between
regulations on paper and in practice .There is need for induction training to new employees or
contractors to help them become familiar with their working environment and the people
working around them This is supported by occupational safety and health act ,2002 under
section 14 subsection 1.It is also essential for workers to undergo risk related training to
prevent injuries or death when performing hazardous jobs .Written instructions and safe work
procedures should be developed so that they can check for themselves if they are unsure of a
task or have forgotten part of their training .

There is need for supervision of employees to ensure that they are using their training to
perform their job properly and safely as well as per the occupational health and safety laws .It
is very important that workers are instructed when they need to wear personal protective
equipment ,how to wear it properly ,how to inspect it ,how to store and care for it and how to
dispose it properly .Personal Protective Equipment is the equipment workers wear to reduce
the impact to the body when an accident occurs .PPE is not the first line of defense against
hazards in the workplace ,proper health and safety measures need to be put in place before
the PPE is considered .Therefore it is very important to wear applicable PPE to the task at
hand and to look after it properly to prevent injuries or occupational health issues .This is
supported by Factories and Works Act of 1976 ,section 8 ,subsection 3 which states that
employees shall wear the protective clothing or appliances supplied to them in terms of this
section and the occupier or builder ,as the case maybe ,shall take all reasonable steps to
ensure that the protective clothing and appliances are worn or used by such employees .

Demonstrating to employees using real equipment and having them replicate the proper
procedures will be more effective .There is need for constant evaluating the training’s
effectiveness by assessing the employees’ knowledge and observing their work practices .If
there are any gaps then it is a sign that a refresher or retraining might be in order .It is very
important to retrain employees whenever new equipment ,new hazards ,or new tasks are
introduced to the work environment .Therefore proper training is necessary for all
employees ,especially if there is a risk for potential injury associated with a job .

The workplace must be inspected regularly .There is need to make sure employees have the
right tools and regular inspections on all equipments and tools to ensure that they are well
maintained and safe to use .Proper inspection helps to identify and record potential
hazards ,identify hazards that need immediate attention ,determining whether current hazard
controls are effective ,recommending solutions and corrective measures when needed .There
is also need for checking storage areas and review safe work procedures To help the company
to comply to OHS laws we can make use of legal inspectors .This is supported by
occupational safety and health act ,2002 ,section 43 which accounts for initial and periodic
inspections of work equipment .

Also there is need for safeguarding of machinery .Safe guarding machinery is implemented
where machinery may pose a danger to any person .The machinery used must be enclosed
and where the premises must be kept closed and locked .By keeping machinery protected
from employees, and employees protected from machinery, the risks and injuries caused by
dangerous machinery with moving parts can be reduced thereby protecting human
capital .This is supported by occupational safety and health Act ,section 41 which talks about
the use of machines ,work equipment and other devices .

In addition ,the company will engage in toolbox talks which are informal group discussions
that focus on particular safety issues within a working environment .Toolbox talks are
important in the organization as they promote safety awareness ,introduce workers to new
safety rules ,equipment and workplace practices ,help when reviewing new laws or industry
standards and encourage workers to discuss their experiences regarding health and safety
issues .Therefore ,by making everyone aware of the safety laws everyone is more likely to
comply with occupational health and safety laws .

The company should contact committee meetings in our organization. Health and safety
committee enables employers and employees to communicate on matters related to health and
safety by having employer representatives and health and safety representatives meet
regularly and work together to develop policies and procedures to improve work related
health and safety outcomes .

More so , that there is need for occupational health and safety risk assessment and control
measures .A risk assessment is the process where you identify hazards ,analyze or evaluate
the risks of the hazards and determine appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard .A
health and safety risk assessment is one of the most important parts of the occupational health
and safety program ,no company can be compliant to the occupational; health and safety Act
if this is not conducted and monitored on a regular basis .Therefore ,the risk assessment must
be conducted by a risk assessor who is well familiar with his or her job .
The SHE officer should establish a safe operating procedure also known as a safe work
procedure which is a working risk control document that describes the safest and most
efficient ways to perform tasks in our company .It looks at both the employee and also the
quality of the products ,process or service being created .The document generally lists the
associated hazards involved in performing a task ,what risk score according to the applicable
risk matrix ,is associated with the hazards ,what personal protective equipment is required
and the steps involved to complete the activity without incident .The document could be split
up to meet the following : the steps involved ,the hazards involved ,the inherent risk ,the
control measures and the possible residual risk .The safe operating procedure has to be
reviewed annually and all operators must receive training on the applicable safe operating
procedure to perform work safely .This is supported by section 16 of factories and works Act
(Machinery ) Regulations ,1976 ,which prohibits wearing of loose clothing and personal
apparel.

In addition ,the SHE officer can make use of information boards in the company .These
information boards help to keep employees up to date with health and safety news in their
departments and general working environment .By keeping employees more informed about
important changes in the workplace ,the company can reduce the risks of health and safety
hazards and keep workers motivated to keep their workplace and surroundings ,a safe and
health place to be ,as a result they may comply to occupational health and safety laws .

The SHE officer is responsible for documentation of information .According to ISO 45001 of
2017 clause A7.5, it is important to keep the complexity of the documented information at the
minimum level possible to ensure effectiveness ,efficiency and simplicity at the same
time .This should include documented information regarding planning to address legal
requirements and other requirements and on evaluations of the effectiveness of these
actions .So documentation is essential to our organization .

Also ,internal audits should be conducted .The organization shall conduct internal audits at
planned intervals to provide information on whether the occupational health and safety
management systems conforms to :the organization’s own requirements for its OHS
management system ,including the OHS policy and OHS objectives , the requirements of this
document and also that the system is effectively implemented and maintained according to
ISO 450001 :2017 clause 9.2) .This is supported by NSSA Act 1989 section 33 which states
that the authority shall appoint as auditors one or more persons approved by the minister who
are registered as auditors in terms of the Public Accountants and Auditors Act chapter 27:12 .

In addition, a SHE officer is supposed to secure supervisor support .Supervisor buy –in is
another critical piece of employee compliance .As the most frequent and immediate point of
contact with management, supervisors have an enormous impact on how employees perceive
the importance of safety in the workplace .If supervisors send a message that safety does not
matter or do not comply themselves, employees will actually follow suit.

There should be preparation and implementation of the site safety and health plan .The SHE
officer should coordinate all site safety and health activities ,including site
inspections ,accident investigations safety training and hazard abatement .There should be
proper investigation of accidents .To investigate accidents , this may include :interviewing
witnesses ,reviewing security footage and gathering other evidence .The goal is to determine
what happened and why ,so that future accidents can be prevented .Even if the accident does
not result in a serious injury ,incident investigation should be conducted to help determine
why an accident happened so that steps to ensure that it will not recur are taken .

Also the SHE officer, will also work on maintaining records .Records of all first aid
treatment, inspections, incident investigations and training activities .This information can
help in identifying trends in unsafe conditions or work procedures

A SHE officer should make sure that safety signs are set up in the workplace .Use of labels
and signs to show everyone on risky or hazardous places in our workplace .After establishing
these signs, workers should be educated on their meanings and what to do in cases of
emergencies .In addition, there should be implementation of safety protocols from the start.

More to that ,the SHE officer should be responsible for verifying that injury logs and reports
are completed and submitted to the relevant government agencies .This ensures that the
agency has accurate information about the number and types of injuries that have occurred
and can take steps to improve safety in the workplace .

Also the SHE officer should monitor the activities of the permit to work and ensure that it
complies with all applicable laws, regulations and standards .The permit to work should meet
all safety requirements established by the employer and that any safety violations are
corrected.

Also a job hazard analysis should be conducted ,which involves identifying potential dangers
in a workplace and assessing the risks of those hazards .The analysis is then used to
determine how dangerous a task is before an employee begins it ,and how much control that
employee has over their actions .

As KEG it is of great importance to comply with occupational health and safety laws as it has
several key benefits including reduced risks, accidents or injuries by identifying and
mitigating hazards .It also leads to improved efficiency and productivity due to fewer
employees missing work from illness or injury.
REFERENCE

1) Factories and works Act, 1976 .General Regulation .Chapter 14:08

2) ISO 45001, 2017

3) NSSA Act, 1989

4) Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2002