Carpe Diem School of Engineering

SAFETY HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

CHAPTER 1: STAKE HOLDERS TOWARDS SAFETY AND HEALTH

Introduction

Safety and health is an important subject in the field of Engineering. Knowledge of it or lack

of it might determine life and death of a person. It is important to study safety and health since

the field of engineering involves some dangerous activities.

Stakeholders in Safety and Health

Stakeholder : A person with an interest or concern in something, especially a business.

In the Safety and Health industry there are three major stakeholders in Zimbabwe:

a) The Employer

The employer is a person or company that provides a job paying wages or a salary to one or

more people. The employer is responsible for the safety of the employees . According to the

law he is legally responsible for all the decisions made by the employees and to reduce his

reputational risk it is important that he keeps his workers safe.

The roles of the employer are as follows :

1. Create safe working environment

Employers should provide such supervision as will ensure that workers perform their work

with due regard to their safety and health. Working in construction is an inherently hazardous

activity, with a high risk of accidents on-site, as well as increasingly complex health and safety

risks and hazards off-site. This is why knowing the best ways to prevent construction site

hazards will put you and your building sites in the optimal position to continue to attract the

best workers.
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2. Provide appropriate PPC/E

Employers should, therefore, provide appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and

training in its usage to their employees wherever there is a risk to health and safety that cannot

be adequately controlled by other means. In order to provide PPE for their employees,

employers must do more than simply have the equipment on the premises. The employees must

have the equipment readily available, or at the very least have clear instructions on where they

can obtain it.

3. Enforce safety and health regulations

Creating a health and safety policy to make all staff aware of the relevant procedures is a legal

requirement for all businesses. The policy should be documented if there are more than five

employees, cover all health and safety procedures in the workplace, including fire safety and

first aid, and be readily accessible by your employees, on-site contractors and other interested

parties.The policy should also detail how you manage workplace health and safety, such as risk

assessment details, evacuation plans, staff training and consultation. The policy should also

include the names of anyone with specific health and safety duties, for example, first aiders or

fire wardens.

4. Avail necessary tools to promote safety and health at work

Employers should provide workers the specific tools, equipment, supplies, and technology

needed for performing the required tasks. There are hazards associated with each task on a

site should be eliminated or substituted . One of the methods is by introducing good

technology necessary for the safety of the people on site.

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b) The Employee

A person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level.

1. Follow safe work practices at all times

It is good for the employee to ensure that they follow the procedures for their own good.

This will ensure preservation of their life and minimum injury . Furthermore it will

strengthen their case should they need compensation.

2. Obey safety regulations

The employee is also duty bound to co-operate with the employer where the NSSA Act

imposes a duty or requirement to be performed or complied with. Workers are legally

bound to comply with the prescriptions of the NSSA Act. Employees should always

carry out and obey lawful orders and obey the health and safety rules and procedures

laid down by the employer.

3. Maintain clean working environment

The cleanliness of an environment can influence employee productivity, performance,

and well-being. No one feels motivated in an unclean environment, making it essential

to help keep staff morale and productivity levels high. It helps to keep staff safe, healthy,

and efficient. Given the nature of the environment , it is essential that one mantains a

clean environment since a dirty environment can breed diseases or spread of diseases.

4. Observe personal hygiene

Everyone should maintain personal hygiene at work. It’s professional, considerate, and

often a necessary element of your working environment. However, employees can

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make working life uncomfortable for others with poor personal hygiene.

5. Get authority to operate any machinery

Employers should consider how their workers use machinery, and have adequate

maintenance arrangements in place to ensure it remains safe to use. Machinery is very

sensitive and hence it needs only competent people to be operating it.

c) The Government

1. Formulate safety and health legislation

The duty of the government is to protect the workforce from harm and from

manipulative contracts and dangerous work environments. Occupational health and

safety laws that are applicable to all employers and employees across sectors are

enshrined within the Labour Act, Chapter 28.01, and the National Social Security

Authority's Accident Prevention Workers Compensation Scheme Notice No. 68 of

1990.

2. Enforce compliance to legislation

After legislation has been passed, the government ensures that the organisations

follow the laws. If there is anyone violating the stipulated the relevant penalties

should be faced.

3. Carry out safety audits

A safety audit is a structured process that is used to collect information related to a

company's efficiency, effectiveness, reliability, and safety. An auditor will observe

the processes, work environment, the condition of equipment, and other details to

gauge these qualities. The government carries out the safety audits so as to ensure

the safety of all who are working on construction sites .

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4. Investigate occupational accidents

The main reason to perform an incident investigation is to discover the root cause of the

accident or near-miss. The root cause may be inadequate construction. This is a way for

the justice system to prevail without partiality or favouritism.