Employee Safety, Security, and Health

Strategic Importance of Workplace Safety

and Health
Benefits of a Safe and Healthy Workforce:
 Higher productivity
 Increased efficiency and quality
 Reduced medical and insurance costs
 Lower workers’ compensation rates and payments
 Improved reputation as an employer of choice
Consequences of an Unsafe and Unhealthy
Work Environment
 Injury and Disease  Mental Health
 Back injuries are most  Psychological symptoms
prevalent can affect productivity
 Exposure to Chemicals and life away from work
 Undetected effects, possible  Deaths and Violence
long-term risk
 Economic Costs
Workplace Safety and Health in an Integrated HRM System
 Workplace Safety and Health Hazards

Occupational Accidents
 Organizational Qualities
 Factors most affecting workplace accidents:
 Working conditions and times
 Tools and technology available to do the job

 Individual Qualities: The Unsafe Employee

 Characteristics that make people more susceptible to accidents:
 Emotionally “low”
 Stressed
 Violent Employees
 Homicide is leading cause of  Signs of potential violence:
workplace deaths after highway  Verbal threats
accidents  Physical Actions
 Intimidation
 Show weapons
 Try to gain access
 Frustration
 mania
 Occupational Diseases

Disease-Causing Hazards:
 Arsenic, asbestos, benzene, bichloromethylether
 Coal dust, coke-oven emissions, cotton dust
 Lead, radiation, vinyl chloride
Workers most likely to be exposed:
 Chemical and oil refinery workers, miners, textile workers
 Steelworkers, lead smelters
 Medical technicians, painters, shoemakers, plastics industry workers
 Diseases Linked to Workplace Hazards

Cancer
Lung Disease
Leukemia
Bronchitis
Central nervous system damage
Reproductive Disorders
Skin Diseases
 Accident Prevention

Design a safe work environment

 Guards, handrails
 Safety goggles, helmets
 Warning lights
 Self-correcting mechanisms
 Automatic shutoffs
Ergonomics
 Change job environment to match
capabilities limitations of employees
 Accident Prevention (cont’d)

Health and Safety Committees

 At the department level, do implementation and administration
 At the organization level, formulate policies
Behavior Modification
 Small percentage of workforce responsible for majority of health insurance claims
 Measure, communicate, monitor, and reinforce desired behavior
Assessing Intervention Effectiveness
 Disease Prevention

Reducing the Incidence of Diseases

 Record keeping
 Monitoring exposure
 Genetic screening
 Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970

Mission of OSHA
 To assure the safety and health of workers by setting and enforcing
standards
 providing training and education
 establishing partnerships with businesses
 encouraging continual improvements in workplace safety and health
 Coverage of employees—all nongovernmental employers and
employees; state and local government employees
 Provisions of OSHA

OSHA Standards
 Apply to general industry, maritime, construction, and agriculture
 Cover the workplace, machinery and equipment, material, power sources, processing,
protective clothing, first aid, and administrative requirements.
Enforcement of the Act
 The Secretary of Labor is authorized by the Act to conduct workplace inspections, to
issue citations, and to impose penalties on employers.
 Inspections are conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the
Department of Labor.
 Creating a Safe Work Environment

Safety Motivation Safety Awareness

and Knowledge Programs

Elements in Creating a
Safe Work Environment

Accident
Enforcement of
Investigations
Safety Rules
and Records
 Creating a Safe Work Environment (cont’d)

Promoting Safety Awareness

 The Key Role of the Supervisor
 Communicating the need to work safely.
 Proactive Safety Training Program
 First aid, defensive driving, accident prevention techniques, hazardous materials, and
emergency procedures.
 Information Technology and Safety Awareness and Training
 Creating a Safe Work Environment (cont’d)

Typical Safety Rules

 Using proper safety devices
 Using proper work procedures
 Following good housekeeping practices
 Complying with accident- and injury-reporting procedures
 Wearing required safety clothing and equipment
 Avoiding carelessness and horseplay
 Creating a Healthy Work Environment

Recognizing and Controlling Health Hazards Related to Hazardous

Materials and Processes
 Use substitutes for hazardous materials.
 Alter hazardous processes and engineering controls.
 Enclose or isolate hazardous processes.
 Issue clothing to protect against hazards.
 Improve ventilation.
 Workplace Violence

Reducing Violence in the Workplace

 Commitment to prevent violence
 Identify areas of potential violence
 Develop violence prevention policies
 Provide violence prevention training
 Evaluate program effectiveness
 Building Better Health

Alternative
Wellness Programs
Approaches

Health Services Focus on Nutrition

 Employee Health
 Cleanliness ( sewerage and sanitation)
 Air ventilation and temperature (maximum 25 – 30 degree Celsius)
Cross ventilation, required no of fans and exhaust fans
Thermometer kept in visible place
 Dust Sucker, Mask
 Lighting
 Safe drinking water
Minimum 4 ltr per day

Min 6 mtr away from toilets

Water cooler ( 250 employees and more)

3 ltr saline water if needed

Toilets
one / 25 (female) up to first 500
one / 40 (male) up to first 500
 Employee Safety

Safety of building equipment and other infrastructure

Fire fighting and safety ( emergency door, 2 per room,
emergency staircase)
Fire fighting equipment
Safety against electrical wearing and connections
Well serviced Cranes, Lifts, Turbines etc.
Q/A