WORK ETHICS

AND SAFETY
IN THE
WORKPLACE

John Oliver
Agenda
• What composes an Organization

• What are some issues a company

face?

• From roadblocks to failure

• Takeaway

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 2

Introduction • Robust organizational culture is the foundation of a
company’s success. This helps them attain their objectives
and hit their goals.

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 3

What composes
an
Organization?
The pillars of a successful organization

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 4

The three “M”s and Company Culture
Manpower – The performer of actions

Cu
ltu
Material – The tools used while performing the actions

re
Manpower

&
Et
Method – The standard practices to be followed in

hi
c
performing actions to reach the

s
GOAL GOAL!
M

l
Culture & Ethics – Company culture is the shared
ri a
et
ho

at e

values, attributes, and characteristics of an

d

organization. This acts as the core binder to ensure that

the 3Ms functions harmoniously.

“In an organization, a failure of one or more of the 3Ms &

Culture, poses an imminent failure for the whole
organization”
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Manpower

Cu
Human capital is one of the key component

ltu
re
Manpower for an organizational to work. Without the

&
Et
proper manpower with the right skill set, the

hi
s c
organization will not prosper and attain its
goals.
GOAL
Imagine this, you are starting at your new
job and the manager asked you to operate
M

l
ri a
an equipment that you barely know?
et
ho

at e
d

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Material

Cu
What do you think you will feel if, your

ltu
re
Manpower manager asked you to climb a light post

&
Et
without proper platform or safety harness?

hi
s c
Having the right materials, tools and
equipment in performing the organization’s
GOAL
activities, members of the organization will
have a hard time performing, thus affecting
M

l
ri a
the desired outcome.
et
ho

at e
d

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 7

Method

Cu
Methods refer to the normal and

ltu
re
Manpower
prescribed ways of doing things

&
Et
hi
various operations are performed

s c
according to certain systems and
procedures.
GOAL
M

l
ri a
et
ho

at e
d

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 8

Organizational Culture and Ethics

Cu
Company’s culture and ethics is what binds

ltu
re
Manpower the three foundations of an organization.

&
Et
hi
s c
It refers to the attitudes and behaviors of a
company and its employees. It is evident in
the way an organization's people interact
GOAL
with each other, the values they hold, and
the decisions they make.
M

l
ri a
et
ho

at e
d

Company culture encompasses a variety of

M

elements, including work environment,

company mission, leadership style,
values, ethics, expectations, and goals
Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 9
What is work ethics and safety in the workplace?

Ethics are about doing the right thing, not about not doing the wrong thing, “safety
management systems approach” in the workplace, that is, recognizing the unsafe acts,
unsafe conditions and accidents are all symptoms of problems in the organizational
management system.

What are the 5 most important work ethics?

1.Integrity. One of the most important workplace ethics is integrity. ...

2.Honesty. Being an honest individual means you do not deceive others
by giving out misleading information. ...
3.Discipline. ...
4.Fair and respect. ...
5.Responsible and accountable.

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 10

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 11
Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 12
What are some
issues a company
face?
Recipes for organizational failure

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Recipes for Failure
Common Recipes for Failure Manpower Materials Method Culture
Poor management / Incompetent Managers  
Improper work procedure 
Unsafe work conditions  
Inhumane treatment to people  
No proper tools and equipment in performing tasks  
Untrained staff performing the tasks   
Poor performance of staff   
Poor drive for continuous improvement   
Increased customer complaints   

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 BASIC WORK
ACCIDENT CAUSES

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 Accident are usually complex. An accident may
have 10 or more events that can be causes. A
detailed analysis of an accident will normally
reveal three cause level:

1. BASIC CAUSES
2. INDIRECT CAUSES
3. DIRECT CAUSES

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 At the lowest level, an accident results only when
a person or object receives an amount of energy
or hazardous material that cannot be absorbed
safely. This energy or hazardous material is the
DIRECT CAUSE of the accident. The direct cause
is usually the result of one or more unsafe acts or
unsafe conditions or both.

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 The unsafe acts and conditions are the INDIRECT
CAUSES.

Indirect causes are usually traceable to poor

management policies and decisions, or to personal or
environmental factors. These are the BASIC CAUSES

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 BASIC CAUSES

The “Basic Cause” of an incident is a cause that, when

corrected, would result in long-term prevention of similar
incidents

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From roadblocks to
failure, the road to a
tragic event
What happened on March 18, 1996?

Thursday, March 10, 2022 Organizational Culture 20

Ozone Disco Club fire
On March 18, 1996, a four-hour blaze gutted
Ozone Disco Club on Timog Avenue in Quezon
City, killing at least 160 people and injuring
around 90 others, most of them students
celebrating the end of the school year.

The fire started at the disc jockey’s booth and

immediately engulfed the establishment. Ozone
Disco Club was described a “firetrap” because it
lacked exit routes, fire extinguishers and
warning devices.

Inquirer.net

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Ozone Disco Club fire
The fire broke out just before midnight on March 18, 1996. At the time of the fire, it was
estimated that there were around 350 patrons and 40 club employees inside Ozone Disco,
though it had been approved for occupancy for only 35 people. Most of the club guests were
high school and college students attending graduation or end-of-the-school-year celebrations.
Survivors reported seeing sparks flying inside the disc jockey's booth shortly before midnight,
followed by smoke which they thought was part of the DJ's party plan. Another survivor
added that after about 15 seconds of smoke, the electrical systems of the disco shut down;
flames quickly became visible.

Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up
waist-high. Quezon City officials were quoted as saying that the club's emergency exit was
blocked by a new building next door, and that there was no proper fire exit installed. It was
also reported that the exit had been locked from the outside by the club's security guards, who
had thought that a riot had taken place.

Associated Press
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What went wrong?
Common Recipes for Failure Manpower Materials Method Culture
350 patrons and 40 club employees inside Ozone Disco, though

it had been approved for occupancy for only 35 people
Smoke which party-goers thought was part of the DJ's party

plan
Emergency exit was blocked by a new building next door, and
 
that there was no proper fire exit installed
The exit had been locked from the outside by the club's security
 
guards, who had thought that a riot had taken place
Mis-declaration of club operators to the Municipal fire safety
  
department

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From roadblocks to failure,
violations against collective
bargaining agreement
SHELL OIL WORKERS’ UNION vs.
SHELL COMPANY OF THE
PHILIPPINES, LTD
May 31, 1971

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Workers’ Union vs Shell Philippines

Shell Company of the Philippines dissolved its security

guard section stationed at its Pandacan Installation,
notwithstanding its (guard section) continuance and that
such is assured by an existing collective bargaining
contract.

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Workers’ Union vs Shell Philippines
Shell Company of the Philippines dissolved its security guard section stationed at its
Pandacan Installation, notwithstanding its (guard section) continuance and that such is
assured by an existing collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA includes provision
that the Security Guard Section will remain.

Shell transferred 18 security guards to its other department and consequently hired a private
security agency to undertake the work of said security guards. This resulted in a strike called
by Shell Oil Workers’ Union.

The strike resulted to disruption of business, expensive and long legal battle which affected
most of the employees involved as well as the company reputation.

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What went wrong?
Common Recipes for Failure Manpower Materials Method Culture
Violation of the collective bargaining agreement  
Unfair Labor Practice   

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Takeaway In an organization, a failure of one or more of the 3Ms &
Culture, poses an imminent failure for the whole
organization

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Thank You
John Oliver

johnericoliver@gmail.com

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