Human Resource ManagementUST Graduate School, 2011

Paul N. Jacob

The goal of all Occupational Health and Safety programs

is to foster a safe work environment

Occupational Health and Safety ( OHS)

Is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, Health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment

The Employer’s duty of care in practice :All employer’s, whatever the size of the business, must :

• Make the work place safe

• Prevent risk to health

•Ensure that plant and machinery is safe to use, and that safe working practices are set up and followed

• Make sure that all materials are handled, stored and used safely

•Provide adequate first aid facilities

• Tell you about any potential hazards from the work you do, chemicals and other substances used by the firm, and give you information, instructions, training and supervision as needed

•Set up emergency plans

•Make sure that ventilation, temperature, lighting, and toilet, washing and rest facilities all meet health, safety and welfare requirements

• Check that the right equipment is provided and is properly used and regularly maintained

• Prevent or control exposure to substances that may damage health

• Take precautions against the risks caused by flammable or explosive hazards, electrical equipment, noise and radiation

• Avoid potentially dangerous work involving manual handling and if it can't be avoided, take precautions to reduce the risk of injury

• Provide health supervision as needed

• Provide protective clothing or equipment free of charge if risks can't be removed or adequately controlled by any other means

• Ensure that the right warning signs are provided and looked after

• Report certain accidents, injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to either the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the local authority, depending on the type of business

Employee’s Health and Safety Benefits:

• To be provided, free of charge, with any personal protective and safety equipment

• To stop work and leave the work area, without being disciplined due to reasonable concerns about safety

• To tell employer about any health and safety concerns

• To have time off from work during the working week

Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE )

Tower Erection

Safety fence for all Greenfield site constructions in urban areas (e.g. villages) as shown in the photo below

1. Individual Responsibility

2. Joint Occupational health and safety committee

3. Health and Safety Rules

4. Correct Work Procedures

5. Employee Orientation

6. Emergency procedures

7. Medical and first aid

8. Health and safety promotion

9. Workplace specific items

10. Implementation

11. Evaluation

Basic elements of health and safety programs

Microsoft Office Word 97 - 2003 Document

Adobe Acrobat Document Microsoft Office

Excel 97-2003 Worksheet

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 97-2003 Pres

SMALL MEDIUM LARGE TOTAL %Accidents 20 33 51 100 30%Low Productivity

22 33 35 90 27%

Absenteeism 33 25 27 85 26%Wastage 10 14 30 54 16%Tardiness 20 11 16 47 14%High Defects 7 6 18 31 9%Deaths 3 6 16 25 8%

Consequences of not Implementing Health and Safety Measures by size of Companies

Microsoft Office PowerPoint Presentation

Accident Causation Model

Sample Action plan :

Microsoft Office Excel 97-2003 Worksheet

Sample Accident :

Microsoft Office Excel 97-2003 Worksheet

Task

Personal

Environment

Material

Management

Most Common Causes of Accidents in the Work place :

1. Poor housekeeping 9. Improper planning of work 2. Defective equipment and

tools 10.Disobeying regulations or procedures

3. Unauthorized use of machines or equipment

11. Operating machines at unsafe speed

4. Inadequately guarded machines

12. Failure to use suitable protective equipment

5. Improper lighting 13. Operating machines without necessary training

6. Improper mental attitude on the job

14. Inattention while operating machines or while at work

7. Unsafe wearing apparel 15. Not in proper physical or mental condition while at work

8. Using unsafe tools or equipment

16. Improper placement of workers

Accident Prevention

Accident prevention comes down to two basic activities :

1 . Reducing unsafe conditions

Means eliminating the potential physical hazards in the workplace

1. Unguarded or improperly machines (such as an unguarded belt) 2. Poor housekeeping 3. Defective equipment and tools 4. Poor lighting 5. Poor or improper ventilation 6. Improper dress ( such as wearing clothes with loose floppy sleeves

when working on a machine that has rotating parts) 7. Sharp edges

Examples of unsafe work conditions :

2. Reducing unsafe acts through various means (Dessler, 2000)

1. Careful selection and placement of employees 2. Posters and other propaganda materials 3. Trainings 4. Incentive programs and positive reinforcement 5. Top management commitment 6. Emphasis on safety 7. Establishment of a safety policy 8. Setting specific loss control goals 9. Conducting safety and health inspections 10. Monitoring work overload and stress

Unsafe acts maybe reduced through various means:

References :

Human Resources Management (Dr. Roque & Dr. Edralin, 2005)

NSN NI OHSE

Wikipedia; http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/HealthAndSafetyAtWork/DG_4016683