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Understanding How Duty Of Care Impacts On Occupational Health And Safety

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Summary Understanding how duty of care impacts on occupational health and safety policies is a crucial element in workplace policy development. Duty of care is not generally defined in legislation and is evolutionary as it adapts with the change of society. The reader needs to understand this when introduced to duty of care. Employees should understand how and the scope of the duty of care as it applies to them, as demonstrated in the examples included in this report. It is also important to communicate to all staff how, when implemented correctly, duty of care benefits not just the employer, but also the worker alike. In conclusion everyone from the organisation itself right down to the entry-level employees has a duty of care to some…show more content…
In conclusion, the findings will then be summarised and recommendations will be stated. Occupational health and safety and its role in the workplace Occupational Health and safety can also be referred to as Workplace Health and Safety, which is applicable within all Australian jurisdictions. Employers have a duty to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, both the health and safety of their employees and others within the workplace (Mann and Blunden, 2010). It is mandatory for organisations to manage and reduce workplace hazards and risks to ensure the safety of all workers. Workplace hazards are potentially a source of harm or conflicting health effects on a person (Hsa.ie, 2015). Workplace risks are the probability that a person may possibly be harmed or suffers conflicting health effects if exposed to a hazard (Hsa.ie, 2015). The table below will provide some examples of workplace hazards and risks. HAZARD RISK IMPACT Electricity Shock, Electrocution Injury or Death -Economic & Social Wet Floors Slip, Fall Injury or Death -Economic & Social Chemicals Burn, Inhalation Injury or Death -Economic & Social Sharp Objects Cut, Stab Injury or Death -Economic & Social Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requires organisations to manage accident risk
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