Workplace Occupational Health And Safety

In Canada, there are fourteen jurisdictions who each have their own occupational health and safety legislations; one federal, ten provincial, and three territorials. Under the Canada Labour Code, employees have the right to be informed on training, potential hazards, and be provided with necessary supervision. This code also

Discuss in Detail the origins, responsibilities, requirements on the part of employers, etc. with reference to the Occupational Sefety and Health Administration (OSHA)

The Canada Labour Code is a comprehensive set of laws covering various labour issues such as industrial and union relations, employment standards, and workplace health and safety. The code however, only applies to industries that are under federal governmental jurisdiction – such as banks, airports, broadcasting, telecommunications, transportation, and navigation. Part II of the code identifies specific roles for employers and employees to recognize, resolve, and prevent any work-related hazards and safety issues. The code gives employees several rights to ensure their safety including the right to be informed of any foreseeable hazards, the right to correct any health and safety concerns,

Workplace safety is a major issue faced by nurses in healthcare settings. It is said that, hospitals are hazardous workplaces; unsafe workplaces are dangerous for the patients too. Today, many nurses are suffering hospital violence, heavy workloads causing serious injuries, contracting diseases caused by exposures to certain diseases, antineoplastics, and certain health care toxins, that workers bring home to their families. This in turn leads to acute staff shortages. Ample supply of nurses is very important in providing safe and timely care to the patient population. Maintaining a healthy workplace will enable the healthcare systems to control costs associated with healthcare management as well as enhancing the productivity of nurses in health care. It is estimated that creating a healthy environment in the workplace not only benefit nurses, but also benefits patients and other members of the health care team. This report explains some of the safety issues existing in health care, which directly or indirectly affects nurses as well as the health of the Canadian population.

Workers are protected under the Workplace Health and Safety Act. This act states that all workers have the right to know about the hazards they are working with. This includes what the specific dangers of the task or object(s) are, and what precautions must be taken to prevent any injuries from happening while working with them. Secondly, all workers have the right to participate. They are allowed to participate in any health and safety activities, meetings, and/or plans. Additionally, workers can refuse to work if they believe their task could in any way harm themselves or others. The Vice President of Health and Safety (the supervisor) will then have to investigate the problem and will have to come up with a solution to avoid the potential

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), often referred to as the "OSH Act," was enacted in 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon. Its purpose is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for men and women (EPA, 2006). The Act is administered and enforced at the national level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the US Department of Labor. The application of the OSH Act in the current employment climate will be discussed as it applies to a variety of industries; considerations that are most applicable to the specific type of industry will be discussed initially, and those that are equally important regardless of the type of business will complete the section. Finally, this paper will discuss how the

The health and Safety at work act is the law of health and safety during work times at work. This is normally to do with dangerous equipment and all types of equipment the health and safety law act. This act is to ensure the safety of workers and this is so they do not get injured during work because of the businesses equipment or due to the businesses work that they are making the workers do also the health and safety act is also for the customers, suppliers and anyone who goes to the business site. To take action with the law the businesses do training and they carry out some assessments to see if the worker knows what to do in the situation where there is a slippery floor and there is no sign the worker should know and they should put the

Despite undeniable efforts investing in safety and health within the workplace, occupational accidents continue to account for injuries and deaths every year (Cadieux et al, 2006). In Quebec alone in the year of 2004, 176 deaths and 128,104 occupational injuries were registered by the National OHS board (Cadieux et al, 2006). In order to improve these rates worldwide, Occupational Health and Safety Management systems are developed and implemented in the workplace.

The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Code and Alpine Construction Policies both indicate that the employer is responsible for the identification, assessment, elimination or control of hazards in the workplace. Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control is critical to the success and effectiveness of any OH&S program. This program specifies requirements for the elimination of OH&S hazards and for the control of risk associated with the remaining hazards that cannot be eliminated.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) is a minimum standard, outlining the rights and responsibilities of the workplace parties. The OHSA in conjunction with the Industrial Establishments Regulations provide requirements for reporting workplace accidents that result in fatalities and critical injuries, occupational illnesses, and disabling injuries (Workplace Safety and Prevention Services, 2011). The OHSA covers workers in most workplaces in Ontario. There are however some exceptions with regards to private residences, specific farming operations, teachers and self-employed persons. These exceptions are covered under subsections 3(1), 3(2), 3(3)(a), 3(3)(b) and 4 of the OHSA (Is my job covered? (n.d.)).

Our Health Our Future: Creating Quality Workplace for Canadian Nurses (Maslove and Fooks, 2004). Safe working environment plays a vital role in the ability for providing quality nursing care. So, workplace safety is a main issue for discussion in every occupation particularly in nursing profession in health care setting since nurses are an integral part of public health. Violence against nurses causes hamper in achieving personal, professional as well as organizational goal. According to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) “workplace violence is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment”. Similarly, Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) defines ‘Workplace

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 - or HASAWA, provides the basis for all health and safety regulations in any workplace. Whilst those regulations may relate to a range of health and safety

The Health and Safety at Work Act (HSAWA) is the law set by the government to ensure that employers provide a safe place for the persons that come into contact with the workplace. Within this act they also impose the duty of the employee to comply with the rules the management have set out for their safety and do not behave in a way that could cause any harm on themselves or others. The Health and Safety at Work act also allows the government to make further laws known as regulations which detail different factors within the business that

Occupational health and safety (OHS) in the workplace requires an effective systematic approach with strategies to control and monitor OHS risks and which is consistent with relevant OHS legislative requirements.

Health and Safety Regulations aim to improve safety in workplaces, making employers and employees equally responsible for ensuring that they protect themselves and others from accident and injury. The regulations refer to such things as clean kitchens, safety guards on machinery etc., If an employee is injured at work because of breaches of these rules then compensation can be awarded. Most health and safety legislation places place the responsibility of health and safety on the employers. The responsibilities may however be delegated to other competent persons such as fire warders, first aiders and care takers but the employer still