Organizational Safety Program Safety in the workplace has become a major focus on many organizations due to many accidents and deaths. When employees enter their place of work they expect to work in a safe environment in which they can work with our anything to worry about. As it is known that some workplaces are safer than others. Workplace safety is a priority in for most workplaces that is why employers care about employee’s safety. Workplace safety is a kind of management responsibility in places of employment that includes health and safety of workers. In order to provide workers with safety and health, managers focus on safety that can include such elements as: management leadership and obligation; worker involving accountability; ensuring the work is carried out safely and effectively; different safety plans, programs and policies, processes, procedures, and practices; safety inspections for workplace hazards; safety goals, objectives and program audits; safety tracking and metrics; identification of hazards and control; safety education, training and communications. Talking about workplace safety, it is necessary to mention health and safety hazards. According to definition of Rajagopal J., “a ‘hazard’ is something that in itself may cause harm or injury.” (Rajagopal, 2009).Workplace hazards include moving parts of machinery, flammable or toxic substances and lifting heavy things. Also hazards can be included in slippery floors, electric energy, working at heights
Employers, managers and supervisors should all ensure that workplace practices reflect the risk assessment and safety statement. Behavior, the way in which everyone works, must reflect the safe working practices laid down in these documents. Supervisory checks and audits should be carried out to determine how well the aims set down are being achieved. Corrective action should be taken when required. Additionally, if a workplace is provided for use by others. The safety statement must also set out the safe work practices that are relevant to them. Hence, it is
Employers have an obligation to provide safe working conditions. Workplace safety and risk management specialists from the HR area manage compliance with U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations through maintaining accurate work logs and records, and developing programs that reduce the number of workplace injuries and fatalities. Workplace safety specialists also engage employees in promoting awareness and safe handling of dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals.
Training should be given in such a way that hazardous situations can be avoided. For example: Lengthening of working day, removal of taking screening breaks etc for meeting deadlines should be avoided. You must ensure that the significant hazards are identified, and that the actual working practices are addressed and if need be, changed so as to reduce any risk. This is both the responsibility of the employer and employee, for example it is the employees responsibility to familiarise themselves with the hazards and risks in their workplace.
Also to avoid dangerous moving and handling, the employees then have the responsibility of making sure they use all equipment as they have been trained to do so, follow all health and safety working practices within their workplace, avoid putting themselves, other staff, individuals or visitors at risk, and making sure they report any hazards or risks to their employer.
It is important to recognise the different responsibilities and approaches of a member of staff, the employer and others in the work setting. For example the employer is responsible to provide PPE and relevant health and safety training free of charge. It is then the responsibility of a staff member to use the PPE and to attend the training. So although the responsibilities are different they are also related and both need to work in order to ensure a high standard of health and safety. The employer provides as safe working environment, however if an accident or incident occurs it requires the efforts of both staff and sometimes others to report this to ensure measures are put into place to reduce any risk associated with the incident or accident. Another example of how health and safety has a linked responsibility can be shown through a member of staff ensuring they provide the relevant fire safety information/instructions to others. It is then the responsibility for others to follow these instructions.
Also employers should provide up to date courses on health and safety to ensure that staff know how to keep themselves and others safe in the workplace and any outside visitors or customers that come in and to be able to co-operate with their employers. Also make sure they are following safety rules like using equipment safely, ensuring materials used are properly stored, handled, used and transported, to provide a safe working environment for employers, to provide a written safety policy/risk assessment, also staff should know what to do in case of an accident occurring at work or how to report any safety risks.
Health & Safety At Work Etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA)Employers have a general duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of all employees so far as is reasonably practicable.Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999Employers have a legal duty to carry out risk assessments as the first step in ensuring a safe and healthy workplace. * A written record must be kept if there are 5 or more employees. * Preventive and protective measures must be
The human resources process has to accompany both the employee and employer in regard to safety issues. An employee wants the assurance of safe and healthy working conditions; anything less exposes danger to their own wellbeing. In addition employees must take heed to precautions design by the organization. However an employer wants to avoid expenditures in overhead by cutting cost or corners often putting their employees at harmful risk. In addition, organizations also have a lawful obligation in which they have to provide a safe workplace by preventing accidents, hazards, serious injuries or accident-related deaths. Negligence on either behalf can result in determination, fines, citations, work-related
Safety is very important and should not be overlooked because ignoring it can cost you in the long run. It is vital to plan and test the safety procedures that are to be used in a new structure. Safety should always be a priority in the work area. You should always have a plan in place in case something was to happen unexpectedly. The Safety Plan should follow the rules that are set down by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). OSHA is the government organization that regulates the issues surrounding workplace safety. All workers should be familiar with all regulations prior to beginning a new job. Each company has their own safety guidelines to follow so
The health and safety at work Act shows that the workplace is fully responsible for providing training and information about health safety and security, a safe work environment (which includes equipment). In order to provide all these responsibilities the workplace needs to develop health and safety procedures such as fire evacuation procedures, train their employers to follow health and safety and use safe equipment, carry out through
Accordingly, they found 48 employer safety obligations (e.g., provide personal protective equipment, reward safe working behaviour, and investigates hazards and risks), and 36 employee safety obligation items such as use work equipment properly, report safety incident, and follow safety rules.. However, even though they did not use psychometrically validated measurement, those obligation items can be used in the measuring physical psychological safety. Thus, physical risk psychological safety items will be derived from this measurement.
This responsibility motivates the HR department and managers to implement stringent policies to prevent work-related injuries to avoid paying for higher workers’ compensation insurance. Moreover, it inspires the company to promote safety by organizing a safety committee to address hazards in the workplace to prevent injuries or deaths. The committee solicits employee suggestions and participation to increase compliance to company policies. It also develops various safety programs to promote employee wellness to improve their quality of life (Gomez-Mejia, et al, 2010).
Having a safety professional within the organization assist with the development of a health and safety protection plan, used by the organization, to create safety measures in conformity to standard guidelines OSHA. The criticality of strong safety leadership within an organization creates a circle for safety minimizing the possibilities of losses through health programs. This is to mean that when safety leadership is strong within the organization, output of staffs increases because they realize that their lives are held at high esteem. Subsequently, this leads to efficiency in their practice through the understanding created by the safety leader. Through this discussion, the focus will be on the advantages, of having a strongly, led safety department within an organization, and how it helps in the setting up of health programs to reduce losses.
Employers must provide a safe working environment and equipment / uniform / signs to ensure the employees are as safe as they can be. Customers are also provided with a safe store to shop in and measures are put in place to ensure everyone’s safety in kept in tact
It is important it have a written work Health and Safety Policy for the organizations and businesses which have management systems. The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 addresses Major Hazard Facilities in Regulation 558 and Schedule 17(1.2) and requires that the Safety Management System includes a Safety Policy, including the operator’s broad aims in relation to the safe operation of the major hazard facility, and that the safety policy must include and express commitment to ongoing improvement of all aspects of the safety management system. A Work Health and Safety Policy is an explicit statement of business commitment to work health and safety. It will include a statement outlining the importance which is placed on work health and safety and how it is to be implemented.