The Practices and Principles Related to Health Disaster - Research Paper Example

Occupational health and safety law Table of contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………. 3-4 Summary findings …………………………………………………………………………… 4-9 Proactive strategies ………………………………………………………………………….. 9 Performance indicators …………………………………………………………………… 9-10 Legislative summary table………………………………………………………………… 10-11 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………….11 Reference ……………………………………………………………………………………11-12 Introduction Auspiciously, main disasters that affect health in an organization are not common. But in case of an occurrence, the impacts can be overwhelming to mortality and morbidity aspects. Following the provision, it is vital to reduce the effects of entire disasters’ aspects in case of occurrence. Health disaster deals with the collaborative and study application of different health subjects to preparedness for, prevention of, recovery from and response to problems of health emanating from disasters. It handles a variety of skills needed to broadly approach disasters in a health point of view. This report, therefore, gives an outline of the practices and principles related to health disaster. It is aimed at helping those individuals interested in understanding health disaster in an organization. It provides a base from where education and further studies can be developed (Norton, et al, 2011) The report is structured into five major sections. The first section provides a findings summary for identified manual task of non-compliant hazardous. It explains why the task is found as being non- compliant with the use of evidenced information. It demonstrates area of research through including guidance materials, relevant legislation and specified section. The second section deals with proactive strategies. It describes strategies that lead to future achievement of compliance. It also provides evidenced based details that support and explain the plan and shows how compliance would be arrived at compliance with related legislation through regulations, use of acts, standards, or practice codes. Third section, deals with performance indicators. It illustrates two indicators of performance used in measuring the satisfaction of proactive strategies. Section four is the legislative summary table. The table provides a summary of details with other related guidance materials and health legislation and occupational safety that are important during research of manual tasks that are hazardous. It also provides at least two local, two international and two national resources. The last section is the conclusion. It summarizes the entire report. Summary of findings A manual task that is hazardous is defined as a task which necessitates an individual to lower, carry, pull, push or move, restrain or hold any individual, thing or animal involved in the below mentioned: sudden or high force, sustained or repetitive force, repetitive movement, vibration exposure, awkward or sustained posture. The factors mentioned above can lead to direct stress or injury of the body. According to Regulation 60 of the Code, a person conducting or undertaking any business must manage the risks to health and safety arising from these tasks. She/he should consider: 1. Systems that are used in the company. Systems of work, or the way work is organised, can influence the physical and mental demands that a manual task places on an employee. 2. Period of time that the task will take and its frequency. 3. Postures and movements relating to the tasks. 4. Environmental conditions at the place of work. This involves places of high or cold temperatures and also windy areas it also entails slippery floors at the work places. 5. Nature, weight and size and the number of people or merchandise involved.Loads can be a source of risk due to the amount of muscular effort needed to handle them. They require a lot of effort and force for them to be handled and this may result to strain which is harmful to the body. A risk assessment should be conducted in detail to identify which movements, postures and forces are carried and increase the risk of hazards. The main purpose of this study is to identify hazardous manual and how to control them. Secondly, the report aims at discovering compliant and non-compliant hazardous manual tasks used by companies. Identification of hazardous manual is done through three of the following ways; 1. Observation of employees at their place of work. This involveslooking at how people actually work and focussing on their postures and movements. A manual task is hazardous if it involves any of the following characteristics as described in Section 2.2 of the Code; repetitive or sustained force, high or sudden force, repetitive movement sustained and/or awkward posture and exposure to vibration. 2. Reviewing of hazard reports from injured employees.Records of workplace injuries and incidents, inspection reports should be reviewed to help identify which manual tasks may have caused harm. However, not all hazardous manual tasks will be associated with reported incidents, therefore it is important to gather additional information. 3. Consulting with employees involved in accomplishing these tasks. This will provide crucial information because workers are able to report any discomfort for instant muscular pains and aches encountered at the place of work, these are signals of potential hazard tasks. Workers should identify very tiring tasks, awkward or dangerous tasks, those tasks that are too difficult to do and those that cause discomfort. The report will be structured in a way that; first, it identifies the hazardous manual tasks and the risks involved. It then focuses on identifying compliant and non-compliant hazardous manual tasks, and the strategies to be used to ensure future compliance of the hazardous manual tasks. It also outlines the performance indicators that will be used to ensure that the strategies formulated are being implemented and are helpful to the employees at the time if their evaluation. The report is going to study the hazardous manual tasks of East African School of Aviation located in Embakasi, Nairobi. The school undertakes various activities accomplished by different sections. These sections are; administration, finance, procurement, catering, examination and maintenance. All these sections should undertake the required tasks together to ensure that the reach the set goals of the school as a whole. The worksheet below is a summary used to identify hazardous manual tasks at the East African School of Aviation; Repetitive force-this is the use force repeatedly over a period of time to move or support an object Examples of repetitive force include; 1. Employees lift too many files, folders and books from shelves to record daily activities and transactions. 2. Employees carry files from one office to another for approvals and this happens from one department to another due to poor workplace layout. 3. Repetitive typing and printing of daily schedules which is tiring since workers retain same postures day in day out. High force–thismaybe exerted by the back, arm or leg muscles or by thehands and fingers. Examples of high force include: 1. Lifting of a large number of cutlery by employees in the catering section while serving meals in the conferences carried out at the school’s conference rooms. 2. Carrying of numerous products by workers in the procurement department to be stored up for future use in the school. 3. Carrying of materials from the procurement department stores to all other departments which is tiring since the department is located far away from the other departments. Whole body vibration occurs when vibration is transmitted through the whole body. This may result in lower back pain and neck pains. Examples of whole body vibration include: 1. This is seen when workers cut grass in the school’s compound by use of lawnmowers which is a job done once in a while. The report established that the school’s hazardous manual task as non-compliant since the management does not control the risks involved. Though risks cannot be completely eliminated the management should come up with ways of minimizing these risks in order to protect their employees. According to the model code of practice for Hazardous Manual tasks (Safe work Australia, 2011) control measures should be aimed at minimizing the frequency of movement, postures and forces by changing the risk sources; workplace layout, environmental conditions, load and the methods of handling tools and goods. For instance the school should consider relocating the procurement department closer to other department to minimize the risk of body injuries caused by carry of items from place to place. Regulation 34-38 of WHS requires that the duty holder should; identify reasonably foreseeable hazards that could give rise to the risk 1. Eliminate the risk so far as is reasonably practicable. 2. If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk – minimise the risk so far as is reasonably practicable by implementing control measures in accordance with the hierarchy of control. 3. Maintain the implemented control measure so that it remains effective. 4. Review, and if necessary revise, risk control measures so as to maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a work environment that is without risks to health and safety. Proactive strategies A company should come up with control measures to ensure risks are minimized to a sensible level this will ensure compliance in all areas in future. These measures include the following; 1. Training- it should be implemented as a part of induction of new workers and as part of the on-going manual task risk control program for existing workers. It should be offered to managers, workers undertaking the tasks and to any health and safety representatives. The training should contain characteristics of the manual tasks, the risks involved and the measures to control those risks. 2. The company can also come up with short term solutions before coming up with long term solutions. For instance the school should rotate workers to different tasks in order to avoid fatigue of certain individuals in certain sections before coming up with long term methods of carrying items from place to place. To ensure performance of these strategies the company should review the control measures regularly and if it is necessary the measures should be revised this is in accordance to Regulations 38 which state that; a person conducting a business or undertaking must review and as necessary revise risk control measures. Performance indicators Proactive indicators after implementation have to be revised and reviewed to ascertain their functionally as premeditated so as to uphold maintenance of a working environment with no risks to safety and health (Safe work Australia, 2011). Any individual undertaking a business must analyze and revise control of risk measures as stipulated in regulation 38 whenever; there is no reduction of risk after application of a given control measure; new risk or hazard is noticed; request from safety and health representative for a review. This can be done through the use of discomfort survey and worksheet of risk assessment. When reviewing control measures, similar procedures applied when identifying initial hazards. The following must be taken into consideration: if these measures are effectively in their operation and design with no new risk being created; if workers are openly and actively participating in the process of risk management; if new methods of work and equipments minimize physical difficulty and strain; if an occurrence of an incident has lead to worker exposure to manual task hazard; if alteration of any structure or process may result to worker being exposed to risk. When the problems arise then risk management procedures must be reviewed and further decisions made on risk control. (Safety Regulation, 2011). Legislative summary table Material Usefulness WA legislation Prevent workers from being exposed to hazards Occupational Health and safety Act 1984. Helps in the provision of training, instruction and information to workers Occupational Health and safety Act 1984. Helps in conducting of risk assessment Workers’ Legal Obligations Under OSHA, 2007 It ensures health, safety and welfare of an individual at place of work KPRL CARDINAL SAFETY RULES It provides workers with prior knowledge on what is required of him in case of risky undertakings ILO-OSH 2001 Assist workers to be flexible with the changing trends in industries Conclusion This report was to analyze manual task hazards that might be experienced in any given organization or work place. It covered the strategies of proactive that are used in order to achieve legal compliance. In addition, this report has explored among others, risk control measures for non-compliance areas, non-compliance and compliance areas and development of system for repetitive monitoring of performance markers. The main purpose of this report was to identify hazardous manual tasks and discover if they compliant or non-compliant. The report also assessed the risks involved with the manual tasks and the various strategies which are used to eliminate or minimise these risks. It further analysed how the strategies should be formulated, implemented and evaluated to ensure the safety of employees. A company/community/home should ensure that it runs its daily activities through compliant hazardous manual tasks to ensure health and safety of all members thus set goals and objectives are met accordingly. References Norton, I and Trewin A, (2011)-Eds. Australasian health disaster response: An Operational guide incorporating MIMMS, Wiley and Blackwell Australian Standards 2010, 4083:2010 Planning for emergencies – health care facilities. NSW: SAI Global Ltd Barnett-Schuster, P. C. (2008). Fundamentals of international occupational health & safety law. Aberdeen, Scotland: Aberdeen University Press Services. Creighton, W. B., &Rozen, P. C. (1997). Occupational health and safety law in Victoria. Sydney: Federation Press. 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