Workplace Health and Safety in the UK - Case Study Example

Workplace Health and Safety The workplace today presents many safety and health challenges to the employee due to pressures that come with globalization and increased competition (Neal and Wright, 1992). Owing to the fact that the work environment posses numerous health and safety challenges for workers, any countries have put in place relevant legislation to counter some of these issues. In the UK, there are various health and safety legislations and regulations which are meant to enable employees work comfortably without worrying about their safety and health (Taylor, Easter and Hegney, 2004). Polish Worker Andrezej Freitag Who Was Killed In a Construction Site Andrezej Freitag was a construction worker who died after falling down an exhaust shaft that he was working on in Dundee in May 2008. His employer, Discovery Homes Limited was fined 5,000 pounds after being found guilty of breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. The director of the company was also fined 4,000 pounds after being found guilty of going against section 37(1) of the act. It was concluded that Freitag’s death could have been avoided had his employer done enough about the safety hazards that were present at the construction site. An investigation showed that Freitag died as a result of a faulty protection barrier that should not have been used for the type of work he was doing (HSE News Release, 2009). The case above is just one of many in which the safety and health of employees have been compromised leading to irreparable damages and loss of lives. In the case above, the compny and the manager in charge of the construction work were fined for neglecting the safety and health needs of their employees. They failed to see to it that there was ample protection against unnecessary injuries to employees and yet they are required by aw to oversee their employees overall health and safety while they are at work. Freitag’s death would probably have been avoided had the company and its director ensured that appropriate protection on building heights was in place. Some of the important aspects of UK Health and Safety Legislations are discussed below. The Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act, 1974 This legislation forms the basis of health and safety laws in the UK and it covers all employees as well as any individual affected by certain work activities. Section 2 of the legislation requires all employers to ensure that the health and safety of employees is well taken care of by employers. The same section also stipulates that employers should consult with safety representatives in trade unions on health and safety issues affecting the organization. Section 3 of the legislation stipulates that all employers should make sure that non-employees who may be affected by the organization’s work activities are not exposed in any way to health and safety hazards. Section 7 deals with the responsibilities of the employee in ensuring that he is safe at all times while he is working (HSE, 1999). Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999 The main requirement of this legislation is for employers to carry out risk assessments as a way of reducing or eliminating health and safety hazards. This piece of legislation also requires employers to set up procedures that mitigate employees’ health and safety at the workplace. This is the legislation that requires all employers to provide enough clear information about the health and safety policies of the organization to employees (Lewis and Sergeant, 2004). Workplace Regulations 1992 This law deals with any physical conditions that might affect employees’ health and safety at the workplace. According to these regulations, employees must meet certain minimum standards in relation to: lighting, ventilation, first aid, buildings and equipment maintenance, temperature, toilet and rest facilities (HSE, 1999). Health and Safety Regulations 1992 These regulations require employers to carry out assessments of their employees’ who normally use display screen equipment. The employers are supposed to ensure that the workstations meet the minimum health and safety standards. This law also requires employers to offer proper information and training to employees on the likely hazards of using display screen equipment (Lewis and Sergeant, 2004). Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 These regulations set out the requirements for the safe use of workplace equipment. Employers are required to review the working conditions and hazards of working with certain equipment. They also have the duty of ensuring that the equipment issued to their employees conforms to the stipulated health and safety standards. The employers are also required to ensure that their employees are well instructed or trained on the proper use of workplace equipment so as to avoid unnecessary accidents (Hughes and Ferret, 2009). Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are laws that offer protection for employees who handle moving objects while working. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require employers to ensure that proper measures are in place in the organization for first aid of employees. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work regulations 1992 requires the provision of protective gear for employees while they are working. Another piece of legislation, the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989, requires all employees to provide adequate information to employees about workplace health and safety requirements. The Noise at Work Regulations 1989 seeks to protect employees against noise damage while at work. Another important piece of legislation is the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 which requires employees to take insurance to cover their employees against work-related accidents and ill health (CCH Editors, 2009). I work in a manufacturing factory that makes glass objects. The environment in which I work in is 80 percent mechanized but it has a lot more health and safety risks than an ordinary office environment. Workers at the factory are exposed to several forms of health and safety hazards that include: falls, slips and falls, poor ventilation, noise, too much work, heavy lifting, lighting, cold and heat stress, machinery and electrical accidents as well as chemical hazards. These hazards can cause severe injuries and health problems for the employees. The managers at the factory appreciate the fact that a safe work environment is vital for the exemplary performance of employees (Kloss, 2010). The employees also know very well the role they have to play in order to ensure that workplace health and safety risks are kept to a minimal. The management at the factory has taken the following measures to ensure that the work place remains as healthy and safe as possible for everyone working there: They have created a training program that is education based for all its employees. This program requires employees at all levels to attend seminars and workshops that are meant to facilitate their knowledge of workplace safety and health. The managers also ensure that everyone who works in the factory goes through a safety training program that covers specific tasks. Among the company’s policies is one that requires all employees to be oriented in the safety procedures of the company. This is done before any new employees are allowed to begin working. The managers also have a duty to maintain processes for investigation, reporting and action taking on all work related cases of incidents, illnesses, injuries and accidents. in case of any incident that might jeopardize the safety and health of employees, the managers are required to form a safety committee that should be tasked with overseeing that the existing safety hazard in the factory. The policies of the company also require the managers to assign each of the employees some specific health and safety responsibilities. Recently, the company’s managers set out a plan to reorganize the workplace so that it could become more user friendly in terms of safety. In the plan, certain aspects of the workplace will be redesigned to ensure that they conform to the requirements of health and safety at work regulations. This means that issues of ventilation, temperature, accidental falls and slips, noise and heavy lifting will be dealt with once and for all. The plan also involves a health and safety training program for existing and new employees. This is likely to ensure that the staff has enough information regarding health and safety requirements of the organization (Hughes and Ferret, 2009). Workplace stress is common in organizations or businesses which do not have strong health and safety regulations and policies. There are many causes of workplace related stress. Long working hours and low wages and the inability of employers to recognize and find solutions to employees’ stress are some the well known causes (CCH Editors, 2009). Others are: noise, poor ventilation, poor tool design, stressful work shifts, vague job designs and demands, discrimination and high competition. Having strong structures in the area of workplace health and safety is very effective in minimizing hazards at the workplace that might lead to stress and poor performance of employees (Kloss, 2010). Employers’ Obligations Ensuring that the health and safety of employees is well catered for within an organization is very important as doing so goes a long way in enhancing employees’ performance. According to the UK Health and Safety laws, employers have a duty to ensure that they provide a safe and healthy working environment for all their employees. Employers are expected to conduct risk assessments in their businesses for any health and safety hazards and this should include looking into areas that might lead to work related stress. A three step risk assessment is recommended for UK employers (Fuller and Vassie, 2004): 1. Identification of work pressures which are likely to result to stress 2. Identification of the individuals within the organization who are likely to be affected by the work pressures as 3. Assessment of what is being done to prevent stress and if there is not much being done, steps should be taken to prevent any harm. Workplace reorganization In case the workplace exhibits signs of health and safety hazards, it should be reorganized to get rid of them. The most effective solution to workplace safety and health hazards is a proactive one. Increasing control of workers within the organization is an important step that mangers should take when reorganizing the workplace (Taylor, Easter and Hegney, 2004). When employees feel that they are autonomous, they can easily participate in the organization’s decision making and they are freer to utilize and develop their personal and job skills. Reorganization of the workplace should give the employees the freedom to express refusal of over time. They should not be forced to work over and beyond the stipulated working time as doing so will only de-motivate them leading to decreased performance levels. Workload should also be manageable for all workers. For workers to be efficient, they need to be given time to rest in between their shifts. Proper reorganization of the workplace should also include reviewing of job designs so as to eliminate stress hazards within the organization. Team work should be encouraged as it yields more than when employees work individually. Job tasks should be designed to fit the employees’ skills and competence level. They should not be assigned tasks for which they lack the proper skills to execute competently (Kloss, 2010). Communication Employers should not forget that communicating health and safety policies to employees is very important. This communication involves consulting employees about safety and health issues that are affecting the organization. When employees are involved in these consultations, workplaces are likely to get safer and healthier. Employee input in these matters is useful in the identification of hazards, risks and control measures (Fuller and Vassie, 2004). Involving employees in health and safety policy making in the organization will result to greater trust and stronger commitment to the implementation of the health and safety decisions that have been agreed upon. It is the duty of the manager or employer to provide employees with relevant information regarding their health and safety while they are working. The employees should be made aware of what is expected of them in case of an incident or accident. The procedures that need to be followed in case of such an occurrence should be provided to each of the employees in written form. The employer should also ensure that all the equipment and machinery being used in the organization is safe to use. He should also ensure that all material is well handled and stored. It is also the employers’ obligation to ensure that there are enough first aid facilities that can be used within the organization in case of an emergency (Hughes and Ferret, 2009). Training programs Employers should ensure that they put in place measures to educate and train their employees on health and safety procedures. This training should be carried out on a regular basis to ensure that employees refresh their memories about the health and safety requirements of the organizations. Areas of safety training include: office safety, fire safety, hazard communication and workstation ergonomic assessments (Taylor, Easter and Hegney, 2004). How Breach of the Employers’ Obligations Can Lead To Tragedy When employers fail to observe the requirements as set out in the Safety and Health at work regulations, they are liable for punishment through fines and jail terms. Employers are responsible for the safety of the people who work for them and a breach of this obligation will negatively affect the operations of the company in question. One of these negative effects is reduced performance levels which are likely to have a devastating impact on the company. Working is an environment which is not safe can cause de-motivation among employees and many of the m will not put as much effort as they should in their work (Fuller and Vassie, 2004). Maintaining a safe working environment at the factory is very critical. Workers feel motivated to perform to the best of their abilities when they know that their safety and health is well taken care of while they are working. If the managers failed to provide the necessary safety and health measures for each of the workers, there would be too much work related stress which would affect the company’s performance in a big way. The employees are likely to feel highly de-motivated when they think that their employers do not care about the kind of environment they work in (Hughes and Ferret, 2009). Failure to look into the risks that are likely to cause accidents or injuries to workers may increase stress levels to such an extent that feelings of frustration, anger and even mistrust will be hard to control. These are destructive emotions to not only the organization, but to the personal life of the employee. When they exhibit anger, frustration and mistrust among themselves, it will be hard to achieve much since they will not be working as a team as they should (Taylor, Easter and Hegney, 2004). Some employer techniques like performance monitoring may cause even more division and resentment in the workforce. The employer should then keep away from doing anything that will make the situation worse and instead and instead encourage employee unity so that it becomes easier to handle stressful situations. Employees’ Obligation Every employee has the right to work in a healthy and safe environment. The UK Health and Safety regulations give employees the right to report any injuries or illnesses that may have been caused by their work. The regulations also encourage employees to raise any issue that concerns their health and safety at the workplace with their managers. They are also required to observe and maintain health and safety guidelines as set out in the organizations where they work (Fuller and Vassie, 2004). Conclusion Health and safety at the workplace is one aspect that can make or break an organization. A business that has proper health and safety guidelines is more likely to prosper than one that does not take seriously its employees health and safety needs. In the UK, of health and safety at the workplace is a serious legislation that recognizes the importance of maintaining a comfortable working environment for all employees. Health and safety regulations stipulate that the employer is responsible for ensuring that his employees work in risk-free environments. Employers are supposed to ensure that all their employees are well versed in the health and safety policies of the organization. When there is a health and safety hazard in the organization, it is the work of the employer to ensure that proper steps are taken to prevent any harm coming to the workforce. Failure to act on the hazard may cost the business a lot in terms of human resources and money. Employees who fail to ensure that their work environments are healthy and safe are liable to punished by law. The responsibility of employers in taking care of the safety needs of their employees should be taken with the seriousness it deserves. This is because a safe and healthy working environment is crucial in enhancing the performance of employees. In other words, for an organization to be successful, it has to offer an accident and stress free working environment for all. The employers and employees both have their roles to play in ensuring that the workplace remains safe for all at all times. References CCH Editors. (2009). Planning Occupational Health and Safety. Sydney: McPherson’s Printing Group Fuller, C and Vassie, L. (2004). Health and Safety Management: Principles and Best Practice. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall Hughes, P. and Ferret, E. (2009). Introduction to health and Safety at work. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth- Heinemann. HSE. (1999). Health and Safety Law: What You Should Know. London: Poster HSE Books HSE News Release. (2009). Director Fined Over Shaft Death. Accessed 27th March, 2010: Kloss, D. (2010). Occupational Health Law. London: John Wiley & Sons. Lewis, D. and Sergeant, M. (2004). Essentials of Employment Law. London: Cromwell Press Neal, A.C. and Wright, F.B. (1992). The European Communities’ Health and Safety Legislation, Volume 1. London: Page Brothers Taylor, G., Easter, K. and Hegney, R. (2004). Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth- Heinemann Read More