Hazardous Manual Tasks Compliance and Non-Compliance in Leighton Contractors - Case Study Example

Hazardous Manual Tasks Compliance and Non-Compliance in Leighton Contractors Name: Institution: Table of Contents Introduction 3 Company Description: Leighton Contractors 3 Summary of the Non-compliant Hazardous Manual Tasks 4 Strategies for Ensuring Future Compliance 6 Performance Indicators 7 Conclusion 11 References 12 Hazardous Manual Tasks Compliance and Non-Compliance in Leighton Contractors Introduction The legislative force is paramount for assurance of healthy and convenient work environment for employees. In Australia, the occupational safety and health (OSH) enshrines the code of practice-hazardous manual tasks, which is in accordance to Work Health and Safety Act. The law is meant to guide employers on statutory workplace conditions that provide health and safety of workers within or without their premises. Although the code stipulates certain measures aimed at addressing common hazards and risks with different working environments or settings, the obligation to identify all risks associated with the workplace lies in the duties of the employer or business owner (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, 2011). Non-compliance with the safety and health standards can cause legal actions against the firm or owner, particularly because the code of practice can be applied in court of law to determine cases related to health and safety of workers within the working environment (Davis & Tomasin, 1996). This report revolves around identification of the hazardous l tasks applied in Leighton Contractors, non-compliance with statutory and proactive strategies to ensure future compliance. The paper gives a description of the company’s hazardous manual tasks, summary of compliance and non-compliance, measures to ensure future compliance, performance indicators, a table other relevant materials. Company Description: Leighton Contractors Leighton Contractors is one of the leading companies in Australian construction industry. Despite the progressive expansion of its business activities accompanied by increased diversity in the health and safety concerns, the company has remained committed in implementing standard workplace safety and health practices. Leighton has recently adopted a zero-harm strategy to guide its workplace safety and health strategies (Leighton Contractors, 2011). The constructor aims at eliminating all potential disabilities and deaths resulting from its operations as well as reducing the number of work-related injuries. As a construction company, Leighton’s working environment is prone to different forms of hazardous tasks: repetitive force, high force and sustainable force. Additionally, tasks such as repetitive movements and poor working posture, poor body position, and uncontrolled vibrations are common at Leighton. These manual tasks as applied to the construction sites are often highly hazardous if not well managed. Leighton has remained observant and compliant with some of the hazardous manual tasks safety measures including heavy lifting, working at heights and working around mobile plants. Moreover, the company has been compliant to electrical work, excavation, crane and lifting operations and explosives, and its blasting exposure safety stipulations have been satisfactory (Leighton Contractors, 2011). However, as is highlighted in this report, patches of non-compliance are apparent at Leighton Construction. Summary of the Non-compliant Hazardous Manual Tasks Despite compliance with many of the work-related hazardous tasks in most of its departmental operations, Leighton has apparent safety and health loopholes in some tasks that undermine its commitment in ensuring the zero-harm policy in its constructions. One of the areas of non-compliance element includes tasks involving hand-arm vibrations that could lead to significant injuries to employees (Leighton Contractors, 2011). The vibration risks are associated with grinders, jackhammers and chainsaws among other tools that vibrate under operation. The vibrations predispose workers to potential nervous system injuries, interference with proper blood circulation and the vibration-induced white finger. Assessments on this task indicated that workers have not been consulted about the possible negative impacts of vibrations on their health as provided for in section 47 of the Health and Safety Act (HSA). Although the company provides personal protective equipment such as heat resistant gloves, it does not have equipments against hand-arm vibrations. The company has not complied with some safety measures in handling vibrating tools and equipments. They do not have in place appropriate mechanisms to ensure use of appraise gear to ensure that workers experience vibrations that are harmless to their health (Leighton Contractors, 2011). Further vibrations risk assessment among construction site workers indicated that they were kept in the operated vibrating equipment for long durations that recommended shifting after specified time. This was particularly reported by workers who operate graders and rock-blasting machines. The hazardous manual task in this context revolves around working long hours with hand held vibrators. The management has consulted members especially the casual workforce working under such hazardous manual tasks to establish the health risks associated with such postures (Safe Work Australia). It is clear that no measures have been taken to ensure that health and safety risks associated with potentially harmful vibrations do not continue hurting the worker. Such failures go against the compliance with the hazardous manual tasks associated with constructions worker terms. The company workers are predisposed to physical complications that may result from such working conditions (Cheremisinoff, 2001). The company has attempted to comply with measures for addressing health and safety risks associated with repetitive movements during execution of certain roles. However, there has not been adequate observance to allow the company to be approved as compliant with existing standards. Strategies for Ensuring Future Compliance According the requirements of section 47 of the SHA, the company should consult its workers particularly those affected by the non-compliant tasks to establish their concerns and expectations (Commission for Occupational Safety and Health, 2005). The management should also assess and remediate the potential risks associated with the identified hazardous manual tasks of concern to the company. This will be a crucial step in ensuring that the suggested strategies fulfill the hazardous tasks compliance requirements. In order to ensure compliance with safety measures against vibration forces, the company should also invest in training educating the employees about the effects of hand-arm vibrations associated with certain tools and machines and the need to wear the necessary personal protective equipments. The company can also consider purchasing equipments with minimum vibrations on the handlers. Non-compliance with load lifting measures on the other hand can be addressed through introduction of handheld hooks or suction pads to assist the constructors in moving loads such sheet materials to minimize the associated risks. In addition, the company should also limit the amount weight that can be manually lifted by the constructors to limit injuries associated with lifting extremely heavy materials (Davis & Tomasin, 1996). Leighton Construction should also introduce necessary mechanical aids within the construction sites including elevating conveyors, trolley conveyors, hydraulic pumps, Jib cranes, and lifting hoists to ease the need for menial weight lifting. This strategy will also require proper consultation with workers to identify their needs and skill gaps in the usage of such aids in order to build adequate capacity. Additionally, non-compliance with the standard requirements for working posture can be addressed through implementation of job rotational strategy to ensure that workers do not spend many hours in the same position. Since some working positions are inevitable, the construction company can only limit the number of hours spent by an individual in the awkward postures (Cheremisinoff, 2001). This strategy will not only ensure compliance with the HSA requirements but also limit the health risks associated with the identified postures. The company should assess all positions that put the workers at risks of triggering physical body complications and consult with workers to determine the appropriate positions for undertaking certain roles. Positions such as holding ceiling materials while being fixed should be replaced with supporting mechanical aids that reduce risks associated with falling objects. In addition, the company should invest in training workers on the best working positions to avoid physical body and health complications associated with certain body positions. Performance Indicators Future compliance with the hazardous manual tasks through the suggested strategies will be determined through examination of extent in which the proposed changes are implemented. The number of health and safety incidences reported after initiation of the proposed changes will also play a critical role in the performance evaluation. Other performance indicators include the determination of the workers satisfaction with their safety in during execution of their duties, which will be achieved through occasional interviews to garner employees’ views. Purchase and application of the recommended machines and tools can also serve as good performance indicator in the company’s effort to ensure future full compliance with the work health and safety act requirements on hazardous manual tasks safety measures. A Table of Other Occupational Safety and Health Legislation and Guidance Materials Workplace health and safety Queensland. Hazardous manuals tasks: Code of Practice 2011. This a state material that is important in this study because it provides comprehensive information about health and safety in the workplace. The document provides information on ways of assessing risks within the workplace and different ways of limiting or eliminating such risks (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, 2011). Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (2011). Commission for Occupational Safety and Health (2005). Code of practice occupational safety and health in call centers. Commission for Occupational Safety and Health. This is a national material that provides information on workplace related soft tissue injuries and proposed safety measures and workstation design requirements. Commission for Occupational Safety and Health (2005) Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation. Guidelines for integrating occupational health and safety with workplace wellness programs. This is an international article that introduces national workplace wellness programs into the concept of workplace safety. http://www.dir.ca.gov/chswc/ Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Manual Tasks: Code of Practice. This is a national material that provides information on the various hazardous manual tasks in most working environments and the best practices in line with the work health and safety act. The information covered in this article is crucial in identifies various hazardous tasks in most workplace and the right measures to ensure compliance with the existing standards. Safe Work Australia (n.d). The National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 This is a national material that has been put up by the Australian government and other stakeholders to provide guidance on strategies for creating sustainable, safe and healthy work place environments. http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/ Model Code of Practice - First Aid in the Workplace This is an Australian national material that has been put up to provide guidance on training and provision of first aid at work place. http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites Conclusion The purpose of this study was to assess the compliance and non-compliance with the health and safety hazardous manual tasks in Leighton Contractors. The company was identified as one of the leading construction companies in Australia despite its expansive nature of business activities. The company has complied with most safety standards in the workplace. However, the company is non-compliant in several key areas including hazardous vibrations that are exacerbated by the duration people work with the vibrators. Future compliance can be achieved through introduction of personal protective equipment to aid in mitigating health effects of working near a vibrator. The management should consider procuring vibrators that are equipped with mechanical aid that reduce the need for manual operation, which would tremendously reduce the health and safety concern for at the construction sites. References Cheremisinoff, N. (2001). Practical guide to industrial safety: methods for process safety professionals. New York, NY: CRC Press. Commission for Occupational Safety and Health (2005). Code of practice occupational safety and health in call centers. Commission for Occupational Safety and Health. Retrieved from http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe/pdf/codes_of_practice/code_call_centre.pdf Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation.(2010). Guidelines for integrating occupational health and safety with workplace wellness programs. Retrieved from http://www.dir.ca.gov/chswc/WOSHTEP/Publications/WOSHTEP_TheWholeWorker.pd f Construction Confederation. (2008). House builders health & safety manual 2008. London: Construction Industry Pubs. Davis, V., & Tomasin, K. (1996). Construction safety handbook. London: Thomas Telford. Leighton Contractors. (2011). Safety and health at Leighton contractors. Leighton Contractors. Retrieved from http://www.leighton.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/14000/SafetyandHealthatLCPL2 011.pdf Safe Work Australia. (2002). The national OHS strategy 2002-2012. Retrieved from: http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/SWA/AboutSafeWorkAustralia/Whatwedo/Pu blications/Pages/SP200208NationalOHSStrategy2002To2012.aspx Safe Work Australia. (2012). Model code of practice: First aid in the work place. Retrieved from: http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/AboutSafeWorkAustralia/WhatWeDo/Pu blications/Pages/First-Aid-in-the-Workplace.aspx Safe Work Australia. Hazardous Manual Tasks: Code of Practice. Safe Work Australia. Retrieved from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. (2011). Hazardous manuals tasks: Code of Practice. Workplace health and safety Queensland. Retrieved from http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/resources/pdfs/hazardous-manual-tasks-cop- 2011.pdf - Read More