History of Occupational Health and Safety Timeline - Case Study Example

History of Occupational Health and Safety Timeline Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 History of Occupational Health and Safety Timeline 3 3.0 Current Status of Occupational Health and Safety in Australia 5 4.0 International and National Occupational Health and Safety Bodies 6 5.0 Conclusion 7 References 8 History of Occupational Health and Safety Timeline 1.0 Introduction The development of occupational health and safety regulations can be closely associated with industrialisation. As more and more industries were developed, the ideal workplace concept was coined. With the advances in industrialisation, instances of accidents and other negative occurrences in the workplace led to the need of coming up with a specific set of regulations and standards to govern the workplace (Abrams, 2009). Therefore, it can be acknowledged that occupational health and safety is focussed on creating a more conducive workplace that upholds the highest degree possible levels of safety to the people doing the jobs. The following report will give a detailed analysis of the history of occupational health and safety in the world and Australia at large, the current status of occupational health and safety in Australia and the international and national bodies associated with occupational health and safety. 2.0 History of Occupational Health and Safety Timeline According to Tadesse & Admassu (2006), most employees spend a third of their lives in workplaces. This is a substantial amount of time of a human being whose conditions should be of paramount importance. However, advances into developing legislations and policies to govern the workplace took too long to develop. Most focus into occupational health and safety took place from the 1900’s. The relationship between the work environment and the health of employees was first acknowledged in the 4th century. This was when Hippocrates was able to associate lead toxins with the health of miners (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). This was an eye opener in instigating the activities geared towards. In the 1st century AD, a Roman scholar by the name Pliny identified health tricks associated with Zinc and Sulphur pollution. As a remediating strategy, the scholar designed a face mask that was manufactured from an animal bladder. This was the first documented facemask in industrial operations. It was aimed at protecting workers from inhaling dust and other chemical fumes. This was the main development in the 1st century. In the 2nd century AD, Galen, a Greek medic was able to satisfactorily describe the pathology involved in lead poisoning (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). This was in relation to the negative health impacts that it posed to copper miners and the acid mists that were associated with early industrialisation. More developments in occupational health and safety occurred in 1556 when Agricola, a German scholar gave more insight into industrial hygiene. In his book, De Re Metallica, Agricola indentified and described the diseases that miners were prone to and the possible preventive measures that could be taken to prevent the diseases (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). Key to his recommendations included ventilations in mines, protective clothing and job process management. He also explained the relationship between silicosis and occupational health and safety. More research into industrial hygiene and safety was done in 1700 by Ramazzi, commonly referred to as the father of industrial medicine published a book by the name ‘De Morbis Artificum Diatriba’ translated to ‘The Disease of Workmen’ that described the causes and preventive measures of the diseases that affected workmen in his days. Ulrich Ellenborg authored a pamphlet on occupational health in 1743. His publication focussed on the mining industry just like those done by his predecessors (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). In 1788, occupational health and safety developed took a new turn when the Chimney-Sweepers act in England. This was after the harmful effects of soot found inside chimneys were made public by Pervical Pott. This legislation was followed by the English factory acts in 1833. This was a major milestone in the development of occupational health and safety. The acts included among other things compensation and industrial safety. Other European nations followed and introduced regulations on compensation, factory safety and medical services and industrial plants. The major advancements were made in the 20th century with major contributions from Dr. Alice Hamilton in industrial hygiene. The passing of the compensation acts for civil servants in 1911 in Unites States of America followed by the passing of legislations in individual states afterwards marked the start of the long journey towards the modern occupational health and safety regulations (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). Ideally, the United States has provided a basis of benchmark for other countries in the world. Some of the acts that have been passed in USA and have been replicated elsewhere in the world include the metal and non metallic mines safety act, federal coal mine safety and health act and the occupational safety and health act in the years 1966, 1969 and 1970 respectively (Tadesse & Admassu, 2006). Currently, occupational health and safety is a prerequisite for every industry. The regulations and policies governing it change from country to country. It is also noted that the concept of occupational health and safety continues to develop over time owing to the conditions urge to have a safe and healthy workplace. 3.0 Current Status of Occupational Health and Safety in Australia Occupational health and safety in Australia has undergone transformation over time. Occupational health and safety in Australia’s six states is regulated by a common wealth with 6 state and 2 territory occupational health and safety statues (Johstone, 2008). According to Johnstone (2008), the Australian occupational health and safety regulation focuses on a wide range of stakeholders including employers, employees, designers, self employed people, suppliers and manufacturers. From the above, it can be acknowledged that there are different occupational health and safety regulations for each state, although the difference is not outstanding. This is due to the varying occupational health challenges in the various sectors that are specific to the regions. For instance mining policies in mining regions. Over time, there have been calls for the creation of a uniform occupational health and safety regulations framework in Australia (Australian Government, (2014).). The uniformity is aimed at ensuring that equal working conditions are established throughout Australia. This makes it easy for the federal government to enforce them accordingly in addition to making it easy for various companies to conduct their business throughout Australia. In 2008, the government spearheaded the national review of the occupational health and safety laws. Chaired by Robin Stewart Crompton, the committee came up with various recommendations on the development of a common occupational health and safety act in the country. In total, 232 recommendations were made in 2 reports (Australian Government, (2014).). The Work Relations Ministers’ Council entered into a consensus to develop a uniform occupational health and safety legislations on 18th May 2009. The uniform legislation would address the variations in occupational health and safety jurisdictions across Australia. Currently, the main act governing occupational health and safety in Australia is the Model Work Health and Safety work. It provides for slight variations in jurisdictions across different states (Australian Government, (2014).). The other main act is the Commonwealth Work Health and Safety Act of 2011. As at now, Australian occupational health and safety is governed by a uniform legislation act. 4.0 International and National Occupational Health and Safety Bodies Some of the national bodies in Australia concerned with occupational health and safety includes Safe Work Australia and National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Australia). Safe Work Australia is focussed on creating a safe work environment in Australia. On the other hand, National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Australia) is focused on enforcing the occupational health and safety regulations developed. Internationally, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the main international body governing occupational health and safety under the United Nations umbrella. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, it can be acknowledged from this report that occupational health and safety is an important aspect of any workplace. It is mainly focussed on creating a good working environment that reduces instances of accidents and other negative impacts in human health. It should be acknowledged that there is a close relationship between work environment and health. From this report, it can be seen that research and developments into occupational health and safety can be traced back to the 1st century AD. Over time, it was seen that more research made people more ware about occupational health and safety and the first major legislation was passed in the 19th century. This was quickly followed by successive legislations that have transformed occupational health and safety to what it is today. Australia is currently under a common occupational health and safety act; having developed its legislations from the former state laws. There are various bodies nationally and internationally that are associated with the development and enforcement of occupational health and safety laws. The report has given a short insight into Safe Work Australia, National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Australia) and the International Labour Organisation. References Abrams, H., (2009). A Short History of Occupational Health, 34-75 Australian Government, (2014). Occupational Health and Safety Harmonisation, Australian Government, Retrieved on 18th August 2014 from https://employment.gov.au/occupational-health-and-safety-harmonisation Johnstone, R., (2010). Harmonising Occupational Health And Safety Regulation In Australia: The First Report Of The National OHS Review, 34-58 Tadesse, T., & Admassu, M., (2006). Occupational Health and Safety, USAid, 1-132 Read More