Workplace health and safety - Case Study Example

Workplace Health and Safety A good health and safety of all workers is necessary for ensuring that theindividuals are in good shape in undertaking their duties. According to the workplace health and safety regulations, proper management of all the work and safety risks is a requirement in ensuring that the health and safety of all workers and others individuals in an organization are not affected by an organizations conduct (Evocca College 9). For the effective management of risks in the workplace to ensure health and safety of employees and the others, it is important that an understanding is made pertaining to risks and hazards.

Hazards are situations with the possibility of causing harm to an individual while risks are the possibilities that harm can occur; as a result to exposure to the hazards. Based on the above considerations, it is clear that the proper management of health and safety at the workplace is essential for the well-being of all individuals and the success of organizations. This paper, therefore analyzes all the perspectives associated with workplace health and safety and the possible control mechanisms.

Risk management involves a four-step process, which includes identification of the hazards, assessment of the risks associated with the hazards, controlling the risks, and reviewing the risk controls (Evocca College 24). Risk assessments; determine various aspects pertaining to injury and the risks associated as well as the possible control mechanisms in place for such occurrences. These include the severity of the risk, the availability, or lack of ready control mechanisms, possible actions that would work to control the risks, and the urgency for the completion of the actions and the subsequent implementation (Evocca College 24).

From the case study provided, it is substantively clear that the common injury problems for the majority of the staff members are back and shoulder pains, which all occurred at the dispatch section. The injuries have forced the victims to remain absent from work for different duration of time, with those with five days or more absenteeism from work having a recommendation to return to work on light duties. Ideally, it is clear that the major cause of the injuries to the workers is because of the poor adjustment of the working bench in proportion to the heights of the workers, which, therefore, forces them to strain during their work.

Some of the control mechanisms already undertaken by the organization in ensuring the reduction if not complete elimination of the risk include rotation of duties for the workers, considering that in all the cases already identified, the injuries occurred at the despatch area of the working zone. Others include reduction of time that a worker takes in attending to a particular sole role or task, and taking of quality rest time breaks from duties as required. It is evident that despite the existence of some control mechanisms in place, there are still new cases of similar injuries, which is indeed an indication that the control measures are not very effective.

The above aspect indicate that the new case development have similar injuries to the initial cases; however, the major cause has not been taken into perspective as the injuries are contributed to by the inappropriate adjustment of the working benches, which are currently fixed. Therefore, the most appropriate control action would involve the proper adjustment of the working bench to the appropriate height comfortable for the workers. Control development involves coming up with mechanisms driven towards the elimination of the risks in the order of effectiveness from the most effective to the least effective.

In the application of the hierarchy of controls in developing controls for the risk of workers getting back and shoulder injuries, the elimination section would involve the proper adjustment of the working benches to levels that rhyme the heights of the workers, which would substantively eliminate the risk. However, if elimination would not work effectively, then the rotation of workers in different duties as well as a reduction of time in undertaking a sole task would be the best alternative to minimizing the risk.

Additionally, in developing of the control mechanisms, expert advice would be very necessary, especially in ensuring the elimination of risks. The specialty advice in the current scenario should be undertaken before making changes to the workplace, equipment, work processes, or work arrangements. Such would ensure the mitigation of all possible risks long before their occurrence. Considering that, the working benches are fixed, and, therefore, limiting the possibility of their adjustment, there would be a requirement of additional resource in the purchase of right-size working tables for the convenience of the workers.

Once the new control measures are put in place, it is important that constant review is done periodically, in ensuring that there is no emergence of new hazards during the implementation process as well as the period after. On the realization that the control action is effective, it should be put as one of the core values that guide the operations in the organization. In such a manner, such information would best be stored in such a manner, which would as well be easy for retrieval. Work Cited Evocca College.

Ensure a safe workplace Student Learning Guide; Exceptional Education, Inspiring Educators, Outstanding Experience, Springwood QLD, 2012. BSBOHS509A