Workplace Safety in North America and the United Kingdom - Essay Example

Designing a Safety and Security Plan for an Organization 2007 Introduction In order to develop a safety and security plan in an organization, it is essential to first identify critical workplace hazards, control security and safety risks and respond to emergencies. In the age of globalization, there are possibilities of different types of risks at the workplace arising from exposure to hazardous substances like solvent chemicals, metal fumes, infection agents and radiation. Industrial hygiene, that is ensuring workplace safety and security also involves identifying, evaluating and controlling of incidents of fire and possibilities of physical injuries. Despite all precautions taken, incidents of spills of hazardous substances, accidents or fire may still happen. The organization must be prepared to respond immediately to such incidents. All countries have regulatory frameworks for organizations to implement safety and security plans at the workplace, undertake routine inspections and educate organizations on how to deal with workplace safety issues. In this paper, I will discuss the trends of workplace safety and regulatory framework in North America and the United Kingdom and then design a safety and security plan for an organization. Trends on Workplace Safety The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a Healthy Company as one that provides a “safe working environment; healthy working practices; program to promote health and address psychosocial risk factors at the workplace; health impact assessment for marketed products; and contribution to health and social development in the society (WHO Glossary of Health Promotion Terminology, cited in Omega, 2003). Workplace safety is not only a matter of corporate governance to ensure that employers provide a safe and secure work environment, which is of utmost importance by itself, it is also crucial that organizations do not incur financial losses as a result of accidents and injuries that result in loss in work hours, equipment and possibly manpower. The International Labor Organization estimates about 4 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product is lost on account of workplace accidents and injuries (ISR Surveys). It was found from a survey that 16 work sites that designed safe workplaces under the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) under the U.S Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) faced 54 percent less workplace injuries and illnesses and 60-80 percent less workday losses than the industry average. Workplace culture including teamwork, supervision, customer-orientation and empowerment was also superior in the VPP-approved sites. Besides workplace design and provision of facilities, safety and security at occupations include the elimination, reduction and monitoring of hazardous substances like acrylonitrine, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, cadmium, inorganic chromium, creosote, crystalline silica, isocyanates, lead, mercury, organophosphate pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, thallium, vinyl chloride, etc (University of Sydney). In the United States, workplace safety is guided by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Under this Act, the Secretary of State is required to enact laws to protect employees and their families. To ensure that the regulations are implemented, the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety has been established and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission reviews the order citations by the Secretary of Labor. The latter may impose fines on non-compliant organizations. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health undertakes research on areas of workplace safety (Cornell, n.d). In Canada, the Workplace Safety and Health Act requires that employers implement a system that identifies known and potential dangers to safety, assess the risks of permanent or temporary disabilities and implement measures to control such dangers by redesigning the workplace, substituting hazardous chemicals by safe ones, buy new equipment or use machine guards, noise enclosures, etc. (Government of Canada, 2002). In the United Kingdom, workplace safety is ensured by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations) 1992 for all organizations other than construction sites, ship or mine. By definition, organizations include offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and places of entertainment. The regulations are amended by the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996, the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulation 2002 and the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (HSE). Under the regulations, organizations are required to ensure safe workplaces to employees including those with physical disabilities. Planning a Safety and Security Plan Many small organizations do not have the resources to implement large-scale safety programs but even those with minimum resources can implement a safety and security plan with full commitment from the employers and employees. It must be recognized that continuous noise, stress arising from haphazard work practices and ergonomic risks because of poorly designed workstations result in imperceptible health risks on employees that in turn lead to higher absenteeism and loss of work hours (Omega, 2003). The first step to implement workplace safety is to develop an organizational Occupational Health and Safety Plan (OHS). This would express commitment and accountability by the employers to workplace safety. The plan would encompass the employees as well as others like customers and associates who enter the workplace. The Organization Safety Policy may be stated as follows (as suggested by Omega, 2003): “We are committed to the safety and health of our staff, our most valuable assets. However, our commitment will be realized only with the full participation of our staff. It is our expectation that the employees will support activities that enhance their health and safety. The management will commit time and resources to make this possible. Our organization recognizes that it is important to ensure that all policies relating to health and safety are understandable and appropriate for all employees from all cultural backgrounds. We also commit ourselves to the local and national regulations regarding workplace safety and security.” The safety and health policy aims to develop a collaborative approach between the management and the employees, to provide safe working procedures and operations, to ensure awareness of all risks and hazards through effective training of staff and to continuously commit human and other resources for the safety plan. The OHS plan should have the same importance as all other plans of the organization. It should create a checklist of identified hazards at the workplace, making a risk assessment and control mechanism; list out the training requirements; records to be maintained; safety requirements for the work processes; and emergency procedures (NT WorkSafe). Step 2 involves holding a manager accountable for implementing the plan. For a large organization, there could be a Health and Safety Division that is accountable for the action. This division would not only ensure that the workplace design and maintenance is safe but will also assist supervisors and staff to implement safe work practices. It will review and approve hazardous agent protocols specific to the industry, ensure medical examinations and protective tests on devices used (NIEHS). The safety plan, signed by the senior management, should detail the key staff that would be accountable for various aspects of the plan. Step 3 involves determining the safety and health requirements for the workplace. As the first requirement, care should be taken over workplace design and maintenance. Workplaces needed to be adequately ventilated, free of discharges from flues, chimneys and other process outlets. There should be sufficient fresh air, removing or diluting warm, humid air, without causing a draft. Windows may provide sufficient ventilation while mechanical ventilation may also be necessary. Indoor temperature should be monitored and maintained at least at 16 degrees Centigrade normally and at 13 degrees C if physical activity is required. If the work environment is too hot or too cold, there are risks of heat or cold stress. The organization would require engineering measures to control the thermal effect. The organization may also need to build in rest periods in the work schedules to reduce stress, restrict exposure to environmental factors, undertake pre-appointment medical checks, use suitable clothing as well as acclimatize, train and supervise the staff to the environment (HSE). The workplace, equipment and devices like air conditioners, heating equipment, etc. should be maintained and serviced in a routine manner. The lighting of the workplace should be proper. Local lighting at workstations or at places of high risk like at cross-points of traffic may be required. At the same time, excessive lighting should not create a hazard. Emergency lighting should also be maintained for crises. Workplaces, furniture and fittings, floors, walls and ceilings should be kept clean always. Workrooms should be large enough to enable staff to move around at ease. Workstations should be designed carefully, enabling employees to turn swiftly and sitting arrangements should be ergonomically designed so that long hours on the chairs are not stressful (HES). Traffic routes within the offices and the campuses should also be designed carefully so that there are no risks of accidents. There should be sufficient space for movement; doors and gates should be locked open at office hours so that they do not swing unexpectedly; and staircases should be railed and provided with handrails. There should not be risks of dangerous objects to fall and cause accidents. Transparent or translucent doors, gates, windows or walls should be judiciously built so that they do not bear the risk of injuries to employees in a hurry. These should be made of safe material and protected against breakage. Windows, skylights and ventilators that can be opened should be designed in a manner such that there are no risks of injury while opening. Doors and gates should be fixed with safety devices and escalators and lifts should be maintained well. At the operation and maintenance level, sanitary conveniences and wash rooms should be clean, ventilated, well-lit and conveniently located. Facilities like hot and cold water, soaps and clean towels should be provided. Staff and others in the workplaces should be provided with safe and adequate drinking water as also facilities for rest and to eat meals (HSE). Step 4 involves the workplace hazards that exist in the facility. While the first consideration should be that the basic facilities in terms of design of workstations, sitting arrangements, lighting, ventilation, control of thermal effects, etc. are available, industry-specific hazards should also be focused upon. For industries that emit hazardous substances, employers should be trained to record all details of substances emitted during processes of laboratory tests or actual operations. Risk mitigation activities while working with hazardous substances may involve weighing of powdered substances, decanting cleaning liquids, chromatography, distillation of solvents, decontaminating surfaces, diluting pesticides, degreasing motors, sanding timber, etc.(University of Sydney). Employees may need to eliminate or reduce the use of the substance if it is not essential or substitute for something that is less hazardous; isolate the process or use engineering controls like ventilation or automation; restrict access to the area, keep it clutter-free, ensure safe storage, etc. Inventory of hazardous substances should be maintained carefully, labeling containers and keeping stock registers. Step 5 involves correction of hazards that may exist. Particularly in industries that are prone to emit hazardous substances, like chemical laboratories, etc., it will ensure regular tests of workplace air samples, swipes and other agents so that the environment is absolutely safe for employees (NIEHS). Step 6 involves the training of employees on safe work practices. It should also develop safety rules and a disciplinary system to deal with rule-breaking. Employees should be provided with training so that they understand all the regulations and play their part in making the workplace safe. While most rules are easy to understand, some specific rules should be emphasized. For example, any sort of unsafe or possibilities of accidents should be reported to the supervisor immediately. Illegal drugs, alcohol, firearms, etc. should be banned in the workplace. In some types of workplaces, it may be mandatory for employees to wear protective gear like hard-toe boots, safety goggles and hard hats. Employees should also be trained for emergency procedures in times of fire, accidents and natural disasters. A progressive disciplinary would involve warning, final warning and even dismissal (MEMC). Step 7 would develop the mindset of the entire staff to be oriented towards making the workplace hazard-free. The management should remain invested in the safety procedures so that the employees may orient their entire work process towards this end. The commitment of the organization would be reflected in the mind set of the employees. Each employee should be able to recognize hazardous substances and use these judiciously. Step 8 would continually update and refine the safety and health program. There should be safety audits regularly so that the entire process is in place. In case some accident does occur, the safety division should ensure a full investigation into the causes so that the workplace may be kept hazard-free in the future. Conclusion Workplace safety and security should be placed at the topmost agenda of the organization, similar to its cost minimization or sales promotion agenda. Not only is workplace security critical to the health of the employees, the organization too benefits from fewer work hour losses and less damage to equipment. The organization should have an exhaustive safety plan in accordance to the regulatory framework of the country. The plan should be signed by the senior management so that it reflects the commitment of the organization; it should be a collaborative effort involving all employees so that they can orient their work procedures in accordance to safety goals. The workplace design and facilities should be built in a safe manner and regular monitoring and maintenance should be followed. In industries that use or emit hazardous substances, special care should be taken to control and monitor the use of such substances. Works Cited Cornell University (n.d). Workplace Safety: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/index.php/Workplace_safety Government of Canada (2002). Work safety Bulletin. No 22, December. Retrieved from http://www.gov.mb.ca/cgi-bin/print_hit_bold.pl/labour/safety/pdf/bulletins/bltn220.pdf Health and Safety Executive (HSE, n.d). Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare. Retrieved from http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg244.pdf ISR Survey (n.d). The Impact of Workplace Culture on Frequency of Safety Incidents. Retrieved from http://www.isrinsight.com/pdf/insight/Safety%20White%20Paper-Letter.pdf NT WorkSafe (2004). Safety Management: Developing a Safety Plan. Northern Territory, Australia. January 14. Retrieved from www.worksafe.nt.gov.au National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Health and Safety: General Policies and Responsibilities. Retrieved from http://www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/manual/home.htm MEMC, Partners for Safety. Safer Workplace. http://www.memic.com/publications_library/StepsSaferWorkplace.pdf Omega (2003). Developing an Occupational Health and Safety Plan for Small Businesses and Organizations. Graz, Austria. Retrieved from http://www.omega-graz.at/publikationen/OHS_english.pdf Read More