Aspect of WHS in Depth from a Human Resource Management Perspective - AcuMine - Case Study Example

Name Professor Course Date of submission Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Abstract 2 Introduction of the organization 2 Employee Fatigue 3 Determining the risk magnitude and employees exposed 3 Control measures based on the 'hierarchy of controls' and 'as low as reasonably practical' concepts 4 Human Resource Management Practices for effective Implementation of the control measures 5 Relevant Injury Management Consideration 7 Measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the management action 8 Works Cited 11 Aspect of WHS in Depth from a Human Resource Management Perspective Abstract The aim of the report is to analyze work place health and safety of AcuMine, which is an Australian engineering firm. Most Australians enjoy engineering activities such as design and delivery of the projects; however, the employees are susceptible to various occupational risks. Moreover, the report aimed to address such challenges from the human resource perspective. The major safety issue within the firm is fatigue among the employee, which is responsible for various hazards within the organization. The report also aims to explore the methods of determining magnitude of the risk and methods of identifying the number of exposed employees, injury management consideration, and the measure of controlling such hazards based on the hierarchy of control strategy. Introduction of the organization While the majority of engineers in Australia take pride in their activities especially in design and delivery of the projects, there are several risks associated with the activities they undertake that emerge from fatigue. AcuMine is one of the leading engineering firms in Australia and develops technologies aims at improving the safe operations of the vehicles within the hazardous environment (AcuMine Pty Ltd, 2016). The firms emphasizes on software development for the contextual safety issues within situation awareness, system integrity, and human interactions. Throughout the years, the firm has not been able to revise some of its workplace practices especially the factors contributing employees’ fatigue. Employee Fatigue Fatigue is the mental and physical exhaustion among the employees, which reduces their ability of performing the work safely and effectively (Jacobson 66). With the economic pressure on the firm, the workers are forced to work for longer hours and around the clock working time arrangements. In AcuMine, the fatigue experience resulted in the increased feeling of sleepiness, negative moods, and neurobehavioural performance. From the engineering operation perspective, fatigue could sometimes result in manifestation of fatigue related errors, accidents, and injuries due to various cognitive impairments. Determining the risk magnitude and employees exposed To establishment the risk magnitude and exposure, it is important to undertake risk assessment, which involves evaluation, based on the engineering and operational judgements methods to establish whether the perceived risk is acceptable. The risk magnitude is computed through multiplication of the probability and severity impact which are scored on a 1-10 scale with 1 reflecting the least severity or probability and 10 equalling to the most severe or probable risk. The criterion used in assessing the severity of the hazard is the impact on the safety of the machinery used, facilities, the occupants, and other people likely to be affected directly. In severity assessment, elements that require consideration are the indicators such as the status of the machines, hazard assessment frequency, aggravating factors, and duration of exposure to the hazard (Ramos et al 23). Moreover, the hazard severity is determined based on credible effects on the safety whenever there is consideration for outcome for all weaknesses, potential failures, and barriers likely to exist within relevant operational environment. On the other hand, the probability of the hazard is based on the structural review through standard classification scheme. Probability is based on either qualitative or quantitative definition of the risk. For legal compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA), it is important to undertake medical surveillance after the risk assessment (Raynis 107). To ensure the business meets the necessary requirements at a minimum cost, there is need to ensure minimal level of employee exposure. To determine the employee exposed to the risk, the human resource manager needs to identify the hazards arising from the environment, assess the time of exposure, and deduce the appropriate medical surveillance. Risk Description Impact Severity Probability Risk Magnitude Electrical faults 5 4 20 Fatigue 7 4 28 Control measures based on the 'hierarchy of controls' and 'as low as reasonably practical' concepts Regulations often require the employers to focus on the reduction of the risks to the level that is as low as is reasonably practical often referred to as ALARP. To undertake the duty so far as is reasonably practical means that the extent to which the risk within any given activity or environment could be balanced against the troubles, time, cost, and physicality of undertaking the measures to avoid the risk (Hussin 378). In ALARP, the steps taken at the lower hierarchy end considering that they are essentially dependent on the human actions and behaviours in a bid to achieve the highest level of mitigation. Based on the hierarchy of controls, the management need to focus on enhancing the level of awarenessness, which involves informing the employees on the significant residual risks that have not been eliminated through the designs, or safeguarding of the devices. The common types of awareness that businesses often use are awareness barriers, awareness signals, and awareness signs. Besides awareness, the concept also requires training and procedures, which are essential to the care and reduction of the risk. However, safe work procedures and training should be supplements to the existing organizational guards, awareness, and safeguarding devices (Goetsch 117). The concept also requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used in conjunction with other measures of reducing the risk or whenever there are no control methods available or feasible. However, while applying the Hierarchy it is important to consider identification of new hazards, confirmation of effectiveness, circumventing the risk reduction measures, and assessing the residual risks. Human Resource Management Practices for effective Implementation of the control measures Tracking at the progress of the HRM practices, it is evident that it has gone through various stages of development, which defines the core competencies. The HR personnel needs to collect information on the people related to the governance, risk, and compliance issues. Human resources have two roles in the management of risks. Firstly, people are the major source of the risks through shortage of the workers, employees doing sloppy work, workers refusing to take additional roles, and employees leaving organizations after receiving trainings. Secondly, people are important in the management of risks (Harbison and McCluskey 7). Therefore, the HRM need to use their ingenuity in solving the unexpected outcomes, ensuring that the workers go extra mile for the good of the business, and redesigning the job to prevent the risk occurrences. Human resource practices could lead to various implications on risk management. The practices are important in keeping the human resources in harmony through adoption of various risk management tools. People carry out the risk management decisions. Therefore, having the appropriate people in place, trained, motivated, and rewarded is an essential factor of successful risk management. There are various human resource calamities likely to increase the likelihood and probability of risk occurrence. These calamities include fatigue, which is a state of mental and physical exhaustion that reduces the ability of people in performing the work safely and effectively (Kadekodi 156). The calamities could result from divorce, chronic illness, and accidental death which could hamper the carefully made and appropriate decisions for the managing the risks. Risk management practices need to anticipate the likelihood of various human resources calamities. Therefore, HRM have to develop contingency plan as an integral part of risk management. In every business, there is no management team that stays together since eventually there would be different managers. Succession in the management is a significant risk source. Therefore, HRM practices, legal, and financial considerations often affect the succession of management succession, hence the management of risks. Usually, the human resource management of activities associated with management succession require adequate job analysis, discipline, compensation, selection, performance appraisal, interaction, and job description. More importantly, the HRM need to tie risk management with performance evaluation. It is vital to note that risk management interventions are carried out through people; therefore, failures in the human resource practices could lead to failures in the properly designed management practices. However, effective and efficient depends on explicit specification of the jobs by the HRM, delegation of the authority and power in managing the risks within the guidelines in a manner that is responsible at the action level of the risk management. Within the business, risks are often inevitable with businesses having moral and legal obligations of attending to the safety and well-being of the employees, the people it serves, and those encountering their operations. HRM Practices Risks Potential Considerations Benefits and Compensations Abuse of finance The signing authority; signatories; and availability of checks and balances Hiring Poor hiring; practices that are discriminatory in nature; hiring unsafe unsuitable candidates Complete screening of the candidates; probationary period; observation of human rights laws Occupational Health and Safety Personal injury and environmental Safe working conditions; training for the staff; appropriate PPEs and equipment Employee Supervision Releasing confidential information; abuse; and community reputation Provision of sufficient orientation and training; protection of personal information; performance management system Exiting Employee Compensation; reputation; property Retrieval of information and equipment from the dismissed workers; conducting exiting interview Employee Conduct Abuse; reputation Following job description parameters; orientation and training; retaining records of performance issues Relevant Injury Management Consideration The business is committed to assisting the employees to full and gainful employment from the injury and illness. To control workplace injuries, the business has to dedicate towards the provision of rehabilitation programs through continuous review and monitoring with an aim of improving injury management strategies. While developing the injury management plan, in conjunction with the injured workers, it is significant to consider the individual circumstances in line with the “whole of life” approach. To meet such commitments, it is important to prevent various workplace injuries and illness through provision of safe and healthy working conditions; recognizing and complementing different institutional procedures and policies considered relevant (Stout 232). The business also needs to provide adequately the early warning systems and intervention procedures that could enable the injured workers to stay at work or return to their working points as soon as they are medically fit. Moreover, there is need for facilitation of durable return to work of the workers through assisting with the safe and early integration back into the workplace; advising the workers on their rights and roles in the injury management, and ensuring adequate participation in the management programs associated with injuries and illness management. The employee are better placed to identity various sources of injuries and illness within workplace. Therefore, the management need to ensure proper consultation with the employees or their representatives and ensuring maintenance of confidentiality of the personal information in regards to the applicable legislations. More importantly, it is vital to manage the claims of the employees in an equitable, efficient, and timely manner that is considered consistent with the applicable legislations and requirements associated with self-insurance. For effectiveness and efficiency of the outcome, compliance with the injury management and rehabilitation legislation and adequately engaging the qualified experts in assisting the in the management of the injury are inevitable. The engagement should involve both the internal and external experts. With such practices, the business is sure of providing an environment considered richly safe, healthy, and wellbeing of the employees for the whole of their lives. Measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the management action Risk management plan is never perfect; nonetheless, the extent to which the success is achieved depends on the analysis of risks, management policies, responsibilities, and planning. For adequate measuring and evaluation of the risk, it is vital to access the risk or the objective of the action. Critical evaluation involves a series of steps allowing the discovery of flaws. The first step in the evaluation and measuring of the risk is problem analysis. At such stage, it is important to note all the events and activities outlined in the action plan while checking the problems that could arise from the implementation and assess the level of seriousness (Brauer 114). The second stage is matching the outcomes of the management actions and objectives. Normally, the end justifies the means. The stage involves checking if the outcomes are in tandem with the outlined objectives. If the results are undesired, it is important to evaluate the activities to find out the source. The third step is evaluation of the effectiveness of the action’s activities. This step requires serious investigations into the activities outlined in the action plan to establish the efficiency and discovering various flaws during the implementation. The fourth stage involves evaluation of the working environment. At this stage, it is important to take adequate time to assess, analyze, and make decisions on what exactly the workplace requires. The fifth step is making possible changes in the faulty activities. After the evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of various activities, it is important to try to make adjustments within the action to achieve the desired results. Although making the adjustment could be time consuming, it is a vital step for successful implementation of the plan. Finally, there is need to review the changed activities. Upon making the changes in the existing activities and risk management events, it is to try to node down the possible outcomes of the adjusted activities. However, it is important to match them with the major objectives of the management action. Works Cited AcuMine Pty Ltd. "Innovative Products." AcuMine Pty Ltd, AcuMine Pty Ltd, 2016, www.acumine.com/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016. Brauer, Roger L. Safety and Health for Engineers. John Wiley, 2006. Goetsch, David L. Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers. Prentice Hall, 2011. 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