Management of Health and Safety in the UK and Internationally - Coursework Example

Management of Health and Safety in the UK and Internationally Introduction The contemporary workplace is different from the workplace in traditional industries before the industrial revolution. There are so many risks that are both explicit and hidden. It becomes difficult to predict when an accident will happen or how it will happen. However, the increasing use of machines at the work place, coupled with the continuing dependency on chemical compounds, poses a great risk not only to the industries or companies themselves but to the workers in general. Risks of fires, deaths as well as injuries are common. Deaths, injuries and fires are not the only risks that are eminent. There are issues to do with employee health as well as wellness that are also critical to facilitate employees’ operations. Therefore, changes are also witnessed in the workplace environments in general that are aimed at promoting a safe and healthy working environment for employees. The government and other regulatory agencies have been on the forefront in advocating for workplace safety and health issues with numerous laws and guidelines being put in place to ensure safe working environments. This paper is going to compare and contrast the management of health and safety issues in the UK and in other countries. It will consider workplace issues in the UK, US and Australia to identify similarities and differences that occur and how these impact on employees and the industries as a whole. Management of health and safety in the UK, US and Australia The UK has made strides in ensuring employee health and safety at the workplace. The first and major issue is the enactment of various legislations that help to promote workplace health and safety. The first of such legislations is The Health and Safety at work Act 1974. This is the primary legislation that guides occupational health and safety in the UK. There numerous other acts and regulations that cover individual items at the work environments and which also form part of this act (Bakker & Leiter, 2010). It is very important that these guidelines are adhered to as a breach of this attracts huge fines and penalties for the person’s involved. The same is the case with the US such that the nation has also enacted legislations that offer guidance on operations at the workplace to ensure health and safety. The occupational safety and health act 1970 is the primary legislation in the US that ensures worker and workplace safety. The act came into place with goal of ensuring that the employers provide employees with a work environment that is free from hazards and is safe and healthy (Burke, Cooper, & Clarke, 2011). Australia on the other hand also has enacted a number of regulations to enforce work place safety and health. The Occupational and safety act 1984 is the primary legislation that ensures safe working environments in Australia. Other legislations also have been established which deal with issues at the workplace (Cihon & Castagnera, 2010). Every industry has minimal standards that must be enforced in the in order to ensure safety at the work place. There are similarities across the three nations on how workplace environments should be designed in the sense that the UK requires that all workplace environments be built for everyone (Claire Mayhew, 2000). It thus takes into consideration design issues to ensure accessibility in and out of the work environment. There are also issues of first aid facilities that must be available at the work environment as minimal standards of safety. Lastly, there must be signs and signals that are used to warn of hazards and also to guide people on safe working methods (Collins, 2007). The US through occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) requires that all workplace environments be designed in a manner that is able to allow anyone to access and to exit and that it must be fitted with appropriate safety kits such as first aid kits and fire extinguishers to help in the event of fires and other accidents. It also requires additional investments in basic signs that guide employees through the building and also during work processes (Houdmont, Leka, & Sinclair, 2012). There are specific hazards for each industry; however, many industries use chemicals which present a number of hazards to the employee. The UK has come up with comprehensive measures that are aimed at ensuring better identification and recognition, information and labelling as well as use. It is required that all chemical hazards must be labelled and that their reaction nature be identified. This is used to help people to understand the possible risk they face through the use of these chemical compounds (Landy & Conte, 2009). The US has also come up strict measures that are used in the identification of chemical substances and their use. It is required that all chemical hazards be labelled correctly with information on the possible risks such as corrosion, burns well provided on the container. Australia has the same standards of which it requires that all chemical substances be categorised and labelled to ensure that employees understand each of them and what risks they face handling them. The three nation share practices and procedures on the handling, storage, use and disposal of these chemicals. The UK for example requires that all employees must wear protective clothing in the process of handling chemical hazards (Peterson & Mayhew, 2005). These clothing should be appropriate to the work environment in which such chemicals are supposed to be used. There are also design considerations of the work place such as ventilations in laboratories and other areas where the chemicals are used. These are enforced to ensure that employees do not inhale chemical vapours and that there is enough air to prevent chemical inhalation (Quinlan, 2000). Slips, trips and falls are common at the work place and this account for a huge number of deaths at the work place. There are several considerations that countries have made to ensure that people do not slip, trip or fall during operations. In the UK, it begins with the design of the floor in that these environments are supposed to be non-slippery, provide enough grip and spacious such that employees do not trip over machines and other operating tools. The US on the other hand has also implemented safety guidelines that vary across industries in order to ensure employee safety (Reese, 2003). In cases where there are slippery floors, there are signs that show this in order to prevent falls. OSHA also recommends that buildings in which there are machines be spacious and well designed in order to avoid slips and falls. All damaged floors must be repaired and this is the duty of the employer in order to protect the employee from accidental falls. In Australia, regulations require that the workplace must be designed in a manner that prevents employees from falling, slipping or tripling (Bakker & Leiter, 2010). They major on the need for the work environment to have signs that allow employees to be careful in places that are potentially hazardous. It is also a requirement that all buildings are design with level floors, that employees always ear foot wear in areas that could cause falls and that there are emergency equipment that are available in the case of falls (Burke, Cooper, & Clarke, 2011). Basically, the three countries share the same guidelines in terms of ensuring safety of employees working in any building. Signs and building maintenance are viewed as crucial aspects of workplace designs that are used to prevent falls, slips and trips. Machines generally take a large part of industries and these cause a lot of deaths due to accidents and also due to poor arrangements and safety precautions in place. Machines present hazards from the time of transport to the workplace, use and maintenance and care must be taken to ensure that these machines do not injure people during any of the mentioned processes (Lingard & Rowlinson, 2005). The UK requires that industrial plants with machines have a number of precautionary measures in place. First is that all machines must be operated by people with sufficient training on how to use those machines. Secondly, the transportation of those machines should be carried out with care and third, the working environment must be fitted with enough operation buttons of braking and stopping the machine (Cihon & Castagnera, 2010). Also of great important are the instructions on how best to use the machines to prevent injuries. The US has elaborate guideline on machine use most of which mirror those of the UK. Australia requires that machine operations must be done by professionals and that environments must be supportive of the employee in terms of ensuring that they are able to use the machines comfortably without straining. Australia basically leans on the ergonometric aspect of machine use and how employees can be safe during machine use (Houdmont, Leka, & Sinclair, 2012). Conclusion There are a lot of similarities in the way work environments are designed in all the three countries. Hazard management in the three countries is almost similar with little variations being witnessed in practices across the UK, US and Australia. The regulations have been extensive in providing the necessary legal framework to help industries enforce safety and healthy work environments. There are very many best practices but these are specific to companies and vary in terms of development and implementation. However, the UK has come out as having extensive measures that help employees address work place safety and health concerns. References Bakker, A. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2010). Work Engagement: A Handbook of Essential Theory and Research. New York: Taylor & Francis. Burke, R. J., Cooper, D. C., & Clarke, S. (2011). Occupational Health and Safety. New York: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Cihon, P. J., & Castagnera, J. O. (2010). Employment & Labour Law. Belmont CA: Cengage Learning. Claire Mayhew, C. L. (2000). Occupational Health and Safety in Australia: Industry, Public Sector and Small Business. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Collins, D. (2007). Health and Safety Strategies 2007. London: Workplace Law Group. Houdmont, J., Leka, S., & Sinclair, R. R. (2012). Contemporary Occupational Health Psychology: Global Perspectives on Research and Practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 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