Systematic Approach to Managing Occupational Health Management - Assignment Example

Memo To: Newly Appointed managers From: Chamber of commerce and industry Date: March, 2011 Subject: Systematic Approach to managing OHS Purpose and components of OHS management system OHS is more of a system made up of several components to ensure the success and continuous improvement of the OHS framework. Among the five fundamental components are policy, planning, implementation, checking and corrective action and management review. Policy as a component is a statement detailing the commitment, intentions and principles of the companies which are members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in relation to occupational health and safety performance. The policy offers the direction and the framework for the organization via the implementation of occupational health and safety aims, targets and objectives. Planning is also a fundamental component which engages the process to identifying and managing hazards through a risk management approach, using the safety policy to set occupational health and safety performance objectives and identifying and maintaining currency on regulatory, legal and additional requirements. Implementation is a wide encompassing component which demands the launch of several processes such as establishing processes for developing proper emergency response capability, defining requirements of contractors and suppliers, ascertaining that documentation is current and accessible, fostering consultation and communication, implementing relevant training, managing hazards and defining required roles, responsibilities and authorities. Checking and corrective action is a component which entails ensuring continuous improvement across the organization while undertaking regular monitoring to verify that the organizations’ occupational health and safety performance comply with the corporate commitments as well as with the regulatory, legal and other requirements. Management review is an imperative fundamental component whose purpose is to determine whether any changes in philosophy, objectives, policy or methods are required to meet the current or future needs of the operation as well as assessing the effectiveness of the system. Contribution of managers, supervisors and team leaders to organizational integration of OHS Managers and supervisors have assigned responsibilities, as mentioned in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2007. In order to integrate OHS within organization’s management approach, the managers, supervisors and team leaders have to provide effective OHS management advice, while focussing on keeping a balance between the priorities of the other stakeholders on the side of 'safety' and 'health'. The managers, supervisors and team leaders also contribute to organizational integration of OHS through offering workers and the management advice that helps to ensure that acceptable safety and health standards are established and practised in the organizations, while assisting them translate the implications of OHS legislation in the contextual reality of the organization. The managers and supervisors also foster the integration of OHS through their experience through undertaking audits and inspections, and participating and promoting health and safety education programs in the organizations, hence engaging OHS activities as part of the organizational activities. In addition, the team leaders play a role in investigations of cases of ill health and accidents, while having the actual real insight as to how OHS regulation, communication and organizational management, OHS management practices and approaches impact on the workers. This enables the organization to structure its management structure and management operations in consideration of the OHS activities hence integrating the OHS as part of organizational activities. Moreover, the supervisors, managers and team leaders can contribute to the integration of OHS within an organizations overall management approach by ensuring that the agendas, needs and concerns of the other stakeholders such as the shareholders are managed in a manner that they do not negatively impact on the safety and health of workers or compromise legislative requirements. The management of the organization can then encompass risk management principles so as to continually enhance practices, performance and safety and health standards in the organization through implementing pro-active OHS strategies. In addition, the supervisors, managers and team leaders can integrate OHS to organizational overall management through continuous improvement of Occupational Health and Safety management processes, effective OHS training and education as well as effective use of resources. Consultants, outside advisors and specialists can be used to enhancement of the integration of OHS within an organizations overall management approach by offering the blueprint and expert opinions on how to seamlessly integrate the OHS activities and the overall organizations management through in-house training, and assisting in the re-structuring of the organizations management chart to consider OHS practices and regulations. Importance of identifying OHS implications of proposed changes There is importance of identifying OHS implications of proposed changes. This enables the organization to develop rationale, education, support, and guidance for the workforce which conforms to the changes. Moreover, identifying OHS implications enables the organization to acknowledge employees’ stake in the outcome. Furthermore, this enables the organization to appreciate and value the employees’ insights. Identifying the implications also enables the organization to develop strategies and align the organizations OHS practices with the organization’s core business operations and objectives. Identifying OHS implications of the proposed changes also enables the organization to compare the changes with the existing regulatory and legal requirements and ensure that the changes conform to the requirements. Moreover, identifying OHS implications enables the organizations to develop risk management plan and mitigation strategies beforehand. In order to control the risks, the organization has to adopt several strategies which include avoiding the risk, transferring the risk to another party, reducing the negative consequences of the risk, and accepting all or some of the consequences of a particular risk. Strategies to promote maintain and improve the management of OHS There are several strategies that can be adopted by an organization so as to promote maintain and improve the management of OHS. These strategies include developing effective an occupational health and safety policy and programs. These regularly updated policies should be understand by all stakeholders, ensure accountability at all levels and show commitment. The other strategy is involving the management and the employees through consultation and feedback, the third strategy is setting up training strategies. The fourth stage is setting up a hazard identification and workplace assessment process which engages **. Another strategy is developing and implementing risk control strategies, which include engineering controls, administrative controls and having personal protective equipment. Purpose of OHS audit and key areas OHS audit is an imperative component of OHS assessment which is essential so as to systematically identify and analyze the conformity state of the organization’s management system, in conformity with the regulatory and legal provisions in OHS domain. OHS audit is a fundamental instrument for the accomplishment of the organization’s objectives in the field of occupational health and safety. OHS audit therefore serves to assess the corrective actions essential for the eradication of occupational health and safety gaps and identification of means of improving the OHS management system.   Several key areas are important to be evaluated, during an OHS management. The key areas to be evaluated include the commitment of the management, presence of hazard identification, evaluation and control mechanisms, Incident recording, investigation, analysis and review, training and development programmes for the staff, allocation of responsibilities and accountability for health and safety matters and evaluating workplace health and safety performance. Report To: Senior Manager From: OHS consultant Date: March, 2011 Subject: Storage Area risk assessment OHS Hazard and Risk Register Name : Contact Officer : Approving Authority: Date Approved: Last Amended: Date for Review Workplace Storage Area Consultants report on the identification of the risk associated with the storage are in the workplace at * Persons who may be at risk by activities addressed by the hazard register include contractors, store keepers, fellow workers Category of staff and visitors Work Activities Hazard Risk Risk Rating with existing controls Risk Controls Risk Rating with additional controls P C R P C R Store Keepers Storage of hazardous substances without MSDS Hazardous substances Highest 2 High Eliminating the hazards and risks High 3 High Visitors Having poor ventilation Poor ventilation Chocking Highest 3 Low Changing how people interact to reduce the risk -Additional ventilation spaces High 3 Low Store Staff, employees, supervisors , visitors Closed escape routes Nonexistent procedures for afterhours access Contractors No standard operating procedure for contractors Lack of risk assessment process document Training Options It is imperative that the stakeholders be trained on the OHS especially as regards the workplace storage area. To train the individuals, the organization should utilize several strategies such as on the job training, seminars, lectures and presentations. However, team methods can be also effective in individual training. Team training on OHS can be conducted through several methods such as presentation methods, hands on methods and group building methods. The organization can utilise diverse presentation methods including lectures audio-visual techniques. Hands on methods are the training methods that require the trainee to be actively involved in learning, which includes On-the-job training, case studies, simulations, business games, role plays and behaviour modelling. Group building methods include adventure learning which focuses on Occupational Health and Safety through structured outdoor activities. There are several communication strategies to address the stakeholders concerns about any changes. An imperative strategy is to undertake an integrated communication strategy where communication is not taken as a different module, but it is integrated with the change, as part of the change. The stakeholders are kept abreast with important straightforward communications on the activities as the changes progress. Another strategy is the customized targeted and personalized communication, where the stakeholders shall be given personalized information. The shareholders shall be given specific information relevant to decision making concerning investments, while the employees shall be offered information about the change which is suitable for the working environment. The interaction of the work teams and the supervisors is important for the attainment of the OHS objectives. Team members’ interaction is fostered through gaining the trust of all the team members. Gaining trust involves team members understanding the good intentions of other team members. This enables the team members to focus their energies on implementing the OHS changes. In addition the interaction of the team members should encourage healthy unfiltered and passionate debates, which enables the team to achieve commitment and achieve a common purpose, for the realization of setting and attaining clear, specific and measurable objectives as well mutual accountability so as to take responsibility in the actions of the team and focusing on results. Apart from the aforementioned desirable characteristics, in addition the interaction between the team members and the supervisors should be founded on respect where the supervisor respects the subordinates and as well the subordinate respects the supervisor. In addition, the supervisor should be accessible and be well conversant with the developments in the organization. Furthermore, the team members should be assigned to tasks, where every person individually and as a team is responsible for specific responsibilities. In addition, the team members should effectively utilize the equipment they use as well as optimally utilizing them while considering safety through regular servicing and maintenance of the equipments. The work environment is the essential foundation for having work. The concerned stakeholders should utilize and follow the set out work systems to enable better utilization of the environment and avoiding pollution to the environment. Read More