Managing Health and Safety - Dissertation Example

Managing Health and Safety A suitable framework for the investigations of loss events should be implanted in a workplace/organisation. Loss events are occurrences which lead to an accident, ill health, danger, and/or near miss. McKinnon (2000) reports an accident is “…an undesired event that results in loss. Most people give little thought to accidents or their prevention. Health and safety professionals (amongst other professionals in various fields) face this challenge, and its associated costs and losses, both human and financial, every day.” This framework is used to critically evaluate the current procedures for an investigation. When a company experiences loss events, such consequences as lawsuits, financial losses, turnover, etc. result. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in collaboration with unions, industry, and health and safety professional entities have developed guidelines on the proper steps of investigating accidents and incidents as well as near-misses. This guidance targets small to medium-sized companies. These enterprises usually have a difficult time in developing and implementing a procedure for recording, investigating, and concluding accidents. (HSE Publishes New Guidance, 2004.) The steps of the guidance, otherwise know as the HSG245 includes: gathering information, analysing the information, identifying risk control measures, creating a plan of action and then implementing this action plan. HSG245 is a tool in developing a risk management system. The goal is to “provide a deeper understanding of risks” and that “blaming individuals is fruitless.” A good risk management system should: 1. Look at the immediate cause of the loss event—most obvious reason 2. Look at the underlying cause—less obvious reason 3. Look at the root cause—what initially caused the loss event Managing Health and Safety 2 Companies should focus on past mistakes in order to prevent future issues. Blaming human error as the main reason for loss events (an event which leads to an accident, ill health, dangerous occurance and/or near miss) is not acceptable. A suitable framework should assist a company in identifying its loss events and to plan, develop, and implement systems and policies that will provide for these needs. If loss events are not considered, then when an issue, or situation, arises, it is difficult to know how to handle it. Some situations may be emergencies, which definitely require a proactive procedure. Emergencies should be prevented as much as possible and that is why it is important to determine what might be an emergency, or what might lead to an emergency. If an emergency or a safety need does arise, it is detrimental that systems and policies are in place. This will not only avoid confusion and lack of readiness and education, it will minimize injuries, accidents, and liabilities. Measures of risk control should be taken. This can be accomplished by identifying what is missing or inadequate, using legal requirements and policies/guidelines as means of measurement, and based on findings, come up with recommendations. The theoretical foundation for security is to determine every possible loss event and in order to plan, develop, implement, enforce, and maintain systems, policies, and procedures. There is tremendous need because we live in a very fast-paced world full of information, technology, increase population, higher crime rates, increased poverty, different morals and standards, etc. Times have changed especially after 9/11, companies are more aware of security, safety, and issues. Levin (2, 5) states, “Another area that is providing growth opportunities is combating the rapidly evolving styles of theft and fraud. New forms of loss events often involve technology such as high-end audio-visual surveillance and cyber-tracking equipment”. Due to increased technology, Managing Health and Safety 3 identity theft is something that we usually never had to deal with before. Businesses are no longer small and have spread throughout the world, safety and security issues span the globe. There are numerous criminal and non-criminal hazards that threaten individuals, businesses, public agencies, and nations. These include, but are not limited to such activities as noise violations (any noises which are out of the ordinary, which bother or annoy anyone outside of your facility) and littering violations (under various state laws, it is a misdemeanor to litter on either public or private property) so organizations should be cautious of how staff and clients dispose of waste products. These may not be actions that you would consider as “threatening” and hazardous; however, they can be liabilities and according to the law, can be proven to be criminal hazards. Obviously, theft, various inappropriate actions and words, misappropriations, and espionage are areas that should be consider a framework can provide authority and the police can provide authority for the safety and security of an organization. Private security can be arranged by organizations to help prevent, minimize, and handle some of the following examples: Just 30 U.S. retail companies lost over $5.0 billion to shoplifting and employee theft in 2001, with only 3.45 percent of those losses resulting in a recovery, according to the Fourteenth (14th) Annual Retail Theft Survey conducted by Jack L. Hayes International, the leading loss prevention and inventory shrinkage control consulting firm…this means that for every one dollar recovered, another $27.95 is lost to retail theft. (Hayes). The public police can work in conjunction with an organization’s private security to help implement the systems and policies are set in place by the security manager. The public police Managing Health and Safety 4 is usually not called upon unless private security cannot handle the situation, is not authorized to do so, or there is an emergency beyond the scope of the organizational security systems and plans. Together public and private security can promote, preserve, and provide a feeling of safety and security for the organization and all who enter. They can also preserve the philosophies of the organization. However, the police can offer education and training on such topics as alcohol and substance abuse, how to prevent and report non-criminal and criminal hazards. They can educate the company’s staff on other topics such as sexual harassment and abuse, emergency aid and procedures, and citizens’ and victims’ rights, etc. They provide a proactive approach to law enforcement and related security issues. Every framework must have a plan of action. The HSG245 action plan should consider that all accidents are events yet not all events are accidents. Another thing to remember is that not all injuries result from accidents and all accidents do not result in injuries. Hence, the action plan that HSG245 suggests is to gain feedback and review the risk assessment, deal with the intermediate, underlying, and root causes of the event, determine any lessons that may be applied to prevent other loss events, be sure to communicate to all those who this pertains and all those who need to know, and, finally, the action plan must be implemented and monitored. HSE reports, “It is often pure luck that determines whether an undesired circumstance translates into a near miss or accident. The value of investigating each adverse event is the same.” They also encourage the use of an accident theory to help prevent accidents. Accident theories should be used to investigate accidents and for causal analysis. They should also be used proactively to help identify, analyse, and prevent loss events and accidents. It is believed that Managing Health and Safety 5 accidents do not just happen. There are causes and these causes can be discovered in order to prevent loss events and accidents from happening in the future. In order to determine which accident theory to use, one must consider the definition of the term accident. Oakley (n.d.) writes about accidents and accident theories: While many books will agree that an accident is an undesired event, the best definition that fits with the accident theories and analytical approach is that occurrence in a sequence of events that produces unintended injury, death or property damage (National Safety Council viii). Accidents are sequences of events. There are normal (positive) sequences where there is no accident, and then accident sequences also called negative sequences. An accident is a result of a negative sequence of events... The analytical approach to investigating accidents is used to find out what happened and how to prevent future accidents. This is a very intuitive and iterative process to use techniques that develop scenarios and determines what happened. The purpose is to use techniques and methodologies that help to determine the accident sequence and then prevent that sequence by corrective actions or controls. Understanding how accidents occur will assist in their prevention. HSE focuses Heinrich’s Dominoes Theory. However, there are more than one line of dominoes at once. There should be a separation of the loss event/accident and its outcomes. It is also important to determine what is most important to investigate and determine the worst possible consequences. It is also very pertinent that a company realises that loss events/accidents share some common features. They share common features, patterns, traits, and characteristics. Organisational learning Managing Health and Safety 6 and isomorphism is involved. Isomorphism is defined by Wikipedia (2006), “a similarity of the processes or structure of one organization to those of another, be it the result of imitation or independent development under similar constraints. There are three main types of isomorphism: normative, coercive, and mimetic. Isomorphism was primarily the work of Paul DiMaggio and Walter Powell. Isomorphisms effects are exaggerated with the advent of Internet communication; humans have significantly increased their ability to overcome geographical boundaries in order to communicate. While the Internet has yet to connect all human minds, among those it has affected, the Internet serves as a transparent forum where ideas can be expressed to all, viewed by all, and criticized by all with similar levels of ease and priority. Thus, with new ideas and images constantly in production, what Internet users choose to relate to or pay attention to can possibly be attributed to instinctual elements of the human mind. Transparency, the choice to view or ignore, and ease of access allows isomorphism to act differently on the Internet than in the physical world (for example, on the Internet a metal gun is no longer representative of coercive isomorphism).” There are four types of isomorphism: 1. Event Isomorphism 2. Cross Organisational Isomorphism 3. Common Mode Isomorphism 4. Self Isomorphism Cross Isomorphism is where different organisations (owned by separate entities) are organisational considered to be “identical” due to the fact that they are in the same industry. Common Mode Isomorphism is when various organisations of different sectors but use the tools, Managing Health and Safety 7 policies, and techniques. Self Isomorphism is when an extremely large company with many various divisions and units provide similar products and services. Event Isomorphism can also be characterised in terms of the preservation of structure. Emotionally people are affected by loss events especially long term. Individuals who have been involved in major loss events can be emotionally and/or physically affected in time by such incidents. Changes can be seen in personality, ethics, perceptions of what happened and perception of risk, cognition, self esteem, along with other areas of changes. In investigating the loss event/accident, the system of management regarding reactive reactions resilience will affect risk assessment. It will also affect the overall monitoring of the loss event and what happened. It is important to analyse what happened in order to keep it from occurring again. This involves the computation of the probability of the loss event happening again. Review the issues of incorrect, inconsistent, and uncertain information/data. Then determine which risks are tolerable and acceptable. It is important that a company and its staff members use hindsight and learn from what happened. Investigating the loss event requires the assistance of everyone in the company. The investigation also requires calling on the company’s resources such as management and staff, investigators, aptitude, talents and skills, and the support of all involved. If it is necessary to make changes in the company’s current health and safety policies/guidelines, realize that it is easier to make changes if the company is larger. The smaller it is, the more unwilling for changer there will be. Changes are easier made and implement if the company is closely related or positioned to the loss event/accident. The changes of procedures and Managing Health and Safety 8 policies of safety will be more readily accepted if they are first accepted by upper management. If the loss event was a big surprise to those in the company, then there will be a greater move toward the safety philosophy. Management’s belief that internal factors caused the loss event, the level of responsibility the company has, and the entity’s cultural assumptions and daily routines will determine safety policy changes. (Norton-Doyle, n.d.) The YMCA UK is the company that of focus for this writing. The YMCA England represents over 140 YMCAs and 250 communities that offer housing, fitness centers, training, community health and education services. (Welcome to YMCA England, 2006.) The YMCA has health and safety procedures that are strictly set and enforced. They offer education and training via weekly meetings for management and staff, meetings with nearby and distant YMCAs, conferences with other organisations, training and education for their staff, members, and the community. “YMCA Training is one of the UKs leading training organisations, working with individuals, organisations and local communities from over 50 locations throughout the country,” reports YMCA Training (2006). The YMCA is the largest provider of safe, secure, and affordable housing for young adults in England. It is the largest single voluntary organisation which provides sport, exercise/fitness, and health programmes. (YMCA England Position Paper: SPORT, HEALTH, EXERCISE & FITNESS, 2004.) They collaborate with the government, community, churches, and volunteer groups. With all of this and so much more, it is extremely pertinent that the YMCA follows policies, guidelines, and laws and has a suitable framework for the investigation of its loss events. The company requires all staff members in every department and on every level to be certified in CPR and First Aid through international organisations. For example, “The YMCA movement is a Managing Health and Safety 9 major trainer of fitness instructors…The majority of YMCAfit programmes lead to Central YMCA Qualifications (CYQs) which are approved by the government regulatory body, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority…” reports YMCA England Position Paper: SPORT, HEALTH, EXERCISE & FITNESS, 2004. According to a job description posted by the YMCA of Greater Seattle (2005), YMCAs “identifies, cultivates, trains, evaluates, and supervises assigned staff and program volunteers in the delivery of all teen programming. Assures staff and volunteers meet all YMCA applicable policies and procedures. Provides leadership and development…ensures that safety procedures are followed and that all programs are in compliance with YMCA applicable standards.” Each department, class, and venture of the YMCA has policies and guidelines which abide by the YMCAs overall policies and guidelines. For example, the YMCA Weardale House Policy Document on Safety regarding one particular program states (n.d.), “This document will attempt to deal with all aspects…it will serve as a guide to good practices for all permanent and temporary staff and to any visiting staff…Safety recommendations should not consist of rigid regulations which stifle adventure but should indicate flexible codes of good practice in areas of risk.” All YMCAs of the United Kingdom adhere to the health and safety standards and policies of the main office, YMCA UK. Each branch sticks to this framework. Then each department and activity has its own policies using the YMCA UK framework for the development, implementation, reporting, investigating, concluding, and monitoring loss events and their causes, finding, prevention, etc. It even provides courses on health and safety for those who wish to learn more. Health & Safety (2006) offers a course that is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Managing Health and Safety 10 Health. After completion, participants receive a Basic Health & Safety Certificate. Health & Safety (2006) lists objectives of the course, “(Understand) the development of health & safety law, (understand) the need for a safe working environment, (and to understand) the sorts of risks that workplaces can present to employees If an incident should occur, the proper procedures should be followed such as contacting emergency help (if necessary), contacting the Director who is on duty or on call, then the Director shall contact the top manager. Each incident is documented on the incident/accident forms that each YMCA provides, short interviews (questioning) are given, witnesses’ statements and their contact information are documented, etc. Then the Directors meet with particular individuals involved, along with the top manager. YMCAs also have feedback cards and some have computer systems in which their staff and members can use to e-mail members of the staff. Each feedback card or request card is viewed by the various department Directors and then turned in for review by the top manager. Then they are discussed in weekly meetings. Decisions are then made on what to do regarding each incident (good or bad). Usually the “bad” incidents are addressed as they require more immediate attention. After the meetings and all are addressed and informed on what to do, whether or not there are changes, follow-up consists of face-to-face discussions and/or phone calls and letters. The framework for investigation of loss events is routine and set by YMCA UK. All staff members and volunteers are required to attend training and continuing education. The YMCA even offers training and education for their members and the community as guests can attend classes and workshops as some are open to staff and guests (or members) and some are particularly for the community and Managing Health and Safety 11 members. Hence, it is found that the YMCA of the UK adheres to the recommendations of this study and writing and the system, tried and true for centuries, are quite effective. The literature review and findings of this study suggests that consistent follow-up remains a few weeks and even months after a loss event. Each staff meeting, whether large or small, formal or impromptu should go over the loss events again and the training, main points, and/or changes should be reiterated several times. A recommendation of giving credit and awarding those staff members and guests who perform according to standard and who have earned it based on good performance and skills. It is often too easy to focus on the bad and urgent (as this is crucial) and to forget the good that has happened. Rewarding those who do well will encourage all to continue performing above and beyond the call of duty and this will encourage everyone to adhere to a tried and true a suitable framework for the investigations of loss events as the YMCA has set the gold standard in this area. HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION. PUT THESE ON THE PAGES OF YOUR PRESENTATION. THESE WILL BE DISPLAYED TO THE AUDIENCE. CONSIDER THIS THE CHART THAT YOU REQUESTED: First Page of Power Point Presentation--HSG 245 “Will provide a deeper understanding of risks” and “Blaming individuals is fruitless.” Second Page—Immediate Cause-Most Obvious, Underlying Cause-Less Obvious, Root Cause-Initiating Cause Third Page—Organisational Learning-Learn from the past and prevent future problems Managing Health and Safety 12 Human Error is Rarely Acceptable Fourth Page—HSG245 Approach-Very structured: Avoid bias and jumping to conclusions Gather information Analysis Measures of Risk Control Develop and Implement an Action Plan Fifth Page—Levels of Investigation-Minimal Level, Low Level, Medium Level, High Level Sixth Page—Reasonable Inquiry, Keep it Timely, Record Information Seventh Page—Keep objective free from bias Sequence of events Immediate Causes Underlying Causes Root Causes Eighth Page--Risk Measures Identify what is missing or unused Compare with legal requirements and policies/procedures Meaningful recommendations Ninth Page—Review and Feedback Risk Assessment Handle Immediate, Underlying, and Root Causes Accordingly Lessons that may prevent future loss events Communicate findings and policy changes to everyone involved Managing Health and Safety 13 Implement and monitor Tenth Page—Henrich’s Dominoes Theory Event and Outcome—Keep separated The most important details to investigate Eleventh Page—All accidents are events. Not all events are accidents. Twelfth Page—Not all injuries result from accidents. All accidents do not result in injuries Thirteenth Page—Accidents have common traits, features, patterns, and characteristics Fourteenth Page—Isomorphism Event Isomorphism Cross Organisational Isomorphism Common Mode Isomorphism Self Isomorphism Fifteenth Page—Emotional Impact Caused by Loss Events and Accidents Sixteenth Page—Investigating Loss Events Attempted Foresight Hindsight Seventeenth Page—Safety Policy Changes The larger the company, the easier changes will be made and accepted Management’s acceptance (or lack of) will affect how the rest will accept or reject changes Managing Health and Safety 14 How closely connected the company is to the loss event will affect changes Type of company will affect Amount of organisational “surprise” will influence change acceptance Organisational everyday routine and cultural assumptions Responsibilities of the company play a big role in changes Management’s perception of internal and external causes will influence changes Works Cited “HSE Publishes New Guidance on Accident Investigation.” Cause, Effect and Control of Accidental Loss, with Accident Investigation Kit. 2000. 29 September 2006. . Grushka, Mark. Health & Safety (2006). YMCA. 02 October 2006. < http://www.ymca.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_WEBART/view.asp?Q=BF_WEBART_70906>. Levin, Mike. “Private Security Firms Expanding Service”. Business Edge. 21 Jul. 2005: Vol. 2, No. 15. 14 Dec. 2005. . McKinnon, Ronald. Discovery Journal Bookstore. Cause, Effect and Control of Accidental Loss with Accident Investigation Kit on CD-ROM. 27 September 2006. < http://www.rothstein.com/drjbooks/drj463.htm>. Norton-Doyle, John. “Investigating Accidents and Incidents HS(G)245, n.d.” 29 September 2006. < http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:nHQmcy-K7IYJ:www.alg.gov.uk/upload/public/attachments/376/accidents%26incidents071204.ppt+HSG245&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2>. Oakley, Jeffrey. “Using Accident Theories to Prevent Accidents.” 2000 30 September 2006. . Welcome to YMCA England. 2006. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2006. 30 September 2006. < http://Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.htm>. YMCA of Greater Seattle. 2005. 30 September 2006. < http:// YMCA of Greater Seattle.htm>. YMCA England Position Paper: SPORT, HEALTH, EXERCISE & FITNESS. 2004. 30 September 2006. . YMCA Weardale House Policy Document on Safety (n.d.). 01 October 2006. . Read More