Contribute to WH&S Processes

  1. The employers and employees are needed in setting goals around health and safety first. Then they should work together as a team in achieving them. The concerns regarding health and safety should be in the forefront of everyone’s mind.

The working in a safe and healthy workplace is a right for everyone. Both employers and the employees plays a role to prevent illness and work related injury.

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Employee responsibility

An employee must act responsibly in terms of taking care of themselves and others by cooperating with the employer with respect to health and safety. These apply to all workers irrespective of the fact that they have disability.

Additionally, the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992, states the essential requirement of any employee to be able to work safely.

 

Employer responsibility

Employers must provide safe and healthy workplace for the employees who should be covered by workers compensation insurance. Employer should also assist an injured employee returning to work safely.

Safe Work Australia

The responsibility of Safe Work Australia is to improve work health and safety along with workers’ compensation arrangement across Australia. The funding is done by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments (Barton & Mets 2001).

  2. Hazard can be dubbed as anything having the potential of causing harm to a person. The examples of hazard can be machinery that a person handles, or slippery floor or working at heights.

The identification of the workplace hazard is important and the risk related to the injury should be assessed. To maintain workplace safety, the risk of the hazard causing injury should be reduced.

  1. The four examples of workplace hazards are:
  • The hazard is the form of strain in the body because of the body position and working condition.
  • The hazard occur when one is exposed to any chemical preparation, such as, vapors and fumes, cleaning products and solvents, carbon monoxide or other gases, and flammable materials
  • Machines that are unguarded and moving machine parts; removing machine parts or worker accidentally touching the moving parts
  • Electrical hazards such as, frayed cords, improper wirings and missing ground pins
  1. The maintenance of records related to all hazards, injuries and incidents with an aim to minimize risk of injury and ill-health or the recurring of the incident. The compliance of the Occupational Health & Safety Regulations 2007, the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Barton & Mets 2001).
  3. The hazard identification is a process to determine whether the exposure to a stressor can be causing an increase in the incidents of adverse effects of health issues in humans. The chemical stressor is endowed with a process that examines the available data of a given chemical and developing the evidence of characterization of the link between the negative effects and the chemical agent. The exposure related to a stressor may be generating a number of adverse effects on human beings.

 

  1. WHS legislation in New South Wales requires that PCBU’s in a process of consultation with the workers has been identifying all the potential hazardous things or situation that may be causing harm. Generally speaking, the hazardous things may be found on the following: (a) Physical work environment: materials, equipments and the substances used; and (b) Works task and the way they are performed: working design and the management (Barton & Mets 2001).
  3. Risk can be defined as the chance or the probability of a person to be harmed or experiencing an adverse health effect in the case of exposition to a hazard. It can be applied to situations with equipment or property loss.
  4. The risk management has developed into an integral part of WHS Management. It is being ensuring that health and safety needs of the workers have been addressed properly by providing a number of benefits including:
  • Reduction in injuries and illness
  • Complying the WHS legislation
  • Reduction in the compensation costs of the workers
  • Improvement in the efficiency of the operations
  1. The procedure in the management of risks is 4 step process as follows:

Step 1: Identification of risks

A number of business activities involving risk to safety include:

  • Purchase of chemicals or equipments (e.g. plant and equipment, clearing agents)
  • Work activities: implement the work tasks related to the physical or psychological demands
  • Contractors/casual employees/customers: other workers coming into the workplace may be subject to risks

Step 2: Assessment of risk

It determines, if the people working in the workplace are exposed to the hazard, how serious will be the effect on them. It is a process of working out which hazards are most serious and dealing with them first.

 

Step 3: Controlling risks

The decision regarding the steps to be taken in eliminating or controlling the risks related to health and safety. The problems from the workplace are to be eliminated from the workplace. This can be done by using different process or with a change in the way the work is done.

 

Step 4: Review

The conduction of periodic review of control measures and assessment of risks can be ensuring of the implementation of control measures and the appropriate and effective assessment of risk (Bower et al. 2000)

 

  1. The reassessment of the risk in terms of considering the proposed treatment is residual risk. The proposed treatment can be considered adequate, when the residual risk is reduced to an acceptable level (Brooks et al. 2002).
  3. The effective housekeeping has been eliminating the hazards in the workplace and being helping in getting a job done safely and properly. Poor housekeeping can be frequently contributing to the accidents in a way of hiding hazards that has been causing the injuries. In the case of considering the sight of debris, paper, spills and clutter being accepted as normal, then it can taken for granted the other serious health and safety hazards.
  4. The examples of good housekeeping are:
  • Reduction in handling in easing the flow of materials
  • Lesser tripping and accidents related to slippages in clutter free and spill free work areas
  • Reduction in fire hazards
  • Reduced exposure of the workers to the hazardous substances
  • Greater efficiency in equipment cleanup and maintenance (Brooks et al. 2002).
  2. The personal protective equipment, commonly termed as “PPE” is equipment worn in minimizing exposure related to the serious injuries and illnesses in the workplace. These illness and injuries results from the contact of electrical, chemical, radiological, physical, mechanical, and other hazards of the workplace.
  3. The three pieces of PPE are protective clothing, helmets and goggles designed for the protection of the wearer’s body from the injury or infection. The hazard that can be addressed by the protective equipment such as, chemicals, heat, biohazards, electrical, and airborne particulate matter. The protective equipment is used for the job related health and occupational safety as well as sports and other recreational activities.
  4. The minimum requirements of safety footwear, eye protection and head protection are the minimum requirements for any kind of jobs. Each piece of the PPE has been given with a specific use. For example, natural rubber gloves have been protecting the wearer from the bleach for an eight hour working day (Carbone et al. 2000).

 

  2. The designated persons for reporting WH&S issues in the workplace are:
  • designated health and safety officers
  • health and safety representatives
  • supervisors
  • Managers
  • team leaders
  • other persons authorized or nominated by the
  • enterprise or industry
  1. The reports are made in the following ways:
  • Completion of the required documentation related to the local, state and federal legislation
  • Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)
  • Relevant OH&S guidelines related to the workplace
  • Maintaining and using of cleaning apparatus in a work environment ,such as:
  • Disposal of spilled substances
  • Dangerous products
  • Maintenance of stocks related to the cleaning equipments
  • Use of storing toxic and hazardous materials
  • Display of health and safety brochures
  • The processes or equipments special guidelines in a medical setting (Cohen et al. 2002)
  1. The attempt of reducing workplace accidents in Australia has been supported with each state introducing Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) legislation. The purpose of this legislation in increasing the awareness related to safety standards and requirements along with empowering employees on the issues related to health and safety.

The information within an organization includes:

  • Company reports
  • Company OH&S guideline and manual
  • Staff memos
  • Incident reports (Cohen et al. 2002)

 

  1. The part 5 of the WHS Act 2011 requires the consultation with the workers regarding the WH&S matters affecting their workplace health and safety. The Act is specific regarding the views of the workers that must be considered prior to making a decision pertaining to the health and safety issues.

The decision about the procedures includes:

  • Consulting the workers
  • Resolving the issues related to WHS
  • Monitor of the health of the workers
  • Monitor of the workplace conditions
  • Provision of information and training to workers
  • Forming work groups (Robertson & Margolis 2002)

 

  2. The workplaces can be found with different hazard signs and symbols displayed, letting people know of the potential hazards that may be prevalent in the area. It is important to be aware of the meaning attached to the hazard signs and symbols at the workplace.

Some of the signs and symbols and their respective meanings are provided below.

Prohibition symbol: it is being denoted by a red circle with diagonal line crossing it and black symbol in the middle.

Caution symbol: it signifies potential danger. This can be identified with a triangle and a yellow background with a black symbol in the middle that signifies the danger.

Biohazard symbol: it is seen where the existence of a danger to human being or living organisms. The precaution must be taken when it is seen so as not to get exposed to the harmful substances. This is the reason the authorized persons equipped with the safety gears are only allowed in the area.

  1. The meaning of the symbols are as follows:

Prohibition symbol: the symbols mean smoking is not permitted in the area or using a mobile phone is not permitted. These symbols are usually identified in the petrol pumps as the radiation from the mobile phones can inflame the whole place.

Caution symbol: the exclamation mark shown in these kinds of symbols is used for drawing attention to the warning of danger, hazards and the potential danger in the vicinity.

Biohazard symbol: The precaution must be taken when it is seen so as not to get exposed to the harmful substances. This is the reason the authorized persons equipped with the safety gears are only allowed in the area (Bentley et al. 2012).

  1. The Hierarchy of hazard controlis a system that can be used in industry in minimizing or eliminating exposures towards hazards. It is a system that is widely accepted and promoted by the number of organizations. The managers are taught in the industry to promote these as the standard practices in the workplace. A number of illustrations are used in depicting the system with most common form of a triangle.

The hazard controls in the hierarchy in the order of decreasing effectiveness are:

  • Elimination
  • Substitution
  • Engineering
  • Administration
  • Personal protective equipment (Swuste & Arezes 2012)
    1. The objective of the emergency signals is ensuring, as far as practicable, the health and the wellbeing of the staff, safety, contractors and visitors during emergency. Complying with the relevant legislation, guidance materials, codes, emergency procedures are being prepared as well as distributed. The installation of the emergency warning system in most buildings and an Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) has been trained and organized in each workplace.
    2. The ECO is made up of Area Wardens, Building Wardens and First Aid Officers, and the outside agencies like Fire and Rescue Services. The role of ECO is ensuring the safety of the occupants of the building in case of emergency. During the emergencies, instructions given out by the Wardens and the Fire and Emergency Services staff can be overruling of the normal management structure (Swuste & Arezes 2012).

 

  1. The law binds the employers with the responsibilities towards health and safety management. It is the duty of the employers’ in protecting the health, safety and welfare of their employees and others that might be affected by their business. The employers are complied to do whatever is reasonably practicable in achieving this. This means the ensuring of the workers and others are given protection from anything causing harm, controlling the risks to injury or health arising in the workplace.

It is the duty of the employers, under health and safety laws in assessing the risks in the workplace. Risk assessment should be performed addressing all risks that might be causing harm in the workplace. Employers are liable to provide information to the employees about the risks existing in the workplace. Employers would also supply information about how the employees are protected. They will also provide instruction and training to the employees on the way of dealing with the risks (Swuste & Arezes 2012).

  1. The term worker represent any person working for the company as:
  • employee
  • apprentice
  • trainee
  • outworker
  • volunteer
  • staff of a contractor or sub-contractor
  • staff of labor hire agency

 

The worker must take the following responsibility regarding the WH&S:

  • taking reasonable care for health and safety of their own
  • taking reasonable care for health and safety of others
  • complying with the reasonable instruction from the employer
  • cooperating with any reasonable policies and procedures of the employer (Schou & Hansen 2000)
  2. HSR enjoys some roles and power as joint health and safety committee member. The responsibilities include the inspecting of the workplace at least once in a month. Other powers include:
  • Indentifying workplace hazards
  • Making recommendation to the employer
  • Investigating work refusals and serious accidents
  1. The HSC is equipped with four main functions:
  • Identifying potential hazards
  • Evaluating those hazards
  • Recommending corrective action
  • Implementing recommendation (Schou & Hansen 2000)

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References:

Barton, L. L. & Mets. M. B. (2001) “Congential lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection: decade of rediscovery”. Clin. Infect. Dis., Vol. 33, pp. 370–374.

Bentley, T. A., Tappin, D. C., & Jackson, D. (2012) “Health and safety practitioners’ perceptions of safety culture”. Journal of Health, Safety and Environment, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 1-8.

Bower, W. A., Nainan, O. V., Han,  X., & Margolis, H. S. (2000) “Duration of viremia in hepatitis A virus infection”. J. Infect. Dis., Vol. 182, pp. 12–17.

Brooks, J., Rud, E. W., Pilon, R. G., Smith, J. M., Switzer, W. M., & Sandstrom, P. A. (2002) “Cross-species retroviral transmission from macaques to human beings”. Lancet, Vol. 360, pp. 387–388.

Carbone, M., Rizzo, P., & Simian, P. H. (2000) “Virus 40: the link with human malignant mesothelioma is well established”. Anticancer Res. Vol. 20, No. 2A. pp. 875–877.

Cohen, J. I., Davenport,  D. S., Stewart, J. A., Deitchmann, S., Hilliard, J. K., & Chapman, L. E. (2002) “The B Virus Working Group. Recommendations for prevention of and therapy for exposure to B virus (Cercopithecine Herpesvirus 1) Clin”. Infect. Dis. Vol. 35, pp. 1191–1203.

Robertson, B. H. & Margolis, H. S. (2002) “Primate hepatitis B viruses – genetic diversity, geography, and evolution”. Rev. Med. Virol, Vol. 12, pp. 133–141.

Schou, S. & Hansen, A. K. (2000) “Marburg and Ebola virus infections in laboratory nonhuman primates: a literature review”. Comp. Med., Vol. 50, pp. 108–123.

Swuste, P. & Arezes, P. (2012) “Occupational Health and Safety post-graduation courses in Europe: A general overview”. Safety Science, Vol. 50, pp. 433-442.