Occupational Health, Safety, and Risk Management in Relation to Workplaces - Term Paper Example

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, SAFETY AND RISK MANAGEMENT Name Course number Lecturer University Date Occupational Health and Safety Introduction Globally, various states and international organizations have been on the rise advocating for the companies and other employing bodies to comply the regulations that are protecting the employees. Various organizations have been reporting numerous injuries on the employees due to either failure of the machineries or inadequate policies aimed at protecting the activities conducted by the employees. It is from this background that organizations are fighting in order to comply Occupational Safety and Health Acts (OSHA) as required by the respective states. All business activities have the potential of exposing the employees to certain risks associated with the manufacturing, processing, and distribution process (Lahiri, Markkanen, Levenstein, 2002, 13). These risks often occur within the workplaces; therefore, if the organization does not ensure that these guidelines are not in place, there is a possibility of increased expenses incurred while treating the injured workers. Consequently, it is important to note that workplaces are unique and different depending on types of activities carried out, so it is crucial to develop workplace health and safety measures, which aim at addressing specific requirement within the organizations. Besides the establishment of these measures, there is need to continuously reviews in order to ensure that the programmes remains current and effective as required by various regulations. In the event that there are difference between organizational safety guideline and the state regulations on workplace safety and health, it is important that the regulations prevail. Moreover, the reference code used within the organization should meet the required standard besides being in line with the most recent regulation. In order to achieve an effective and reliable OHS, it is crucial that work places provide clear guidelines and accessible advices the factors constituting to compliance with the regulations and Acts. In some countries, for example China, the state has been able to start programmes such as partnership in injury reduction. This is a volunteer program in which organizations or the employer and the worker work collaboratively with various government agencies in a bid to create and effective and efficient health and safety management systems. Through such improvements, both the social and financial costs experienced whenever there are injuries or illnesses succumbed within the workplaces are reduced. Developing these guidelines might not be easy, thus, the states have been on the lookout for organizations whose programs meet the required standards in developing a healthier and a safer management system and awarding them with Certificate of Recognition (CoR) for their efforts. Aspect of human behavior in OHS According to Lahiri, Markkanen, Levenstein (2002, 13), human activities in terms of how they carry out themselves within workplaces have the ability of either increasing or reducing the level of exposure to hazards from the industrial processes. Certain behaviors are considered inappropriate with the workplaces and might result in severe injuries and illnesses if effective measures are not taken into consideration to avert them. The most important part in addressing these behaviors is the ability of the employer to recognize these unwanted behaviors and seek various ways of addressing them before they result in losses or injuries within the working environment. With the changing organizational cultures, there is need to ensure there is proper integration of issues relating to the protection workers within the workplaces. Ensuring positive behaviors within the organization is subject to vigorous communication between the employees and the management, efficient employee participation, and healthy platform building where all the stakeholders express their views. A properly formulated OHS should be rooted in the inception of the company through the integration of both the top-down and bottom up approaches as this would ensure engagement of the employees’ behaviors. Safety and healthy cultures in relation to workplaces consists of the shared beliefs, attitudes, and practices, which often exist during the time of establishment. Therefore while considering to establish an organizational OHS guideline, it is important to considered all aspects of culture. A safety organizational culture depends on the management and norms of the employees, assumptions, and policies guiding organizational activities. Generally, both the actions and inadequate ability to correct behaviors considered to be unsafe is the major cause of increasing injuries with workplaces. Whenever the occupational behaviors are in line with health and safety guidelines as outlined within the organization, then every employee would feel that they are responsible for their safety. Thus, they would go beyond their call of duty to indentify the prevailing conditions that they consider unsafe and come up with the interventions that aims at correcting them. In eradicating unsafe behaviors, understanding the importance of having a safer working condition is important. An organization that has a strong healthy and safety culture often experience few behaviors considered risky. Consequently, the level of incidents and absenteeism also become low, thus paving way for increased productivity. However, it is significant to note that creating such enabling environment takes time since it involves a series of making adjustment until the organization reaches a reliable and effective OHS standard. While trying to establish workplace health and safety standards in line with the state requirements, it is important to begin the entire process by developing healthy and safety culture. This is achievable through there is continuous safety awareness using warning signs and posters in areas considered to be dangerous within the production process. Since these processes require more time, commitment, and devotion, the organization should begin by addressing physical hazards through development of safety hazard programmes, creation of health and safety committees, and begin incentive programmes to employees exhibiting healthy behaviors within the organization (Lahiri, Markkanen, Levenstein, 2002, 183). Curbing safety issues involves investing in engineering control measures and job redesigning through ensuring there are supplemental measures such as using the PPEs. These interventions majorly predominate within the managerial decisions rather than the workers. Most occupational health risks are designed within the workplace but not all. Even with full implementation of the protective measures, the employees might intentionally or unintentionally introduce certain behaviors, which have the ability of exposing them to workplace hazards or incidents. As a result, understanding all the components of a successful behavioral change intervention is vital in health management. Acquisition of such understanding is often thwarted in most occupational health and safety regulations due to inaccurate assumptions, inadequate awareness and incorporation of the behavioral determinants, and poor feedback mechanism on how the interventions were designed and implemented. Health and safety authorities, organizational management, and practitioners have been effectively developing policies that would be regulating, governing, and influencing human behaviors in a way that the behaviors yield positive and uniform results. Antecedents and behaviour modification approach Workplace bahavioural change and programme remains the most complex determinant in the ongoing trend to curbing the increasing incidences of unsafety within companies and organisations. The complexity of every bahavioural analysis applied lines to the degree of workers acceptance or rejection of such programmes posing a greater challenge to developing better workplace safety strategy. One of the presently used safety and behaviour improvement scheme is the antecedents trigger behaviour model, which comprise of rules, regulations and procedures within the working station. With the belief that antecedent triggers a specific form of behaviour of the workers, the strategy to manage and control such behaviour will depend on the response of the workers. For instance, supply of ear defenders to prevent the exposure of loud noise. In such the mechanism, its application derives a particular behaviour studied over time to facilitate stabilized behaviour of the workers. However, most employees do not wear the ear defenders exposing themselves to the consequences of the hazard. In that regard, the consequences define a certain set of behaviour, which defines either a need for a better health and safety device for the ears or forceful enforcement of the existing rule (O'Donnell, 2002, 162). Other antecedents such as tools and equipment, skills and knowledge, signs, information, training and relationship with other people within the workplace also define a set of behaviour. Though such antecedents play an important role within a workplace by triggering a certain behaviour, their presence does not usually promote the occurrence of behaviour. For instance, the existence of safety rules and regulations is never a surety of safety behaviour. However, the adoption of such antecedents ensures desired behaviours, which limits the chances of risks. The continuity and long lasting of a certain safe behaviour does not require the existence of a proper antecedent but also an individual safety measures from the employs. Bahavioural safety training approach The implementation of the staff training for the bahavioural safety approach has been one of the most applied model in many companies especially the construction industries. Different companies strike a deal to provide training services for their employees. Such trainings tend to modify the behaviour of the employees facilitating reduced risks and accidents. The training process involves an understanding of the possible causes of accidents through inappropriate behaviours. Moreover, a clear definition and understanding of safe and unsafe behaviour is necessary. The accomplishment of such understanding is possible through a feedback mechanism. This aids the employees to experience gradual change their behaviour ensuring healthy workplace correspondence. Nevertheless, most companies and organisations are incapable of maintaining frequent trainings due to high expenses incurred during such sessions. Sorensen et al (2004, 234) assert that the training approach continues to remain dormant especially in small organisations due to their limited source of income. In some cases, implementing such practices obtained from the training are less possible due to the high cost involved. In addition, the implementation may fail due to the presently used safety management system, which in most cases is not compatible with the international required standards. Importantly, the onset of the new approach tends to limit such challenges since the change is gradual and implementation occurs in phases. In the recent past, studies show that employees trained on safety and health prospects are less likely to demonstrate hazardous behaviour in their workplace. Consequently, an observed reduction in the incidences of injuries and fatalities are minimal. The effectiveness of the safety training depends on a thorough analysis of the specific task and workplace practices. In the same manner, employers also receive training especially on issues related to the workplace safety codes. For example, an employer must ensure that his/her employees are familiar with the work zone safety issues. Some workplace involves other subcontractors and, therefore, the host employer or the general constructor must ensure that such subcontractors train their employees on the hazards associated with the work for safety measures. Importantly, daily briefing of employees on the work expected of them and the risks at hand limits the chances of such risks enhancing safety and health. Internationally, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ensure adequate training of the private sectors through the OSHA Training Institute (OTI). Subsequently, OSHA organizes Outreach Training Programs aimed at training more workers. The administrative body also provides an authorization to trained personnel to teach other workers. Presently, necessary training modes are possible ensuring each employee obtains adequate safety skills. Experience Modification Rate approach Experience Modification Rate (EMR) is a system that determines the compensation system for the employees involved in risks within the company. Workers receive a compensation for any injury to cover their medical care. In the event of injury, EMR, which is calculated internationally as defined by OSHA applies. The adoption of this model is to ensure that companies perform safe minimizing chances of losses. Companies that experience more injuries and fatalities incur greater losses in compensation of employees affecting the general operations of the company in the end (O'Donnell, 2004, 143). Levy and Wegman (2000, 16) note that the calculation of the EMR involves different parameters such as actual primary losses, actual excess losses, expected excess losses, weight and expected losses. The OSHA manual outlines the actual values of these losses. In most cases, each state or country has its own manual. The sensitivity analysis of the EMR depends on the frequencies of the injuries and not the severity. Noticeably, the EMR reduces with an increase in the hourly wages and total wages paid annually. Understanding of the EMR and its impact on workers’ compensation scheme aids companies and employers in managing and reducing associated costs. Consequently, the companies maximize on the use of incentives. Importantly, the cost of the a serious incident only become significant after two years and proper management is ideal for understanding ensuring minimal effect in the company performance (Galobardes, Morabia, Bernstein, 2000, 534). Importantly, different companies have suggested various ways to ensure reduced cost of insurance through the adoption of new industrial groups for insurance and effective safety schemes. Under such umbrellas, the partnership enhances the safety performance through setting of laws that govern their operations. The organizational system defines the safety standards of each organisation through an indicator index. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2004, 101) records that to accomplish such measures different indices exist, for example, Recordable Incident Rate (RIR), Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR), and Workers’ Compensation Claims Frequency Indicator (WCCFI). Through such strategies, companies remain focused in reducing losses to the compensation scheme reducing the frequency of injuries and fatalities. In addition, to prevent further losses different employers and general contractors educate their employees in order to maintain higher productivity without risks of injuries. Recommended approach Integrative healthy and safety approach With the diversifying technology and advancement of industrial processes, there is much more factors that should be included while trying to control cases of injuries and illness that often erupt in workplaces. Integrative approach involves taking into consideration the needs of the employees without focusing much on their behaviors. It is the responsibility of the organization to identify the baseline factors that should be incorporated in the management process. Most countries are focusing on this approach as it is considered an evolutional aspect of OSH regulations since it is a strategy that brings together occupational safety and health protection of the workers to promote the spirit of good governance (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2000, 23). It aims at advancing the health of the workers and ensures their well-being without necessarily requiring them to change their behaviors. Moreover, the approach involves monitoring the behavior of the workers and assigning them to departments, which incorporates the exhibited behaviors. However, this approach is quite expensive but has the ability of maximizing the performance of the workers for increasing industrial production. Through integration of health and safety into the working processes, the organization would be in a position of improving both customer services and the quality of life of the employees. Many states tend to incorporate the management systems, standardizing operational systems, and defining safe practices that aim at reducing the frequency in the number of employees seeking medical attention or leave due to injuries within the workplaces. If organizations are to eliminate these unwanted events completely, then there is need fully explore the casual factors that involve risk behaviors and their contribution to such unfortunate events. At this point, it is important to note that these risky behaviors tend to occur automatically and intuitively due to experimentally based approaches in association with the anticipated outcome. Therefore, the role played by the feeling and emotions of the workers as the main sources of motivation continue to increase. The key factor to advancing the effectiveness of occupational health and safety in the management practices is to better understand human motivational factors and their influence on the decision making process. Organizations have the responsibility of clearly establishing and effectively communicate the expectation of the behaviors within the workplace. Moreover, organizations should implement programmes that observe and monitor the actions and behavior of the employees to ensure that they conform to the standardized work ethics. More importantly, a mutual feedback is necessary in order to assist in modifying the behaviors. As Galobardes, Morabia, Bernstein, (2000, 533) discuss, creating an enabling environment for the workers is a fundamental responsibility of the employers, however, the employees play an important role in ensuring that the laid down ethical practices are sustainable. This would ensure that the organization preserves human resources besides creating healthy and safe working conditions. By the integrative approach, the employer would have an insight on some of the problems influencing the employees, which contributes greatly to the nature of their behaviors. For effective and efficient workplace health and safety practices, employee engagement and appraisal play a significant in ensuring that all aspect of human behaviors are taken into consideration. The organization should also continuously monitor the alignment of the activities conducted during production processes and human behaviors to identify the areas, which require modification (Levy and Wegman, 2000, 19). Provision of the PPEs is a prerequisite to having a reliable to establishing an effective OHS. Hence, the organization should have periods of assessing the working conditions of the employees and provide the protective equipments where necessary. The assessment would also assist in understanding individual behaviors, which makes it easier for the organization to avail the required protective equipments. More importantly, the organization needs to have professions with experience in issues relating to workplace health and medical psychology to help in treating minor injuries or illness and inappropriate behavioral practices respectively through counseling. Conclusion Companies need a system to maintain efficient work condition for its employees. The application of an integrated approach ensures the adoption of a different scheme of precept. Site layout plays an important role in reduction of risks. Operations safety protection against falling objects is pivotal since it causes the highest safety risk. Locations for storages for hazardous elements needs close monitoring. Adequate routes of equipment and other flammable components are also important. Continuous reviews would help the organization identify the strengths and weaknesses of its regulations. Generally, the main objective of Occupational Health and Safety is to establish safer and healthy working environment. Properly structured OHS regulations play an important role in protecting the workers, consumers, employers, and those likely to be affected by the workplace environments directly or indirectly. The extent to which the organization protects the safety and health of the workers reflects its moral and legal compliance. If properly structured, OHS practices can reduce the level of exposure to risks associated with working activities, injuries, and their related costs such as the medical care, costs associated with disability benefits, and sick leaves. Continuous sick leaves on the employees might compromise the level of production within an organization, thus leading to unexpected losses. While creating a safe and a healthy workplace, both the organizational management and the employees have their specified to play. It is the responsibility of the employees to ensure that their safety is prioritized through ensuring that the operating machines are properly maintained to prevent possibilities of harming the employees and ensuring that the organization provides them with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). References Galobardes, B., Morabia, A., Bernstein, M.S. 2000. The differential effect of education and occupation on body mass and overweight in a sample of working people of the general population. Annals of Epidemiology; 10: 532-537. Lahiri, S., Markkanen, P., Levenstein, C. 2002. Cost effectiveness of interventions to reduce occupational back pain, in The World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. Levy, B.S., Wegman, D.H. 2000. Occupational health: Recognizing and preventing workrelated disease and injury, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Worker health chartbook 2000, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. National Occupational Research Agenda: Intervention effectiveness. 2004.Vol. 2004, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 101. O'Donnell, M.P. (Ed.). 2002. Health promotion in the workplace, 3rd edition, Delmar Thomson Learning, Toronto, ON. Sorensen, G., Barbeau, E., Hunt, M.K., Emmons, K. 2004. Reducing social disparities in tobacco use: A social contextual model for reducing tobacco use among blue-collar workers. American Journal of Public Health; 94: 230-239. Read More