Occupational Health and Safety in Australia - Coursework Example

Occupational health and safety Australian Safety and Compensation Council (2007) define financial recourse as a monetary compensatory equivalent to a loss that an employee suffers following injury or death while in the course of delivering duties in the workplace. In addition, Australian Safety and Compensation Council (2007) state that recourse can take the form of a right to demand for payment for compensation from an endorser when the first party usually a company or organization the employs fails to pay. At the same time, Australian Safety and Compensation Council (2007) recognizes a financial recourse as a build-up frame work for ensuring that favorable judgment is made in a lawsuit to compensate an injured employee or a dead employee by the firm they were serving at the time of the incident. Australian Safety and Compensation Council (2007) provides guidelines on procedures that an employer should follow when reporting the incident that led into the injury or death of the concerned employee and measures that are supposed to be followed. Our organization’s occupational health and safety systems are up-to-date and we are subscribed to legislative services for the occupational health and safety drugs and poisons distribution and building regulations. We actively take part in enlightenment programs, workshops and forums to educate other forms on importance of having working occupational health and safety systems. We are affiliated to Australian safety and compensation control and worksafe Victoria bodies. The people who are likely to help in identifying key recourses that are needed to drive a functional occupational health and safety program are Occupational health and safety officers, the financial personnel, departments’ supervisor and departmental managers, occupational health and safety representative, members of the staff, occupational health and safety system facilities team, health and safety representatives, trainers of corporate personnel services and employees in different departments. The organizations source of financial recourse for development, implementation and maintaining the kit for the occupational health and safety system are monetary allocations for every department, ploughed back profits and insurance firm that has insured the organization. Australian safety and compensation council also helps. Our organization has measures that are meant to safeguard proper use of funds meant for the occupational health and safety. This ensures the funds for occupational health and safety are used for the purposed that they have been allocated for. Financial misappropriations of the occupational health and safety systems sometimes occur and these issues are dealt with according to protocols and procedures that are set by our organization. Funds for occupational health and safety systems are subject to fraudulent practices. A department in an organization may fail to adhere to legislative requirements especially based on timely release of a worker’s compensation benefits following injury at work or death. There are also common instances when departmental heads may alter of a worker’s medical certificates. This constitutes into fraud and is punishable. Such practices of fraud on funds meant for servicing occupational health and safety system are indicators of poor performance of the department regarding the plight of its workers and destroys image of the department. If a department is proved to be perpetrating fraud, the concerned department may have the cost of clam passed on to it. This is done by through increase of premiums that are payable by the department. The department can also face fines that may run up to but not exceeding Australian dollars 11,000 or the concerned departmental heads may face an imprisonment of up to 10 years. This can also lead to suspension of the departmental heads if it is proved beyond doubt that the fraud was intentioned. Managers also may also fail to comply with statutes that govern occupational health and safety system by failing to have a sound return to work formula of their employees following injury. The organization should understand that safety of employees should always get the first priority because failure to have clear policies on occupational health and safety may make the organization to have high staff turnovers. These can be a big blow to the organization because the organization can end up loosing valuable skills is required for efficient production process. The managers face disciplinary action if they are found to breach legislation obligation. The members of staff may also practice fraud by giving false information so that they may get higher compensations. They members of staff may also change their medical certificates in order to portray a different picture of their injuries. This not only constitutes fraud but negatively gives a bad personality statement about the member of staff. Incidents of change of medical certificates or provision of false information is punishable through imprisonment or imposition of financial penalties or in severe cases, it can lead into suspension of cover benefits if the worker does not turn up to worker when they are fit to do so. It is therefore important for the workers to provide true statements about their fitness to return to work. An efficient occupational health and safety system is backed by efficient equipments, sterilized chemicals, physical resources as well as efficient human resources. Some of the equipment that are required include fire extinguishers, automatic smoke detectors, automatic water sprinklers, monitor, ultrasonic cleaner, washer disinfector, gloves , dispensers, automatic endoscopic disinfector, endoscopy related apparatus, bronchoscopy related apparatus, perioperative gloves, aprons, gloves, eye wear protective devices like safety goggles, face shields, personal protective equipments as barriers to fluids or chemicals Some of essential chemical that are needed to implement a functional occupational health and safety system are Body substance to prevent contact with solid tissue and faeces as well as body fluids, aseptic, to destroy germs, Antibacterial soap, germicide like virucide, fungicide, bactericide, sporicide, or tuberclocide, emergency flash sterilizers and Low peracetic acid. Human personnel that is required to run and maintain an effective occupational health and safety system include fire risk assessment officer, fire safety personnel, first aid officer, departmental team leaders, departmental managers, departmental supervisors, occupational health safety officer, claims processing officer, drivers, health appraisal officer, hygiene management officer, food and drinks officer and analytical chemists Budget for the occupational health and safety system particulars Estimated cost (in us $) a. equipments Automatic Smoke detectors 500 Automatic water sprinkler system 600 Automatic endoscopy 2500 brochoscopy 1000 monitor 300 Personal protective equipments 600 Ultrasonic cleaner 200 Washer disinfector 200 Gloves vinyl 200 dispensers 400 Medical examination gloves 300 Perioperative gloves 400 aprons 1200 b. chemicals Body substance 400 Aseptic 100 Antibacterial soap 100 Germicide (virucide, fungicide, bactericide, sporicide, tuberclocide) 800 Emergency flash sterilizers 300 Low temperatures peracetic acid 500 c. human resources fire risk assessment officer(3) 3600 fire safety personnel (2) 2800 first aid officer(4) 3200 departmental team leaders(8) 3600 departmental managers(8) 9600 Departmental supervisors(8) 9600 Occupational health safety officer claims processing officer(4) 6000 Drivers (4) 4000 Health appraisal officer (3) 4200 Hygiene management officer (1) 1200 Food and drinks officer (2) 1200 Infection control officer (5) 6000 analytical technologist (3) 6000 total 62500 The following are the existing staff in the organization: Drivers =2, food and drinks officer=1, analytical technologists=1, claims officer=1, departmental supervisors=4, departmental managers=8, departmental team leaders=8, first aid officers=2, fire safety personnel=1, fire risk assessment personnel=1 and fire safety personnel=1. These human resource personnel are not able to satisfactorily sere the eight departments that are in the organization. Although there is sharing of departments among some of the officers, this amounts into a high work load. There is therefore a need for additional staff in the following areas namely drivers=2, food and drinks officers=1, health appraisal officers=3, claims officers=3, fire risk assessment officer=2, fire safety personnel =1, first aid officers=2, departmental supervisors=4, hygiene management officer=3 and analytical technologists=2. All new staff that is recruited undergoes relevant training to prepare them to deliver tasks related to occupational health and safety systems. The training that the staff should be exposed to should include occupational health and safety training for managers and their assistants (that is currently in progress) and is provided by the corporate personnel services as part of management skills for managers and potential deputies regarding occupational health and safety systems and how they can be effectively managed. It also tackles injury management with respect to mangers and their assistants. There is also training of organization staff on manual handling, safety procedures for handling chemicals and safe handling of disposable apparatus, chemicals and waste products. It is also mandatory for all workers to undergo induction training. This is provided by the staff of corporate personnel services and covers occupational health and safety policies at work place as well as procedures that need be followed, responsibilities of the staff and management with respect to occupational health and safety systems. The induction training program also covers procedures for reporting hazards and incidents in the workplace, emergency procedures that should be followed, first aid administration and how employees can access information on occupational health and safety system. The departmental managers and their respective assistants also undergo ergonomic training on management and setting up of ergonomic equipments and safety regulations that should be observed. References Australian Safety and Compensation Council 2007, Are People with Disability at Risk at Work? A Review of the Evidence”, Australian Safety and Compensation Council, Canberra. Graffam, J, Shinkfield, A, Smith, K, and Polzin, U 2002, ‘Employer benefits and costs of employing a person with a disability’, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 17, pp. 251-263. Read More