University Compliance to Health and Safety Regulations - Essay Example

University Compliance to Health and Safety Regulations Health and safety in work place Health and safety in workplace is enforced using the health and safety at work legislation by the Health and Safety Executive body in the UK government. The body places duty to the employers of any given institution to ensure that the workplace is safe and suitable for anyone working within the premises. Various aspects in the workplace are normally covered to ensure a healthy and safe working environment for the workers, these aspects include; maintaining the workplace equipment, devices and systems, ensuring proper ventilation and lighting, proper cleanliness and disposal of waste materials, enough room dimension and spacing, proper condition on the floors and organization of the rooms and facilities for cleaning and resting (Bbk.ac.uk, 2015). The various health and safety requirements serve to ensure that the workers are comfortable in their various working conditions and that they are exposed to minimum risk during their daily operations. These measures are implemented the workplace in relation to the health and safety laws and regulation put in place by the United Kingdom governance. Health and Safety Laws These laws have been put in place to ensure workers do not get hurt at the workplace or fall ill as a result of their work. The employer is responsible for health and safety but the worker need to ensure it is achieved. The employer, as part of risk assessment, needs to understand the potential harm to the workers and put the necessary measures to stop it from occurring. He or she needs to consult with the workers’ health and safety representatives and the employees so as to protect everyone from work related hazards. The health and safety measures should be given free of charge to the employees by the employer, this includes safety clothing and instruments among others. The employer is also required to provide adequate first aid facilities at the workplace and report major injuries, fatalities and diseases to the relevant authorities, he or she needs to ensure that the employees get a medical cover in case they get hurt at work or fall ill through work, these insurance covers should be made known to the workers (Ferrett and Hughes, 2012). The employees on the other hand are tasked with the responsibility of following the trainings provided during the use of various work equipment and instruments. Each employee needs to take proper responsibility of him or herself and cooperate with the employer on matters of health and safety. In case of any potential risks in the workplace, the employees need to report to the relevant authorities. Under the health and safety policy, all the organizations or institutions that have employed at least 5 staff members need to have a written statement that describes their health and safety policy. In large organizations, these policies can be supplemented by local policies and topics on specific guidance (Healthyworkinglives.com, 2015). The management needs to ensure that there is access to competent advice by appointment of competent individuals to assist the employees in carrying out their activities. The employees sharing a workplace need to ensure that there is cooperation and co-ordination among them so that they can be able to perform their respective activities in a harmonious manner as stated by the law. The employer needs to consult with the employees and their representatives on health and safety matters in order to create and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for everyone(Hughes and Ferrett, 2007). The management should also ensure that the equipment that have been provided and being used in the workplace meets the requirements of the provision of work equipment regulations. These regulations ensure that the equipment used are suitable and safe for use and are being maintained safely. Engineering controls used be kept under efficient working order and good repair of damaged equipment is done. There is need to have emergency plans in order to ensure proper response in case of an emergency in the institution. These plans may include stating the roles and responsibilities of individuals in case of an emergency, there should be a clear procedure in which the employees can follow to curb a given incident this may entail provision of safety drills and identification of any special cases among the employees (Kanki, Helmreich and Anca, 2010). In the event of a possible exposure to various health risks to the employees there is need for conducting health surveillance so as to be able to detect any early signs of work related illness. Health records related to risk exposures at work should be kept by the institution or organization and monitored regularly (Land, n.d.). Immunization may also be provided in line of defense against potential infections at the work place. Workers who are potentially exposed to blood borne viruses like healthcare and biomedical laboratories need to be immunized as an additional protective measure. Work Place Assessment for Health and Safety Practices The University Essex Campus Services has put measures to ensure adequate compliance with the Health and Safety Act; it is a detailed account of what the institution is doing to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. The institution has enacted changes that are aimed giving a considerable impact of change regarding health, safety and the wellbeing of every individual in the institution. These changes include environmental changes, changes in working practice, equipment, technology used and conditions of work. Contracting and partnership agreements have been put in place in order to bring change in employer-employee health and safety responsibilities. The institution has also reviewed projects that may be complex and pose hazardous threats on the people involved. The institution has put measures to appoint a Health and Safety Officer who will be able to provide advisory support in regard to health and safety related matters. A formal two way communication unit has also been set up, this will ensure the workers and management can be kept informed about health and safety requirements and raise any health and safety concerns that may arise. There are measures to ensure that the management consults with employees and their safety representatives before implementation of any changes that may have effect on employee health and safety, this measure has been made a legal requirement. Employees have also been advised on raising health and safety concerns directly to the management to ensure faster and reliable communication on matters that affect the employees. Good communication systems have been given a priority by the institution so as to ensure everyone is aware of the risks associated with their work and ensure protection to themselves and others on any potential harm. There is an occupational health service that provides advice and support to the staff including any other persons involved who experiences various work related effects such as stress or health conditions. The regulation provides guidance on return to work after absence due to work issues and necessary measures taken. Staff working programmes have also been scheduled in a way that ensures employees work in shift. This measure reduces over exposure to the employees work in hazardous environment such as the laboratories. It gives them a break so that they can recover from the work effects and avoid excessive exposure to chemicals and related hazards. Management Capability and Implementation The health and safety standards which are detailed in health and safety policies need to be followed and implemented by managers of the institution in order to meet their legal obligations for health and safety. The employees in the University just like any other institution need to be competent enough to carry out their work safely and in accordance to the standards that relate to their work. The management inducts the new employees and those who change their roles on matters of health and safety. It also assesses the health and safety competence of its employees and takes into account the nature of roles each employee plays in the institution, in this way; they are able to provide training in regard to the tasks performed by the different employees. Adequate supervision is also done depending on the level of risk each employee faces. The job description of each employee takes into account their health and safety competence which is assessed during the time or recruitment. The employee induction records are always kept including those of training regarding health and safety. Guidance is given by the University’s Health and Safety Advisory Service on the retention of health and safety training records. In order to achieve a healthy and safe working environment the institution carries out planning, this involves setting up effective health and safety management systems in order to implement their policy. This has been achieved through adoption of a systematic approach until the completion of a risk assessment. Selection of appropriate methods of risk control in minimizing risk and establishment of priorities regarding different levels of risk has been put in place. Organization entails the institution involving the participation of employees in carrying out risk assessments. There has been establishment of effective communication means to ensure a positive approach to health and safety matters. The institution has achieved control by ensuring the employees know about their health and safety responsibilities and ensuring each activity is well co-ordinated. Monitoring has been achieved through setting a plan which entails routine inspection to ensure that preventive and protective measures are effectively put in place and that they are functioning. Immediate investigation of the causes of accidents or various incidents is carried out and remedy is done. This enables the employers to understand how effective risks are being controlled. To ensure a continuous healthy and safe working environment, a review is usually done so as to establish priorities for necessary remedial actions discovered and action taken. The whole system is then entirely reviewed periodically to ensure it remains effective. References Ferrett, E. and Hughes, P. (2012). Health and safety in construction revision guide. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Ferrett, E. and Hughes, P. (2012). International health and safety at work revision guide. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Healthyworkinglives.com, (2015). Health & safety legislation | Workplace regulations | Healthy Working Lives. [online] Available at: http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/advice/Legislation-and-policy/Workplace-Health-and-Safety/health-safety-legislation [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Hughes, P. and Ferrett, E. (2007). Introduction to health and safety in construction. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.essex.ac.uk/health-safety/policies/documents/uecs-cop.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/committees/acdp/080609/acdp-92-p5c.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/law.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc13.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc13.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Anon, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.hseni.gov.uk/l21_management_of_health_and_safety_at_work.pdf [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Bbk.ac.uk, (2015). Health and Safety Services: Occupational stress management, guidance on implementation plus HSE management standards. [online] Available at: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/so/policies/stress [Accessed 18 Dec. 2015]. Burchfield, L. (2009). Radiation safety, protection, and management for homeland security and emergency response. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. Charles, C. (2008). Today's best classroom management strategies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn Bacon. Conway, D. (2009). The event manager's bible. Oxford: How To Books. Crutchfield, N. and Roughton, J. (n.d.). Safety culture. Davies, A. (2011). Health and Safety, Premises and Environment Handbook 2012. Kogan Page. Davies, A. (2011). Workplace law handbook 2012. London: Kogan Page. Ferrett, E. (2009). Introduction to Health and Safety at Work Revision Cards. Burlington: Elsevier. Ferrett, E. (2012). Health and Safety at Work Revision Guide. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. Hughes, P. and Ferrett, E. (2010). Introduction to international health and safety at work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Hughes, P. and Ferrett, E. (n.d.). Introduction to health and safety in construction. Kanki, B., Helmreich, R. and Anca, J. (2010). Crew resource management. Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier. Land, M. (n.d.). Occupational safety management. Lutchman, C., Maharaj, R. and Ghanem, W. (2012). Safety management. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. Myers, M. and Pineda, D. (2008). Do vaccines cause that?!. Galveston, Tex.: Immunizations for Public Health (i4ph). Read More