The Importance of Focusing on Health at Work - Avionics Solution - Essay Example

CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY Understanding and Discussion of the Line: "Those who create risk are legally responsible for Controlling and managingthat risk" Introduction Construction jobs are noted for being naturally risky. Having the need to deal with hard work responsibilities along with the duties that involve carrying or transporting heavy loads to and from a construction site, naturally brings in much risk to the laborers who are working on site that makes construction work such a huge concern for those who provide health insurances. Why is this so Naturally health insurance packages are offered to employees as per the guided and recommended by the government. Employers recognize this important rule and know that they are indeed responsible for whatever health situation their employees might be involved in the future especially when those health issues are incurred during the time when they are at work. For this reason, some insurance companies fear that handling these risky sites and vouching for the health and the lives of the employees involved in the job may cause them too much funds that may indeed jeopardize their financial stability. Hence, the establishment of the limit of the fund to be allotted for the said issue has already been passed and rather applied in business organizations today. There are certain standards that companies today need to abide with which gives them a chance to be accommodated by several insurance companies in support to the healthcare assurance that they need, however these provisions are guided by certain limitations that both employers and employees must carefully give attention to. This is especially true on the part of those who are involved in the construction industry. In this paper, the statement mentioned above with regards handling risks successfully as an employer, as an employee and as a team of people working together to establish a structure, shall be well discussed and assessed as to how much they should be recognized by the current construction project planners at present. The Importance of Focusing on Health at Work (A Case Based Understanding) Avionics Solution is a small business organization serving as one of the leaders in manufacturing avionics equipment. It started as a family-owned business that delivers quality products given to its regular clients. As of today, Avionics Solution is currently employing at least 48 personnels within its manufacturing facility. It is the main aim of the organization's administration to be of great help to its employees as well as with its clients. Through the establishment of a fine communication system that flows between the employers, the administrative sector and the rank and file employees, the organization's head officers try to bridge the gap existing between the said stakeholders of the organization. Clearly, the mission of the organization to serve the community with the best possible services it could offer have been understood by the organization's authorities to have been effectively sourced out from the establishment of fine camaraderie among the people making up the entire company, including the employees as the primary actors within the organization's journey towards success. Certainly, Avionics Solution wants to make sure of its competitive status in the manufacturing industry by providing its employees a workplace that stimulates employee interaction and economic growth. However, with all the fine set of missions created by the administration for the entire organization to follow, it has been found out that most of the employees complained about the fact that there are several provisions not granted by the organization, which namely includes health insurance and retirement plan. It is then proposed in this plan paper that the said issue be addressed well. This is to help the company get assured that it would be able to stay in its status of competition within the industry, through its provision of the utmost important factors of consideration for its employees. The said plan proposal shall immensely be patterned on the criteria as follows: 1) it makes a persuasive case that we need healthcare and retirement plans to improve working conditions and the profitability of the Avionics Solution Company, 2) it offers an introduction to the different types of plans that are available 3) it presents a recommendation as to which plans the administration should acquire. The proposed plan is expected to have a major impact on the performance of the employees towards the clients and the administration. Indirectly as it may seem, this motivational procedure of making the people realize that they are being highly cared about by the administration could be assured as the company's great leap towards creating a fine connection between the administration and the employees as well as establishing a loyalty-based service form the employees of the company. As a result, it could be expected that with that certain motivation, the clients' satisfaction would increase as the performance of the employees are set to get enhanced as well. Many countries have some form of state-sponsored insurance that provides such benefits as pensions for seniors and medical care. Even where this is the case, however, such insurance may pay only a portion of medical expenses or may pay for only certain ones. Some individuals, therefore, obtain additional private insurance to help them pay the remainder. In many places workers may receive health insurance as a condition of their employment (Pilzer, 2007, 24). Some health-care plans, including managed care arrangements and health maintenance organizations (HMOs), provide comprehensive medical care for a set monthly or annual fee. These organizations endeavor to lower costs by providing less-expensive medical care and by promoting preventive medicine (Awake! 1990, 25). However, in an HMO, a patient's choice of doctors or treatment may be more limited than with traditional health insurance. (Rowell, 2005, 34) Disability insurance provides some income if a person is injured and cannot work. Life insurance provides financial assistance to a person's dependents in case of his or her death. Such insurance has enabled many families to pay off outstanding debts and carry on their routine of life after the injury or the death of their main breadwinner. (Foster, 2007, 65) Insurance is based on the principle of paying money now for financial protection in the future, so it is not surprising that the insurance industry attracts more than its share of swindlers. This is true in developed as well as developing economies. Therefore, one is wise to beware of so-called low-cost insurance and to be alert to any other questionable insurance scheme. Too many hopeful buyers have ended up with nothing when such companies failed to pay on their policies-or just vanished overnight! (Hebeler, 2004, 29) For instance, some companies offer lower rates on health insurance to nonsmokers and on car insurance to those who have passed driver-education courses. But how can a potential buyer find reliable insurance A first step can be to find out what others have experienced with various insurance companies and agents. Friends and neighbors may know a company's reputation for service or an agent's reputation for integrity and personal concern. It is also good to stay alert to news reports indicating which insurance companies may be having problems. Additionally, a company's record and financial standing may be checked by consulting insurance rating guides at a library or a bookstore or on the Internet. These can provide the answers to such questions as: Is the company financially secure Has it been in business successfully for many years Is it known for handling claims quickly and amicably Insurance rating guides, however, should not be considered infallible. One long-established, multibillion-dollar insurance company had to be taken over by the government only one week after it had been rated as superior in a well-known handbook! (Rowell, 2005, 41) Although Avionics maybe a non construction firm handling a different case of business operations, it faces the same health issues that a construction operating business entity deals with everyday, and that is workplace risk. With all the operations that must be undergone by every laboring employee within the station by which they are appointed to work in, it is by no means expected that risk becomes a part of the situation. Undeniably, then, the discussion on the limitations of the support of the insurance organizations towards such circumstances of risky hard hat jobs, it should then come to one's attention that taking possible measures to avoid the possible risks and fixing the situation even before it happens is an important factor that outlines the existence of any construction company at present. The Need for Safety When construction work comes into mind, the thought of danger comes along. Of course, this truth is based on the idea that people who are involved in such situations are usually the ones subjected to immediate risks resulting to emergency health situations. Considerably, this is the reason why safety becomes an inevitable need that deserves to receive ample attention from the officials or appointed personnel who are further designated to handle on-site construction projects. To understand more on how much important this particular issue is to the construction firms that are existing in the constructing industry today, a diagram on the different aspects of concern when undergoing a construction project is presented herein. From the diagram, it could be noticed how the process of construction involves different aspects of risks posted to the people who are working on site. Four major factors that are included within the said concerns are: Risk Knowledge Management, which refers to the primary step needed to be taken when preparing a risk free plan. This phase requires a construction planner to closely observe the site where the construction is supposed to take place thus ensuring that everything is in place and everyone who would work within the area would be well protected from falling debris, be free from different chemical exposures if there are and so on and so forth. Social Process and Culture, this phase of the examination of a project plan for an establishment of a structure describes the need for the planners to be sure that they are not violating any possible laws that might be given careful focus within the area where they are to build the structure. This involves understanding what particular style or process of operating is welcomed within the neighborhood. Systemic Risk Analysis tools and techniques, in this particular aspect, it could be considered how the role of a safety checker personnel would actually impact entire progress and the performance and safety of the workers as well. Alternatives to possible situations involving risk is being prepared through this phase. Prevention is better than cure; this is the primary reason why there is always a need to be prepared so as to assure that if incase any possible risks arise, the whole construction group is able to immediately find the right solution that would not put the health of their workers in an undeniably wrong position. Risk Management Accountabilities on the other hand describes the different procedures used by construction planners to assure that everything has been well prepared for including the allotted funds set to support any possible emergencies that may happen along the way. How to Prepare for the Risks Every successful means of dealing with healthcare situations is bounded by a process that must be followed so as to ensure the safety and the accountability of each person involved within the project. In the diagram presented herein, the process of preparing for and even preventing risks from occurring in a construction site is illustrated. It could be considered then that through a careful consideration that each employer places on the safety of their employees, risks could be reduced. Of course, there would always be chance that things could turn out differently, but yet, if one is well prepared for possible emergency risks, he would be able to save himself and the others with regards the possible situations that they may be involved at during the building construction period. Conclusion THE annual cost of health care in the United States has skyrocketed to $400billion, many times more than it was in the 1970's! Not only do rising medical costs threaten the financial security of families but they also take a tremendous slice from business profits. For employee health-insurance premiums alone, businesses in the United States pay out over $80billion a year! It is estimated that backaches alone are costing U.S. business firms $1billion a year in lost productivity. Because of ailments such as this, as many as a million American workers fail to report for work each day. Especially devastating is heart disease. About 700,000 Americans-many in the prime of life-die of a heart attack every year while another 700,000 survive such an attack and may miss work for months afterward. The cost to business is tremendous. Certainly, with these reports, it is certain that the need for provision of health insurance as well as retirement plans for the employees does not only assure the employees of their future in the company, but it also assures the business organization of the fine performance that the employees would be much more willing to provide the business group with, in return assuring competence to the company's status within the industry's grounds of competition. References: Paul Zane Pilzer. (2007). The New Health Insurance Solution: How to Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan. Wiley; New Ed edition. Jo Ann C. Rowell. (2005). Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billing and Reimbursement. Thomson Delmar Learning; 8 edition. Tom Foster. (2007). To Sell or Not to Sell...Employer Retirement Plans: The Financial Advisor's Roadmap to a Successful Retirement Plans Practice. Kaplan Business. Henry K. Hebeler. (2004). J.K. Lasser's Your Winning Retirement Plan. Wiley; 1 edition. Read More