Occupational Health and Safety - Literature review Example

Running head: occupational health and safety Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Abstract Occupation health and safety is of great strategic importance to organization. It serves to protect and ensure those working in an organization are protected from hazards that may result from incidences in the work place. Occupation health and safety management involves taking into account the causes of incidences that may result in poor health of employees and taking initiative or steps to improve this. Coming up with a strategic occupational health safety policy is important to any organization seeking to improve its efficiency by reducing the work related safety hazards that may be present in the organization. This paper will go at length to show the areas that any organization should address before implementing an occupational health safety policy. This paper will further, show the importance of creating a technical team involved primarily in prevention of accidents and harm within the organization. It will show the benefits that accrue from this and areas that those charged with the responsibility should be trained in. This paper will also show the strategic importance of occupational health and safety management to any organization and benefits that accrue from the same. It will give details of some countries carrying out occupation health and safety within their legislative framework and also show examples of organizations that have adopted this and benefited. Introduction Occupation health and safety involves protection of workers in employment. It involves protecting their health and welfare. Its main goal is to always create a safe working environment. In some cases it may extend to protect co-workers, customers, and employers. It may also protect suppliers and communities that live nearby the work place. Occupation health and safety may involve use of occupation medication, public health, industrial hygiene and other facilities as argued by Charles (2008). According to the world health organization (WHO), occupation health should always aim at promoting a high level of mental, social, and physical well-being of workers in all sectors of the economy. This involves preventing loss of health that may result from working conditions. It also involves employees being protected in employment from any negative effect as a result of exposure to factors that negatively affect health. Occupational health further, involves maintenance of employees in an environment which is suited to their psychological and physiological abilities. Occupation health psychology combines the elements of occupation health and safety. It is concerned with identification of psychological factors that are work related and especially those that have an effect on the health and well being of the workers as stated by argued by Charles (2008). It is also involved in making changes in the work place in order to improve the health of workers. There are a number of reasons for occupation health and safety including incidents that may occur during work. These include legal implications, fines for failing to comply with regulations, compensation costs incurred incase of an accident causing harm to a worker and time that may be lost to investigate an incident as argued by Bureau of labor statistics (2010). It is important for any organization to undertake an effective training program so as to reduce injuries that may occur at work. A number of things may happen if this is not observed. Firstly, there may be injuries or deaths at the work place due to poor safety standards. Secondly, property damage may occur due to poor observance of safety causing a loss to the organization. It is also possible for the organization to face litigation for failing to observe standards as argued by argued by Charles (2008). Another problem that may result is illness of the workers which could lead to missed time at work. Failure to observe standards may also result in the organization paying hefty compensation claims to workers which may not reflect well in the organizations financial position.Classes for safety training may help to create and establish a safe environment in the work place. This may motivate workers to carry out their own safety drills and precautions. New employees will thus, find it easier to cope with the conditions of work after training. Strategic occupation health is coming up with defined policy to curb occurrence of incidences that may result to injury or disease in the work place. It involves clear analysis of the challenges faced by any organization in terms of ensuring safety for its employees. It is important in that it helps to create a frame work to deal with hazards as they arise. It also creates efficiency in an organization since fewer workers fail to meet the required hours of work something that is common when they are sick or injured. It also helps boost morale among the employees in knowing that the organization cares about their health as stated by Bureau of labor statistics (2010). Strategic occupational health as observed by Robson et el (2007) also helps to reduce losses that may accrue due to claims of compensation from injured workers. Strategic occupation al health and safety policyhas a goal of ensuring that workers are secure from injury, illness and disease. It has an objective of facilitating development of policies that focus on prevention of injuries and fatalities. When determining whether or not to shift from operational occupational health safety, some factors need to be considered by any organization. One of the factors to consider is information or data on injuries, and diseases. Another factor to consider is any current strategic initiatives and their success in maintaining safety. An organization should also carry out research on causes of occupational injuries and diseases. This will help draft a policy that will serve to prevent injuries and diseases. Knowing the cause of adverse health is very instrumental in prevention of the same. It should also research on ways to prevent these from taking place. Before reviewing policy and adopting strategic occupational health safety, it is important to determine changes that may have a negative impact on health and safety within the work place as argued by Phil & Ed (2011). Another factor to consider is any priorities that are identified by workers or occupants of a working environment. Workers are most affected by any incidence that may occur in the work place and are therefore stakeholders in any decision regarding their health and well being.When developing a strategic occupational health policy, it is important that all decisions align with those of workers who are directly affected by health related issues. It is also important to create a culture of improved health and safety in the work place and ensure that enough research is carried out to ensure all areas are covered in connection with the law as stated by Bureau of labor statistics (2010). When drafting a safety policy for occupation health, it is important to include inspection of the work place as a requirement for the organization. This will ensure management is at par with the prevailing working conditions in order to ensure safety and health is maintained at high levels. Rules must be set in place to ensure the majority of workers are protected from incidents that may result from mischievous accidents caused by a few. Compliance of these rules must be effected with consequences clearly spelled out for those who violate them. It is important to improve risk management in the organization. This can be done by enhancing good leadership by improving occupational health safety risk information. This can be done through training and improvement of collection and management of occupational health safety information. It is also important to improve the assessment of risks that is done by supervisors by ensuring they are well equipped. Using a consultative approach as observed by Robson et el (2007) would go a long way in improving risk management in the organization. It should be adapted by the staff and also encouragement should be given to help improve the risk management. Performance of occupation health safety policy should be carried out to ensure that details on hazard reports are maintained. Tasks in the work place that result in injury should also be taken note of and all accepted compensation claims kept on record. It is also important to keep a record of the average lost time rate to assess the productivity of the policy. There are various examples of applicability of occupational health safety. One of them is in Norway. In this country, a practitioner of occupational health and safety has a task of evaluating the environment under which work is carried out. This task is usually carried out systematically. A practitioner in this country also has a duty to authorize measures that may eliminate the cause of disease in the work place as stated by Gerad (2007). He or she also gives information on health to employees coupled with information on occupation hygiene. Another country where occupation health safety is observed is Netherlands and here the tasks for practitioners involve medical examinations of employees to ensure they are medically fit as Gerad (2007) puts it. Here a consulting room is also available in the work environment for the workers. Assessments on health are carried out often to ensure there is no slip into hazardous environment that may affect the health and well being of employees. In every working environment, certified persons must be employed to cover risks involved in the work place. These may include hiring a safety professional, an occupation hygienist, a specialist in the work and organization, or an occupation physician. In the United States, occupational health safety officers come up with procedures and requirements in order to achieve the highest level of management in dealing with hazards as stated by Robson et el (2007). They further, use business practices that help achieve economic and efficient use of resources. They also encourage members to exchange ideas to ensure that every employee has knowledge of occupation health safety. Tasks undertaken by an occupation health practitioner in the United States alsoincludes development of practices that are most efficient for resource use. Creation of systems to aid in the control of hazards such as fall protection should also be carried out by the practitioner as observed by Gerald (2007). He or she further, carries out designs for record keeping which serves to store, interpreted and disseminate information. There is usually a difference when it comes to enforcing and implementing occupational health safety in different states. Some such as member states of the European Union have authorities that ensure basic legal requirements involved in occupational health and safety are met. There is usually high cooperation between an employer and workers union in these matters. Legislation as observed by Robson et el (2009) is also part of changes effected to ensure basic minimum standards are established in the work place to protect workers from injury and disease. There have been tremendous benefits for organizations that have undertaken occupational health safety management in their day to day running. An example that amplifies the benefits of this is the Australian National University. Australian National University (ANU) has been able to maintain a strong occupational health and safety system that is highly effective. Having risk categories of chemical management, biological hazards, equipment, and nanotechnology, the University has through occupational health and safety management been able to avoid incidences that may result to adverse health of both students and members of staff as stated by Bureau of labor statistics (2010). Other areas that are classified among its risk categories are building alterations and infrastructure, confined spaces, electrical safety, hazardous waste, noise, ionizing radiation, lasers, mental health and manual tasks. Australia National University has through occupational health and safety management, succeeded in reducing manual tasks incidents that result to injury of either the students or members of staff. It has also further; reduce d incidences as a result of tripping, slipping or falling within the University’s buildings. There have also been fewer compensation claims resulting from injury within the University premises. Furthermore, less number of lost time injuries has been reported and the average lost time rate has significantly reduced (Department of labor New Zealand, 2009). This goes to show that occupational health and safety has a significant effect on cutting down of costs by any organization. In reducing the number of compensation claims and hours lost due to injury, an organization can save in terms of costs hence, making funds available for use in other areas within the organization. Conclusion In summation occupation health and safety management is instrumental in bringing about much needed change in the work place. Workers in their day to day work face a number of risks as they handle machinery or as the carry out their duties in the work place. Having a strategic occupational health and safety system would go a long way in helping to curb losses that accrue as a result of accidents or incidents within the working environment. Care must be taken when effecting policy that deals with occupation health and safety since once the policy is in place, it would be difficult to undertake changes necessary to ensure safety is maintained. Policy may be in the form of legislation which may take a long time to change. Occupation health and safety management deals not only with the risks involved in the working environment but also with conditions of work. This is because the well being of workers not only involves physical health but also takes into account psychological harm that may result from working in certain environments. Occupation health and safety and management not only results in the well being of the employees, but also affects an organization positively by reducing losses that may result from fines and compensation claims. It also helps to prevent loss in terms of time of absence from work by an employee and thus, an organization is able to carry out its daily activities efficiently. References Bureau of labor statistics 2010, Occupation outlook handbook 2010-11 edition, viewed 10 August 2011, http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos324.htm Charles, D 2008, Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach, Taylor and Francis, New York. Department of labor New Zealand 2009, “Working paper: Survey of international work place health and safety strategies”, Review of the work place health and safety strategies for New Zealand to 2015, New Zealand. Gerard, K 2007, “Occupational health and safety management system”, Health and safety environment CSIRO, Vol. 3, Issue 4, pp. 23-45. Phil, H & Ed, F 2011, Introduction to Health and Safety at Work, Elsevier, London. Robson, L et el 2007. “The effectiveness of occupational health and safety management system interventions a systematic review,” Safety science, Vol. 45, pp. 329-353. Read More