Hazards Control and Management at Hopper Bar and Eatery - Case Study Example

Tittle Recommendations for Hazards control and management at Hopper Bar and Eatery Executive Summary This report investigates and provides recommendations for hazards at Hoppers bar and eatery. Identification of the hazard was conducted using a number of methods. First, I visited the worksite and looked at the available documents including training records, risk register and first aid booklets. This helped me to get a picture of the organizational policies regarding employees’ health and safety as well as the incidences that had happened in the past. I then talked to the employees regarding their concern on health and safety gathering information about any incidences that they have seen in the organization in the recent past. Through this, I was also able to identify the risks the workers are exposed to as they work. I then went around the worksite in a bid to identify any hazards that the workers could be exposed to. In this regard, I took photos of the places or actions that I thought were hazardous and these have been attached in the report. From the above techniques, I was able to identify three types of risks including the risk of tripping and falling as a result of the poor state of the floor, the risk of workers cutting themselves when cutting lemons and the risk of the kitchen hand getting poisoned from unsafe handling of caustic soda. Other risks were also identified as can be shown from the risk register. A number of areas of concerns regarding the organization’s OHS practices were also identified. These includes concerns about the quality of HS training, lack of proper record keeping and failing to involve temporary workers in meetings. As a result, the report has identified the legal implications of the hazards and issues identified. As a result, recommendations have been made regarding the WHS codes of practices that Hopper Bar and Eatery should strive to improve on. Finally, the report provides recommendations for control and management of the hazards identified above. It is concluded that with strict adherence to the WHS codes of practice and adherence to the act, the worksite is likely to eliminate the hazards identified hence making it a better place to work in. CONTENTS Table of Contents Tittle 1 Executive Summary 2 CONTENTS 4 Introduction 5 Methods of hazard identification 5 Hazards Identified 6 Other concerns 10 Legal implications 11 Recommendations for control and management 14 Conclusion 15 References 17 Appendices 18 Introduction This report investigates and provides recommendations for hazards at Hoppers bar and eatery. Hoppers bar and eatery is a small worksite that has 15 permanent employees and around 35 casual staff, more staff are brought on as casuals during the busy summery Christmas period. Despite the management’s effort at ensuring adherence to the WHS act, a visit at the work site revealed a number of issues regarding workers health and safety that need to be addressed. Thus, this report is aimed at identifying the issues and providing recommendations to the management on the actions that need to be taken in a bid to improve health and safety in accordance with WHS act. Methods of hazard identification A number of methods can be used in gaining insight into the organization and hence identify the various hazards that various people including the employees are exposed to in the organization. These include the following; i) We can identify hazards from past events and what we know has harmed someone in the past after which standards and regulations should be established to avoid such happenings. Unfortunately, this can only happen if proper records have been kept which does not appear to be the case for Hoppers Bar and Eatery. Furthermore, this would involve only acting after an incident has happened instead of taking preventive measures beforehand. ii) Inspecting the workplace and observing how tasks are being performed. In so doing, one is able to identify the hazards that those performing the tasks are exposed to (skybrary.aero, 2016). Another method would involve consulting the workers about any health and safety problems that they have encountered in performing their work. Unfortunately, this would only depend on their willingness to cooperate and where they feel intimidated, they will not be cooperative. iii) Another method would involve analysing of records of workplace incidents, near misses and worker complaints. Similarly, this is only likely to be practical if accurate records are kept. iv) One may also review any information and advice about hazards and risks relevant to the industry or the type of work that is done. Hazards Identified From visiting Hoppers Bar and Eatery and observing the workplace including workers in action, looking at the various records and procedures and talking to the workers regarding their experiences at the work place, I was able to identify the following hazards with regard to the organization. 2.1 Hazard one: tripping at the entrance between manager’s office and payroll staff office As can be seen from the photo below, the carpet at the entrance is torn making the floor rough. In fact, the torn carpet seems to have created a hole and should one be absent minded or unaware of this state, he or she is likely to trip and fall and injure him/herself. The situation can even be worse if that person happens to be carrying a heavy object or hot things such as tea since they are likely to be burnt or even break their arms or legs. The probability of this occurring is very high given that workers have to access these offices every day whether we refer to the manager accessing his office or the payroll staff or even workers bringing tea or accessing the services offered by the offices on a daily basis. The effect of such a happening could be broken ribs, head or spinal injury or broken hands or legs. Based on this risk assessment therefore, falling at this entrance would be rated a HIGH RISK. 2.2 Hazard two: Knife cuts A look at the photo above shows a worker cutting a lemon that is held by hand. The workers cut the lemons with sharp knives and given that they are always in a hurry, they do not use chopping boards. There is a high risk that in such a situation, the involve workers are likely to inflict serious cuts on themselves. In fact, after interacting with the workers, 6 of them have indicated that they have been cut when cutting lemons with one having to have 6 stiches. As such, this is a serious hazard and would result in deep cuts for the workers which would reduce their productivity as they take time for the cuts to heal. Furthermore, customers would not be happy if they saw such a happening and hence it would also affect the bar’s reputation. This is more serious given that lemons have to be cut on a daily basis depending on customers’ requests. Based on this assessment therefore, this could be considered a high risk. 2.3 Hazard three: Poisoning from unsafe handling of caustic soda (Chemicals) grease cleaner From the photo below, the kitchen hand can be seen handling caustic soda without wearing a protective gear. The method of handling the chemical is also unsafe given that it produces a lot of heat when poured into water. This happens regularly after few weeks. The effect is exposing the kitchen hand from the dangers of poisoning from the caustic soda. It should be noted that caustic soda if not handled carefully could result in lowering or loss of vision, it can also cause dermatitis or chronic eczema if it comes into contact with the skin and with a high concentration, and it causes the affected tissue to rapidly decompose (jsia.gr.jp, 2016). It could also cause inflation in the mouth if swallowed by mistake and a similar effect can occur on the throat, oesophagus and the stomach. If inhaled, it can cause injuries to the respiratory tract. Thus, the way it is handled at Hoppers Bar and Eatery is a hazard since it could even find its way into food leading to food poisoning. Though this happens once in a few weeks, the associated dangers are so great and hence it can be rated as High Risk. Other concerns The following are the issues of concern in the workplace that may be having a negative impact on work health and safety and management of work health and safety; i) Quality of training The quality of training at Hoppers Bar and Eatery is wanting. It is not comprehensive. First, the training is mainly cantered around armed robbery procedure, manual handling, personal protective equipment and dealing with broken glass. This is not comprehensive enough and other issues of personal safety needs to be incorporated. For instance, what happens in case of fire, what is the purpose of protective glasses, how can cuts be prevented? Though their policy provides for refresher training, this does not happen despite the fact that work health and safety issues keep on evolving and hence the need to keep older workers updated of the new trends. It is also worth noting that temporary workers form the bulk of the workforce. Thus, a training policy that does not incorporate them will not achieve its aim. This is especially so given that they are called during pick times when most of the accidents are most likely to occur. i) Lack of proper record keeping Although WHS records are kept, they are not properly maintained and hence are not up to date. For instance, the first aid booklet only shows two events of glass cut and knife cut between 2015 and 2016. Yet more incidences have happened. Workers need to sensitized on the need for such records and hence the need to record every incidence. Otherwise, the firm will not be able to properly monitor its WHS issues and hence come up with improvement measures. ii) Attendance of meetings Though meetings are regular, only permanent staff are able to attend and air their issues. This means that though the temporary staff might have genuine health and safety concerns, these issues might never be discovered and hence the company may never be able to improve in some areas. Legal implications The following Codes of Practice need to be complied with and are relevant to this worksite. Code of practice name: How to manage work health and safety risks The code of practice on how to manage work health and safety risks is a code under section 274 of the work health and safety act and is aimed at achieving the standards of health, safety and welfare under WHS acct and WHS regulations. It details out the people with responsibility for managing work health and safety risks and what is involved in risk management under regulation section 46-48. It is clear that workers in Hoppers Bar and Eatery are exposed to various kinds of risks that would endanger their health and safety including risks of cuts, poisoning from chemicals, falls, fires etc. as such, this code is important in mitigating such risks and hence ensuring compliance with WHS act. Code of practice name: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace The code of practice on how to manage the risks associated with hazardous chemicals in the workplace has been approved under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Hse.gov.uk, 2016). The code describes what hazardous chemicals are, the people who have health and safety duties in relation to hazardous chemicals and what is required to manage the risks associated with hazardous chemicals under WHS regulation section 351 and sections 32-38. Under WHS regulation section 49, a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure that no person at the workplace is exposed to a substance or mixture in an airborne concentration that exceeds the relevant exposure standard for the substance or mixture (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2016). From the photo above, it is clear that the kitchen hand is not handling the grease cleaner which is a hazardous chemical in line with this code of practice. As such, the owners of the business need to enforce this code of practice in a bid to prevent any risks associated with the hazardous chemicals handling from occurring and also to avoid any legal liabilities that might arise therefrom. Code of practice name: Managing the risk of falls at the workplace The code of practice on how to manage the risk of falls is established under section 274 of the work health and safety act. The code of practice details out the people charged with the health and safety duties in relation to falls, and what is required to manage the risk of falls under the WHS regulation section 34-38. As observed from the photo, the floor at the entrance is in a state that can cause a person to easily trip.as such, it is the responsibility of Hoppers Bar and Eatery to ensure that this code is adhered to strictly in order to mitigate against the associated risks. Code of practice name: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace The code of practice on how to manage the risks associated with hazardous chemicals in the workplace has been approved under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The code describes what hazardous chemicals are, the people who have health and safety duties in relation to hazardous chemicals and what is required to manage the risks associated with hazardous chemicals under WHS regulation section 351 and sections 32-38. Under WHS regulation section 49, a person conducting a business or undertaking must ensure that no person at the workplace is exposed to a substance or mixture in an airborne concentration that exceeds the relevant exposure standard for the substance or mixture. From the photo above, it is clear that the kitchen hand is not handling the grease cleaner which is a hazardous chemical in line with this code of practice. As such, the owners of the business need to enforce this code of practice in a bid to prevent any risks associated with the hazardous chemicals handling from occurring and also to avoid any legal liabilities that might arise therefrom. Code of practice name: Managing the risk of falls at the workplace The code of practice on how to manage the risk of falls is established under section 274 of the work health and safety act. The code of practice details out the people charged with the health and safety duties in relation to falls, and what is required to manage the risk of falls under the WHS regulation section 34-38. As observed from the photo, the floor at the entrance is in a state that can cause a person to easily trip.as such, it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that floors are well maintained to eliminate such risks. Recommendations for control and management The following solutions for reducing the tripping on the floor risk include: Elimination- Replace the carpet with a new one or remove it altogether Engineering- The floor may be designed in a manner that it does not need a carpet for instance by putting tiles while insuring that it is not slippery so that the risk of tripping or falling is significantly minimized (Reason, 2007). Administration- Ensure that the floor is always safe for everyone in the organization. Elimination and Administration are the preferred option as it will eliminate the possibility of tripping from the bad state of the entrance. The following solutions for reducing the knife cuts risk are recommended Elimination- Ensure chopping boards are provided for use whenever one needs to cut lemons. Administration- Ensure that all workers are aware that it is mandatory to use the chopping boards when cutting lemons with severe consequences for failing to use the boards. Both elimination and administration are equally preferred as they will minimize to the lowest level the possibility of knife cuts when cutting lemon. The following solutions for reducing the risk of from unsafe handling of caustic soda are recommended Elimination- provide safe clothing for use by the kitchen hand whenever handling the caustic soda. Engineering- Construct the drain in such a way that it will not require cleaning Administration-ensuring that the kitchen hand always uses safe clothing whenever handling the caustic soda. Elimination and administration are preferred since they are effective in eliminating the risk and they are very cheap options. Conclusion This report has identified some of the hazards that workers in Hoppers Bar and Eatery are exposed to. This is in addition to some of the OHS issues that the worksite needs to improve on in a bid to make it a more safe place to work in. It is my view that the worksite should ensure more strict adherence to the provisions of the WHS act provisions as well as the recommendations above if it is to become a safe place for one to work in. References Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2016, Work health and safety information, Retrieved on 21st October 2016, from; http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/whs-information/pages/whs- information jsia.gr.jp,2016, Safe handling of caustic soda, Retrieved on 21st October 2016, from; http://www.jsia.gr.jp/data/handling_01e.pdf skybrary.aero, 2016, Hazard identification, Retrieved on 21st October 2016, from; http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Hazard_Identification Reason, J2007, Managing the risks of organizational accidents, London, Ashgate. Hse.gov.uk, 2016, ALARP at a glance, Retrieved on 21st October 2016, from; http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/theory/alarpglance.htm Appendices Appendix 1 – Table for assessing risk levels Likelihood Consequence Risk (Likelihood x consequence) 1 – Very low Extremely unlikely Less than 5% chance of occurring 1 – Insignificant. Consequences are very low, minor disruption. 1 – 5 Very low Manage within existing controls. Monitor annually 2 – Low Unlikely 5% - 25% chance of occurring 2 – Minor Losses may disrupt services for a short period. Financial losses may be in the region of $10,000 Disruption to a single area of the business. 6 – 10 Low Manage within existing controls. Monitor 6 monthly 3 – Medium Possible 25%-60% chance of occurring 3 – Moderate Service lost for period 1 – 5 days. Financial loss $10,000 - $100,000. Internal event review required. Moderate injury equivalent to staff requiring time < 5 days away from work. Adverse media coverage for 1 day. 11 – 15 Medium Evaluate efficiency of existing controls. Develop and implement additional control mechanisms Monitor quarterly 4 – High. Likely. 60% - 80% chance of occurring 4 – Serious Service lost for period exceeding 1 week. Financial loss $100,000 – $1M. Adverse media coverage for 1 week. Internal investigation or by an external source/regulator. Staff contractor or visitor suffers serious injury. Impact to multiple and diverse areas of the business. Significant senior management intervention required including external assistance. 16 – 20 High Implement mitigation plan Escalate/report to senior management Monitor monthly 5 – Very high. Almost certain. 80%-100% chance of occurring 5 – Very serious Significant resources required to recover from impact. Legal consequences resulting in prosecution. Financial loss >$10M. Staff, contractor or visitor involved in a fatal event. Adverse media coverage for an extended period. Complete loss of service delivery affecting all VUW critical functions. Immediate SMT and Council intervention required. Over 20 Very high Implement mitigation immediately Escalate to senior management Monitor weekly Appendix 2: Risk register Risks numbered for reference and mapping Risk description Risk Consequences Raw Risk 1= lowest 5=highest mitigation Residual Risk (RR) (after mitigation actions and controls) Likelihood (L) 1-5 Consequence (C) 1-5 Raw Risk (L x C) L 1-5 Consequence 1-5 RR (L x C) 1 Falls and tripping Falling or tripping due to poor state of the floor Financial implication per employee in terms of lost hours and compensation 4 3 12 Maintain Good Quality Of floor 2 3 6 2 Cuts from knives Workers getting their hands cut when cutting lemons Financial implication per employee in terms of lost hours and compensation 3 3 9 Use Cutting boards 1 3 3 3. Poisoning from chemicals Kitchen hand getting poisoned from unsafe handling of caustic soda Financial implication in terms of compensation and time lost. Endangering employees’ health. 2 4 8 Safe clothing 1 1 1 Read More