Dustin T Vest A Safe and Healthy Work Environment Saint Leo University Instructor Carew August 15, 2014 I. Introduction A. Safety and Health in the Organization 1. Human Resource Department Responsibilities 2. Ensuring Specific Measures are Implemented B. OSHA Guidelines and Policies 1. OSHA History and Mission 2. Compliance Initiatives 3. Benefits C. Workplace and Domestic Violence 1. Statistical Evidence 2. Effects on the workplace D. Work-Related Stress Management 1. Dealing with Stress 2. Common Signs E. Employee-Assistance Programs 1. Purpose 2. Benefits II. Conclusion Introduction The purpose of this research paper …show more content…
OSHA helps business protect their employees and reduce the number of workplace mishaps that result in injuries and deaths. With employees staying safe and healthy, organizations will reduce workers’ compensation insurance costs and medical expenses. In addition; companies see a decrease payout for return-to-work programs, reduce potentially faulty products, and lower costs for job accommodations for injured workers. Indirectly, additional benefits such as increased productivity, reduction in training costs, and decreased costs for overtime have also been attributed to OSHA’s research and guidance. (OSHA, 2014) Workplace and Domestic Violence Workplace violence often results in serious injuries that often result in disabilities requiring ongoing care. Workplace violence may also result in life threatening injuries and even death. According to statistics recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, nearly 17 percent of all workplace fatalities in 2011 were the result of workplace violence. In the U.S. alone, there were 780 fatal work injuries that were the cause of
OSHA is commonly utilized today in the workplace. After the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire employers started to realize the debt they are owed to their employees and changes came about. “More than 30 labor-related laws written by the New York (State) Factory Investigating Commission, which was established in response to the fire and has been credited with developing a new model for worker safety in U.S. mills and workshops, eventually were adopted by the state legislature(o)”. Some of those laws require employers to have at least 2 exit doors of which are locked from the inside and do not require anything special to operate. Once those doors are opened the audible alarms sounds notifying all occupants of the fire. Fire suppression systems whether they are chemical or water, usually water, are required by law. Labor laws also require regimented breaks for workers which will prevent workers from taking breaks, such as smoking, while performing job related
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was formed as an agency of the federal government that is charged with protecting workers from recognized safety hazards within the workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created as a result of passage of the “Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 in response to dangerous working conditions across the nation and as a culmination of decades of reform” (Walter, 2011, para. 5). President Richard Nixon signed the act into law on December 29, 1970 and The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was officially established on April 28, 1971 (Walter, 2011). During the 41 years on the job, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has identified and addressed numerous work hazards, as well as provided solutions to mitigate and/or avoid placing workers in unnecessary danger. OSHA regulates as enforces regulations throughout the country, however the agency does declare that “states can run their own safety and health programs as long as those programs are at least as effective as the federal program” (http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-osha.htm). The states that choose to implement their own version of the occupational safety and health plan are referred to as OSHA states, whereas those who implement no plan are required to follow the federal regulations, as set forth by OSHA. OSHA effects all workers and employers in the United States, as the desired effect of the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act is “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources” (Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970). OS...
There two primary Health Plan forms today which include; Health Savings Account (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) are being heavily marketed to employers because they provide comprehensive financial assistance to employees for health purposes hence renders the employer with little cost to incur for employees medical cover. These forms of health care are very common in hazardous environment where there is high risk of getting injured like industrial workshops (Feldman & Parente, 2010).
Many chosen profession have distinctive expectations which are important to both employers and employees. Companies are looking for ways to preserve the environment and go green in their work environment. Along with this they are required to adhere to safety factors using Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards that your particular career must follow. OSHA regulations consist of standards designed to guarantee the American workplace is free of safety and health hazards. OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is a division of the United States Department of Labor that enforces the Occupational Safety and Health regulations.
The end result is that everyone wants to come to work in an environment that is stress free and safe. A business needs to make a concrete commitment to the health and security of its employees. Let’s not wait until it’s too late.
• The implementation of a safe patient handling program has been shown, at one institution, to reduce workers’ compensation costs by 40% and lead to an increase in employee
The OSH Act gave OSHA the authority to come into work places and inspect facilities for health and safety risks. Due to shortages in personnel, OSHA inspects accidents and safety complaints that are filed, and those facilities that have a high volume of accident rates. If an individual state has an approved safety and health enforcement plan, than they may be exempt from yearly inspections by OSHA and have their own state personnel conduct the inspections. The Act sets a maximum penalty for safety and health violations, but OSHA has the authority to calculate fines. If an industry objects to the citation or fines, they can go before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. OSHA has been criticized on both ends, by industries for being too strict, and by unions for not being strict enough. In the 1980s, OSHA had instituted a policy that would exempt some workplaces from a complete inspection if they had a lower than average injury rate. However, that policy was abandoned when an employee died from a workplace that OSHA had not fully inspected. OSHA has implemented new procedures that have set higher penalties and increased the maximum fine for all types of infractions.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration also known as OSHA is a U.S. regulatory agency that is used to implement the safety of employees, patients and the enviro...
Within the Care Industry the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2010) stated that “nursing aides, orderlies and attendants had the highest rate of musculoskeletal disorders of all occupations in 2010”.
Canadian health and safety legislation require companies and organizations to make a commitment towards occupational health and safety. Maintaining a safe workplace environment has numerous benefits. A safe work environment can boost employee morale, increase productivity and improve job satisfaction. For companies and organizations these benefits can lead to less turnover and increased employee retention. They can also reduce absenteeism while improving the culture and image of a company or organization. Most importantly, increased safety in the workplace can lead to fewer workplace injuries and causalities. Workplace health and safety issues are different today than there were at various points of time in Canadian history.
Accidents occur in the workplace but in secret. These most of the time lead to physical and mental injuries that might affect the worker way of living for the rest of their lives. It is estimated that more than 337 million workers get injured in their place of work or in the course of work every year leading to work-related diseases causing about 2.3 million deaths per year (United States Department of Labor, n.d.).
The term ‘occupational health and safety’ (often abbreviated to OHS), is used describe work practices that will keep employees safe. The absence of OHS can be detrimental to a company and its workers alike, as there is a high risk of serious injury. Safety on many worksites must be the top priority for any corporation. Though at our walk-around of Juggernaut Industries, we noticed it wasn’t monitored at all. The following is a list of possible effects and laws that will remind you of the consequences.
Ensuring the health and safety of employees is of primary importance to the Organization. Organization is committed to maintaining safe facilities, sponsoring appropriate training programs, and providing necessary safety equipment. In addition, Administration and staff shall cooperatively develop appropriate procedures and regulations for ensuring employees' health and safety, with special emphasis on the handling of potentially hazardous equipment or substances and for investigating and reporting any accidents and mishaps. All newly employed staff shall be required to comply with the physical examination. Every employee must provide annually, at a minimum, an updated health history of current health problems.
It starts from OSH policy and objective of an company/organization. The OSHMS aim can be achieve if employees implementing and practicing what they have learned from the programmes conducted by their management. The OSH programmes like personal protective equipment, first aid, fire preventive plan, incident/accident investigation, hazard identification and many more are playing an important role to achieve the OSHMS’s aim. The management’s commitment towards safety and health like organizing training and education is resulting in raises the employees awareness on work place safety and health and employees’ involvement to success the safety and health programmes. To enhance the OSHMS, preventive and corrective action and continual improvement are playing an important role. So that the company/organization is keep moving forward successfully in achieving occupational safety and health management system’s
Zanko, M & Dawson, P 2012, ‘Occupational health and safety management in organizations: A review’, International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 14, no. 3, p 328-344, viewed 2 April 2014, http://ro.uow.edu.au/commpapers/2832/.