The Importance of an OHS Management System in a Construction Organization The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act requires employers to take the responsibility of safeguarding the health and safety of their employees when they are at work. In the recent past, a number of employees in the construction industry have died as a result of accidents at the workplace. Apart from the pain experienced by the workers and emotional turmoil of their families, a lot of money has been spent on their compensation. Therefore, the development of OHS has really helped the employers to cut on these costs as well as ensuring they work in a safe environment (Coble, Haupt & Hinze 2000, p. 121). Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management in this context can be defined as the procedural scheduling, organizing and controlling a company’s processes in order to uphold safety and health of workers. In planning of OHS, factors such as proper ventilation, the use of protective gear like helmets and gloves, reduced noise levels and workers’ periodic rest should be considered. The government has shown its obligation to reform the construction industry by coming up with legislative initiatives that cover workplace ethics, workplace injury management and environmental conservation (Hughes & Ferrett 2008, p. 213). OHS Training in the Construction Industry This involves the dissemination of instructions by proficient trainers with the aim of inculcating the required skills and abilities, which is done before a worker can embark on a given assignment. An example of these instructions is accident analysis training that could be done through displays and group or individual demonstrations. The main objective of thi... ... middle of paper ... ...erve the environment appropriately (Chaturvedi 2007, p. 145). Works Cited Access Economics Limited, 2009, Decision regulation impact statement for a model Occupational Health and Safety Act, Safe Work, New South Wales. Chaturvedi, P 2007, Occupational safety, health & environment and sustainable economic development, Ashok Kumar Mittal, New Delhi. Coble, RJ, Haupt, TC & Hinze, J 2000, The management of construction safety and health, A. A Balkema, Rotterdam. Hughes, P & Ferrett, E 2008, Introduction to health and safety in construction, Oxford Press, Burlington. Lingard, H & Rowlinson, SM 2005, Occupational health and safety in construction project management, Spon Press, New York. Redinger, CF & Levine, SP 1999, Occupational health and safety management system performance, AIHA Press, Fairfax.
McGuire, C. (2011, April). Workplace Safety 100 Years Ago. Safety Compliance Letter(2524), 1-6. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=60166397&site=ehost-live&scope=site
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...
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...
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Created to help employers and employees reduce on the job injuries, illness, and death. Since OSHA was created work place deaths have decreased by 60%, injuries and illness have been decreased by 40%. It has beneficially lowered training cost due to fewer replacement workers, and overtime has also been decreased. OSHA directs national compliance in occupational Health and Safety. Workers compliance Insurance cost, medical cost, and decreased payouts to Return- to- work programs all reduce when Employers / companies stay safe and healthy in the work environment.
...ves to create extra routines as important to ensure workers in high hazard commercial enterprises.
Reese, C.D. and Eidson, J.V. (1999). Handbook of OSHA construction safety and health. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press
Wang, J.Y. and Liu, C.L, 2004, “Risk Management for Construction Projects”, Beijing: China Water Publication.
Introduction Canadian health and safety legislation requires 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.
Safety within the workplace is not solely dependent on one participant. The responsibility of occupation health and safety (OH&S) cannot be placed solely upon the employer, and similarly it cannot solely be placed on the employee themselves. For health and safety of employees within a company to be taken seriously, it must be based on the principle of joint responsibility between both the employees and their respective employers. As stated by Dessler, Chhnizer, and Cole (2014), “there is an implicit and explicit expectation that both workers and employers must maintain a hazard-free work environment and enhance the health and safety of workers” (p. 383). To ensure that both the employer and employee receive equivocal power in practicing their rights, the government has the responsibility to balance the needs of both parties.
When there is the work related to the health burden then the proper care is required so the responsible members are answerable in the cases of any bad accident. It is observed that the construction is basically the largest industry. There are several construction projects that are to be held in the country as well as outside the country. Several contracts are really on the large basis. Moreover, the extreme complicated projects are to be headed by the construction companies of Europe. In this case there are necessary precautionary measures that are to be taken by the project managing
Workers in the Truss Construction shop have been upset about what they describe as unsafe working conditions and the company’s failure to accept responsibility. In addition, the workers have contacted OSHA, and leaked information to the local newspaper which has caused unwanted publicity, and may have jeopardized sales. The primary reason for the analysis is to prevent the recurrence of similar work related injuries. A work injury analysis is not a mere repetition of the worker's explanation of the injury, but includes the evaluation of the facts, physical evidence, existing records, opinions, and the statements of the affected employee and witnesses. It involves identifying the causal factors and provides recommendations for corrective action to be taken to prevent the recurrence of similar injuries.
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/.
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.).
Regulation compliance, employee safety, fire safety, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, hazardous waste removal, training procedures, and management relations are samples of features taken into consideration during a Safety Major’s day. Though there are numerous specializations safety professions can choose, a base knowledge in all fields is essential for a successful career. Therefore, I intend to pursue a continuation of safety certifications that will demonstrate a persistent ability to learn about my career. For the initial duration of my profession, I hope to obtain an Environmental Health and Safety specialist entry level position for an established organization. If the opportunity arises, I will promote within the same organization until