The article “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” (Admin, 2011) points out the importance of keeping the workplace safety and explains the role of Human Resources managers in workplace safety and health maintenance. The Human Resources managers should be more proactive regarding workplace health and safety (Admin, 2011). Although the employers' responsibilities regarding workplace safety and health are both ethically and legally undeniable, “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” makes a critical error by placing those responsibilities entirely on the HR Department. Furthermore, it is not possible to be more proactive because the HR department is not specialized in workplace safety and needs to fulfill other functions within the company. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that defines and regulates employer responsibility in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for employees. Instead of inspecting, evaluating, and developing solutions by themselves, HR managers are responsible only for following OSHA rules and regulations and keep up with current trends proposed by OSHA. Training Program Development The article “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” claims HR managers should develop proper training programs to prevent injuries at work and defines the purpose of safety training programs as methods of improving the employees' performance abilities when it comes to preserving themselves from work-related risks (Admin, 2011). The systematical method of developing training programs is through identifying needs after inspections, accident reports, and discussions with the safety committee, followed by planning, implementation, and improvement evaluation (Admin, 2011). Although these are standard protocols in developing training programs, the article does not mention the people or institutions responsible for actual program development. The initial blame for low proactivity on the HR department and its impact on worker safety and health remains unmentioned from the introduction of the article, so it is only natural to assume that the HR department is responsible for carrying out training program development after reading that section. The HR department cannot develop training programs because OSHA and similar agencies specializing in workplace safety are responsible for developing trainings. Furthermore, the HR department cannot even perform the actual trainings because their employees are not authorized to train employees in workplace safety. The HR department is responsible only for providing training for the company's employees, so they can perform work in a safe manner in compliance with OSHA requirements (Michaels, 2010), and they cannot possibly be involved in safety training or safety training program development.
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...
Employee training can reduce or eliminate unsafe behaviors by teaching the employees how to perform their job safely. The training needs to be specific on what the employee is expected to do (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). For instance; if an employee was lifting heavy boxes all day, they need to be taught to bend at the knees and always use both hands to prevent back injuries.
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...
...ld be reviewing the OHSA 300 log to see what trends are being reported. If the log is empty, then one must look to why employees are not reporting injuries. Is there a culture that frowns upon reporting accidents or are employees just not educated on the proper procedures. Lastly, I feel we must go back to the enforcement of policies and holding employees accountable for their actions. If employees willing know that they can act in an unsafe manner and without fear of recourse then they will act accordingly. The policies set fourth must be adhered to and progressive disciplinary action must be taken to show employees that safety is a top priority. In most instances this is one of the hardest areas in implement due to the fact that your are changing the attitudes of employees but by establishing negative consequences to actions then attitude shifts will follow.
Patient safety is the basis of quality health care in the hospital. Works applied to patient safety and practices that have not prevented hazard have focused on negative outcomes of care, such as mortality and morbidity. Healthcare employees are important to the surveillance and coordination that will reduce such adverse effects.
It would also cause economic losses for the country, therefore, reducing the rate of accidents could potentially save the country billions annually (Hayes et al, 1998). It is important for companies to create safe workplace to build the positive workers’ perceptions of safety on their jobs (Hayes et al, 1998). According to the research, less accidents tend to occur if employees perceive their jobs safe; and higher accident rate if they do not (Harrell, 1990). Since KI has decentralized the management process, it may not have a clear view of the working environment and conditions for the workers among the subsidiaries. KI also may not know the workers’ perceptions on the work safety. It is critical for KI’s management to conduct series of measurement on the workers’ perceptions of workplace safety first and embrace new provisions of workplace safety into the company code. In order to so, the management may need to understand how the workers feel and think based on the results. In additional, KI may require compliance and commitment from its subcontractors for the new workplace safety practice, which would benefit both the MNCs and
When it comes to safety most people think they are safe, and they have a true understanding on how to work safe. Human nature prevents us from harming ourselves. Our instincts help protect us from harm. Yet everyday there are injuries and deaths across the world due to being unsafe. What causes people to work unsafe is one of the main challenges that face all Safety Managers across the world.
With current employees, the HR department handles things like health and safety training programs. They might handle other trainings like computer training or performance management training for executives. Sexual harrassment trainings are given by a human resource professional too.
"The Benefits of OSHA Safety Training." Workplace Safety and Health. Web. 31 July 2011. .
In a report by Scherer et al. (1993), it is outlined that a survey conducted by Occupational Health and Safety Assurance (OSHA) realized that most workplace injuries in the United States were a result of errors related to the employees. In breaking down the forms of errors the survey realized that they were caused by: carelessness, lack of training, and illiteracy. Looking at these causative factors, it is easy to realize that they are not only preventable but can be totally elim...
The death of twenty-nine workers in an explosion at an underground mine site is a catastrophic example that demonstrates the critical need for a strong safety culture in the workplace. Ben Heineman, the author of the article “Valuing Safety is Good for Companies’ Bottom Line,” (2010) suggests that “culture consists of the shared principles and shared practices which influence how people in organizations feel, think, and behave.” Today, most industries view strong safety regulations as a crucial component to the workplace practices inside a business. Without a deep commitment by company leadership to create and enforce the importance of safety and health polices, a safety culture will not exist. Integrity and safety must never be compromised to achieve numbers and the value of an employee’s life must always be a company’s first priority.
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.
In a power to advance the progress of protection and healthy workplace, the subject is Important as it is one of the vital purposes for the association and operatives to conduct their daily procedure and task safely and correctly. Workers that have elevated level of protection and condition awareness are able to conduct their work efficiently and effectually, whereas it plausibly could stop accidents from transpired at the workplace.
The health factor is essential for sustainable social and economic development at the global, global and local levels. The traditional approach to health and safety in the workplace has focused mainly on enforcement of legislation and assessment of premises to ensure compliance with health and safety standards ( Torp, S. & Moen, 2013).
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/.