Chapter 14: Occupational Health and Safety Flashcards
responsibilities and rights of employees
-take reasonable care to protect their own health and safety, and that of co-workers
-includes wearing protective clothing and equipment, and reporting contravention of the law.
-basic rights:
=to know about workplace safety hazards
=to participate in the OHS process
=to refuse unsafe work
responsibilities and rights of employers
-take every precaution to ensure the health and safety of workers (due diligence)
- specific duties include:
=filing government accident reports
=maintaining records
= ensuring that safety rules are enforced
= positing safety notices and legislative information
joint health and safe committees
non-adversarial atmosphere where management and labour can work together to ensure a safe and healthy workplace
- usually 2-12 members (at least half of the represent workers
- in small workplaces, one health and saftey representative may be required.
the supervisor’s role in safety
- ensure that workers comply with occupational health and safety regulations
- advise and instruct workers about safety
- safety-minded managers must aim to instill their workers the desire to work safely
Enforcment of OHS Laws
- periodic inspection of workplace
- penalties consit of fines and/or jail terms
- “corporate killing”: a criminal offence, failure to ensure an appropriate level of safety in the workplace
Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS)
- control of substance
- three components
1. labeling of hazardous material containers
2. material safety data sheets (MSDS)
3. employee training
What causes accidents?
- chance occurrences
- beyond management control
- unsafe conditions
- equipment, procedures, storage, illumination, ventilation
- job itself, work schedule, psychological climate - unsafe acts
- carrying/lifting, operating speed , avoiding safety devices/equipment, horseplay, quarreling, etc. - Personal Characteristics
- human traits related to accident repetition:- vision
- literacy
- age (highest between 17 and 28)
- perceptual versus motor skills.
how to reduce unsafe conditions
-reduce unsafe conditions:
=job design, remove physical hazards
=ensure safety precautions are taken
-reduce unsafe acts:
=selection testing- hire according to job
=leadership commitment
=training and education
=positive reinforcement
Controlling Workers’ Compensation Costs
-before the accident:
=accident prevention measures
-after the accident:
=provide first aid and ensure medical attention
=show interest in the injured worker
=document/file accident reports
=encourage speedy return to work
OHS Challenges in Canada
Substance Abuse and the Law
-human rights law (disability) vs. OHS laws (due diligence requirement)
-testing is only legal if test is:
- rationally connected to performance of the job
2. adopted in honest and good-faith belief that it is necessary for fulfillment of work-related purpose
3. reasonably necessary to the accomplishment of the work-related purpose
Job-Related Stress
- Environmental Factors
- Personal Factors
Job-Related Stress: Environmental Factors:
- high demand job
- high levels of mental and physical effort
Job-Related Stress: Personal Factors
- Type A personalities
- patience, tolerance for ambiguity
- self-esteem
- health and exercise, work/sleep patterns
- non-job-related problems
Reducing Job Stress
Employee can:
–get more sleep, eat better, take vacation, meditate, find a more suitable job, get counselling, organize activities
-Employer/supervisor can:
- -offer an EAP
- -identify symptoms of stress
- -ensure fair treatment
- -permit employee to have more control
Burnout
total depletion caused by excessive striving to reach unrealistic work-related goals
avoiding burnout:
- break patterns
- get away from it all periodically
- reassess goals
- think about work
- reduce stress
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
refers to a series of symptoms that can develop after exposure to an actual or perceived threat of death or serious injury, or after a threat of injury (including physical and emotional) to self or others
PTSD can be triggered by an event or series of events (workplace related or not), and is prevalent in specific professions
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI)
–activity-related soft-tissue injuries (of the neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, back, legs)
- -employers must:
- advise and train workers about RSI’s
- identify and assess RSI risk factors- encourage reporting of RSI symptoms early
- use ergonomic interventions
- advise and train workers about RSI’s
- -ergonomics:
- the art of fitting work equipment to the individual
Workplace Toxins
Toxins:
- cancer is leading cause of work-related deaths
- new chemicals and substances are introduced into the workplace without adequate testing
Smoking:
- smoking is banned in most workplaces
- Health Canada is urging employers to implement smoking cessation programs
lost-time injury rate
measures any occupational injury or illness resulting in an employee being unable to fulfill full work assignments, not including any fatalities,
occupational health and safety legislation
laws intended to protect the health and safety of workers by minimizing work-related accidents and illnesses
principle of joint responsibility
an implicit and explicit expectation that both workers and employers must maintain a hazard-free work environment and enhance the health and safety in the workplace.
due diligence
employers’ responsibility regarding taking every reasonable precaution to ensure the health and safety of their workers.
employees have three basic rights under the joint responsibility model:
- the right to know about workplace safety hazards
- the right to participate in the occupational health and safety process
- the right to refuse unsafe work if they have “reasonable cause” to believe that the work is dangerous
reasonable cause
a complaint about a workplace hazard has not been satisfactorily resolved, or a safety problem places employees in immediate danger.
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
a legally mandated system designed to protect workers by providing information about hazardous materials in the workplace.
ergonomics
an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to integrate and accommodate the physical needs of workers in to the design of jobs. It aims to adapt the entire job system– the work, environment, machines, equipment, and processes – to match human characteristics.
Employee wellness program
a program that takes a proactive approach to employee health and well-being
