Element 1 | Why we should manage workplace health and safety Flashcards
What are the responsibilities and rights of workers under the ILO Occupational Safety and Health convention C155
Worker responsibilities include co-operating with employers with regard to obligations placed upon the employer, including reporting any situation that presents imminent risk or serious danger. In order to achieve this, workers and their representatives have rights.
Worker rights include; they should receive adequate information and training on measures taken by the employer to secure occupational health and safety. They or their representatives should be consulted by the employer to all aspects of occupational health and safety associated with their work in situation or continuing imminent or serious danger, until the employer take remedial action.
What is meant by ‘practicable duties’ placed on employers?
Practicable duties have to be met to a extent only limited by current state of knowledge and invention, irrespective of cost or difficulty. This duty is often used for control of the provision of important or high risk precautions that involve applying technical solutions. As technical solutions may be influence by technical characteristics of the work the duty allows the employer to adjust the solution to meet these characteristics and achieve health and safety. In addition, technical solutions may change over time as ‘knowledge and invention’ produces alternative and better solutions. Employers are expected to use these solutions to meet the duty, therefore the duty expects employers to keep up to date with alternative solutions and apply them promptly when they become generally available.
Why are ISO standards not in any way binding on either governments or industry merely by virtue of being international standards?
ISO international standards are not in any way bindings on either governments or industry merely by virtue of being international standards. This is to allow for situations where certain types of standards may conflict with social, cultural and legislative expectations and requirements. This also reflects the fact that national and international experts don’t always agree and not all proposals become standards by unanimous vote. The individual national and their standard bodies remain the final arbiters.
What is the meaning of Health?
A balance between mental, social and physical well being. i.e Pre-medical checks
What is the meaning of Safety?
Freedom from unacceptable risk and harm
What is the meaning of Welfare?
Statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote basic physical and material well-being of people in need.
What is the meaning of work-related ill-health?
Health condition caused or made worse by the workplace.
Identify the possible costs that an organisation may incur as a result of inadequate standards or workplace health and safety.
Costs that are likely to be insured; Compensation to the injured worker; medical and legal costs; costs arising from damage to plant, buildings tools and equipment; and other third party costs.
Costs that are likely to be uninsured; Production delays or lost production; damage to material and products; time involved in the investigation of the accident; loss of expertise or experience; hiring and training replacement staff; loss of goodwill and reputation; clean-up costs and possible fined & legal costs.
What organisational direct costs are likely to be insured if a serious accident has occurred to a worker
- Claims of compensation made against the employer by employees and other people. This may be covered by employer’s liability insurance or public liability insurance or similar insurance policies.
- Damages to buildings, tools, equipment, vehicles and materials, specifically covered by insurance polices, this may depend on the type of accident/incident for example damage by a fire may be extensively covered by insurance. However, vehicles may only have insurance cover for accidental damage on public roads
- Medical costs related to harm caused to a worker may be insured. This can include treatment, hospital, physician charges, occupational therapy, prescription medicines and medical equipment.
- Legal costs of defending a claim for compensation or prosecution
- Long term loss of business
What organisational indirect costs are likely to be insured if a serious accident has occurred to a worker
- Claims for consequential loss related to effects on the supply chain, from customers or suppliers.
What organisational indirect costs are likely to be uninsured if a serious accident has occurred to a worker
- Loss time by workers who stop work or reduce performance out of curiosity, sympathy.
- Workers and managers may feel that health and safety is low priority, which could weaken morale and lead to reduced productivity.
- Loss of important experience that the worker had
- Lost time by supervisors or other managers; assisting the injured worker, investigating, arranging cover so work can continue
What organisational direct costs are likely to be uninsured if a serious accident has occurred to a worker
- Lost time of an injured worker or worker suffering from ill-health
- Continued payments to the worker or the worker’s family as part of an employer’s worker absence scheme
- Additional payments to other workers or contractors to do the work the worker would have done
- Wage costs due to decreased productivity once injured worker returns to work. This may be due to restricted movements or nervousness/cautiousness on the part of the injured worker and time spent discussing the accident/incident with other employees
- Damage to equipment, tools, property, plant or materials not covered by specific insurance.
Explain what is meant by terms “direct” and “indirect” cost of a health and safety incident, and give an example for each.
Direct costs are these costs that directly relate to the accident/incident or incidence of ill-health. Direct costs may be insured or uninsured depending on the cause of the loss. in addition, many smaller costs may not be covered by insurance policies because the insurance company expects the employer to meet some of the costs of losses. An example of an insured cost is claims for compensation made against the employer by workers and other people.
Indirect costs are those indirectly related to the accident/incident or incidence of ill-health. Some of these costs may be caused by a single accident/incident or incidence or ill-health or may be the result of an accumulation of occurrences over time. Indirect costs may also be insured or uninsured although not many insured. An example of an uninsured cost is loss of important experience that the worker had.
What are social reasons for preventing accidents, injuries and ill-health in the workplace?
The moral/social reason to prevent harm is usually further reinforced by social expectations of behavior, which requires consideration of others that may be affected by interaction with them. In particular this includes work activities and how they may harm those involved in them or affected by them. This social expectation is often expressed in both civil law and criminal law as without potential for regulatory action, many employers would not act upon their implied obligation to provide protection. In many countries, it is a specific legal requirement to safeguard health ans safety of workers and others that might be affected by the organisation operations,
What duties do employees have to H&S ?
- take reasonable care for their own safety and that of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work
- comply with instructions given for their own health and safety and those of others and with health and safety procedures
- use safety devices and protective equipment correctly and not render them inoperative
- report forthwith to their immediate supervisor any situation which they have reason to believe couple present a hazard and which they cannot themselves correct; and
- report any accident or injury to health which arises in the course of or in a connection with work
