HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENET OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Harry McShane, age 16, Pulled into machinery in a factory in USA. His arm was ripped off at the shoulder and his leg broken. No compensation paid. 6/2/2016 2

HRM AND HEALTH & SAFETY Human resources professionals play an important role in ensuring employee health and safety, as they know the workplace, the employees and their job demands. While human resources professionals are not expected to know the technical aspects of workplace health and safety, they should know when and how to use existing resources to respond to employee concerns.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY Occupational Health and Safety is a complex area which widely within a broader spectrum of business interests and concerns. The joint international labor organization committee on Occupational health, 1950 defined occupational health as “The highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations.”

GOALS To reduce industrial accidents. To prevent occupational hazards/ diseases. To achieve maximum human efficiency and machine efficiency. To reduce sick absenteeism.

To maintain and promote the physical, mental and social well being of the workers. To prevent occupational diseases and injuries. To adapt the work place and work environment to the needs of the workers

OHS There is a very strong and positive business case for OSH compliance. While most CEOs know their legal responsibilities, many still don’t know the significant benefits OSH has for business. An HR professional can help make it clear to the directors that if increasing employee productivity, enhancing the company’s public reputation and increasing annual profits all sound like the type of things they would like to see more of, it’s time to start paying more attention to health and safety.

3 REASONS WHY HEALTH AND SAFETY IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS 1. Injuries and ill-health caused by poor working conditions can impose significant and often unrecognised financial and legal costs on business. Not to mention the ramifications that could result if the company directors are found to have been negligent. Word also gets out and a company with a poor health and safety record will be far less appealing in a tender bid than one which is already fully compliant and has a good health and safety record. Even those companies that do not tender for work still need to protect their reputation.

2. A happy and healthy employee is a more productive employee. The last thing any employer wants is a group of increasingly disgruntled employees who might view their organisation’s management team as one that cares only about profits and nothing for employee well-being because this group will not be very productive.

3. Health and safety compliance can have an extensive and highly positive impact on your organisation. The costs involved in becoming OSH compliant and maintaining compliance are not at all high, when compared with the possible costs involved in an accident or fire. In short, health and safety compliance is a long-term investment in the well-being of a company, its staff and its reputation.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HR IN OSH? While HR professionals are not expected to understand all the technical aspects of OSH, they can play an important role in administrating, communicating, facilitating and championing the process.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HR IN OSH? 1. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993, requires the employer, to bring about and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a work environment that is safe and without risk to the health of the workers. However, the employer is not solely responsible for health and safety and the act recognizes this. The Act is based on the principle that risks in the workplace must be addressed by communication and cooperation between the workers and the employer. The workers and the employer must share the responsibility for health and safety in the workplace.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HR IN OSH? 2. Health and safety compliance can be quite technical and often requires the services of health and safety officer or an outsourced health and safety consultancy. However, HR is an important link between management and employees.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HR IN OSH? 3. While communicating the importance of occupational health and safety to management not just from a legal, but business case perspective, HR also plays an important role in ensuring that employee concerns are heard and raised. HR can in turn communicate the organisation’s commitment to its employees and their health and safety, further boosting employee morale and commitment to the organisation.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF HR IN OSH? 4. In addition to overseeing policies and procedures, and ensuring employees adhere to these, HR’s most important role is to ensure that every member of the organization, from the top down, understands that OSH is everyone’s responsibility.

DISCUSS HEALTH The health of the workforce: Is an immensely valuable asset Should be not only preserved, but fostered

DISCUSS SAFETY Fostering a safe and healthful work environment: Is an employer duty Contributes to a supportive work environment (SWE) Reduces costs, and preserves productivity Aids in the recruitment and retention of high quality employees

INJURY PREVENTION CHECKLISTS Physical Injury Prevention Checklist ___ Train employees regularly on the health and safety aspects of their jobs. ___ Require and enforce the use of personal protective equipment and clothing provided where needed (i.e., goggles, face shields, gloves, aprons, hard hats, respirators, ear plugs). ___ Make sure worksites are clean and orderly, walking surfaces properly repaired, stairways fixed with guardrails, and aisles and exits free of obstructions.

___ Conduct regular inspections of your workplace. Look for poorly designed workstations, electrical cords that someone could trip over, overloaded electrical outlets, top-heavy bookcases, etc. ___ Post emergency telephone numbers where they can be readily located. ___ Have an easily accessible first aid kit. Make sure it contains the items needed for the type of injury likely to happen in your unit. ___ Have a readily available list of medical resources. ___ Identify someone in your department who knows about first aid and CPR. ___ Have regularly maintained fire extinguishers readily available.

INJURY PREVENTION CHECKLISTS Psychological Injury Prevention Checklist ___ Express genuine empathy and concern for the health of your employees. ___ Hold regularly scheduled meetings with each employee. ___ Understand your employees' behaviors well enough to notice changes. ___ Take steps toward discussing these changes with the employee. ___ If you have concerns about an employee, consult with the department and other campus resources before intervening.

___ Communicate to your staff any department and campus when new policies affect the employees and the work of the department. ___ Ask for ideas from your staff and make sure they know their input will be received openly. ___ Keep up with campus information on resources. ___ Encourage employees to talk to you about workplace problems and concerns that may affect their work. ___ Understand the many ways that change in the workplace can affect employees. ___ Take steps to ensure that staff members clearly know what work is expected of them and give regular work evaluations.

CASE STUDY