Safety and Health at Work Unit 7 Safety and Health at Work

Introduction Most employees spend at least eight hours at their workplace, the work environment should be safe and healthy for them to perform their best. Organizations take steps to prevent accidents and to improve the health of their employees.

Law Books The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 Factories and Machinery Act 1967

Government Agencies DOSH (The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) is responsible for enforcing the safety laws, which they do by conducting inspections on regular basis as well as investigating complaints and serious accidents.

Continue .. NIOSH (The National Institute of Safety and Health) plays a major role in training employees, carrying out consultancy projects, disseminating information relating to safety and health and conducting research into related areas.

Accidents at Work The Malaysian occupational accident rate is still unacceptably high. The consequences of accidents at work Financial costs Losses of output Lowered morale Negative publicity

Types of Accidents Nearly miss, no one injured although damage to property may be occurred Non fatal, required first aid treatment Non fatal and employee temporary disabled Non fatal and employee permanently disabled Fatal, one or more killed

Causes of Accidents Technical causes Human causes Environmental causes Accidents are likely to happen if; Production machinery Walkways and areas where people climb Use of hand tools Use of electricity Use of toxins or boiling liquids

Continue … Fatigue caused by long working hours may be a cause of accidents, as is boredom and low morale. Faulty attitudes Low attention span Drinking and drug abuse Faulty judgment of speed and distance Impulsiveness Irresponsibility Nervousness and fear Worry and depression

Continue .. Individual characteristic may closely correlate with accidents. Age and seniority; younger people and less experienced Quality of supervision; aggressive supervisors and negative Inattention and carelessness Poor vision and perceptual skill Stress and emotional issue Working night shift, lack of sleep to fatigue

Occupational Diseases and other Health Issue Common hazard at work Use organic chemicals and toxic substance Fumes. Dust and smoke Radiation Infection Noise and vibration levels Extreme temperature

Ensuring a Safe Workplace Safety policies A statement of the organization commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace. An explanation of who is responsible for safety in the organization generally all employees at all levels must be made responsible for safety A description of any procedure or structures which to implement safe work practices.

Continue .. Safety Programmes Total commitment from all levels of employees, starting with top management Appointment of specific individuals to take charge of safety and health issues A system of keeping and analyzing records Extensive training Campaigns to raise worker awareness Incentive and reward schemes Provision of personal protective equipment Disciplinary system

Total commitment all Levels of Employee Senior management Officer in charge of safety The role of individual workers

Improvement of Safety Record Keeping To improve safety in the organization is to collect and analyze information. Hard data can be useful recommendations be made on how to over come problems. Safety Training All employee must be taught how to work safely. Training must be provided including refresher course time to time.

Safety and Healthy Campaign A campaign is a method for reminding workers of the importance of safety and health. Such campaign are held on an annual basis with the activities spread over a month. Incentive Reward Scheme Giving cash to employee for achieving zero accidents target is a like hood of under reporting of accidents.

Provision of Potential Protective Equipment To wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Disciplinary Systems Disciplinary action should be taken when employee fail to follow the required safety procedures.

Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment at work causes many problems. Victims often face serious difficulties in concentrating on their work. In a work environment where sexual harassment is openly allowed to take place, victims may choose to resign rather than report the harasser to the appropriate authorities. The loss of good employee will cause the organization suffer.

Definition Any unwanted conduct of a sexual nature having the effect of verbal, non verbal, visual, psychological or physical harassment; That might, on reasonable ground, be perceived by recipient as placing a condition of a sexual nature on his / her employment That might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by the recipient as an offense or humiliation or a threat to her / his well being but has no link to her / his employment.

Handling a Claim of Sexual Harassment Victim maybe male or female, do not speak up because They do not know to whom to complain They are afraid that no one will believe them They are too embarrassed

Continue .. Workers should be advised that in order to strengthen their case against an alleged harasser Inform a senior officer immediately when the sexual harassment occurs Keep any documents, objects or other proof of the harassment Make police report against the harasser Keep a record of what was said and done by the harasser

Violence at Work Employers are required to ensure the workplace is safe as possible for all employees. A safe workplace is not only free from accidents but it is also violent free.

The best way to reduce the risk of violence at workplace is by; Conducting a risk assessment to identify where and when incidents of violence may occurs Establishing strict rules prohibiting violence at workplace Designing and disseminating a procedure to deal with incidents of violence in the workplace Providing training for all employees so that they will know what to do in such an event

Improving the Health of Employees A wellness programme is a systematic attempt to encourage employees to live a healthy lifestyle. Wellness Programme / Activities Keep fit / exercise classes Regular talks on relevant topics, nutrition, factors contribute to heart disease Regular check up Stop smoking campaigns Retirement planning sessions Stress Management & Drug & Alcohol