Term Paper HRM4550

Rain Ashbell

Chapter12PromotingSafetyandHealth1.pptx

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Chapter 12 Promoting Safety and Health

Learning Objectives

Summarize the general provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA).

Describe the measures managers and employees can take to create a safe work environment.

Identify ways to control and eliminate various on-the-job health hazards.

Describe the programs organizations utilize to build better health among their workforces.

Occupational Safety and Health Act

Enacted to ensure that the health and safety of workers is protected

To govern safety and health in the workplace, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1970.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) develops safety standards

Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) reviews OSHA actions

From http://safetycontrolstech.com/nonfatal-injury-illness-rate-falls-again/

Source: Based partly on http://www.fit2wrk.com/_ forms/ARTICLE_Fit2wrk_ ClinicalEd_vol1-16.pdf.

Costs of Accidents

Figure 14-7: Examples of Direct, Indirect, and Immeasurable Costs of Accidents

OSHA Mission

Section 12.1: Safety and Health: It’s the Law

As shown in Figure 12.3, the mission of OSHA is to “assure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.”

OSHA’s Coverage

OSHA covers all private sector employees and public employees in state and local governments.

Self-employed workers are not covered by the law.

Federal agencies are required to establish and maintain a safety and health program that is monitored by OSHA.

OSHA Standards

One of the responsibilities of OSHA is to develop and enforce mandatory job safety and health standards.

To comply with OSHA, employers need to become familiar with those standards that are applicable to their establishments and to ensure that their employees use personal protective gear and equipment when required for safety.

Employers can be cited and fined if they do not comply with OSHA standards.

These standards cover the workplace, machinery and equipment, materials, power sources, processing, protective clothing, first aid, and administrative requirements.

OSHA Enforcement Actions and Results

OSHA is authorized to conduct workplace inspections, issue citations, and impose penalties on employers.

Workplace Inspections: Upon presenting appropriate credentials to the owner, operator, or agent in charge, an OSHA compliance officer is authorized to:

Inspect and investigate during regular working hours, and at other reasonable times, and within reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, any such place of employment and all pertinent conditions, structures, machines, apparatus, devices, equipment and materials therein, and to question privately any such employer, owner, operator, agent, or employee

an OSHA compliance officer is authorized to:

Enter without delay and at reasonable times any factory, plant, establishment, construction site or other areas, workplace, or environment where work is performed by an employee of an employer

Citations tell the employer and employees which regulations and standards are alleged to have been violated and the amount of time allowed for their correction.

The employer must post a copy of each citation at or near the place the violation occurred for three days or until the violation is abated, whichever is longer.

OSHA citations may be issued immediately following the inspection or later by mail.

OSHA Citations and Penalties

Violation that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but one unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm

Other than serious

Violation for which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result

Serious

Violation that the employer intentionally and knowingly commits

Willful

Under the act, OSHA may cite the following violations and propose the following penalties:

Other-Than-Serious – A violation that has a direct relationship to job safety and health but one unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm

Serious – A violation for which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard

Willful – A violation that the employer intentionally and knowingly commits or a violation that the employer commits with plain indifference to the law

Most Frequently Violated OSHA Standards

Section 12.1c: Enforcing OSHA Standards

Figure 12.5 shows the most frequently violated OSHA standards resulting from federal and state inspections.

Video Highlight

Follow an Oregon OSHA Health Compliance Officer as he conducts a routine inspection at a healthcare facility in this video.

“What to Expect During an Oregon OSHA Inspection”

Section 12.1c: Enforcing OSHA Standards

VIDEO: What to Expect During an Oregon OSHA Inspection(5:26)

Follow an Oregon OSHA Health Compliance Officer as he conducts a routine inspection at a healthcare facility in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HIJwhfsXDM

TOPICS/CONCEPTS: Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA, OSHA inspection, workplace inspection

OSHA Consultation Assistance

Onsite Consultation

OSHA provides free consultation services in which consultants from the state government or private contractors help employers identify hazardous conditions and determine corrective measures.

Cooperative Programs

Voluntary, cooperative relationships among employers, employees, unions, and OSHA can be a useful alternative to traditional OSHA enforcement procedures.

Employers’ Responsibilities and Rights under OSHA

Employers are required to:

Provide a hazard-free workplace and comply applicable OSHA standards

Inform all their employees about the safety and health requirements of OSHA

Keep certain records and to compile and post an annual summary of work-related injuries and illnesses

Provide employees with protective equipment when necessary and ensure it is used

Provide their workers with safety training and be prepared to discipline employees for failing to comply with safety rules

Not discriminate against employees who exercise their rights under the act by filing complaints with OSHA

Employees’ Responsibilities and Rights under OSHA

Employees are required to:

Comply with all applicable OSHA standards

Report hazardous conditions

Follow all employer safety and health rules and regulations, including those prescribing the use of protective equipment

Workers have a right to demand safe and healthy conditions on the job without fear of punishment.

They also have many rights that pertain to requesting and receiving information about safety and health conditions.

Right-to-know laws – Laws that require employers to advise employees about the hazardous chemicals they handle

HR’s Role in Promoting a Safe Work Environment

Coordinates the safety communication and training programs

Maintains safety records required by OSHA

Works closely with managers and supervisors in a cooperative effort to make the program a success

Safety Management

Steps to reduce accidents:

Create a Culture of Safety

Organizational commitment to safety

Develop safety policies

Offer safety training

Compose safety committee

Enforce safety rules

Investigate and record accidents

Organizational Commitment to Safety

Top management support is critical

Safety Policies, Discipline, and Recordkeeping

Frequent reinforcing of safe behavior is important

Safety Training and Communication

Training and communicating procedures reduces accidents

Effective Safety Committee

Key best practices:

Senior leaders must endorse and managers must actively assist

Safety advocates should be on committees

Management and employees should be represented

Inspection, Investigation, and Evaluation

Regular inspections should be performed

Research on prevention should be arranged

Step 1: Creating a Culture of Safety

Interviewing for safety and fitness-for-duty tests

Fitness-for-duty evaluations: Determine an employee’s physical, mental, and emotional fitness

The key role of the supervisor

Communicate to an employee the need to work safely

Proactive safety training programs

Safety and health training is legally required

How Manager Commitment to Safety Reduces Worker Accidents

Section 12.2a: Creating a Culture of Safety

A study by the American Institute of Plant Engineers showed that there was a direct correlation between an increase in the commitment to safety by managers and a decrease in accidents.

Step 2: Enforcing Safety Rules

Ways to involve and engage employees in company safety programs

Jointly set safety standards with managers

Participate in safety training

Help design and implement special safety training programs

Establish safety incentives and rewards

Be involved in accident investigations

Firms communicate specific safety rules and regulations in a variety of ways, including through supervisors, bulletin board notices, employee handbooks, and signs attached to equipment.

In addition to safety labels and signs, many companies prominently display in their workplaces the number of consecutive days they have operated without an injury.

Step 3: Investigating and Recording Accidents (slide 1 of 2)

The supervisor and a member of the safety committee should investigate every accident, even those considered minor.

OSHA requirements mandate that employers with 11 or more employees maintain records of work-related occupational injuries and illnesses.

Such an investigation may determine the factors contributing to the accident and reveal what corrections are needed to prevent it from happening again.

Step 3: Investigating and Recording Accidents (slide 2 of 2)

OSHA also requires a Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300) to be maintained by the organization.

All recordable cases are to be entered in the log.

Recordable case – Any occupational death, illness, or injury to be recorded in the log (OSHA Form 300)

Recordable cases include the following:

Death

Days away from work

Restricted work or transfer to another job

Medical treatment beyond first aid

Guide to Recording Cases under the Occupational Safety and Health Act

Categories of Injuries

Death

Injuries Causing Days Away from Work

Injuries or Illness Causing Job Transfer or Restricted Duty

Other Recordable Cases

Safety Hazards and Issues (slide 1 of 2)

Fatigue

The regulations in certain industries limit the number of hours employees can work per shift.

Distracted Driving

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of worker fatalities each year.

Workplace Violence

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines workplace violence as “any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting.”

Safety Hazards and Issues (slide 2 of 2)

OSHA requires companies to have emergency action plans to deal with incidents

Emergency action plans

Procedures for reporting an emergency, evacuating a facility, and accounting for employees after an evacuation

Crisis management teams

conduct initial risk assessment surveys

Develop emergency action plans and test them

Perform crisis intervention during emergency events

Mandate

Gather facts about threat and decide if organization should intervene

Workplace Emergencies

A workplace emergency is an unforeseen situation that:

Threatens employees, customers, or the public

Disrupts or shuts down operations

Causes physical or environmental damage

In addition to workplace violence, they can include:

Acts of nature (floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes)

Fires and explosions

Toxic gas releases, chemical spills, and radiological accidents

Civil disturbances and terrorism

OSHA requires companies to have emergency action plans to deal with incidents such as these.

Emergency action plan – A plan an organization develops that contains step-by-step procedures for dealing with various emergency situations

Video Highlight

This video provides a look at workplace violence. Risk factors, occupations that are more prone to workplace violence, employer responsibilities, and ways to reduce workplace violence are discussed.

“Workplace Violence”

Section 12.2d: Safety Hazards and Issues

VIDEO: Workplace Violence (5:07)

This video provides a look at workplace violence. Risk factors, occupations that are more prone to workplace violence, employer responsibilities, and ways to reduce workplace violence are discussed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtmpuTZ3MKs

TOPICS/CONCEPTS: workplace violence, safety hazards and issues

Health Hazards and Issues

Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Injuries involving tendons of the fingers, hands, and arms that become inflamed from repeated stresses and strains

Computer Workstation Issues

Chemical Hazards

All hazardous chemical containers must be labeled with the identify of the contents and must state any appropriate hazard warnings.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) – Documents that contain vital information about hazardous substances

Computer Workstation Issues

Visual difficulties

Muscular aches and pains

Job stress

Smoking and tobacco smoke

Bloodborne pathogens

Other Employee Health Concerns

Employee Health

Emotional/

Mental Health

Stress

Smoking

at Work

Employee Health

Emotional/

Mental Health

Stress

Smoking

at Work

Building Better Physical and Emotional Health among Employees (slide 1 of 2)

Job Stress and Burnout

Stress – Any adjustive demand caused by physical, mental, or emotional factors that requires coping behavior

Eustress – Positive stress that accompanies achievement and exhilaration

Distress – Harmful stress characterized by a loss of feelings of security and adequacy

Burnout – A severe stage of distress, manifesting itself in depression, frustration, and loss of productivity

Job stressors include disagreements with managers or fellow employees, layoffs and organizational restructuring, and poor working conditions, among other things.

Stress Management Programs or Interventions

Educational Interventions are designed to inform the employee about:

The sources of stress

What stress feels like

How the individual can better cope with stress

Skill-acquisition interventions are designed to

Provide employees with ways to cope with stressors

Help keep the effects of stress in check

Issues Guiding SMIs

Look for specific issues with employees—instead of talking generally about “stress,” determine what specifically is going on with employees

Assessment—What evidence is there of a problem, and how widespread is it?

Specific and focused solutions

What will work in a particular organization?

Where should the intervention be targeted?

Strategic intervention

How does this intervention relate to other HR and organizational practices?

Do other things in the organization need to change first?

Evaluation and feedback

What will be evaluated?

How will this guide future actions?

Building Better Physical and Emotional Health among Employees (slide 2 of 2)

Depression

Depression – A negative emotional state marked by feelings of low spirits, gloominess, sadness, and loss of pleasure in ordinary activities

Alcohol Abuse

It has been estimated that business and industry lose more than $20 billion each year because of alcoholism.

Drug Abuse

The abuse of drugs, both illegal and legal, can pose problems for both employers and employees.

Depression

Depression – A negative emotional state marked by feelings of low spirits, gloominess, sadness, and loss of pleasure in ordinary activities

Alcohol Abuse

It has been estimated that business and industry lose more than $20 billion each year because of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is classified as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Drug Abuse

The abuse of drugs, both illegal and legal, can pose problems for both employers and employees.

The ADA considers an individual with a serious, life-affecting drug problem to be disabled, provided the person is enrolled in a drug treatment program.

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