Unit 1: Foundations in Health & Safety

Unit 1: Foundations in Health & Safety

1. Production (for revenue)

2. Learning (for competence)

3. Welfare (for workers)

4. Organisation ability to attract and retain good employees could enhance or cripple its competitive edge

5. Multi-Disciplinary Nature of H&S

   • Chemical - COSHH
   • Biological Sciences - Hygiene & harmful organisms
   • Engineering - Design of machinery, buildings & vehicles
   • Pyschological - Stress, motivation, behaviour
   • Sociological - Stress, motivation, behaviour
   • Law - Codes of practice
   • Financial - Budget & costs
   • Insurance - Cost of accidents
   • Resources - Personnel, equipment & purchasing
   • Design & Production - Time, design change

6. International Labour Standards

   • Conventions
     • Rights at work 1998
       • Fodunations for governance of work, elimination of forced labour, abolition of child labour, elimination of discrimination in respect to employment and occupation.
   • legally binding treaties
   • Recommendations - non-binding guidlines
   • Used by governments, in consulation with employers and workers to:
     • Draft and implement labour law to improve standards
     • Provide guidance for developing national and local policies
     • Improve administrative structures, labour inspection, social security
     • Serve as a source of good industrial relations applied to labour dispute resolution
     • Corporate Social Reponsibility Initiatives

7. Obstabcles to good standards of H&S

   • Complexity of the Problem - Work processes / activities constantly changing. Procedures and behavioural issues constantly changing.
     • Cause and Effect Relationship - new scientific discoveries, better knwoeldge of H&S e.g. Carpal Tunnel Injury caused by vibrations, causes pain and numbness - wasnt around in1960's
   • Work Process & Activities - change in technology
   • Size of the problem- once new imformation is implemented, new information is already- need to constantly change
   • Cost - H&S often seen as a non-productive cost.
   • Not a priority of top management
   • Behavioural Issues
     • Suitable personality and characteristics
     • meaninful participation
   • Competing & Conflicting Demands
   • Behavioural Issues
     • Ignorance
     • Carelessness
     • Incompetence
   • Participation / Relationship between employee and employer
   • Communication

8. Key Words

   • Health & Safety - physical and mental well-being
   • Health - physical donditon of body and mind
   • Safety- where the risk of harm has been eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level
   • Welfare - general well being of employees - promote conditions of what they need
   • Environment Protection
     • Workplace Environment- general conditions of the immediate vicinity of the workplace e.g. lighting levels
     • External Environment - pollution, damage to air, land, water etc
   • Accident - an undesired event, giving rise to death, ill health, injury or damage
   • Incident - An event that has the potential to give rise to an accident
   • Dangerous Occurence - an accident, event or situation that might harm employees at work- legally have to report
   • Work Related Ill Health - activity or occurence that could result in accident
     • Physiological - diseases or injuries normally as a result of long term exposure to dangerous substances.
     • Psychological - ilnesses are habitually related to stress and include depression
   • Hazard - something that has potential to cause harm or loss
   • Unsafe act- working at height / poor manual handling
   • Unsafe conditon - poor house keeping / unguarded machinery
   • Risk - likelihood of a hazard occuring
     • Magnitude- likelihood of harm occuring vs severity of outcome
       • Likelihood X Severity = magnitude (degree of risk)