Occupational Health & Safety Written Assignment By Joe Fuller MGMT-1196-01 Prof. J. Weber October 7, 2011 OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT What do you consider the roles and responsibilities of workers to be in developing and implementing successful safety programs? When implementing and developing successful safety programs in the workplace, I feel that the workers have many roles and responsibilities. These include: * Proper use and maintaining of safety equipment/clothes in the workplace: When workers go to work, they expect to come home in the same condition they went, except for being tired maybe. Occupational Health & Safety Written Assignment Paper.
By ensuring that workers are properly protecting them from whatever chemicals/machinery, etc. they encounter in the workplace, they will make it easier for the company as a whole with production being the focus, not accident reports or workers being away from work, and being injury-free. Section 28. 1(b) clearly states from the Ontario Health & Safety Act & Regulations, “A worker shall use or wear the equipment, protective devices or clothing that the worker’s employer requires to be used or worn. (College, 2011) * Informing management of potential dangers/hazards before accidents occur: Not only protecting yourself, but any employee within the same organization who would be susceptible to injury. Occupational Health & Safety Written Assignment Paper. This also includes not putting others in dangers via actions caused by another employee (horseplay, unsanctioned activity while on the job. ) Section 28-2 b) and c) further explain these scenarios in more detail. (College, 2011) Should workers be responsible for taking initiative to enhance health and safety in the workplace, and if so, how do you think this can be accomplished?
I feel that workers should INDEED be responsible for taking the initiative to enhance their health and safety as supervisors/management can’t be everywhere, so it is up to employees to carry out/deject behaviours of fellow workers and follow the rules, maintaining the safe environment every organization hopes to have. The workers should have the common sense coming into their positions about how Health & Safety is a team effort by all those involved in an organization, and there are a few ways to focus on accomplishing this: Improve the general employee’s health and safety knowledge. For example, having necessary knowledge/training for safe material/equipment handling. * Improve the general employee’s health and safety practice. For example, using proper washing/sanitizing stations provided quick and easy access for employees in the workplace. * Improving and updating the policies and procedures for Health and Safety, although this is more of an HR job, workers can bring the attention of areas that need to be reviewed upon and corrected to ensure safety and continue worker productivity. Fewer injuries will ensure more people are working efficiently and effectively. Being up to date with the Act & Regulations of O. H. S. and aware of what it entails is absolutely crucial to the employee. It has everything employees need to know regarding common issues in the workplace and how it may apply to them depending on where they work factories, chemical plants, etc. What role, if any, does / should the Joint Health and Safety Committee play in ensuring the success of health & safety programming? Occupational Health & Safety Written Assignment Paper.
As Ontario Ministry of Labour states, “A joint health and safety committee is an advisory group of worker and management representatives. The workplace partnership to improve health and safety depends on the joint committee. It meets regularly to discuss health and safety concerns, review progress and make recommendations. ” (Labour, 2011) Therefore, the JHSC’s role in ensuring the success of health & safety programming is forming of programs and opportunities for the workers in an organization to protect the over-all health and well-being of them.
Other tasks that the JHSC is responsible for include: * Maintenance of records in regarding to hazards documented in the workplace, injury records, ensuring that they are fully investigated and that there is no further harm in those situations. * Consult with professional and technical experts, regarding workplace safety, and learning new techniques that can be applied to the workplace. * They take their findings or sanctions back to the management for discussion and actions to resolve. Unknown, 2010) The JHSC must regularly meet (monthly) to discuss health and safety related matters, as well as make decisions in crucial and difficult moments (ex. worker’s refusal to work, etc. ) The members within are highly trained and experienced with the policies of the organization, while being certified with additional workplace hazard training to recognize and control hazards within their workplace. Bibliography College, Fanshawe. (2011).
Pocket ontario occupational health & safety act & regulations. (2011 ed. , Vol. 1, p. 23). Occupational Health & Safety Written Assignment Paper. Toronto: Thomson Canada Limited. No author found. Chapter 4: joint health and safety committees | a guide to the occupational health and safety act. (May 2011). Retrieved from http://www. labour. gov. on. ca/english/hs/pubs/ohsa/ohsag_4. php Unknown. (2010, March 30). O. s. h. answers:what is a joint health & safety committee?. Retrieved from http://www. ccohs. ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/hscommittees/whatisa. html
