Considering Top 3 Priority Safety Programs And Why?
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is related to laws, policies and programs which targets to make the workplace better for the health and safety of the workforce (Rotich & Kwasira, 2015; Ejdys & Lulewicz-Sas, 2010; Yazdani et al, 2015). It is associated with several types of risks such as physical, chemicals, accidents etc. which affects the working environment for all workers. In this context, the current report is based on OHS programs mainly three types including investigation, inspection and training & education. Moreover, a Canadian company Bronte construction has been selected to assess the OHS programs which are followed by the company for health and safety of the workers. Further, certain improvements have also been suggested for the effectiveness of the company’s image.
Health and safety programs are necessary for the all construction and mining companies for the safety and security of workers (Johnstone, Quinlan & McNamara, 2011). In this context, a construction company can consider several health and safety programs such as training and education, disability management, inspection, emergency response and investigation etc. for the safety of employees (COHS718, Module 7, 2018). At this juncture, a construction company can contemplate three major Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) programs out of all for the health and safety workers as follows-
Inspection programs have a significant role in the safety of the workers because these programs held to inspect the current safety measures of the workplace. Inspection programs can be two types involving planned and unplanned to examine the unsafe conditions in the workplace (Marks, Teizer & Hinze, 2014). In this regard, the planned inspection can be held on a periodic basis to identify the hazardous conditions; however, these are just based on the formal responsibilities which can be related to reporting program, list of critical items, corrective actions, verification of the issues etc. On the other hand, unplanned inspection programs conducted on a random basis to pinpoint the hazardous situations of workers which are directly specified by the supervisors to higher level authorities (Ghahramani, 2016). By considering this, a construction company can apply the safety measure as inspection in the norms for the regular safety of workers through which superiors can be obliged towards the health and safety of workers at the workplace. Hence, the inspectors need to be aware regarding the safety measures and on the basis of eye views, the head of the department of the firm can take the required actions to verify the rules related to safety and health.
A construction company implement the new training and educational programs in OHS act to reduce the accidents at workplace. It can be helpful to train the labor regarding work by transferring the skills and knowledge to workers (Alkilani, Jupp & Sawhney, 2013; COHS718, Module 7, 2018). In this context, a manager contacts with health and safety committee to get awareness related to hazards so that unsafe conditions can be highlighted at work by getting information through committees. If the workers will be fully trained regarding legal responsibilities and how to perform at hazardous sites then the ratio of accidents can be minimized. For instance, if the workers will be adequately educated and trained regarding the operation of machinery and use of heavy equipment then the chances of accidents can be reduced at a workplace.
Assessing Companies Ohs Programs
Investigation program is a system of OHS which is basically used in accidental cases so that supervisors can recognize that why the accident and mishappening have occurred and what are the reasons which led the accidents (Lingard, 2013; Ali, Kamaruzzaman & Sing, 2010). On the basis of investigation OHS programs, the organization can focus to deal with the reasons to prevent the accidents at the working site. In this context, a construction company can involve investigation program in OHS because in absence of investigation program, prevention of hazardous and unexpected losses cannot be minimized. Further, if any injury or death has occurred at the workplace then as per the OHS act it is needed to investigate the complete scenario of an accident with the involvement of legal requirements. In this regard, corrective actions can be taken so that accidents cannot occur in future and workers remains safe and healthy at the site.
A Bronte construction company has been selected to assess the OHS programs. The company is a medium sized construction firm and deals in heavy civil construction, bioengineering projects. It also involves in the utility installation, environmental restoration and marine projects for the development of construction criteria. The company is located at Oakville, Ontario and associated with environmental constructions. The selected company is certified by Certificate of Recognition (COR) from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) because the company is performing extremely better in health and safety concerns (Bronte construction, 2018).
Here, yes, Bronte construction company is following the health and safety measures for the workers so that hazardous acts cannot take place in the firm or if it happens then safety measures can be used for the betterment of workers at the workplace. In this regard, Bronte construction company includes the training, inspection and investigation programs in OHS system in Ontario. Further, it is also recognized by the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations for outstanding safety commitments (Bronte construction, 2018).
Table 1: List of OHS programs adopted by Bronte construction company
|
OHS programs of Bronte construction |
Reason to use |
Impact |
|
Inspection program |
To regularly identify the unsafe working conditions as well as to control the hazards for health |
Hazards and risk will be under control and worker will work in a safe environment |
|
Training program |
To provide training and education regarding safety measures and use of machinery to all existing and new joined workers |
Creates awareness regarding the use of tools and protective equipment for safety and security |
|
Investigation program |
To examine the causes of accidents and use the prevention programs to reduce the rate of accidents |
Repetition of accidents reduced due to taking corrective actions |
On the basis of the above-mentioned table, it has been derived that Bronte construction company has already incorporated OHS programs in the health and safety measures so that workers can perform the work without the occurrence of hazards. However, the company can improve the OHS programs by incorporating the new policies regarding the existing inspection program. Additionally, inspection can be done on a random basis to improve the quality of measures because in this hidden matter will be disclosed. Accordingly, the health and safety committee will take the action to reduce those hidden mishappenings. Apart from this, the company can also include the advanced training programs along with running practices. Meanwhile, the working if the workers are not getting the exact point to operate the heavy tools then the instant training will be helpful and it will be helpful for the company to minimize the unsafe acts by providing keen instruction regarding usage. Further, inspection programs can also be improved by involving the regular checking of workers activities that how they are managing the work. If any wrong thing is identified then on the spot effective actions can be implemented to reduce the huge accidents and hazards.
Conclusion
On the basis of the report, it has been concluded that construction companies must follow the OHS act and includes the safety practices and programs for the wellness of workers. Inspection programs are helpful to identify the unsafe conditions whereas investigations programs help to identify the reason of hazards and accidents. Apart from this, it has also been summarized that training practices provide clear instructions regarding use of equipment which is beneficial to reduce the chances of risk and accidents at the workplace in current and future situation.
References
Ali, A. S., Kamaruzzaman, S. N., & Sing, G. C. (2010). A Study on causes of accident and prevention in Malaysian construction industry. EDITORIAL BOARD/SIDANG EDITOR.
Alkilani, S. Z., Jupp, J., & Sawhney, A. (2013). Issues of construction health and safety in developing countries: a case of Jordan. Construction Economics and Building, 13(3), 141-156.
Bronte construction, (2018). About Bronte construction. [Online]. Available at: < https://bronteconstruction.ca/about/>. [Accessed on 30th November 2018]
Bronte construction, (2018). Health and Safety. [Online]. Available at: < https://bronteconstruction.ca/health-safety/ [Accessed on 30th November 2018]
COHS718, Module 7, (2018). Inspection programs. [Pdf]. Available at: < file:///E:/877408_Occupation%20Health%20and%20Safety/2877121_1631898696_combinemodules.pdf>. [Accessed on 30th November 2018]
Ejdys, J., & Lulewicz-Sas, A. (2010). An OH&S management system as a source of information. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 16(4), 445-454.
Ghahramani, A. (2016). Factors that influence the maintenance and improvement of OHSAS 18001 in adopting companies: A qualitative study. Journal of Cleaner Production, 137, 283-290.
Johnstone, R., Quinlan, M., & McNamara, M. (2011). OHS inspectors and psychosocial risk factors: Evidence from Australia. Safety Science, 49(4), 547-557.
Lingard, H. (2013). Occupational health and safety in the construction industry. Construction management and economics, 31(6), 505-514.
Marks, E., Teizer, J., & Hinze, J. (2014). Near-miss reporting program to enhance construction worker safety performance. In Construction Research Congress 2014: Construction in a Global Network (pp. 2315-2324).
Rotich, L., & Kwasira, J. (2015). Assessment of success factors in the implementation of occupational health and safety programs in tea firms in Kenya: a case of Kaisugu tea factory. Int J Econ Commer Manag, 3, 797-812.
Yazdani, A., Neumann, W. P., Imbeau, D., Bigelow, P., Pagell, M., Theberge, N., … & Wells, R. (2015). How compatible are participatory ergonomics programs with occupational health and safety management systems?. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health, 111-123.
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