The Workplace and Hazards
Health and safety are one of the most essential aspects of workplace culture. All the companies need to implement the process so that employees have enough faith over the company and a good relation maintained throughout. This ensures role plat of everyone. The management also focuses on managing the risk factors. The responsibilities are clear from the management and they have a clear vision to protect their employees from the undesired workplace incidents. The risks can be managed by the accumulation of four processes (Lao et al., 2016). Planning is the first part of that process where management has to identify the risk and then do the necessary steps to eliminate the risk. Thus, this is the second step of the process. The third step is the checking and states the measured monitoring need to be done from the management perspective. The last process is the implementation of the act, where review for continuous improvement sustains.
The thesis statement of the essay is to identify risk management laws and legislation have taken by the government and their effective implementations or non-implementation consequences. Companies are suffering a huge loss in case of non-implementation cases. Canberra Construction Company was faced such situations and the entire essay highlights the doable things that company make take earlier to get rid of this menace.
Canberra Construction Company has been fined $1.1 million as one of their employees Michael Booth, 48 years old truck driver, electrocuted by the low-slung power lines on the work site of the Canberra Company Kenoss Contractors. The company was declared as the guilty by the ACT work safe Commission (Abc.net.au, 2015). The industrial magistrate Lorraine Walker had not found any such remorse about the death of their employee. The man is also appointed for the safety officer of the company but the person has poor corporate culture and that is the reason a general manager has taken the place. The company got a strong warning for that reason and the directors are criminally liable under the new law. A massive fine was considered to the company and this is the biggest one in the country. The health and safety of employees is the major concern for the organisation, and ACT work safe Commissioner Mark McCabe highlighted the fact of the criminal offence by the company and it could be patently avoidable (Abc.net.au, 2015). This was the most serious accident and a remarkable action needed to be taken from the administration so that company got a confrontation in an aspect of monetary loss.
The Incident and its Aftermath
There are lots of safety issues that can be measured by the administration so that bitter consequences will not face for employees as well as for the company.
Working at height is one of such situations that most of the employee needs extra shield so that fall protection, in any case, can be avoidable. There are some trained employees those are appointed for the particular processes and they have idea and experience to deal with the situation, but the protection and safety measures are taken for the undesired incidents (Lee, Heath & Gad, 2016). The second aspect is poor housekeeping and this is important for the clutter and garbage cleaning. Sometimes these litters create some unwanted situation and employees may hurt for that (Bahn & Barratt-Pugh, 2012). The next safety process is the electrical process, this is the process for which Canberra Construction Company got a threat so effective line connection, supping power, voltage and even the placement of the wire is also important. Sometimes, there are some earth-in problems and due to voltage abruption the wire becomes body current and if the wire touched by anyone, there is a chance of shock (Lee, Heath & Gad, 2016). It needs safety measures of daily check-up and operation department will find the process. Chemical accumulation in any test needs to be handled with care. In case of chemical laboratories and medicine making process controlling of chemical is the most important thing in amalgamation. Trained employees are taken in that case so that they have the experience to control the process. Confined spaces are suffocating in some time and employees have some breathing problem in such hazardous conditions. The places where employees are trying to consolidate the work have some breathing space for them. The safety measures of allowing window or make some extra space for entrance will help the process.
There are lots of responsibilities come for the employees to handle their life with care, this is not only a duty to administration but also an awareness that needs to be created in the employees for their working sustainability. They need to follow instruction and also ask their seniors about the safety platforms (Heath, Gad & Connah, 2013). Employees need to use personal protective equipment with them and they need to take training and being instructed to use them. Unsafe places or the situations are handled with the help of supervisors’ advice. They need to work on a group at that time and health and safety representatives will be there for the sustainable condition of employees’ life (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2018).
Preventing Similar Incidents in the Future
There are few changes that Safe Work Australia Act 2008 had made and these amendments are quite important for the development of rules in safety processes in the workplace. The changes like occupational health were omitted and replaced by the work health improvements and this was quite relevant in 2008 as the incident of Canberra Construction Company in 2012, faced a lot of trouble because of the change in rules and their amendments. In section 3, OHS legislation for the commonwealth health care process in states and territories are omitted and substituted by the WHS legislative framework of the evaluation model (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2018). This is an over the sighting of the process for state and territories (Heath et al., 2016). Repeal some section in Section 4 like OHS compliance and enforcement policy, OHS codes of practice, the definition of the Ministerial Council and others. These are amended under the WHS Model legislative framework. All these processes are under this legislation. The implementation and practice of this process need to maintain by the company. Government improves the evaluating policy and also using their investment or purchasing power to ensure the process. Small business companies also make some safety complaints about their employees and that consider a workplace protection for them. The model of health care safety acts is initiated by the government for this reason.
In the WHS model Act, most of the jurisdiction process was set through this. The Act protects employees and eliminate their life risk, the hence constructive role of their job and ensure the productivity of the company is the key aspect in that case. The aspects of the model are
The protection from risk and minimise that for employees to work in a good condition and have that opportunity to delivering the duty they are appointed for. The fair and effective representation, co-operation and constructive process help the entire process of health and safety. WHS practices need to be promoted, and unions and employers organisations have to take their step forward for that reason (Soltani & Sandall, 2012). In case of WHS, information, education, training and advice are the main aspects of knowing and make awareness of the safety procedure, which is one of the most important legislation and responsibility deliver by the company. Canberra Construction Company had that provision in a leisure format and safety manager has not taken the process in a serious manner. Michael Booth was the victim of that process and investigation officers made this process guilty and take the step against Canberra Construction (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2018). The health and safety duty of an officer under section 27 was imposed for biased, intimidating and misleading conduct against an employee. The licence of specific activities is needed for that reason to proving the change in regulation and their implementation process (Farre et al., 2017). WHS regulator process approves the particular jurisdiction in some cases that associated with risk mitigation and there are particular codes for practising the process.
The objectives of harmonising WHS laws are protecting the health and safety of the workers. Improve the safety outcomes and appliances for the workplace. The workplace culture needs to be a formative and technological advancement in the workplace, will help employees to ensure their free-flowing work engagement in the workplace. Reduce agreement cost for the business is considered as another objective of the process. The cost can be controlled if employees get a better facility in the workplace and they need not take extra leaves due to their workplace injuries (Safework.nsw.gov.au, 2018). Thus, production hamper will not face by the organisation and no such extra payment will be provided for employees’ injuries. The last objective deals with advance competence for regulatory agencies. The process of regulatory process was established through the agreement of operational reform and health and safety act in July 2008 (Safeworkaustralia.gov.au, 2018). These underpinning process helps in seamless national economy and also help in the probable framework of that process which helps in reformation of employees’ safety and workplace management.
There is some agreed procedure in that case and that procedure helps in workplace safety. The procedures are aligned with the regulations set by the government and companies has to set that process in a formative way. There is some resolving approach that companies can take for the development of the organisation. The manager will contribute individually in the tenacity of the matter or propose a management representative and that was initiated by the OHS Committee in 2004, section 73 (Business.gov.au, 2018). The name and position of the employee will be known to the management and that documentation is important from their perspective to understand the employee is working at the organisation. Employee and management gap create this space of unknowing attire. The issue of leaving a workplace is not the solution, rather force implementation by employees in a workplace is considered as the suitable option where basic resolution process can be started through the process (Worksafe.nt.gov.au, 2015). External and internal workplace infrastructure and part of the skill and development aspect of employees are also liable for that reason. The process of safety maintenance by technological equipment develops through the process and that is the reason easy safety process need to understand by employees.
The recommended processes are declaring about some of the effective process, which is committed to the mitigation of hazards situation. Planning is one of the most important, rather the first approach to workplace safety. Inspection of the workplace is another recommended process to control over the hazards. There must be a storage area, where this garbage is dumped in and make sure no chemical combustibility will be there. Train employees is another best process for working safely in the organisation. The training platform needs some good trainer who provides tough challenges to overcome in a demo situation. With the proper safety, if employees did the work, then it will be worthy for the organisation to have such employees in the organisation. Regular interaction with employees will make a bonding with management and employees, the gap mitigates and managers easily understand the problem faced by the employees and investigate the incident so that it will not turn into an accident. Record maintaining and safe the core part of the business will help to ensure the continuity of the process in case of the undesired situation also. Employees can interact with HR expert at any time in the workplace, as they are liable for doing work for employees’ sustainability even of the lifesaving process.
Conclusion
Therefore it can be concluded that workplace health and safety process need to be implemented in a proper way and inspection for that process is also important and that mitigate the undesired situation like Canberra Construction Company. Acts provide a general indication to create workplaces safe and healthy. They plan authorized accountabilities and responsibilities as a manager and business proprietor. The regulatory legislation is imposed by the government over the organisation, but the process needs to be trained and controlled by the employees and management authority respectively.
References
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Business.gov.au (2018) WHS/OH&S acts, regulations and codes of practice
Farre, A., Shaw, K., Heath, G., & Cummins, C. (2017). On doing ‘risk work’in the context of successful outcomes: Exploring how medication safety is brought into action through health professionals’ everyday working practices. Health, Risk & Society, 19(3-4), 209-225.
Heath, D. J., Gad, E. F., & Connah, G. (2013). Guidelines for Prequalification and Design of Post-Installed and Cast-In Anchors in Australia. Proceedings of Concrete, 16-18.
Heath, D. J., Tsang, H. H., Lee, J., & Gad, E. F. (2016). Seismic design provisions for fastenings to concrete in Australia. In Australasian Structural Engineering Conference: ASEC 2016 (p. 56). Engineers Australia.
Lao, J., Hansen, A., Nitschke, M., Hanson-Easey, S., & Pisaniello, D. (2016). Working smart: An exploration of council workers’ experiences and perceptions of heat in Adelaide, South Australia. Safety science, 82, 228-235.
Lee, J., Heath, D. J., & Gad, E. F. (2016). Best practice specification, design and installation for post-installed anchors in safety-critical applications. In Australasian Structural Engineering Conference: ASEC 2016 (p. 186). Engineers Australia.
Lee, J., Heath, D. J., & Gad, E. F. (2016). Best practice specification, design and installation for post-installed anchors in safety-critical applications. In Australasian Structural Engineering Conference: ASEC 2016 (p. 186). Engineers Australia.
Retrieved from: https://www.business.gov.au/risk-management/health-and-safety/whs-oh-and-s-acts-regulations-and-codes-of-practice [Accessed on 4th October, 2018]
Safework.nsw.gov.au (2018) Workers Obligations retrieved from: https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/legal-obligations/worker-obligations [Accessed on 4th October, 2018]
Safeworkaustralia.gov.au (2018) Law and Legislation retrieved from: https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/law-and-regulation [Accessed on 5th October, 2018]
Soltani, H., & Sandall, J. (2012). Organisation of maternity care and choices of mode of birth: a worldwide view. Midwifery, 28(2), 146-149.
Worksafe.nt.gov.au (2015) Information for workers retrieved from: https://www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/WorkersCompensation/InformationForWorkers/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed on 5th October, 2018]
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