Critical Literature Review
Discuss about the Working Conditions of E-Waste Recycle Industry Workers.
Electronic and electrical waste or e-waste are also known as waste electrical and electronic equipment. It is defined as any end-of-life equipment which is dependent on electromagnetic fields or electrical currents to work properly. Small and large household appliances, lighting equipment, IT & telecommunications equipment, toys, medical devices, electrical and electronic tools, batteries, circuit boards, automatic dispensers, etc. are included in this. In Australia, till date, more than 22 million electrical or electronic items have been classified as e-waste. In the year 2015, SUEZ recovered 223,825 tons of e-waste which included fluorescent tubes, gloves, batteries etc. While recycling these products, pollutants are released and it affects the people present in the nearby vicinity, especially the e-waste recycle factory workers.
This research paper is on the condition of the e-waste recycling industry workers in Australia and human resource management involved in it. The workers don’t have much power to negotiate the terms and policies related to their working conditions and later it poses a health risk. This paper focus on the challenges and opportunities related to the working condition of the e-waste recycle industry workers and how any kind of leverage can be gained by them (Read, 2017). An analysis of the topic will be done and findings will be discussed. In the end, recommendations and conclusion will be drawn. Various policies and Acts of the government will be discussed for the health and safety of the e-waste recycling industry workers. Also, the bargaining power, remuneration, and other human resource management related elements will be discussed in detail (Bhutta, Omar, & Yang, 2011).
The aim of this research is to conduct a study on the working condition of the e-waste recycles workers in the industry in Australia and how the companies and HRM is handling them. Most of the workers are ignorant about their rights and benefits provided by the company and Australian Government and keep on working in a hazardous condition, which ultimately affects their health.
E-waste is a critical issue at the global level. In Australia, the concern gets heightened due to recycling practices in the industry due to environmentally and rudimentary unsafe practices and they lead to the creation of massive pollution and toxic releases. In the process of recycling and dismantling operations, the workers are exposed to different kind of hazards. E-Waste recycling is considered as a lucrative business due to the high economic value attached to the rare and precious metals found while recycling. Though on one hand, it can be seen as a significant growth in the increasing number of e-waste recyclers in Australia. On the other hand, studies have shown that there are life-threatening risks to the employees in the absence of any kind of safety norms. Thus, it becomes very important for the companies to ensure that the worker’s safety and health are protected and they are also imparted proper education about the safety procedures and norms. International organizations, Government of Australia, State government, Territory Government, etc. are actively working in the direction of proper implementation of initiatives and regulations related to e-waste so that negative effect can be prevented from the recycling industry (Kiddee, Naidu, & Wong, 2013). The e-waste recycling industry is divided into two parts; formal and informal. The formal recycling centre needs permission from the Government of Australia and there is a proper method and regulation related to the licensing, monitoring, operations, dismantling, safety and health of the workers, etc. to be followed. In contrast to this, informal recycling centres include primitive methods like, physically dismantling tools, bare hands, chipping at melting plastics without any kind of ventilation, disposal of scraps and waste in rivers and fields etc. Informal recycling is a cost-effective business due to less money involved in its maintenance. The workers of informal recycling industry of Australia are more exposed to hazards as these companies do not follow any rule or regulation and exploit the immigrant labors (White & Heckenberg, 2011).
Methods Chapter
To prevent any kind of negative effects on the health due to e-waste recycling, especially in the informal centre, the Federal Government of Australia, State, Territory and local government work actively towards the proper implementation of initiatives and regulations. Now the government is giving utmost importance to the health and safety of human resources in the industry, other than environmental protections. In the formal e-waste recycling industry, the human resource department tries to implement various policies and measures for the worker’s safety and health issues. Whereas in informal e-waste recycling industry is more of an informal and illegal kind, thus no measure at all is taken for the worker’s benefits (CMA Ecocycle , 2017).
The biggest problem with the management of the e-waste recycling is that most of the workers are unaware of their privileges and rights regarding health, safety, and remuneration. Most of these workers are immigrants and they prefer to work in informal e-waste recycling industry. No proper training or education is imparted to them to properly handle the e-waste machines, or environmentally sound management of e-waste, decent work standards or occupational safety and health (Ewijk & Stegemann, 2016).
It is the responsibility of the employer to take care of the safety and health concern of the employees under him and impart proper training and sessions for educating them about the various hazards related to improper handling of e-waste. The Government has introduced many policies towards the proper handling of human resources of e-waste recycling industry, policies and acts have been implemented, such as, National Television and Computer Recycling Product Stewardship scheme in Australia, Work Health and Safety Policy, Injury and Illness Management Policy, E-waste recycling standard AS 5377, Health & Safety Employment Act, 1992 etc. The International Labour Organization in recent times has started taking interest in addressing the issue related to the value chain involved in e-waste recycling management and exploring the methods and ways to improve the working conditions of the workers (Golev, Smart, & Corder, 2016).
In this research, a deep analysis has been done on the poor working conditions of the e-waste recycling industry workers, both in a formal and informal sector. The workers are unaware of their basic rights and privileges and no proper training or education is imparted to them regarding the handling of e-waste recycling machinery and this exposes them to life-threatening hazards. The data in this research has been collected through secondary research. In this study, qualitative research is used (SBS News, 2017). The aim of this research is to have an in-depth understanding of the e-waste recycling industry workers in Australia. Various government and agencies reports, policies, schemes have been taken into account. Also, the works of many scholars and researchers have also been considered. Articles and journals on the e-waste recycle industry and working conditions of the human resources, including their pay structure, working hours, benefits etc. are also part of the secondary research. The journals, reports of government and many NGOs and agencies are an authentic and reliable source of data for this research (Australian Government, 2015). It has been concluded from this research that workers in Australia are actually facing many problems related to their health and safety, benefits and pay. From this research it can be concluded that there is a lot of work need to be done on the working condition, especially health, safety, pay and benefits of these workers by the Government of Australia and other agencies, and the e-waste recycle companies. Special care to be taken of the workers of informal e-waste recycles industry. Based on this study, ignorance of the workers, lack of proper training, illegal operations of e-waste companies, no health and safety provisions by the company to cut cost have been found out as the main reason for the poor working conditions for e-waste recycling industry workers.
Worldwide, Australians are the highest users of technology and they also generate the largest amount of e-waste. Till 2013-2014, the volume of e-waste of Australia reached to near to 132,000 tonnes. This increase is due to the rapid innovation in new and existing products, decrease in electronic product’s lifespan, the decline in the electronic product price, complex product design etc. Also, the recycling industry has grown in size and revenue in last one decade. Due to this, the number of people employed in finishing this job has also increased (Tourneau, 2017). Simultaneously, the range of policies and programs to support the recycling e-waste has also increased. The National Scheme is regulated by the Government of Australia under its Product Stewardship Act 2011 and Product Stewardship Regulations 2011, to ensure that all kinds of companies involved in e-waste recycling adheres to its compliance. Specific duties of employers are mentioned under The Health and Safety in Employment Regulation 1995 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2018). The government also make ensure that the employers consult their employees’/trade unions or contractors about the identification, assessing and controlling health and safety hazards. Many companies have designed a working system which ensures that the employee’s health and safety against any kind of hazard, is controlled and managed. Many employers have developed standard operating procedures for the e-waste recycle procedures and equipment. But it has also been found out that many employers do not ensure that workers are provided with proper information about the working in the e-waste recycling company and ways to handle the machinery. Many such workers are immigrant and if any kind of training is imparted, they are unable to understand due to a language barrier. The e-waste which is recycled can be made available for human ingestion while processing of e-waste or during its disposal. Accidents due to e-waste recycling are increasing day by day in Australia and with it, there has been an increase in the Workers Compensation Claims, especially in formal e-waste recycling industry. But many companies do not report any kind of Workers Compensation Claims to government agencies (Dollison, 2017).
In the finding, the workers get affected mainly by trauma, chronic disease, and systemic exposure. Only a few of the companies get pre-employment health checks and annual or bi-annual health checks. Employees are also exposed to work methods which are unsafe. Also, at these sites, there is no forklift and pedestrian management plans in place (EPA, 2018).
The e-waste recycling workers are confronted by many hazards while working in facilities involved in its processing and sorting on a daily basis. Very less importance is placed by these facilities owners/employers for keeping their employees safe and avoids any kind of accidents. The workers are exposed to harmful chemical and biological substances due to their ignorance. Though many Municipality Governments in Australia have implemented separation system and distributed educational material for such workers. Hazards and disaster also happen due to improperly secured material bales and moving vehicles in the facilities campus, like forklifts, trucks etc. Recycling equipment needs time to time cleaning, servicing, adjustments or maintenance to efficiently process and sort e-waste products. Many times, proper Tagout-lockout procedures are not implemented properly; it causes damage to workers physically. Recyclable and waste materials also generate dust, which causes serious health-related issues. Sometimes, employees also don’t follow the instructions and procedures in order to accomplish the task before assigned time and earn incentives. In doing so, they don’t follow proper instructions and hurt themselves (1800ewaste Pty Ltd , 2017).
In an industrialized country like Australia, strict environmental control and OHS regulations are followed. It is not known that what is the exact number of jobs, levels of remuneration and working conditions in this sector due to the presence of informal facilities, as they are not registered. The presence of workers in the informal sector is sometimes ignored by local authorities and government, as they contribute to the economy of the country. The income, working conditions, benefits, etc., all vary from facilities to facilities. As discussed earlier, the workers don’t use appropriate technology and health and safety guidelines. Under highly hazardous circumstances, in the absence of appropriate technology, workers get exposed to risks. Such workers also don’t have any kind of access to the national security system. As in Australia, the informal sector is not recognized as a formal industry, the workers in this sector are exempted from any schemes or social protection. There is a need for the government to develop some arrangements to provide these workers with disability benefits, maternity benefits, healthcare benefits, etc. Many of the informal facilities are shutting down themselves and contracting with MNCs and adopting less labor-intensive technologies, without any implementation of strategies for job losses. The informal waste workers are impacted by this change badly as it affects their income directly (Neville, 2015).
The Government of Australia has implemented Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, where it is mentioned that all parties involved in the e-waste recycle have responsibilities towards the health and safety at the workplace. It includes employers, contractors, employees, self-employed person etc. The suppliers of machinery, designer of equipment, employers are legally required to make sure that all the parts which are dangerous and exposed, should be safeguarded and protect others from injury. A code of practice has been developed by the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health, which safeguards the plant and machinery. In a joint venture between the Government of Australia and New Zealand, the E-waste standards were published in 2013, which guides the companies on e-waste collection, storage, transportation, and treatment. It also includes the protection of worker’s health and safety at the workplace (ANZRP, 2015).
Recommendations & Conclusion
Under the Health and Safety in Employment Act, 1992 it is recommended and required that employers provide and maintain a safe environment to the workers to work, maintain proper facilities for health and safety of employees and ensure that all machinery and equipment are properly locked, proper procedures are provided to the employees during the emergencies, and to ensure that no inaction or action of any employees harms any other person. All the employers shall inform the employees regarding the hazards which they will be exposed at work, ways to minimize and protect themselves from such hazards. Proper clothing and protective gear should be provided to all the employees, in formal and informal facilities. Proper training and education must be imparted to them by the HR department on subjects like proper handling of machinery, working conditions, protection, company policies related to health and safety, incentives, remuneration etc (Hunt, 2014). All the employers must provide the employees the results of monitoring their health while working at e-waste recycling facilities. It must be ensured by the employers, that e-waste recycle machinery is operated by the employees under proper supervision and the adequately trained staff is hired. Employers should provide and maintain basic hygiene factor for the workers at the workplace, such as washing facilities, washrooms, drinking water, first aid equipment, restroom, meals, emergency exit plans etc. (Travers, 2017)
A safe system should be provided by the employers to the employees. In the company policies and procedures, health and safety, safe work practices elements should be mentioned. Allocation of each worker’s roles and accountability, responsibilities should be mentioned in the job description. A proper communication system should be developed so that no delay happens at the time of need.
Before commencing any operations at the facilities, it should be ensured by a proper person that the contractor or employer has in place proper safety and health management which comply all required legislation and procedures. All proper documents must be produced by the employer to the government authorities which can later help them in controlling or identifying any hazard before it happens. Proper hazard management information should be provided to the employers too. The government should from time to time; conduct a periodic audit of the facilities to ensure that employers are following all the regulations and worker’s safety and health is not compromised. The employer must ensure that all new employees are inducted into regulatory and legislative requirements, policies related to health and safety systems, in-house practices, hazard information, codes and guidelines, emergency exit plans. Other than this, proper training on health and safety issues associated with assigned roles and tasks should be imparted. Comprehensive information related to health and safety hazards and their controls should be in place and made aware of the employees (Heacock, Kelly, & Asante, 2015). Close supervision should be done for all the new hiring to make ensure that they are becoming competent in performing the task. An environment should be created by the employers where there is no place for unsafe acts or behaviours. The employer must ensure that no child labour is involved in the handling of the machinery or working nearby the facilities. A proper workplace injury management should be in a place where employees are integrated with practices of the management, treatments, claims and rehabilitation and hazard management in the event of injury or illness so that the workers can return to work after a safe period of time. The employer should take it as a priority in establishing a proper hazard management program and occupational rehabilitation programs in place. A proper ergonomics system must be considered in designing of plant and fleet. A proper information regarding the same is mentioned in the “Code of Practice for Manual Handling”, Department of Labour (McCullum, 2013).
To conclude, e-waste recycles industry is growing with a growing number of years and rise in population. It is good for the economy of the country, but it should not ignore the people working in these facilities. The working conditions of e-waste recycling industry are very challenging and it presents serious damage to the workers. A proper risk assessment should be done to avoid any kind of mishap at the workplace. Proper health and safety measures should provide them with the workplace apart from other work-related measures and benefits. Also, the companies and the government must ensure that the workers are paid according to the industry standards and they receive proper social and health-related benefits, especially in the informal facilities. A proper framework should be developed for formalizing the e-waste recycling industry should be done by the government also; a sustainable financial and social security framework should be developed for the workers. International, national and local level efforts must aim for creation of recycling operations and procedures which are safe and secure and consider the security of the people who rely on the e-waste recycling industry for their survival. New and safe dismantling and remediation technologies and methods should be found out and intervention practices should be implemented for protecting communities (SPREP, 2011).
The limitation of the study was that many of the facilities are not registered, so adequate data related to the number of people employed, their pay structure, health and safety measures related policies cannot be accessed. Also, there are huge discrepancies in the pay structure and incentive system, which varies from one facility to another. Lack of data is the main drawback of the research conducted.
References
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