Discuss about the Reflections on Hazardous Industries.
I am a student of the SHEM degree course and I joined the course with the desire to learn about the various important precepts as well as guidelines which dictate the health and the safety regulations within the framework of the industrial world in the present times. The increasing number of accidents as well as health hazards has become the order of the day in the various industries of the world with a worker dying because of inadequate safety and health regulations every 15 seconds (Flin and O’Connor 2017). This is not just the scenario of the oil and the gas which is generally considered to be one of the most hazardous industries of the world in terms of the health as well as the safety threats which the workers face but of the other industries of the world as well (Ablo 2015). It is specifically here that the role of the various Health and Safety Managers gain prominence in the context of the present day world and this is one of the main reasons why I opted for the course under discussion here. This course is likely to help to know not only about the important legislations but also the regulations which shape the health and safety policies followed by the various industries of the world at the present moment. Furthermore, I am hoping to work as a Regional Health and Safety Manager in the oil and the gas industry and am hoping that this particular course work would provide me with the relevant kind of skills to succeed in this particular industry. These mandates form an important part of the health and safety policies followed by the various industries of the world at the current moment and this paper will be a self-reflection on these aspects of the health and safety regulations followed by the various industries of the world along with a discussion of the lecture notes provided in the class.
The basic idea behind the pursuing of this particular course was to gain the relevant and adequate amount of information which is likely to help me in the professional part of my career. At this particular juncture I would like to mention that the oil and the gas has been the kind of industry which has fascinated as well as attracted me for a very long and at the same time I am looking forward to work in this particular industry. One of the major issues which this particular industry has been facing for a very long time is the health and the safety issues which is the cause of a large number of deaths every year (Ambituuni, Amezaga and Emeseh 2014). Therefore, my expectation at the time of enrolling in this particular course was to gain an idea about the safety and the health regulations which are being followed in this particular industry. I personally believe that adequate knowledge about these health and safety regulations which are being followed by this industry are important since they would help me to find out the places where the current policies by the oil and the gas industry needs amendment. Furthermore, I am also hoping that this particular course is likely to provide me an idea about the concepts of people management skills, enhancing the performance of the employees, management of an effective relationship among the management of an organization and the employees associated with it and others. I am personally of the opinion that these skills are likely to help me in a significant manner to make a positive contribution towards the organization in which I would be working and at the same time to improve the health and safety regulations followed by them. The improvement of the health and safety regulations is of paramount importance since it can save the life of thousands of people on an annual basis. My area of interest is the improvement of the health and the safety regulations followed by the oil and the gas industries and thereby to save as many lives as I can.
My roles and responsibilities as the Regional Health and Safety Manager would require me not only to provide effective leadership to the different employees who would be associated with the concerned organization but at the same time to improve the health and the safety regulations and policies followed by the concerned organization. This would require me to perform various site visits and performed detailed research as regards the kind of regulations the concerned organization is following in order to come up with new effective plans as well as policies.
Hazards are a day-to-day event in the oil and the gas industry and it is as per a statistics an employee associated with the oil and the gas industry dies every 15 seconds (Flin and O’Connor 2017). This statistics when viewed through the lens of the large number of individuals who form a part of the oil and the gas industry becomes even more staggering. One of the major reasons for the large number of deaths which occur within the specific framework of the oil and the gas industry is because of the fact that the oil and the gas inspite of being the largest as well as the one of the most revenue generating industries of the world fails to effectively take into consideration the health as well as the safety regulations issued by the various international authorities (Bamberger and Oswald 2014). In addition to this, it is generally seen that the individuals associated with the oil and the gas industry inspite of having health as well as safety regulations in place do not take into consideration these policies and regulations for the performance of their job roles (Antonsen 2017). This particular behavior on the part of the employees as well as the organizations to which they are related can often lead to catastrophic events. Some of the instances where the failure to take into consideration the health and the safety regulations by the organizations as well as the individuals who were associated with them lead to catastrophic accidents are the Spyros Accident of Greece (1978), the explosion in the UK North Sea in 1988 and others (Antonsen 2017). Furthermore, in addition to these, there are other causes for the high number of accidents as well as hazards which occur in the various organizations associated with the oil and the gas industry like negligence on the part of the employees, the management team of the organization and others. This behavior on the part of the employees as well as the organizations associated with the oil and the gas industry poses a serious threat and cause not only the damage of property but innumerable lives as well on yearly basis (Witter et al. 2014). Therefore, it becomes imperative for these organizations as well as the employees who are associated with them to take into effective consideration the health and the safety regulations propounded by the various international authorities.
The module and as a matter of fact the entire course itself under discussion here is likely to provide me with adequate amount of information about the present condition of the health and the safety regulations which are being currently followed by these organization. Furthermore, it is also likely to provide me with an overview of the necessary changes which needs to be made in the concerned sector in terms of the health and the safety regulations which are likely to mitigate the large number of accidents as well as the occupational hazards that the employees are prone to at the current moment.
The increasing focus of the various organizations associated with the diverse industries points towards the significance which the concept of occupational hygiene has attained within the framework of the current business world in the present times (Sujan et al. 2016). It is a reflection of this particular fact that the various organizations of the present times try to main adequate level of occupational hygiene. The maintenance of high levels of occupational hygiene within the framework of a particular organization not only helps the concerned organization to reduce the number of accidents as well as hazards which occur within the framework of that particular organization and thereby help to reduce the loss of property and resources but at the same time also helps to enhance the performance level of the overall organization itself (Ahmad et al. 2016). Furthermore, the following of adequate occupational hygiene has also become imperative for the various organizations because of the dictums as well as the guidelines of the various international authorities as well (Kirat 2015).
The module under discussion here provides a detailed overview of the various occupational hygiene policies as well as the regulations which the various industries of the world need to take into effective consideration. The concept of occupational hygiene gains even more significance within the particular context of the oil and the gas industry. It is significant to note that the oil and the gas industry is the one within which even minor negligence can cause severe amount of damage on the score of the nature of the raw materials which the employees are supposed to deal with. Thus, I am of the opinion that the information about the concept of occupation hygiene which I would gain in this particular module is likely to help me during my professional career as a Regional Health and Safety Manager in the oil and the gas industry.
Gender stereotyping has been part of the human society since the ancient times and even in the 21st century it forms an important part of the human society. One of the most important gender stereotypes which has been in practice for a very long time is the fact that the female members of the society are not equivalent to the men of the society in terms of physical strength and endurance level (Khan et al. 2016). Therefore, people hold the viewpoint that they cannot the same kind of tasks or jobs, particularly the manual labor ones in comparison to the male members of the society. This particular gender stereotype finds its way even in the workplace culture followed by the various organizations associated with the various industries of the present times. It is a reflection of this particular fact that only 35% of women find work in the oil and the gas industry in comparison to 65% men and even the 35% who are a part of the oil and the gas industry do not work in the oil and the gas fields (Brauer 2016). These women mostly work in the catering and the service sections which are an important part of the oil and the gas industry. In the present times it is seen that people working in the oil and the gas industry are coming out of this particular gender stereotyping and the women working in the oil and the gas fields as well (Zirogiannis et al. 2016). However, it needs to be said that the situation is far from ideal and a lot needs to be changed to achieve the concept of gender equality within the particular framework of the oil and the gas industry (Zirogiannis et al. 2016).
The course which I have undertaken and also the module which under discussion here which forms an important part of the coursework provides valuable insight into the reasons why women do not find adequate amount of work within the oil and gas industry. I am personally of the opinion that the women form an indispensible part of the human society and therefore when I will get employed in the oil and the gas industry in the capacity of Regional Health and Safety Manager I would certainly try to achieve gender equality within the framework of the organization for which I would be working.
Training forms an important part of the various organizations associated with the various industries of the world (Villa et al. 2016). The various training programs equip the individual with the kind of skills as well as information which are likely to help the concerned individuals to perform their job roles in the best possible manner. It is significant to note that within the particular cannon of training safety training have gained a considerable amount of importance. The various safety training programs not only provide the individuals with the adequate amount of information about the necessity of following safety regulations as well as policies during the performance of their job roles but at the same time provide them adequate amount of information about the various safety regulations and policies that they need to follow (Raufflet, Cruz and Bres 2014). The effective practice of these safety regulations ensures the mitigation of the high number of workplace accidents as well as hazards (Raufflet, Cruz and Bres 2014). Safety training becomes even more important within the specific context of the oil and the gas industry since the individuals associated with this particular industry more than any other industry are prone to various kinds of accidents and occupational hazards (Adgate, Goldstein and McKenzie 2014). It is a reflection of this particular fact that the various organizations associated with the oil and the gas industry have made it mandatory for the employees to undergo various kinds of safety training. However, the organizations also needs to ensure that the trainers who are providing these trainings to the employees need to do so in a manner that they are being able to make the employees understand the importance of following these stipulations and also to practice them during the actual performance of their job roles (Werner et al. 2015).
I am optimistic that the knowledge about the concept of safety training which I have gained during the course of this module and for that matter the entire course itself is likely to help me in a significant manner during my professional career in the oil and the gas industry. Furthermore, the knowledge which I have gained in the module and as a matter of fact during the course of the entire coursework itself would help me to implement the health and safety regulations and policies in a much more better manner during my professional career as a Regional Health and Safety Manager. Therefore, it would be appropriate to say that the precepts of safety training are as essential prerequisite for an individual who is willing to work in the oil and the gas sector.
Safety is a major area of focus of the various organizations associated with diverse kinds of industries and it is a reflection of this particular fact that the various organizations have regulations as well as policies to ensure safety (Flin and O’Connor 2017). However, in the present times it is generally seen that the focus of the major organizations of the world is not only on providing safe working environment to the employees who are associated with the concerned organization but at the same time on the safety level of the products provided by the customers (Ahmad et al. 2016). In the present times it is seen that due to ineffective safety regulations followed by the various organizations regarding the quality of the products offered by them to the customers the wellbeing as well as personal safety of the individuals who take the help of the products offered by the organizations have been put at great risk (Bamberger and Oswald 2014). Thus, various instances have been noticed wherein the users of specific have been subjected to various kinds of accidents as well as hazards which have caused serious level of injuries to the concerned individuals. Thus, it becomes imperative for the various industries and more specifically the organizations related to the oil and the gas industry to take into effective consideration the concept of product safety for the manufacture of the products offered by them to the customers (Bamberger and Oswald 2014). The effective implementation of this particular concept is likely to reduce the accidents as well as the hazards which the users of the products offered by the oil and the gas industry usually face.
I personally believe that the various organizations should try to implement the process of product safety and take the help of various kinds of international assessment standards for regulating the quality of the products offered by them to the customers. The module provides insight information about the process of product safety and I am hoping that this particular process will prove itself to be very useful when I start working in the oil and the gas industry as a Regional Health and Safety Manager.
I would like to comment here that at the beginning of this course I had very rudimentary idea about the role of the management and the various health and safety practices which were being followed in the oil and gas industry. In addition to this, the course also provided me with a detailed information about the importance of following safety regulations and also the need to implement these regulations since the various accidents as well as the hazards which are a part of the oil and the gas industry every year not only takes the life of thousands of people but at the same time destroys valuable property. It is through the course that I came to know about all these important concepts and at the same time was able to develop a concrete idea about the various important processes which regulate the oil and the gas industry.
In addition to these, the course also provided me with valuable information about the important factors, which affects the oil and the gas industry like marine and offshore hazards, safety training, occupational hygiene, product safety, gender specific challenges and others. These are important concepts which are likely to help me during my professional career in the oil and the gas industry as a Regional Health and Safety Manager. Furthermore, the important concepts of leadership, training, management skills and others which I gained during the course of the module is also likely to help me in a significant manner. Thus, I would like to say that the information which I have derived from this particular course can be seen as the ground work to which I need to add further skills so as enable me to gain success in the oil and the gas industry.
Conclusion
Health and Safety regulations form an important part of the various industries of the world. The Health and Safety Regulations becomes even more significant within the particular context of the oil and the gas industry since this particular industry more than any other industry of the world is prone to various kinds of accidents and hazards. Thus, the organizations associated with the oil and the gas industry need to take the help of various kinds of strategies like safety training, occupational hygiene and others in order to ensure the safety of the employees and also to provide safe working environment to the employees who are associated with the concerned organization. It is generally seen that these occupational hazards as well as accidents not only cause the death of many individuals every year but at the same time cause of destruction of valuable property. Thus, it becomes all the more important for the organizations related to the oil and the gas as well as others to take into effective consideration the health and the safety regulations.
References
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