Dsicuss about the Occupational Health And the Safety Risk Management.
Health and safety is all about providing health and safety environment to their employees in the organization. The occupational health mainly focuses on maintenance and promotion of all the highest degree of mental, social and physical well beings of the workers (Barger et al., 2015). The main focus of the organization is concerned with achieving the desired health and safety outcomes. The two papers that are required to be critically reviewed are ‘Analysis of investigation reports on occupational accidents’ and ‘Examining the asymptote in safety progress’. Since the last few years there has been a great safety improvement both in mining Industry (Ranängen & Zobel, 2014). The majority of this change is related to the generation and application through risk assessment methods. Furthermore theses team- based and systematic techniques helps in identifying, assessing and managing the unacceptable risks related to people, environment, assets and production (Serpell, Ferrada, Rubio & Arauzo, 2015). The results have therefore improved the management systems within the mining industry. Various industries safety performance is measured through the absence of negative events that showcases the consequences of injuries and incidents (Kirsch et al., 2014). Moreover, preventing all the industrial accidents through greater penalties would lead to poor health and safety management.
According to the research paper, Salguero-Caparros, Suarez-Cebador and Rubio-Romero, (2015) have commented that safety practices are mostly related with compliance, qualification and control are only partly responsible. The vital first step involved in the implementation and design of adequate preventive measures are investigations. As mentioned by the authors, the measures are required to ensure that the health and safety of a person at workplace includes maintaining and providing safe environment. this would does not risk to health as well as ensures that adequate safety measures are taken for any kind of machinery, equipment, article, plant or processes used by the employees (Gomes et al., 2014). It is the duty of the employers to ensure that employees are provided adequate information and instructions. Moreover, supervision and training that is vital to perform the work. Implementing and developing procedures that is dealing with occupational safety and health practices are mandatory by firms nowadays (Dekker & Pitzer, 2016).
Risk analysis is a procedure that helps in identifying and managing the potential problems, which could undermine the essential key business projects or initiatives. The first step in analyzing the risk is by identifying the possible and existing threats that could be faced by the mining industry (Fonseca, McAllister & Fitzpatrick, 2014). As per the article, ‘Analysis of investigation reports on occupational accidents’, it has been observed that the main analytical tool for occupational safety measures is through the investigation of accidents, which aims at discovering the result of the accidents. Moreover, according to the authors, Salguero-Caparros, Suarez-Cebador and Rubio-Romero (2015) an investigation was conducted to obtain adequate information that would help in avoiding all kinds of accidents occurring within the organization in future. Therefore to prepare this research, altogether 567 investigations were analyzed that were conducted by the technical advisors.
Most of the occupational accidents were occurred between the years 2009 to 2012 in various industries (Adiansyah et al., 2015). This industry includes service, manufacturing, service, construction and agricultural sector to ascertain information to improve their technical usage. The study helps in analyzing the investigation reports regarding the accidents and is made by identifying various omissions and flaws. Moreover, the investigation related to all the accidents lacks various details, as they do not consider all the present variables in ESAW (European Statistics on Accidents at work). Similarly, they lack major depth in determining major cause that is associated with active faults, especially latent faults as well as to the organizational management and systems.
Risk in a business occurs when the employees are exposed to hazards that results in injury, death or illness. Hazard is generally the situation that brings potential harm to a person. As suggested by Dekker & Pitzer, (2016) in the article, hazards when occurs at work consists of violence or bullying at workplaces, noisy machinery, moving forklift, electricity, chemicals and repetitive jobs it has been suggested by the authors that various actions should be taken to eliminate the safety and health risks by proper controlling and managing it.
Principles of Risk Management
Source: (Falkner & Hiebl, 2015)
Prevention of accidents is the most vital among all existing safety management paradigms (Kirsch, Harris, Sprott & Cliff, 2014). If the management structure of an organization is safe and effective, it would lead to lowering the amount of accidents. Furthermore, if more amount if accidents are occurring within the organization then would be due to the absence of effective safety management. As per the articles reviewed, it has been analyzed that the occurrence of accidents is fundamental in evaluating the interventions so that the entire occurrences are prevented. In reality, the occurrences of accidents are very complex events arising since the evolution of industrialization.
As mentioned by Dekker & Pitzer, in the article ‘Examining the asymptote in safety progress’, risk management involves four crucial steps. At first, it is significant to identify the cause of the hazards and harm. Secondly, risks should be assessed to clearly understand the hazard’s nature and ascertain its critical affect. Controlling risks is another major factor that relates to implanting the most effective control measures that is occurred in the circumstances (Falkner & Hiebl, 2015). Lastly, it is essential to review the control measures to ensure that all the relative measures for controlling the risks are working effectively.
From an ethical standpoint, the employers have the responsibility to grant major protected and safe atmosphere to their employees. On the other hand from the view point of the organization, employees are usually enormous expense to the given organization (Dashwood, 2014). It is not only limited to paying timely salaries or wages to the workers. Recruitment, training and additional expenses are also related with the employees. Therefore, the organization always tries to attract and retain their best employees by creating a healthy and safe workplace for them. Audit practices are undertaken by the organizations to confirm that the firm is truly following the agreements term as well as the rules and regulations that is applicable to the performance of the external agency (Tong & Dou, 2014). Therefore a safety audit is to be practiced that is based on the regulatory or other compliance. In the recent times, it is very famous in determining if the organization is really a healthy and safe workplace for its organization (Mahdevari, Shahriar & Esfahanipour, 2014).
Mining industries is one of the most hazardous industries and also needs simple and comprehensive tool to assess continuously besides promoting safety and health performance. The analysis made to identify the causes of accidents related to the investigation report is considered that led us in determining less than 1% of the report (Salguero-Caparros, Suarez-Cebador & Rubio-Romero, 2015). Various studies have been undertaken to improve the nature and quality related to the investigation reports related to the occupational accidents. Whereas, in the recent years the increase in rate of accidents leads to continue research in the field so that the number of accidents is reduced (Beske, Land & Seuring, 2014). Therefore, it is necessary to identify the major gaps existing within the organizational report.
As mentioned by Dekker & Pitzer, (2016) in the article ‘Examining the asymptote in safety progress’, application of compulsory investigation techniques for health and safety across the Australian as well as in various other places around the world is effective. This therefore acts as an improvement mechanism in a continuous basis and would not only affect the safety area but also influence the quality and productivity. Furthermore, this would lead to limit all the system flaws that could lead to material and human losses. From the following investigation reports, the gaps related to the occupational accidents can be overcome due to the improvement in skills and training of the professionals preparing the accident investigation (Perera et al., 2014). Moreover, right functional and structural conditions should be set so that a true independent investigation is allowed relating to organizational freedom and transparency (Utembe et al., 2015).
Mining industries are sometimes prone to various large fatal accidents that have no major connection with the clear understanding of the risks that are generally faced by them (Tong & Dou, 2014). Moreover, they have no clear idea regarding measuring the safety of the risks. As per the authors, in the articles, it has been suggested that the idea relating to the processes and structures are meant to improve the safety of the employees within the organization. In the earlier times it was traced the process how disasters and accidents are bureaucratic and administrative in origin. In the recent times, the notion how the organizations has assured safety bureaucratically has received various attention in the recent accidents in the organization. In the earlier times, the problems caused due to bureaucratically managing the safety of the organization by the suppression or prevention of lower impacts and higher frequency injuries (Verma & Chaudhari, 2016). In the current scenario, the research is done to examine the limited effectiveness related to the safety management practices as well as the validity in respect of the assumptions that are founded. Moreover, the cherished safety program does not actually yield much. Moreover, the initiatives with low yields also consist of written safety policies, record keeping, written safety policies, incident investigations.
Occupational safety management leads to proper safety return, subcontractor selection, upper management support employee and management that are involved through work and safety evaluation (Parker et al., 2015). Moreover, worksite inspections job hazards and worksite inspections as well as safety meetings leads to rank halfway (Boiral & Henri, 2017). The industrial safety measures are the practices that are driven through persistent ‘myths’. This includes factors such as human errors that are the major cause of accident and disasters, the key for safety is compliance. Generally grater amount of safety is created trough better preventions techniques (Verma & Chaudhari, 2016). The root cause related to the cause of accidents can explain the reasons related to the accidents. It is a rational activity to investigate about the accidents. Furthermore, the safety of the organization has the highest priority (Mahdevari Shahriar & Esfahanipour, 2014). These myths are expressed through safety management policies, practices and structures.
As reviewed in the article, ‘Analysis of investigation reports on occupational accidents’, it has been observed that accident causation is generally very complex in nature and should be understood adequately so that accident prevention should be improved. A healthy and safety management should involve effective management system that should cover health and safety policy within the company, the planning process for all ill-health prevention and accident. Line management responsibilities should also be included. Furthermore, it has been observed from the reviewed articles that it is important to implement, review and retain occupational health and safety policy. It is recommended for the mining industry to implement the following measures for a successful and effective health and safety management system.
Policy and commitment: the mining industry should establish an effective health and safety policies to be followed by the employees. The workplace should effectively prepare an occupational health and safety program or policies so that a clear direction is set for the organization to be followed. It has been analyzed from the reviewed articles that cost effective approaches should be applied as this will help in developing and preserving the human and physical resources that would lead in reducing the liabilities as well as the financial losses of the organization. Shareholder’s expectation should be adequately met and maximum satisfaction is to be provided.
Planning: The workplace should effectively formulate a plan so that the health and safety policy is fulfilled as per the Safety Statement. Moreover, effective arrangements and management structure should be put in place so that the policy is effectively delivered. It is also important to set effective targets and objectives for all the employees and managers.
Implementation and operation: The organization should support mechanisms and develops capabilities required to gain objective, targets, safety and health policy by effective implementation. Within the mining industry all workers should be encouraged and empowered to work in a safe environment to protect their health in the long-run. Effective staff participation and involvement is necessary by proper consultation. Application of safety committee and representation system should be used. Moreover, employee’s competence skills should be promoted through effective communication. This helps the employees and their representatives to make informed and responsible contribution for their health and safety efforts.
After analyzing the reviewed articles, it can be recommended that within the mining industry, systematic and planned approach is necessary for implementing the health and safety policy by using an adequate health and safety management system. The main aim of the industry should be to minimize the level of risks. The organization should also use risk assessment method to eliminate hazards by setting objectives and determining priorities, which further reduces risks. Risks should avoided by adequate selection and proper design of processes, equipments and facilities. If the existing risks cannot be avoided then it can be minimized by the application of safe work systems, physical controls. It is useful to establish performance standards, which is used to measure performance and achievements. Specific actions for the promotion of positive health and safety culture should be ascertained. Workers within the industry should share common knowledge relating to the organizational values, vision and beliefs on safety and health. Active and visible leadership of the existing senior mangers leads to positive and healthy culture in the organization.
Measuring performances: The organization should effectively monitor measure and evaluate the health and safety performance. It is crucial to measure the performance against relevant agreed standards so that where and when improvement is required is identified. Moreover, it has been observed from the reviewed articles that active self-monitoring also would help in revealing the functioning of the effectiveness of safety management system. Self- monitoring approach helps in ascertaining both hardware and software. Hardware includes plant, premises and substances. On the other hand, software includes system or procedures, people and includes individual performance and behavior. If the control in system fails reactive monitoring should be used to know the cause of failure. It is vital to investigate accidents, and circumstances related to ill health. The main objective of monitoring should be made to determine the cause related to substandard performance. Moreover it is significant to know the implications and underlying causes related to the operation and design of the health and safety management system.
Auditing and reviewing performances: It is vital for the mining industry to review and improve the health and safety management system in a constant basis. It is important or the organization to learn from experiences and further apply the lessons. Systematic review of the whole system should be mandatory based on monitoring of data from independent audits and monitoring of the whole health and safety management system. As per the article, ‘Analysis of investigation reports on occupational accidents’, it has been observed that within the mining industry, there should be robust commitment related to continuous improvement. This should involve techniques of risk control, development of system and policies. In the current times it is important for the organization to report about the performance of the worker’s health and safety in their annual reports. Moreover as per Section 80 of the 2005 Act concerning ‘liability of Directors and Officers of Undertakings’. This requires them to be in a position that has adequately proved managing pro-actively the health and safety of the workers.
Conclusion
In the current scenario, the use of safety audits is mandatory for all industries, especially the mining industries. The use of safety audits therefore has shown a positive effect on the organization’s loss control initiatives. In reality, it also has been proved that organizations performing health and safety compliances audits results to fewer accidents and incidents as compared to those that do not provide any audits. From the two articles reviewed above, it can be concluded that it is important for the mining industry to properly identify the hazards existence within the organization. It is highly significant to check the compliance organizational rules and regulations. Moreover, the safety and health conditions related to the workplace should also be determined. The safety and health performance of the supervisors and workers should be properly evaluated. It is significant to evaluate the progress relating to the health and safety progress and issues. The mining industry should effectively embark culture of challenging, innovation, probing as well as best practice implementation.
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