Public Health Policy Occupational Safety: Description, Importance, And Implementation

Description of the Policy

Discuss about the Public Health Policy Occupational Safety.

The title of the policy chosen for this assignment is “Public Health Policy Occupational Safety.” The purpose of the new policy is to elaborate on the citations known as Australian DOJ for illegitimate proceedings. Any litigation filed for occupational health and safety violation can cite the policy for justice and legal action. The miners of the 21^st century enjoy more health benefits compared to their counterparts in the 19^th century. However, more changes need to be introduced to ensure that Australia is among the top five countries in the mining sector. An industry which does not take care of its employees cannot prosper. Miners are exposed to hazards of all kinds (Mudd, 2007). As such, a public health policy occupational safety needs to be put in place to streamline the operations in the mining sector. Many court cases related to mining have been thrown out due to lack of proper anchorage in government policies. This will change a lot with the implementation of this policy. The policy will give legal grounds for improvement of the working conditions in the mining sites to reduce preventable injuries and illnesses among miners. In addition, employees working in the factories to process minerals after mining will be protected by this policy.

Safety and security of the workforce are integral components for any organisation with a goal to run its operations smoothly. Health and safety constitute part of the working environment.  A good working environment must support the workers and as such has to be free of avoidable accidents. Health connotes the general welfare. It encompasses both bodily wellbeing as well as emotional and psychological health. Safety infers to the steps taken in caring for the physical wellbeing of all persons at the work place. It may involve reducing the risk of accidents triggered due by faulty machinery, corrosive chemicals or mines caving in (Li et al., 2014).

The human resources departments in the mining organizations will be charged with the assignment of ensuring that the rights of workers’ with regards to health and safety are not violated. Led by the manager, the HR department will be tasked with the coordination of safety protocols to protect the health of the workers. In addition, ensuring employees are aware about the Public Health Policy Occupational Safety of the company through formal and safety training is mandatory to ensure smooth implementation of the policy. The senior personnel at the departmental levels will be tasked with upholding safe working conditions through leading by example.  This policy is in line with the International Labor Organization (ILO) regulations that demand services, facilities and amenities in the vicinity of the working place enable the employees to work in a healthy and conducive environment. It advocates treatment of employees with dignity to ensure high satisfaction. Healthy and happy employees translate to efficiency and high productivity at work (Baggott, 2010). 

Importance of the Policy in Health

The policy’s welfare plan will include all things done for the coziness and reassurance of a healthy working environment as one of the main motivators besides money. Welfare aids in preserving the self-confidence and inspiration of the employees thereby benefiting the company and the employees. Employees who stay in the company longer get familiar with the health and safety protocols in place compared to new employees. They are normally fully aware of strategies to be followed in case there is a breach of health and safety regulations (Shandro et al., 2011).

The policy is advocating for improved designing and enactment of workplace safety plans to curb or minimalize the loss and harm instigated to employees and property by reducing the risk of industrial accidents. On top of that, the employee welfare programs can occasion considerable implications in savings, amplified productivity and nurturing symbiotic relations between employees and the management. In order to initiate and maintain an effective relationship, each company must study this policy keenly; perform a thorough analysis of the working environment and understand the changes necessary. This will go a long way to ensure that health and safety regulation becomes part of the institutional culture. For example, the extent of protection may be influenced by the extent of the health risk involved in performing a given duty. In our case, the miners need more safety compared to people working in the offices. For that reason, their protective gear must correspond to the kind of injuries expected in their line of work. In addition, people working in factories are constantly exposed to chemical spillages. Exposure to corrosive chemicals can cause diseases in the long run. In some stances, some chemical can be fatal after a short period of exposure. Top notch protection is vital to protect the health of people working in such environment (Murray, Davies, & Rees, 2011).

The modern day law breach under this policy will be divided into two sets; that is, a severe and willful violation of stipulated rules and negligence to adopt the policy in entirety. Before the policy could be invoked in a court of law for prosecution of companies neglecting its (policy) implementation, it will have to be established whether the laborers are not provided with protective equipment while handling the minerals and chemicals. If the firm was unsuccessful to offer employees the necessary hand protection gloves when handling potentially harmful chemicals and minerals, therefore, a citation can be made for breach of OSHA obligation (Niu, 2010; Pingle, 2012). Exposing the workforce to unsafe chemicals, more especially, when handling corrosive materials exposes employees to risks which may result in fatal injuries. This gives a judicious ground for the citation. Inadequately labeling of lethal chemicals and defective energy regulation protocols in place will constitute criminal offenses warranting the citation of the policy. In addition, if the employees are given a go head to handle machines when they do not have rudimentary qualifications to handle such machines and equipment, the policy will be invoked.

Implementation of the Policy

There are two instances when summonses can be done. They are a violation of the original violation and the action of an employee which may establish blatant misconduct, and a person is liable to face charges. Repeated and willful breach can be cited to protect the act of international exhibiting (Brauer, 2016). Any person found guilty is liable to face highest prison punishment as well as fines for extreme offenses. The third course will largely rely on the intention that the worst sentence for deliberate and recurrent contraventions may lead to a higher penalty that exceeds grave breach. The failure to dismiss will make it difficult to reconcile with a punishment provision for lawful civil penalty for up to A$ 1,000, and each citation for breach is allowed by the worker to proceed. Failure by an employee to decline violation under the verdict of the commission allows the breach cited to withstand.

The workers’ inability to adhere to the provisions of the policy as established with full knowledge will also be held responsible. A penalty will be exacted on them as a reminder to use the tools handed to the all times. The penalty will be in the form of incarceration for six months or a fine not exceeding A$ 300. This will serve as a lesson that it is a criminal offense to expose oneself to chemical hazards with the aim of seeking unlawful compensation from the company. The policy will not spare the company either. The maximum penalty not exceeding A$206,000 will be exacted on mining company, or factory found guilty of multiple violations of the Public Health Policy Occupational Safety in the Mining Industry and Factory Employees

It is possible to use OSHA in the cases presented in the industrial courts. It is stated that the tribunal has the power to recover civil outcomes specified in this section (Reissman et al., 2011). The consideration is made on the qualification the employee, the job description, and credence of the violation of the of the employer’s or workers’ good faith to the preceding history of the breach. The employers or workers found guilty to have violated the provisions of the policy are handed maximum sentences. By so doing, any other parties with similar intentions of breaking, bending or neglecting the safety of employees will have to think twice before going down that road; thereby safeguarding the health of the employees.  

References

Mudd, G. M. (2007). The sustainability of mining in Australia: key production trends and their environmental implications. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University and Mineral Policy Institute, Melbourne.

Murray, J., Davies, T., & Rees, D. (2011). Occupational lung disease in the South African mining industry: research and policy implementation. Journal of public health policy, 32(1), S65-S79.

Shandro, J. A., Veiga, M. M., Shoveller, J., Scoble, M., & Koehoorn, M. (2011). Perspectives on community health issues and the mining boom–bust cycle. Resources Policy, 36(2), 178-186.

Li, Z., Ma, Z., van der Kuijp, T. J., Yuan, Z., & Huang, L. (2014). A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mines in China: pollution and health risk assessment. Science of the Total Environment, 468, 843-853.

Baggott, R. (2010). Public health: policy and politics. Palgrave Macmillan.

Pingle, S. (2012). Occupational safety and health in India: now and the future.Industrial health, 50(3), 167-171.

Niu, S. (2010). Ergonomics and occupational safety and health: An ILO perspective. Applied ergonomics, 41(6), 744-753.

Brauer, R. L. (2016). Safety and health for engineers. John Wiley & Sons.

Reissman, D. B., Kowalski-Trakofler, K. M., & Katz, C. L. (2011). Public health practice and disaster resilience: A framework integrating resilience as a worker protection strategy. Resilience and mental health: Challenges across the lifespan, 340-58.