reasons for health safety and environmental management

8/2/2019 Reasons for Health Safety and Environmental Management

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

LECTURE

SEPTEMBER 2011

OYEWOLE OYENIRAN


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BACKGROUND AND DEFINITIONS

The study of Health and Safety includes the study ofmany different subjects including the sciences [Physics,Chemistry, Biology], Engineering, Psychology, Sociologyand the Law

There are many barriers to good standards of healthand safety in a workplace: workplaces can be complex;there are often competing and conflicting demandsplaced on people and organizations; and good health

and safety practices often relies on the perfectbehavior of individuals who sometimes fail to behavein this desired ideal way


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KEY DEFINITIONS

Health: The absence of disease

Safety: The absence of risk of serious personal

injury

Welfare: Access to basic facilities

Environmental Protection: Prevention of damageto the air, land, water and living creatures in thewider environment


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Conflicting Demands and Behavioral

Issues

The need to supply a product or service at anappropriate speed so as to make profit and the need todo so safely without risk to peoples health

Need to comply with different type of standards at thesame time e.g. health and safety law andenvironmental protection law

People do not behave as they are supposed to all thetime; they sometimes make mistakes, they do thewrong thing thinking that it is right or sometimes dothe wrong thing deliberately knowing it is wrong butdoing it anyway


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EXAMPLE OF BEHAVIORAL ISSUES


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Conflicting Demands and Behavioral

Issues Contd

Thus worker behavior poses a serious barrier

to the maintenance of good health and safety

standards in the workplace


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HEALTH

The absence of disease or ill health. For

example asbestos creates a health risk

because if you inhale asbestos dust you may

contract lung cancer (a disease at some stage

later in life perhaps 20 or 30 years after you

inhale the dust). Health relates not only to

physical ill health but also to psychological illhealth (e.g. exposure to extreme stress can

lead to nervous breakdown)


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SAFETY

The absence of risk of serious personal injury

and or Death.

For example walking under a suspended load

from a crane during a lifting operation is not

safe because if the load falls, serious personal

injury or death could result. Staying out of

Danger areas result in safety


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WELFARE

Access to basic facilities such as; toilet

facilities, hand wash stations, changing rooms,

rest rooms and places where food can be

prepared and eaten in relatively hygienic

conditions, drinking water and basic first aid

provision


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The prevention of damage to air, water, land andliving creatures in the wider environment

Environment simply refers to the local area

around a workplace or workstation, meaning theair, temperature, humidity, ventilation, lightingetc in the local area. It can also be use in thewider context to refer to; air, land, water and

creatures. Environmental protection refer to theprevention of damage to this wider environmentand is of course subject to legal standards.


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REASONS FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY

(Moral, Financial and Legal)

Individuals and Organizations have to manage

health and safety standards within the

workplace for various reasons

These reasons can be grouped under 3 main

headings: moral, financial and legal


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THE PROBLEM

The following statistics presented below

compiled by the Health and Safety Executive

HSE UK represents averages over recent years

in the UK

Every year in the UK

over 220 workers are killed at work

over 29000 workers suffer a major injury

over 110,000 workers suffer over 3 day injury


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THE PROBLEM Contd

Over 30 million working days are lost

- 80% as a result of work related ill health

- 20% as a result of workplace injury

2 million people suffer from an illness theybelieve was caused or made worse by theircurrent or past work

Over 2,000 people die of mesothelioma andthousands more from other occupationalcancer and lung diseases


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THE PROBLEM Contd

The above figures relates to only those accidentsand diseases that were reported and recorded,there will be cases of under reporting thus the

statistics could be higher! The above is also indicative of a huge amount of

pain and suffering experienced by people whosimply go to work to earn a living

The numbers indicate the scale of the problembut what numbers do not do is tell individualstories


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THE MORAL REASONS

When health and safety is not managed properlypeople get killed and injured in gruesome ways orsuffer terrible diseases that have a massive impact notonly on them but also their dependants, families,

friends and colleagues this is morally unacceptable. Employers provide premises and equipment and put in

place the working practices which employees use toproduce goods and services with which employers earn

profit; thus employers have a moral responsibility toprovide safe and healthy working conditions


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THE FINANCIAL REASONS

Accidents and ill health cost employers

money. When accident occurs there will direct

and indirect cost associated with the event.

Some of these losses can be insured against;many cannot. The financial impact of

accidents and ill health can have significant

effects on the profitability of an organizationand in some cases can lead to bankruptcy


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Direct and Indirect Costs

Direct Costs measurable cost arising directlyfrom the accident

Examples

First Aid treatment Employee sick pay

Repair or replacement of damaged equipment

Lost or damaged product

Lost production time whilst dealing with the injury

Insurance compensation payment to the victim

Fines in criminal court


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Direct and Indirect Costs

Indirect Costs those cost which arise indirectly as a consequence of theevent; difficult to quantify precisely, hard to identify and in certaincircumstances extremely high

Examples Loss of staff from productive duties in order to investigate the incident,

prepare reports, undertake hospital visits, deal with relatives attend court

proceedings Loss of staff morale; impacts on productivity and efficiency

Compliance with any enforcement notice served

Cost of remedial action following an investigation e.g. change of process ormaterials and/or introduction of further control measures

Difficulty in recruiting and training staff as an indirect result of the accident

Loss of goodwill of customers following delays in production and fulfillingorders

Damage to Public Image and business reputation

Activation of penalty clauses for failing to meet delivery dates


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LEGAL FRAMEWORK REGULATING

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Two types of law creates the legal framework

for health and safety

Criminal law; concerned with the punishment of

companies or individuals who have broken statutehealth and safety law

Civil law ; concerned with compensation of

people who have been injured in work-relatedaccidents through no fault of their own.


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SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN

CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWCRIMINAL LAW CIVIL LAW

Action is brought by the State Action is brought by individual

Intention is punishment Intention is compensation

Legal proceeding normally starts within 6months of offence coming to light Legal proceeding normally starts within 3years of offence coming to light

Insurance is not available to pay the fine Insurance is available to pay the

compensation

Statute law is used as the source of the

law

Common and Statute law is used as the

source of law

Burden of proof required is normally

guilty beyond reasonable doubt

Burden of proof required is normally on

balance of probabilities'


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