ELEMENT 1

IGC-1
The scope and nature of occupational health and safety
The study of health and safety involves the study of many subjects including sciences
(chemistry, physicsand biology) engineering, psychology, sociology and the law.
Define health, safety, welfare, hazard. . . . . . . . . . .
Definitions are:
1.
Health
The absence of disease, for example asbestos creates a health risk because if you
inhale asbestosdust you may contract lung cancer.
2.
Safety
The absence of risk of serious personal injury for example walking under a load
suspended from acrane during a lifting operation is not safe because if load falls serious
personnel injuries or deathcould result. Staying out of danger area results safety.
3.
Welfare
Access to basic facilities, Such as toilet facility, hand was station, changing rooms, rest
places andwhere food can be prepared and eaten in hygienic conditions, drinking water
and first aidprovision.
4.
Accident
An unplanned, unwanted event which leads to injury or loss, for example a worker on the
ground isstruck on head and killed by a brick dropped by another worker 5 meter high
from scaffold or alorry driver misjudge and hit his lorry with road side barriers. In both
examples the act are notcarried out deliberately. Any deliberately attempt to cause
injury or loss will not call accident.
5.
Near miss
an unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead to injury(but did not in fact
do so) forexample a worker drops a brick form 5 meter high scaffold and it narrowly
misses another workerstanding on the ground. No injury result and brick not even
broken. The only thing that separatesaccident and near misses is OUTCOME of the
event. Accident causes loss and near miss does not.
6.

Hazard
Something with the potential to cause harm. For example a lorry moving around a site
road is ahazard because it might run over a worker. Hazard can be classified as:1.
Physical

things which cause harm because of their physical characteristics e.g. electricity,work at
height, radiation, vibration, noise, heat, trip hazards.2.
Chemical

things which can cause harm because of their chemical characteristics e.g lead,mercury,
sulphuric acid, cement dust etc.3.
Biological

living micro organism that cause disease and ill health e.g. hepatitis B virus,legionella
bacteria.4.
Ergonomic

stress and strain put on the body through posture and movement e.g. frequentrepetitive
handling of small boxes.

Psychological

things that have the potential to cause injury to the mind rather than thebody e.g.
exposure to highly traumatic event.
7.
Risk
The likelihood that hazards will cause harm in combination with the severity of Injury,
damage or lossthat might occur for example an electrical flex trailing across a busy
corridor in a hospital creates a risk.For example an electrical flex trailing across a busy
corridor in a hospital creates a risk. The degree of riskcan be described as high or

medium depending on how likely person might trip over that trailing flexand how badly
they might be injured.
8.
Dangerous occurrenceA specified event that has to be reported to relevant authority by statute law, even if
the event did notlead to fatality or major injury of a worker. For example the failure of
the load bearing parts of a crane isa dangerous occurrence even no person hat
be injured. This is reportable event.
9.
Environmental Protection
:T
he prevention for damage to the air, land and water
10.
Work related ill health
Diseases
or medical conditions caused by a persons work. For example dermatitis is a d
isease of theskin often caused by work activities especially when the handling of solvents
detergents involved.
11.
Commuting accident
An accident to a worker that occurs when they are travelling to or from:1. Their work
place 2. The place where they take a meal during working hours3. Place where they
collect their pay.
In order to understand health and safety issue you need to familiar with following
things,

The technical background to the issue and have relevant knowledge.

The standards that may apply to the workplace

The possible strengths and weaknesses of the various options that are available to
solvethe problem.
Why might the management of an organization not consider health and safetyto be
a priority?
The barriers to good standards of health and safety in work place are:1.

Complexity
2.
Conflicting demands
3.
Behavioral issues
Complexity
:
workplace can be complicated. Many people involve in many different workactivities need
coordination.
Conflicting demands:
a common conflict of interest is that between the need to supply aproduct or a service
at an appropriate speed so as to make a profit, and need to do so safely andwithout risk
of people.
Behavioral issues
:
good health and safety practice often relies on the perfect behavior of peoples but
sometime they do not behave in ideal way. For example a worker on constructionsite
should wear hard hats to protect form falling object but people sometime deliberately
donot wear hard hats.
Moral Social and Economic Reason for Health and Safety
Outline the Reasons why an organization should manage health and safety?
There are following main 3 reasons why an organization has to manage health and safety
Moral, Social & Economic1.
Moral
This about moral duty that one person has to another. Many people killed, injured by
other peoplework which is morally unacceptable.
2.
Social (legal)
Reason related to framework of law that governs the conduct of business
and organization. Thelegal responsibility for health and safety at work rests on primarily
on the employer. The employerhas duty to provide the following.

Safe Place of Work.

Safe Plant and Equipment.

Safe System of Work.

Training, Supervision and Competency of Staff.

3.
Economic
Accident and ill health cost money. When an accident occurs there will be direct and
indirect costsassociated the event. Some of these losses can be Insured against many of
them will be uninsured.When an accident occurs there are two types of losses that the
organization may face Direct Costs &Indirect Costs
Outline the direct & indirect costs that might arise from a workplace accident?
The business case for health and safety
The business case of health and safety Is simply that accident and ill health cost money.
When anaccident occurs there will be direct and indirect cost associated with event.

Direct Costs:
The measureable costs arising directly from the accident, for example first aid
treatment,worker sick pay, repairs to or replacement of damaged equipment, fines in the
criminal courts

Indirect Costs:
Those costs which are indirectly as a consequences, for example loss of staff from
productiveduties in order to investigate the incident, prepare reports, deal with relatives
attend court
proceeding, loss of staff morale, loss of goodwill of customers and damage to public
andindustrial image.
Uninsured Costs:
It has been estimated that uninsured losses are between eight and 36 times greater
than insured losses.Some examples of uninsured losses

Loss of raw materials due to accident.

Sick pay for injured workers.

Overtime to make up for lost production

Repair to damaged equipment.

The roles of national governments and international bodies:
The international labor organization (ILO) has set out convention C155 and
Recommendation R164which apply to workplace health and safety standards.

Most countries and regions have established legal standards that meet or exceed the
minimumstandards set out in C155 and R164.

Most countries and regions have established legal standards that meet the minimum
standardsset out in C155 & R164.
The international framework:
In 1981 the ILO adopted the occupational safety and health convention C155. This
describes basic policyfor health and safety at national and individual undertaking
level.The occupational safety and health recommendation 1981 R-164 supplements C155
and provided moredetails that how to comply with policies of C155.
Outline the legal duties that an employer has to comply with?
Employers Responsibilities
1.
To ensure that the workplace, machinery, equipment and processes under their control
are safeand without risk to health.2.
To ensure that the chemical, physical and biological substances and agents under their
controlare without risk to health.3.
To provide adequate protective clothing and protective equipment to prevent risk of
accident oradverse affects on health.4.
to provide appropriate instruction and training5.
to provide necessary supervision6.
to ensure that the hours of work doo not adversely affect employees health7.
to remove any physical and mental fatigue
Outline the legal duties that a worker has to comply with?

Workers Responsibilities and rights

Article 19 of c155 states that all worker and their representatives have to cooperate
with theiremployers so that he can fulfill his safety obligations
R164 says that worker should:
1.
Take reasonable care of their own safety and that of other people who might be
affected by thethings that they do and the things that they fail to do.2.
Comply with safety instructions and procedures.3.
Use all safety equipment properly and not tamper with it.4.
Report any situation which they believe could be hazard and which they cannot
themselvescorrect5.
Report any work related accident of ill health.
In addition to the basic right to safe workplace article 19 of c155 gives workers
the followingrights.
1.
The right to be provided with adequate information on actions the employer has to taken
toensure occupational safety and health.2.
The right to the necessary training in occupational safety and health3.
The right to be consulted by the employer on all matters of occupational safety and
healthrelating to their work.4.
The right to leave a workplace which he has reason to think presents an imminent and
seriousdanger to his life of health and not be compelled to return until it is safe.
Outline the consequences for an employer of non compliance with health andsafety
responsibilities?
The consequences of Non Compliance:
A breach of health and safety legislation is usually a criminal offence. Failure to meet
legal standardsmight lead employer to1.
Formal enforcement action2.
Prosecution of the organization in the criminal court3.
Prosecution of individuals such as director, managers and workers.
Formal enforcement action:

An enforcement agency might force an employer either to make improvement within the
workplace orstop carrying out high risk activities. failure to comply considered to be an
offence in itself.
Prosecution of the organization in the criminal court
Successful prosecution might result in punishment in the form of a fine
Prosecution of individuals such as director, managers and workers
Successful prosecution might result in punishment in the form of a fine or imprisonment

IGC-1
As well as the criminal law consequences there is also the matter of compensation forworkers
and other injured by a workplace accident.
1.
Taking legal action against their employer through the civil legal system and have prove
thatemployer had been negligent.2.
Claiming compensation from national or regional compensation schemes witho no
requirementto prove negligence or blame through the use of the legal system.
What are the organizational requirements for effective health and safetymanagement?
Health and safety management system:
ILO OSH 2001 safety and health system we can summaries the key elements of this
system1.
Policy 2. Organizing 3. Planning and implementing 4. Evaluation5. Action for improvement
6. Audit 7. Continual improvement
Policy:
A clear statement has to be made to establish health and safety as a prime commitment
at all level of organization particularly at the top
Organizing:
A framework of roles and responsibilities for health and safety must be created within
the organizationfrom top management to down to the floor.
Planning and Implementing:
Detail arrangement must be made for the management of health and safety. Central to
this idea is theconcept of risk assessment and the identification and implementation of
safe systems of work andprotective measures.
Evaluation:
Methods must be developing to monitor and review the effectiveness of the
arrangements put intoplace. This might be done reactively e.g. by reviewing accident and
ill health statistics reports.
Action for Improvement:
Any identified by the review process must be corrected as soon as possible by making
any require action

Audit:
To ensure that all parts are working acceptably well by systematic and critical
examination of the safetymanagement system
Continual Improvement:
The intention is safety management system will develop over the time to become
increasinglyappropriate and useful for company.

IGC-1Identify the internal and external sources of information about health andsafety?
Internal & External Information Sources:Internal information sources:
1.
Accident records2.
Medical records3.
Risk assessments4.
Maintenance reports5.
Safety representative inspections6.
Audit reports7.
Safety committee meeting minutes
External information sources:
1.
National legislation (e.g. regulations)2.
Material safety data sheet from manufacturers3.
National codes of practice and guidance notes4.
Manufacturer operating instructions5.
Trade associations6.
Safety journals and magazines