Occupational health and safety is relevant to all branches of industry, business and commerce including traditional industries, information technology companies, the National Health Service, care homes, schools, universities, leisure facilities and offices. It is particularly important for the construction industry.
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the foundations on which appropriate health and safety systems may be built. Occupational health and safety affects all aspects of work. In a low hazard organization, health and safety may be supervised by a single competent manager. In a high hazard manufacturing plant, many different specialists, such as engineers (electrical, mechanical and civil), lawyers, medical doctors and nurses, trainers, work planners and supervisors, may be required to assist the professional health and safety practitioner in ensuring that there are satisfactory health and safety standards within the organization.
Construction is a large industry which accounts for 10% of the gross domestic product of the United Kingdom. It employs 2.2m people and produces activity worth over £90 billion each year. The construction industry has a world reputation for the quality of its work but it remains one of the most dangerous in Britain. In 2004/05, the fatal injury rate (per 100 000 workers) was 3.4 while the industrial average was 0.8. In response to the ‘Revitalising Health and Safety’ campaign launched by the Health and Safety Commission and the Government in June 2000, the construction industry set itself a target to reduce the rate of fatal and major
injury to its workers by 40% in 2004/05 and by 66% in 2009/10. The construction client who commissions the work is a very important agent in the drive for improved health and safety standards.
He should insiston good evidence of the health and safety record and performance of a contractor at the tendering stage, ensure that health and safety standards are being met on site. He should also require that all the people working on the site are properly trained for their
particular job.
There are many obstacles to the achievement of good standards. The pressure of production or performance targets, financial constraints and the complexity of the organization are typical examples of such obstacles.
However, there are some powerful incentives for organizations to strive for high health and
safety standards. These incentives are moral, legal and economic.
Corporate responsibility, a term used extensively in the 21st century world of work, covers a wide range of issues. It includes the effects that an organization’s business has on the environment, human rights and third world poverty. Health and safety in the workplace is an important corporate responsibility issue.
Corporate responsibility has various definitions. However, broadly speaking it covers the ways in which organizations manage their core business to add social, environmental and economic value in order to produce a positive, sustainable impact on both society and the business itself. Terms such as ‘corporate social responsibility’, ‘socially responsible business’, and ‘corporate citizenship’ all refer to this concept.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive believe its mission is to ensure that the risks to health and safety of workers are properly controlled. In terms of corporate responsibility, they are working to encourage organizations to:
- Improve management systems to reduce injuries and ill health
- Demonstrate the importance of health and safety issues at board level
- Report publicly on health and safety issues within their organization, including their performance against targets.
The HSE believe that effective management of health and safety:
- Is vital to employee well-being
- Has a role to play in enhancing the reputation of businesses and helping them achieve high performance teams
- Is financially beneficial to business.
Nebosh courses and exams
if you have any comment or question please write it bellow.
EmoticonEmoticon