2014-07-10

Occupational Safety & Health – Professional

Ethics

K.M.U.B. Kulasekara
District Factory Inspecting Engineer
Department of Labour
Kandy

Occupational Safety & Health – Professional

Ethics

Areas that will be covered,

• Introduction to OSH
• Legal Framework in Sri Lanka related to OSH &
the role of Professionals
• OSH management Systems

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Introduction to OSH

Our Safety Culture ???

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Why do we need Occupational Safety & Health ?

• The ILO estimates that some 2.3 million women and men
around the world succumb to work-related accidents or
diseases every year; this corresponds to over 6000 deaths
every single day
• Worldwide, there are around 340 million occupational
accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses
annually.
In Sri Lanka….
Around 80 fatalities and 3000 non fatal accidents are reported
Estimated number of work days lost - 600,000
Actual number may be very much higher !!!!

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Factors that drive us for OSH

• Avoid legal obligations

• Satisfy external organizations e.g Buyers,
Investors
• Pressure from International Organizations

OSH is a social responsibility of every one.

Why should employers be concerned about OSH?

• To Reduce Loses - Direct Losses/Costs

• Compensation
• Liability Claims
• Medical expenses
- Indirect Losses/Costs
Lost time of other workers
Training of new employees
Investigation costs
Reduction in Quality
……………….

• To Maintain Company Reputation

• To Improve workers moral
• …………………………

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Safety Iceberg Theory

Direct Vs Indirect Costs of Accidents Medical expenses
Liability Claims
Compensation

Reduced productivity
Accident investigation
Administrative costs
Lost time by supervisor
Costs of training replacement worker
Overtime
Legal fees
Equipment repair
Negative publicity
Damage to customer relations

Why should employees be concerned about OSH?

• To avoid loosing earning capacity

• To avoid medical expenses
• To avoid becoming an additional burden to
the family / society
• ……………………
• ……………………

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Legislation in Sri Lanka Relating to OSH

• The first ever OSH Legislation in Sri Lanka(Ceylon as it

was then known) was the Mines and machinery
Protection Ordinance, No. 2 of 1896, which came in
to force on 1.1.1900
• By section 131 of the Factories Ordinance, No. 45 of
1942 which came in to force on 1.1.1950, the
provisions of the above ordinance ceased to apply to
Factories, within the meaning of Factories Ordinance.
• At present main legislation in SL relating to OSH is
the Factories Ordinance No.45 of 1942.

Legislation in Sri Lanka Relating to OSH……….

• The Factories Ordinance, No. 45 of 1942, make

provisions to ensure Safety, Health and Welfare of
workers in Factories
Since its enactment in 1942, it has been
amended by,
• Factories (Amendment) Ordinance, No22 of 1946
• Factories (Amendment) Act, No. 54 of 1961
• Factories (Amendment) Act, No. 12 of 1976
• Factories (Amendment) Act, No. 18 of 1998
• Factories (Amendment) Act, No. 33 of 2000
• Factories (Amendment) Act, No. 19 of 2002

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Terms and Definitions

Safety: Safety can be defined as the condition or

state of being protected from danger ; that is ,
freedom from hazards that lead for accidents
/ill health
The pursuit of safety is largely a matter of
identifying hazards , eliminating them where
possible or otherwise protecting against their
consequences.

Terms and Definitions…...

Health : Health is a state of complete physical,

mental and social well-being and not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO)
Health in relation to work, indicates not merely
the absence of disease or infirmity; it also
includes the physical and mental elements
affecting the health which are directly related
to safety and hygiene at work (ILO C 155)

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Terms and Definitions…...

Welfare : anything done for the comfort and

improvement, intellectual or social, of the
employees over and above the wages paid
and is not a necessity of the industry.
Welfare facilities that should be provided to
employees are described in part iv of the
Factories Ordinance

Terms and Definitions…...

Hazard: Source (e.g. moving machinery,

radiation or energy source) , Situation (e.g.
working at heights) or act (e.g. manual lifting)
with a potential for harm in terms of human
injury or ill health or a combination of these
(OHSAS 18001)

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Terms and Definitions…...

Risk : Combination of the likelihood of an

occurrence of a hazardous event or exposure
and the severity of injury or ill health that can
be caused by the event or exposure.

Risk = Probability of occurrence of the event * Magnitude of its loss

Hierarchy of Controls (Risk)

• Elimination – Modify the design to eliminate the risk.

E.g. introduce mechanical lifting devices to eliminate
manual handling
• Substitution – substitute a less hazardous material or
reduce the system energy
• Engineering Control – Install ventilation systems,
machine guarding, interlocks, sound enclosures etc.
• Administrative controls – job rotation, safety signs, lock
and tag procedure
• Personal Protective Equipment – respirators, safety
glasses, gloves

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