Management Plan Performance Review Audit Report

1.0. Role of Board/ Senior Management in Planning & Organizing

As the board and senior management of the organization is on the top of the organization. They are
considered as an employer and owner of the organizational whole activities. They are ultimately
responsible for any impact to their employees, community or environment due to the operation of an
organization. Thus senior management or board has major role for the health and safety practices.
Following are the key roles of senior management or board in health and safety practices.
Health and Safety Policy: Health and safety policy is a key document which needs to be prepared by the
organization which stablish the tone of an organization for the health and safety. Senior management
needs to have sound understanding of the activities carried out by the organization and its impact to all the
stakeholders. Management needs to identify all the steps that organization shall take in order to manage
those impacts. On top of that management should assure in writing that the all reasonable actions shall be
taken to manage the health and safety in the organization which is known as statement of intent or policy
statement. Senior management or board of director shall sign the document as a commitment to health
and safety.
Legal Requirement: Senior management needs to identify all the legal requirements which an organization
should implement in order to ensure the comply with those legal aspects. Senior management shall
establish the procedure to identify and implement the legal requirements. If government enforcement
agency observed that the legal requirements are not fulfilled and there is no system in place, then senior
manager shall be held responsible and actions stipulated in legislation shall be taken.
Resources allocation: As resources are required for the management and implementation of the health and
safety management system in organization adequate allocation of those resources to be ensured. Several
equipment, competency of employees to perform assigned task in safe way, development of required skill,
competent human resources etc. are required to ensure adequate management of health and safety at
workplace. Resources arrangement involves the financial arrangement, thus senior management needs to
always allocate require budget requirements in order to ensure the required resources are available for the
implementation of effective health and safety management at workplace.
1.1. Importance of Planning
Planning is essential for the implementation of health and safety policies. Adequate control of risk can only
be achieved through co-ordinated action by all members of the organisation. An effective system for health
and safety management requires organisations to plan to control the risks generated by the organizational
activities, reacting to changes i.e. changes in legal requirements, technologies, identification of new
hazards etc., sustain positive health and safety attitudes and behaviours etc. Thus planning is very
important in management of health and safety in organization.

Effective planning is concerned with prevention through identifying and controlling risks. In addition to
setting organization’s policy, planning should include steps to ensure legal compliance and procedures for
dealing with emergency situations. It should involve people throughout the organisation’s each step.

Planning the system, you will use to manage health and safety involves designing, developing and
implementing suitable and proportionate management arrangements, risk control systems and workplace
precautions. Operating and maintaining the system while also seeking improvement where needed, linking
it to how you manage other aspects of the organisation etc.
In order to plan successfully, several things to be established. Successful planning involves knowing where
the organisation is now which can be understood by considering accurate information about the current
situation. Developing organizations objective and target to ensure continuous improvement in
organizational performance. Benchmarking the organizational performance using legal requirements and
industrial benchmarking with other organizations to make comparisons and identification of further action
which is necessary to reach the establish goal.

1.2. Resources and Skills Required for Health and Safety Planning

A variety of resources are necessary to develop and implement a health and safety plan. Resources can be
monetary or in other forms. The organization can hire internal staff to manage and implement the plans. In
some cases, external vendors needs to be assigned i.e. third party certification bodies, external training
organizations etc. There are additional costs for administration, incentives, equipment or supplies also to
be considered. Additional resources include participants’ time and talent.

All the necessary resources should be itemized in an annual budget and included in the workplace health
improvement plan. Accurate tracking of program costs can be used as part of the evaluation strategy to
compare the organization’s investment with program goals and outcomes. Available resources are a factor
in determining which workplace health and safety activities are feasible to pursue and the time required to
achieve them.

Ensure sufficient resources are available to support the workplace health and safety plan

 Resources include financial resources, such as vendor contracts, purchasing of equipment or

supplies, marketing or educational materials, or hiring staff to oversee and manage the program to
be considered.
 Resources for all phases of the planning such as development including assessment, planning and
implementation of planning and evaluation to be considered.
 Additional resources include staff time for planning and implementation, space, and employee’s time
to participate
 Community partners can bring additional resources into the program to meet needs or fill gaps that
the workplace health coordinator or committee cannot accomplish alone:
 Experts for various activities such as ergonomists, occupational health specialist etc. to be included.

2.0. Role of Board or Senior Management in leading and controlling

When health and safety plans and procedures are established it needs to be implemented adequately in
order to ensure the effectiveness of the plans and procedures. Senior management or board as leaders
play a very important role for leading and controlling the health and safety performance of the
organization. Senior management or board needs to give required attention to the health and safety
practices at workplace.

Visible Leadership: Health and safety champion from the management to be assigned and they should
play their role the commitment from the management for the health and safety should be visible.
Management should show the commitment and lead by example. Employees shall be encouraged through
the senior managements when the commitment is visible from them. Senior management should always
needs to pay attention on the implementation of the actions which are identified as a risk control
measures instead of ignoring them.

Talk about Health and Safety: Senior management needs to talk about health and safety to encourage
section managers and other team leaders. Health and safety aspects to be considered and integrated into
all the business decisions made for the organization. Impact to health and safety due to organizational
changes and business decisions to be always considered and it should be adequately communicated.
 Awareness of Risk at workplace: Senior management needs to understand the significant risk at the
workplace and the control measures taken to mitigate those risk to be evaluated. Such leadership shows
the commitment from the management to the employees and positive health and safety culture shall be
developed.

Responsive: Senior management needs to be responsive for the any positive suggestions or reports in
order to improve the health and safety at the workplace. Lack of response from the management and
lack of implementation of suggested positive health and safety requirements shall lead to poor health
and safety culture.

Consultation: Senior management need to establish a procedure in order to consult the employees and
all other concern parties who shall be affected by organizations activities in order to develop a adequate
health and safety program within the organization. Consultation shall give the feeling of inclusion and
implementation shall be strengthening.

2.1. Use of Goal and Target

Setting health and safety goal and target is very important in order to improve the health and safety
performance within the organization. Goals and targets can assist in implementing your Work Health and
Safety policy and provide milestones towards improved management of Work Health and Safety. There
should be no difference between the commitments in the policy and those in the goals. Goal and target
should cover significant impacts and meet commitment to continual improvement while aiming to achieve
a formal Work Health and Safety standard. Goals will not be achieved if personnel either do not
understand, or do not want to support the goals, so it’s important to get staff involved in the process of
setting the objectives from an early stage to gain commitment.

Targets are the ‘stepping stone’ to achieving the overall ‘goal’ of a Work Health and Safety objective. A
Work Health and Safety target is a detailed performance requirement, measured where practicable, which
needs to be set and met to achieve objectives.

Setting goals and establishing targets to achieve those goals shall be a very useful tools in order to ensure
every employee go home from work without injury and illness. Goals and targets helps to define and
communicate Work Health and Safety objectives, principles, expectations Setting goals and target shall
provide a uniform approach to the management of Work Health and Safety requirements which shall be
very useful and important for the development of positive health and safety culture. Key performance
indicators shall be established in order to measure the health and safety performance which will also
shows the success and failure of the health and safety goal and target.

Goal and target shall help to define responsibilities and accountabilities for all personnel to ensure
effective implementation of the Work Health and Safety Management Plan. Goal setting is useful to
establish and reinforce relationships between the Work Health and Safety Management Plan, site
procedures and relevant standards. Setting goal and target shall establish a pro-actively facilitate
communication with, consultation with and the participation of all staff (including managers, supervisors,
and workers) in Work Health and Safety matters relevant to their scope of operations. Main purpose of
setting goal and targets is to ensure the continual improvement process of Workplace Health and Safety
which shall develop a positive health and safety culture at workplace.

Overall, setting health and safety goal and target will give a path to the continuous development of health
and safety management towards excellence. Measuring health and safety performance shall be easier due
to the goals and target settings which will be very helpful to identify the lagging areas and improvement of
these. Thus goals and target setting playing very vital role for the improvement of overall health and safety
management within an organization.
 2.2. Resources and Skills requirement for leading and controlling

There are various resources and skills required in order to lead and control the health and safety practices
within the organization.

 Financial resources:

In order to ensure the implementation of health and safety management system and risk control measures
identified in risk assessment. There are several resources are required i.e. safe work equipment, safe
workplace, arrangement of welfare facilities and so on. In order to ensure the adequate implementation of
those control measures and health and safety management system, adequate budget should be allocated.
When there is constraint of budget for health and safety the implementation of all those requirements
shall not be effective which will lead to poor health and safety management and implementation.
Eventually this will lead to increase of incident at workplace. The budget requirements need to be
continuously reviewed in certain interval in order to ensure the effective use. The adjustment of financial
requirements to be done as per the requirements after the frequent review.

 Competent employees

In order to improve the health and safety practices within an organization competent employees are
another vital part. Each work at workplace requires certain skill and competency i.e. operating machinery,
identification of workplace hazards, competent supervision etc. In order to ensure the adequate
implementation of health and safety system competency is very important. Thus assignment of competent
employees to execute the work is very important. Continuous assessment of competency to be ensured.

 External Agencies

There are several things which needs to be done by the external parties. i.e. certified training providers,
external auditing agencies for auditing and certifications, etc. thus adequate resources arrangement for the
assignment of those external agencies also to be identified on continuous basis, as the requirements may
change time to time.

3.0. Process of reviewing health and safety management performance

An essential component of Health and Safety is Monitoring and Review, allowing us to accurately assess existing
controls alongside risks to develop an effective plan of action. With this is mind, the purpose of this blog is to provide
a concise rundown on how Health and Safety is monitored and reviewed. There are various methods that’s needs to
be in place in order to ensure effective reviewing of health and safety management performance.

 Active and Reactive Monitoring:

Active monitoring is done in order to identify the standards, legal requirements and review of risk
management system and implementing those system prior to any mishap happens. Active monitoring is all
about being proactive to place all the controls in place to eliminate or reduce the risk level at workplace.
There are various methods used as health and safety active monitoring system. Formal and information
workplace inspections such as inspections with proper workplace inspection checklist and other tools are
considered as formal inspections and carrying out general walk around the workplace to identify the risk
are considered as informal inspection. Both are considered as a very useful tools on health and safety
monitoring. Various other specific inspection such as periodic inspection of equipment, welfare facility etc
are also part of the inspection.

Audit is another form of active monitoring. Detail audit can be conducted in order to identify the gap
between standards and implementation of those standards. Successful audit can be very useful for
identification of gaps in implementation of legal requirements, internal and external standards, work
practices within the workplace. Audit is a useful tool when it comes the health and safety performance
review.

Other means of active monitoring are safety sampling, safety tours, plant preventive maintenance, near
miss reporting etc. All of these means shall lead to proactive measures at workplace which will prevent
from incident.

Reactive health and safety management is about dealing with issues, accidents and incidents when they
occur. Unlike proactive safety management, it's too late to stop them. Reactive safety measures are about
putting things right. With reactive health and safety measures, taking action after things have gone wrong.

Various types of reactive monitoring methods that can be used at work place reporting and investigation of
incidents are the major part of the reactive monitoring. When the incident is happening and investigated
root causes of the incident shall be identified and implementing the preventive measures shall help to
prevent from reoccurrence of same kind of incident at workplace. Review of sickness and ill health record
is another method of reactive monitoring. Analysis of the ill health data shall help to identify the causes of
increasing ill health and actions required shall be identified. Other reactive measures of review can be legal
action record by enforcing agencies, review of equipment, machine breakdown records, review and
analysis of first aid record etc.

 Regular Management Review

Regular management review is another major thing for the review of the health and safety performance at
workplace. Management shall establish the policy, procedures for the health and safety management
within the workplace. Specific goals and targets are set for the best practices and incident control.
However adequate review of the health and safety performance if very important. Various key
performance indicators can be set to measure the performance. Frequent review of the set goal and target
achievement to be measured by top management. Goals can be adjusted upon review by the
management. Such management review shall help to identify the gap in procedure and implementation.

 Review of procedures, policies

Health and safety policies and procedures are developed for the effective management of health and
safety at workplace. Review of such procedures and policies to be done as required. There are various
occasions which required review of policy and procedures. Changes in legal requirements, changes in
organizational structure, change of workplace locations, introduction of new work methods, identification
of new hazards, result of health and safety audit, indication after the incident investigation etc. are those
situations which shall require to review the policy and procedure for health and safety in order to ensure
the effective implementation. On the other hand, all the procedures and policy to be reviewed on regular
intervals in order to ensure it is still effective.

 Data analysis and Action plan

By using all the tools of health and safety review such as active and reactive monitoring, procedures and
policy review, auditing etc. several data related to the health and safety performance can be collected. All
those reviews will give sufficient data about the current status of the health and safety performance.
Further those data shall be analysed to identify the gaps which needs to be improved between the required
standard and current standard can be identified from the analysis of the data. Upon analysis action to be
taken in order to improve the performance can be identified. Once the required actions are identified,
detail action plan to implement those actions to improve the performance to be developed. Required
steps, party who needs to take action, resources required to implement those actions, required time
frame, success criteria of the plan can be establish in the action plan. Successful implementation of action
plan will help to improve health and safety performance.
 4.0. Process of Monitoring and Auditing Health and Safety Practices

Various techniques can be used in order to monitor the health and safety practice at workplace. When
policy is set, procedures are developed, goal and targets are set it is always important to ensure that all
these procedures and policy are implemented practically at workplace. At the end of the day it’s a practice
of those policy and procedure which will prevent the incident at workplace. Thus practice at workplace is
important.

Monitoring techniques can be varying from active monitoring, reactive monitoring, review of legal
requirements and compliances, etc. Active monitoring of workplace health and safety practice, includes
workplace inspections, sampling, safety tours, plant preventive inspections, on-going trainings, audits,
details of legal requirements etc.

Workplace inspections, safety tours, sampling etc. shall help to identify the unsafe practices and conditions
that exist at workplace and collecting the data of such practices will help to identify the areas where
improvement is required. Such data needs to be recorded and analysed adequately in order to identify the
improvement requirement. Board or senior management needs to ensure the availability of required
resources to carry out such inspections to collect and analyse those data. Further those analyses to be
reviewed by senior management to implement the required actions for improvement of health and safety
practice.

Further a detail identification of the legal requirements applicable of the organization needs to be
identified and recorded. Legal requirements show the path for the improvement of health and safety
practices. Regular review of the required legal requirements to be carried out in order to include the
update of those requirements to cover all the required changes. In addition, review on compliance of those
requirements to be analysed. Regular checks to ensure the compliance to be carried out. Senior
management needs to ensure that such review is being carried out.

On the other hand, there are various reactive monitoring are there. Reactive monitoring indicates to
learning from incident. Review of sickness data, legal action records, incident investigation report,
machinery breakdown records etc. are considered as reactive monitoring.

Recording and analysing the records of sickness at workplace shall indicate the trend of the sickness and
investigation of those reasons shall help to identify the factors causing those sicknesses. In a same way
incident investigation reports shall help to identify the root causes of the incident and compliance of
suggested preventive measures will help to prevent from the reoccurrence of same incident in future.
Senior management needs to review the summery of those reports and ensure the required resources as
identified in the investigation reports are provided and suggested preventive actions are implemented to
prevent the reoccurrence.

4.1. Types of Audit

A health and safety audit is the detailed examination of organization’s health and safety management
system to make sure that policy and procedures of organization and activities are working according to
plan and are helping to meet the organization health and safety goals. Inspections and audits are ways to
determine areas where the health and safety practices can be improved. Health and Safety audits are a
great tool to assess risks and identify hazards.

Internal audits are conducted by the internal auditor who is an employee of an organization. Internal
audits can help you spot problems early, before they become big issues or are discovered by an external
auditor. Internal audits are found to be very effective for health and safety management. Internal auditor is
an employee of the organization who knows the operation of organization properly which will be easier to
spot the lagging area. On the other hand, internal audits are easier to carry out and comparatively less
expenses than the external audits. An internal auditor is an employee of an organization thus collecting
information and interaction with employees will be easier which will play an important role for collecting
the required
data for the audit. Implementation of the audit action plan will be easier and effective as the continuous
monitoring by the internal auditor can be done.

External audits are another types of audit which shall be conducted by the independent parties. External
audit shall be carried out for various purpose. It can be conducted for the certification for some specific
standards i.e. ISO 45001, ISO 14001 etc. Such certification audits are carried out in order to ensure if the
organization is in compliance as per those standards. After the successful audit the certification to the
relevant standards will be issued to the organization. Another audits are called surveillance audit. Once the
certificates are issued frequent audit during the validity of the certificate shall be carried out by the body
which issues those certificate in order to ensure the organization is continuously complying with the
certificate requirement. There are other kind of audits which are called as regulatory compliance. However
the compliance of required legal requirement is verified in both internal and external audits, in some cases
the legal authority itself carries out the legal compliance audit.

On the other hand, workplace inspection, safety sampling, safety survey etc. are also considered as a
method of auditing. In order to ensure the proper health and safety compliance and continuous
improvement workplace inspection plays a very important role. Workplace inspection can be formal or
informal. It is conducted to identify the unsafe condition, unsafe practices and hazards at workplace in
normal operation. Various kind of inspections can be conducted i.e. general workplace inspection, periodic
inspection of plant and equipment etc. Workplace inspections are done by supervisors, health and safety
professionals etc.

Safety sampling or safety tour is another tool used for the monitoring the performance. Safety Sampling is
a systematic sampling of particular dangerous activities, the process of the area. It’s a method of
measuring hazard or accident potential by random sampling and by counting safety defects while making a
tour in specified location by a prescribed tour of short duration in regular intervals. Defects noticed is used
to portray trends in a safety situation. The point on safety sampling sheet includes items such as non-use of
personal protection, obstructed fire exit, environmental factors, lighting, ventilation, temperature, faulty
hand tools, guarding position, Housekeeping machinery condition, etc. Collecting data from sampling shall
be used to identify the unsafe conditions, practices and to introduce action plan to prevent the incidents.

4.2. Action Plan

The purpose of the audit is to identify the gap in the compliance or practices of the organization and the
standards, legal requirements and internal procedures and policies. During the audit data are collected by
reviewing the workplace practices, interviewing the employees and managers, reviewing the internal
procedures, risk assessments, incident reporting, inspection reports and so on. All these reviews shall
portray the current status of compliance of organization. Performance of the organization shall be identify
by those data. Collected data shall be evaluated against the required standards, legal requirements,
internal procedures and policies and gaps will be identified.

The purpose of the audit is to assist organization for the continuous development and improvement in
health and safety management system. Thus in order to ensure the improvement in health and safety
management system and performance action plan is created to comply with those identified gaps. Action
plan shall be in detail which includes the gaps identified, required actions to be taken for the improvement,
resources required to comply, parties who should take those action, duration to complete the action and
success criteria of those actions shall be included. Careful implementation of action plan shall be useful for
the improvement of health and safety performance.
 Corporate Social Responsibility

1. Introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially
accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing corporate social responsibility,
companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society, including
economic, social, and environmental. To engage in CSR means that, in the ordinary course of business, a
company is operating in ways that enhance society and the environment, instead of contributing negatively
to them.

Corporate social responsibility is a broad concept that can take many forms depending on the company
and industry. Through CSR programs, philanthropy, and volunteer efforts, businesses can benefit society
while boosting their brands. As important as CSR is for the community, it is equally valuable for a company.
CSR activities can help forge a stronger bond between employees and corporations; boost morale; and help
both employees and employers feel more connected with the world around them. For a company to be
socially responsible, it first needs to be accountable to itself and its shareholders. Often, companies that
adopt CSR programs have grown their business to the point where they can give back to society. The more
visible and successful a corporation is, the more responsibility it has to set standards of ethical behaviour
for its peers, competition, and industry.

 Code and Ethic of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

It is the responsibility of all organization who are conducting CSR activity to comply with Code and ethic for
the business:

 Act with integrity – being honest, fair and trustworthy in all business dealings and relationships;
 Avoid conflicts between CSR's interests and personal interests;
 Respect and abide by our obligations to fellow employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers,
competitors and the communities in which CSR operates; and
 Act within the laws and regulations affecting business conduct.

It is the responsibility of all employees, including managers and other leaders, to ensure ethical conduct is
recognised and valued throughout CSR.

 Corporate Social Responsibility in Health and Safety Management

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can influence development of occupational safety and health
management. Health and safety of organization can be improved by proper corporate social responsibility.
Following are the some way that the health and safety performance is improved by corporate social
responsibility.

 Health and safety can be integrated into business processes, which makes health and safety part of
every aspect of business instead of isolated function. Same will lead to positive health and safety
culture.
 Corporate social responsibility can help to developing strategies that improve health and safety
which also foster innovation,
 Corporate social responsibility combining rational logic of prevention and health and safety
management systems with ethical or value-driven approaches will improve the employees moral
and gains trust in society.
  Corporate social responsibility shall be useful for developing the external stakeholder perspective
for health and safety, and involve and commit new powerful stakeholders in safety and health
programs,
 Developing more integrated approaches to safety and health, whereby occupational safety and
health are no longer isolated from public safety and health, product safety, and whereby the safety
and health responsibilities of companies are no longer limited to their own site.
Supporting development of integrated approaches to occupational safety and health, corporate social
responsibility can link occupational safety and health management with human resources, environment,
profitability and productivity. Corporate social responsibility can also help to mainstream occupational
safety and health management activities aimed at providing reasonable working hours, ensuring a proper
work-life balance, promoting health and well-being, preventing harassment in the workplace, appropriate
protection of vulnerable groups such as e.g. migrant workers and workers with disabilities, young workers
and elderly people etc. At the same time, development of health and safety management system supports
implementing Management systems Corporate social responsibility-related activities in the area of health
and safety.
Corporate social responsibility and especially its internal dimension, inclusive of socially responsible
practices concerning employees, is of particular importance for psychosocial risks management.
Implementing Corporate social responsibility related activities positively influences job satisfaction and
quality of working life. It is found in several survey indicate that employees’ assessments on various
aspects of their job satisfaction are significantly higher in firms that are perceived as more engaged in
Corporate social responsibility activities towards both their internal and external stakeholders. In addition
implementing socially responsible activities in the health and safety area can positively influence social
support, work satisfaction, relations between job demands and job control as well as work – life balance
representing dimensions of the working life quality.

There are several ways which might impact health and safety of the organization with corporate social
responsibility.

 Ethical code of conduct for health and safety

As other professions health and safety also have its ethical code of conduct. Effective implementation of
following those ethical code of conduct will make a workplace a fairer and effective workplace. The
practice of health and safety often has an ethical component. Often, the most ethical route is obvious, such
as the choice between a legal option and an illegal one. Other times, multiple considerations may cloud a
decision.

As Chris Marlowe, health and safety manager at Cambridge, MA-based CDM Smith, said, “We’re trying to
optimize several parameters at the same time, and one of the parameters is, ‘Does the work get done and
do we all stay employed?’”

CDM Smith specializes in environmental engineering, construction and consulting. Marlowe’s responsibility
includes water systems, so his major considerations are keeping employees safe and ensuring high-quality
drinking water for the public. He said the ethics he follows on the job are similar to the ethics he learned
for life in general: “Don’t do any harm, be honest in your dealings, do a good job.”

His values line up with codes of conduct from various safety groups, which emphasize protecting people,
property and the environment, along with displaying honesty and fairness. Most safety professionals
probably follow similar ethical guidelines; the challenge comes in applying them when facing situational
constraints and organizational priorities.

There are various guidelines are there as a code of ethics which can be followed.
  Do the right things

Health and safety does not always has two choice like black and white. It is always important to do the
right thing. There might be several choices in order to ensure the safe workplace. Thus in order to choose
the right choice and to do the right thing all the aspects of the situation to be evaluated. Evaluation of best
practices, evaluation of past experiences, evaluation of particular situations etc. can help to do the right
thing at workplace.

 Ethical Climate

Health and Safety professionals do not make decisions in a vacuum. Personal health and safety ethics are
something that have formed over life. However, organizational ethical climate also may have influence in
personal ethic. Ethical climate refers to the organization’s shared perceptions about what behaviors are
considered right or wrong. Companies may value safety but for different reasons based on their ethical
climate.

The three climate types are discussed in ethical behaviour.

 Utilitarian revolves around the most good for the most people.
 Principled supports following fundamental universal truths (i.e., obeying the law or doing the right
thing).
 Egoist promotes self-interest.

 Applying code of ethic have several benefits to the organization.

It sets a right culture at workplace. The most important benefit of a code of ethics is that it can foster an
environment of trust, ethical behaviour, integrity, and excellence. When everyone, from the top
management to the people at the very bottom, plays by the same rules and behaves in a certain way
toward one another, productivity tends to grow as conflicts and confusions disappear from the workplace.

In this environment, employees who might otherwise be afraid to voice their opinion feel encouraged to
contribute, which is how good teams become excellent. Companies that foster an environment of trust,
ethical behaviour, integrity, and excellence are also better prepared to deal with unforeseen
challenges because they have a very strong foundation to stand on.

Code of ethics helps to build a good reputation. In order to gain profit an organization needs good
reputation. When ethical codes are followed the company behaves in good way and gains reputation.
When organizations are not following the ethical behaviour, it leads to the controversies causing damage
to the reputation.

Applying ethical codes goes beyond the legal requirements and any other requirements. By following such
behaviour compliance with the legal requirements shall be obvious. Outstanding employees come from all
walks of life, and they all expect to be treated justly and ethically. Companies with a code of ethics
reassure potential employees that they won’t be discriminated against, sexually harassed, intimidated,
bullied, or subjected to any other type of workplace harassment.
 Occupational Health Provision in
Organization

ILO defines occupational health as “Occupational Health is the promotion and maintenance of the highest
degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations by preventing departures
from health, controlling risks and the adaptation of work to people, and people to their jobs.”
There are several hazards exists at workplace which are considered as occupational health hazards. There
are several types of hazards are present at workplace. Health hazards are considered as the materials or
the environment at workplace which may lead to illness to employees at work. Occupation health hazards
are classified as physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial, ergonomics.
1. Occupational Health Hazards
Workplace noise, vibration, heat and humidity, cold, dust, radiations, etc. are considered as a physical
health hazards at the workplace. There are several chemicals at workplace is present and handling of which
may lead to health hazards use of leads, benzene, methyl alcohol, cement and several other hazardous
chemicals are present at workplace. Employees may expose to various bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoa and
several biological chemicals may present in atmosphere of workplace leading to occupational illness.
Psychosocial hazards include lack of job satisfaction, insecurity, poor interpersonal relations, work
pressure, ambiguity which may lead to psychosomatic disorders like hypertension, headache, body-ache,
peptic ulcers, asthma, diabetes, heart disorders.
1.1. Relation between occupational health and public health
Improving the occupational health at workplace shall contributes to improving the health of the whole
public. As the employees work in the organization also belongs to the society improvement of occupational
health conditions shall contribute to public health. Management of particular occupational health topics
such as smoking and obesity, will improve a large number of employees at workplace which further helps
to improve public health.
The management of occupational health can be a first step in order to improve the public health. Health
improvement, including surveillance, monitoring of specific diseases and risk factors and lifestyle issues
such as smoking and alcohol at workplace will improve the health of employees. Such steps shall create
awareness around the employees which shall be communicated to society by those employees causing
improvement of public health. Further improvement of environment aspect of the organization will
improve the employees as well as public health.
2. Bio-psychosocial health Model
The biopsychosocial model of health and illness is health model that states that interactions between
biological, psychological, and social factors to determine the illness and disease. The biopsychosocial model
argues that any one factor is not sufficient; it is the interplay between people’s genetic makeup (biology),
mental health and behaviour (psychology), and social and cultural context that determine the course of
their health-related outcomes.

2.1. Biological Influences on Health

Biological influences on health include an individual’s genetic makeup and history of physical trauma or
infection. Many disorders have an inherited genetic vulnerability. It is clear that genetics have an important
role in the development of schizophrenia, but equally clear is that there must be other factors at play.
Certain non-biological (i.e., environmental) factors influence the expression of the disorder in those with a
pre- existing genetic risk.
2.2. Psychological Influences on Health
The psychological component of the biopsychosocial model seeks to find a psychological foundation for a
particular symptom or array of symptoms (e.g., impulsivity, irritability, overwhelming sadness, etc.).
Individuals with a genetic vulnerability may be more likely to display negative thinking that puts them at
risk for depression; alternatively, psychological factors may exacerbate a biological predisposition by
putting a genetically vulnerable person at risk for other risk behaviours. For example, depression on its own
may not cause liver problems, but a person with depression may be more likely to abuse alcohol, and,
therefore, develop liver damage. Increased risk-taking leads to an increased likelihood of disease.
2.3. Social Influences on Health
Social factors include socioeconomic status, culture, technology, and religion. For instance, losing one’s job
or ending a romantic relationship may place one at risk of stress and illness. Such life events may
predispose an individual to developing depression, which may, in turn, contribute to physical health
problems. The impact of social factors is widely recognized in mental disorders like anorexia nervosa (a
disorder characterized by excessive and purposeful weight loss despite evidence of low body weight).
2.4. Cultural Factors
Also included in the social domain are cultural factors. For instance, differences in the circumstances,
expectations, and belief systems of different cultural groups contribute to different prevalence rates and
symptom expression of disorders. For example, anorexia is less common in non-western cultures because
they put less emphasis on thinness in women.
All of these factors shall affect the health of individual thus its common for the occupational health as well
as public health.

3. Fitness to work
"Fitness to work" is a medical assessment done when an employer wishes to be sure an employee can
safely do a specific job or task. The purpose is to determine if medically the employee can perform the job
or task under the working conditions. Fit to work assessments are most often done to determine medical
fitness after an illness or injury, but are sometimes done after employment has been offered, as requested
by the employer, or as a condition of a job transfer. Typically, the employee will visit a medical professional
who will determine if the person is able to do that particular job. The medical professional may consider
physical or mental abilities, sensory acuity, level of skill, functional limitations, etc. The medical
professional will typically only report one of three conditions back to the employer. Fitness to work
standards is set to ensure that the person is fit to carry out the work safely without the risk to themselves
and others.

3.1. Managing Long and Short Term sickness absence/ incapacity

Absence from work is causes high price for the organization. When employees are not able to work due
to various sickness organizations should pay several cost associated with it. Increase in insurance
premium, non-completion of work on time, extra over time paid to complete the work etc. are some
affect to the organization due to increase absenteeism. Organization should put measures to manage
these absenteeism.

3.2. Reviewing Long-Term Sickness Absence

There are two stages to managing an employee's long-term sickness absence. The first is to manage the
employee's absence from work and the second to manage their return to work. The management of an
employee's absence should be carried out proactively with the primary aim of supporting the employee
and facilitate a return to work as soon as possible.
To achieve these aims, the manager should normally carry out regular reviews of the employee's length of
absence, state of health and readiness to return, as well as whether or not anything can be done to
facilitate
a return. This should be done in discussion with the relevant HR Business Manager or their team,
Occupational Health and, where appropriate, the absent employee.

3.3. Obtaining Medical Advice

As soon as it becomes clear that an employee's absence will be long-term, the manager should speak to
the employee about a referral to Occupational Health for an assessment of the effects of the condition, the
likely duration of the illness or condition and whether or not there are any steps that the manager could
take to facilitate the employee's return to work on receipt of the Occupational Health assessment the
manager should consider it carefully with a view to identifying what specific further actions should be
taken.

3.4. Maintaining Contact with the Employee

An employee on long-term sick leave may feel isolated and miss the social contact that work usually
affords. It will be very important for the employee to know that, even though he or she is off sick, support
is available from the organization. The manager should take positive steps to keep in touch so that the
employee knows that the organisation is interested in his or her health and wellbeing, and that support is
available.

3.5. Managing the Employee's Return to Work

As time goes on, the manager should seek to obtain further medical advice about the employee's fitness to
work and continue to discuss the situation with the employee directly where this is possible. Once
Occupational Health or the employee's doctor or specialist has indicated that the employee may soon be
ready to return to work, the manager should turn his or her attention to the steps that might reasonably be
taken to support the employee's return. The manager should take account of the doctor's advice in a fit
note that could help to identify any appropriate steps that the employer could take to help the employee
return to work.

3.6. Phased Returns

Phased returns can be implemented to help facilitate an employee's return to work after long-term
sickness absence. A phased return can be beneficial for both the employer and the employee when trying
to achieve a successful return to work. A phased return to work will not be suitable in every situation. The
premise of a phased return is that the employee is well enough to carry out some work, and is likely, given
time, to recover sufficiently to return to his or her previous role. Where the employee is not capable of any
work, the question of a phased return will not arise. A phased return to work should be based on medical
advice, either in a fit note from the employee's doctor, or in an Occupational Health assessment.

3.7. Benefits and barriers of vocational rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation, is a process which enables persons with functional, psychological,

developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities, impairments or health disabilities to overcome
barriers to accessing, maintaining, or returning to employment or other useful occupation.
Vocational rehabilitation can require input from a range of health care professionals and other non-
medical disciplines such as disability employment advisers and career counsellors.
Vocational rehabilitation is a very useful tool for the cost reduction which benefits both the employees and
employer. The cost for the vocational rehabilitation of an existing employee is far less than hiring new
employees. As there is high cost such as training to new employee, non-completion of required work on
time, overtime cost to complete the work etc. may be higher than existing employee. When vocational
rehabilitation is in place employees moral will be boost towards an organization. When employees feels
taken care and accommodate the social advantages shall increase. With morally boost employees the
production and output shall increase in organization.

When vocational rehabilitation in place high employees turnover can be reduced as the employees are
able to return to work in reasonable time. There are social advantages of vocationally rehabilitating
employees who have physical or mental impairments as this promotes a good-will within the company and
no feelings of angst and dislike. The cost of hiring a new employee is far greater than just a salary, there are
other costs of ensuring that processes are understood and there a large gap in the time where the position
may remain unfilled as well as opportunity costs of not having the work completed in a timely manner.

In addition to the potential bottom-line benefits of vocational rehabilitation, such programs can promote
positive employee relations. Communicating the benefits of the program, keeping in contact with workers
on disability leave, and establishing light- and alternate-duty occupations can help show all employees that
they are valued contributors to a business.

Inadequate system in place, lack of co-ordination between employees and managers, lack of co-ordination
from the employees, unavailability of the required services etc are some barriers of the effective vocational
rehabilitation.

3.8. Return to work assessment

Every employer have duty to ensure the appropriate health safety and welfare for those employees
returning for work after long absence due to either work related or non-work related injury or illness.
Various aspect of return to work to be considered. As the previously assigned work may not be fit for the
employees’ proper assessment to be carried out.

First of all, the current condition of an employee to be considered. A doctors note to be reviewed to
understand the fitness of employees. Identification of complete return of partial return to work to be
done. Employees current work to be evaluated and it should be ensured that the employee is fit to carry
out the same work. If employees considered not fit to carry out the same job as per the assessment
another suitable task to be assigned. Required training to carry out alternative work to be given to
employee.

When employee is fit to carry out the same task additional care to be taken. Assessment should include
either the current control measures are sufficient to carry out the work or not. If additional control
measures
i.e. changing in work station, arrangement of additional gadgets etc. are required to be provided.

Periodic assessment to be carried out in order to ensure the gradual development of the employees health
condition. Interview with employee to be conducted while returning to work in order to identify the
condition of employee and to understand the require arrangement.

Employer should liaison with other divisions in order to assess the return to work. Health and safety
professionals, occupational hygienist, occupational ergonomist, physicians etc. to be consulted as the
requirement for the effective return to work.

4. Managing Occupational Health

Occupational health is a very important part of the health and safety management in organization.
Effective management of health have a lot of benefit to the organization. Reduce employees turn over,
reduce in illness, reduce absenteeism, reduce insurance premium etc. are some benefits from the
managing occupational health at work.
Occupational health services major function is to protect employees from the workplace occupational
health hazards, promote the good health practices and prevent from the various health related problems
by putting preventive programs.

Occupational health services have several roles in organization. Following are some of them

Surveillance of the working environment: Occupational health services shall carry out the regular
surveillance at workplace in order to identify the workplace health hazards, wrong work practices etc
which may cause the occupational illness to employees. Occupational health services further inform to
employers and employees about those health hazards and advices them to take adequate control
measures to protect.
Assessment of health risks: occupational health services shall carry out the health risk of the employees
while they are evolved into particular hazardous works. As a result of such assessment employees who fit
for the work and not fit for the work shall be identified. Health risk of hazardous works such chemical
handling, carrying out radiography work, working inside confined spaces etc shall be identified.

Surveillance of workers' health: Occupational health agencies are involved in various health surveillance
activities at workplace. Pre-assignment (pre-employment) health examinations of employees to ensure the
employee is medically fit to carry out the assigned task safely, Periodic health examinations to identify the
health condition of existing employees and to comply with legal requirement, Return-to-work health
examinations, when employee return to work from the illness or injury and other general health
surveillance are some health surveillance which occupational health services shall carry out.

First aid services and emergency preparedness: occupational health services shall ensure the adequate
arrangement of the first aid services at workplace and ensures that the arrangement is sufficient in order
to meet the emergency requirements such as major incident, injuries etc.

As it is understood that occupational health services is involved in various types of functions. It offers the
services such as occupational health promotion dieses prevention etc. Health promotion is the process of
empowering people to increase control over their health and its determinants through health literacy
efforts and multispectral action to increase healthy behaviours. Health promotion usually addresses
behavioural risk factors such as Smoking, tobacco use, obesity, diet and physical inactivity, as well as the
areas of mental health, injury prevention, drug abuse control, alcohol control. There are three types of
health prevention activities are there in organization. First one is called primary health prevention which
includes general health education to employees, screening of blood pressure and sugar, cholesterol
screening, weight management programs, routine immunization are some function of health promotion.
Second called secondary prevention which is a Health or dieses prevention program on the other hand
includes activities such as hearing conservation program, ergonomic program, health surveillance, medical
monitoring, respiratory protection program, international travel program etc. Third stage is called tertiary
protection This includes disability management, return to work of employees, employee assistance
program for counselling, weight management program etc.

4.1. Health need assessment

Health need assessment needs to be carried out during the planning stage at organization. It is a very
important assessment in order to ensure the effective occupational health management at workplace.
Workplace health hazards identification, required control measures to prevent the illness from those
hazards, resources required to implement those health hazards shall be identified during the health need
assessment which is an important part of the occupational health management. Thus to identify the health
need of the organization in order to control the existing health hazards health need assessment to be
included into the planning phase.
4.2. Occupational health audit
It is always important to assure that appropriate controls are in place and are in use in order to maintain
the occupational health requirements . occupational health standards helps to show the path to achieve
the adequate management of occupational health at workplace. Implementation of those standards will
help to achieve those desired standards of performance at workplace. Such standards may reflect legal
requirements or be based on industry, company or other standards as appropriate. Carrying out audit of
the occupational health as per the required standard helps an organization to ensure the adequate
compliance against the legal, industrial and internal company standard which ultimately helps to prevent
the occupational illness.
Audit of occupational health shall be useful to ensure the adequate health risk assessment of work
activities are in place and all the occupational health hazards are identified • further it will help to ensure
that there is adequate assessment of the individual worker’s health is carried out and employees fitness for
work is ensured • occupational health audit helps to identify the types of emergency which may occur and
ensures the preparedness and response for the same.

4.3. Managing Mental Health at work

Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions —
disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behaviour. Examples of mental illness include depression,
anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviours. Many people have mental
health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing
signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect ability to function. Feeling sad or down, confused
thinking or reduced ability to concentrate, excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt, extreme
mood changes of highs and lows, withdrawal from friends and activities, significant tiredness, low energy
or problems sleeping, Inability to cope with daily problems or stress, trouble understanding and relating to
situations and to people, excessive alcohol or drug use, major changes in eating habits, excessive anger,
hostility or violence are some characteristics of the mental illness.

4.3.1. Work related stress

Stress is a reaction to a situation – it isn't about the actual situation. We usually feel stressed when we
think that the demands of the situation are greater than our resources to deal with that situation. For
example, someone who feels comfortable speaking in public may not worry about giving a presentation,
while someone who isn't confident in their skills may feel a lot of stress about an upcoming presentation.
Common sources of stress may include major life events, like moving or changing jobs. Long-term worries,
like a long- term illness or parenting, can also feel stressful. Even daily hassles like dealing with traffic can
be a source of stress.

4.3.2. Work related mental health causes

There are various causes at work which may lead to the work related mental illness at workplace. which
may include, inadequate health and safety policies, poor communication and management practices,
limited participation in decision-making or low control over one’s area of work, low levels of support for
employees, inflexible working hours, unclear tasks or organizational objectives, too much work load,
lack of resources to complete the job, physical conditions at work such as too hot, too cold etc,
workplace harassment, bully etc.
4.3.3. Managing work related mental illness
Organization has responsibility to manage the work related mental health issues at workplace. Every
employer should take reasonable steps to manage the work related mental health illness at workplace.
following steps to be taken to manage the work related mental health at workplace.

Speak about mental health. The first step to beating the stigma is to stop treating mental illness as taboo.
Whether it’s an article you read, a show you watched, or a personal experience you had, talking about it
openly and without shame will help others realize they aren’t alone.

Keep the conversation going. Workplace culture must be nurtured, which means you can’t just mention
mental health once and expect it to catch on. Find multiple opportunities to incorporate the subject into
your employees’ day so it stays top-of-mind.

Include all levels of staff. As we mentioned in a previous article, culture starts at the top. Your employees
won’t believe that you genuinely care about their well-being unless every manager and executive also
demonstrates the importance of mental health.

Encourage employees to take mental health days off. If you still require your employees to provide a
doctor’s note or otherwise “legitimate” reason for missing work, it might be time to stop. Part of
preventative health involves giving your mind and body a break every now and then, and allowing your
staff to miss work in order to recharge can help them stave off more serious health issues down the road.

Pay attention and be ready to help. If you do notice an employee behaving differently (ex: irritability or
low mood), don’t hesitate to ask them if everything is alright. Even if they tell you they’re fine, remind
them that you’re there to help and that they have access to assistive resources.

Make sure the tools and resources are relevant. No matter how much information you supply your
employees, it’ll never do any good if it’s outdated or irrelevant. In fact, it might even do harm. Frequently
audit your mental health resources to make sure they’re accurate, up-to-date, and contain practical advice
that your employees can use to get better.

Facilitate access to these resources. Similar to the previous point, your staff won’t get much use out of the
information if it’s difficult for them to find. Eliminate barriers to access by providing the content in a variety
of formats (audio, video, written, etc), and minimizing the number of steps it takes for them to find it.

Prioritize confidentiality and anonymity. Even though mental health might be normalized in your
workplace, some people might still feel uncomfortable discussing it, particularly if they struggle with
addiction, trauma, or suicidal thoughts. Reassure your staff that their privacy is your top concern, and that
their use of mental health resources will never be monitored or tracked.

Design a mentally healthy work space. It’s important for your employees to feel energized and uplifted by
their work environment. Research has shown productivity, engagement, and overall wellness increase
when people feel comfortable in workspaces with natural lighting, plants, and other positive features.

Focus on the positive. Mental illness is a serious issue, but it can still be addressed in a way that makes
people feel understood, appreciated, and hopeful. Always remember to leave your employees feeling like
they have a clear plan of action ahead and that they or their loved ones can get well.
 5.0. Managing work related violence

Work-related violence is any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in

circumstances relating to their work. Examples of work-related violence include: biting, spitting, scratching,
hitting, kicking, throwing objects, pushing, shoving, tripping, grabbing, verbal threats, armed robbery,
sexual assault, attacking with knives, guns, clubs, or any type of weapon etc. Contact with the public,
exchange of money, delivery of passengers, goods, or services, having a mobile workplace such as a taxicab
or police cruiser, working with unstable or volatile persons in health care, social services, or criminal justice
settings, working alone or in small numbers, Working late at night or during early morning hours, working
in high-crime areas, guarding valuable property or possessions, working in community-based settings are
some factor which increase the risk of work related violation.

5.1. Impact of workplace violence

Exposure to workplace violence may lead to both physical and psychological health problems. The physical
consequences depend on the severity of the incident, and can range from minor injuries (e.g., bruising or
wounds) to death. Psychological issues of workplace violence found that include anxiety, fear, increased
irritability, concentration problems, reduced self-confidence, sleeping problems, stress reactions,
depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, other outcomes include personal safety
concerns, job insecurity, fear, lowered job performance, job satisfaction, affective commitment, intent to
turnover, physical well-being, interpersonal deviance, and organizational deviance.

5.2. Control Measures of Work related Violence

Physical work environment and security: The physical work environment can affect the likelihood of
violent incidents and the ease in which people can respond. Multiple control measures should be used and
the following are the most reliable and provide the highest protection for workers: Ensure the building is
secure, maintained and fit for purpose, Use security measures such as CCTV, Separate workers from the
public where possible with protective barriers etc. Control access to the premises and vulnerable areas, Fit
communication and alarm systems and ensure they are regularly maintained and tested, Limit the amount
of cash, valuables and drugs held on the premises, Develop and implement cash-handling procedures, Use
internal and external lighting to assist visibility, Use appropriate signage to direct clients and visitors.

Work systems and procedures: Work system and procedure are administrative controls and should form
part of overall workplace prevention strategies. They are insufficient on their own to reduce the risk of
violence and should be used together with control measures relating to the physical work environment and
security. Work systems include: procedures for working in isolation and in uncontrolled environments,
policies that include appropriate action to be taken to protect workers and others from violence,
monitoring staff working in the community or away from the workplace, identification of behaviours and
their triggers and strategies to address them, management plans for clients known to have a history of
aggression

Training: Training should form part of an overall approach to control the risk of work-related violence.
Training can be provided in the following: Violence prevention measures, Workplace policy and
procedures, including emergency response, De-escalating aggression–identifying signs of aggression, verbal
and non- verbal, communication strategies, encouraging reasoning, listening carefully and acknowledging
concerns, communication skills, situational risk assessment –when visiting homes or working off-site,
Positive behaviour strategies and managing behaviours of concern.