IG1 (Element 1)

Why Manage Health and Safety?

Definitions:

Health: Health is defined as the absence of disease or ill health in both physical and mental sense.
(E.g. inhaling asbestos dust may result in lung cancer later in life; avoiding this, results in health)

Safety: Safety is defined as the absence of risk of serious personal injury.

(E.g. walking under suspended load during a lifting activity is not safe. If the suspended load falls, it
could result in serious personal injury or even death; Moving away from this area results in safety.)

Welfare: Welfare is defined as access to basic facilities like toilet facilities, hand wash area,
changing rooms, rest rooms, dining rooms, drinking water and basic first-aid facility.

Accident: Accident is defined as an unplanned, unwanted event that leads to injury, damage or
loss.

Near miss: Near miss is defined as an unplanned, unwanted event that had the potential to lead
to injury, damage or loss (but did not actually do so).

Dangerous occurrence: A dangerous occurrence is a specified event that may have to be

reported to the relevant authority by law.

Hazard: A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, e.g. chemicals, electricity and
working on a ladder.

Risk: The probability or likelihood that a potential hazard would be realized and its possible
consequence and severity in terms of injury, damage or harm. e.g. the chance of someone being
killed by coming into contact with electricity.

Reasons for maintaining good standards of health and safety:

(i) Moral reason:

Workers go to work to earn a living. They must come home after work in the same condition, not
suffering from any ill health or serious injuries. This is expected by the worker, his family and the
society. If health and safety is not managed properly, workers can get killed, badly injured or suffer
from work related illnesses. The worker will be subjected to a lot of pain and suffering in the event
of an accident. This is not morally acceptable. The worker may not be able to go to work anymore.
This affects his family, friends and the society as a whole. Employer has the authority to control the
workplace, equipment and work practices to produce the goods and services that he wants;
therefore, it is the moral responsibility of the employer to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

(ii) Financial reason:

An accident that results in injuries, ill health or property damage costs a lot of money. Costs that
arise from an accident may be direct or indirect in nature. Most of these costs cannot be insured,
while a few of them can be. Accidents and ill health negatively affect the financial resources of an
organization that may result in its shut down.

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Direct costs: Direct costs are the direct, measurable costs arising from an accident
Examples of direct costs
 Lost time of injured employees.
 Lost production time while dealing with the injury.
 Cost of first-aid treatment.
 Worker sick pay.
 Costs of rehabilitation of the injured worker and their return to work.
 Overtime to cover the lost time.
 Repair/replacement of damaged equipment/buildings.
 Cost of lost/damaged product.
 Insurance claims and compensations
 Criminal court costs and fines.
 Compensation paid to the victim: covered by insurance

Indirect costs: Hidden costs that arise from an accident. It is hard to measure or identify.
Examples of indirect costs
 Loss of staff morale: affects productivity, quality and efficiency of workers
 Interruption of business
 General difficulty hiring and retaining staff to replace the injured worker.
 Loss of business: due to delays in production and not delivering promised orders.
 Penalty charged by client/customer for not meeting delivery dates.
 Cost of time spent on accident investigation
 Lost time of other employees like supervisor, manager etc.
 Damage to corporate image, goodwill and business reputation.
 Damage to industrial relations, leading to industrial action like strikes.

Insured costs and uninsured costs

It is possible to insure some unexpected losses that may occur in an organization following an
accident. Employer’s Liability Insurance (ELI) covers some of such losses like fire. It is mandatory for
companies to have ELI in many countries. It pays compensation (civil cost) in case a worker is
injured or killed at work; this makes workers have a sense of security (peace of mind) that the
company is insured. A large number of costs are not covered by insurance e.g. prosecution in
criminal court. Such costs are not covered because they will not deter employers from non-
compliance.
Examples:

Insured costs Uninsured costs

 Damage to buildings, plant & equipment  Production delay or stopped production
 Compensation paid to workers  Loss of raw materials
 Medical expenses  Accident investigation time
 Legal costs: claim of compensation  Criminal fine & legal costs
 Worker sick pay
 Overtime to cover the lost time
 Cost of recruiting & training of new staff
 Loss of business reputation
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(iii) Legal reason:

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has set out conventions & recommendations in relation
to health and safety. These conventions and recommendations are seen internationally as legal
health and safety standards. Countries consider this as guidelines for developing their own version
of health and safety laws. These legal standards place a duty on the employer to ensure that their
workplaces, work activities, equipment and substances are safe without any risk to health. Non-
compliance with these legal standards may lead to enforcement action by the authorities, or
prosecution in criminal courts. Prosecution, if successful may result in heavy fines or imprisonment.

Benefits to an organization when maintaining good standards of health and safety:

 Increased compliance with rules and regulations
 Improved productivity
 Improved staff morale
 Improved company reputation
 Reduced accidents
 Reduced ill health
 Reduced damage to equipment
 Reduced staff complaints
 Reduced absenteeism
 Reduced insurance premium
 Reduced fines and compensation claims

Employer’s responsibilities:
- Provide and maintain workplaces that are safe and pose no risk to health
- Provide safe plant and equipment
- Provide a safe working environment
- Provide necessary information, instructions, training and sufficient and suitable supervision
- Carry out risk assessments and introduce safe systems of work
- Provide adequate welfare facilities including first aid amenities
- Ensure the safe use, storage, handling and transport of articles and substances
- Implement health and safety arrangements that suit the size and nature of the organization.
- Provide the necessary personal protective clothing and equipment free of cost.
- Provide competent health and safety advisors
- Consult with workers for all matters related to their health and safety
- Provide a suitable health and safety policy and revise it when necessary
- Ensure that the duty hours of workers don’t affect their health and safety negatively.
- Take measures to avoid any extreme physical and mental fatigue to workers in the workplace.
- Stay up-to-date with knowledge in order to comply with the above.

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People to whom an employer owes responsibility to:

- Employer’s own staff
- Other workers working on their site - casual workers, agency workers or contractor’s staff
- Workers who are not their staff, but works on their behalf on a site outside their premises.
- Visitors, present on the site but are not working
- Members of public who may be outside the site but affected by the works carried out on the site.

Worker’s responsibilities:
- Take reasonable care of their own safety & that of others affected by their actions or omissions
- Cooperate & comply with instructions given for their own health & safety and that of others.
- Use all safety devices & protective equipment correctly and not tamper with or misuse it.
- Report situations that they believe to be a hazard, which they cannot correct by themselves.
- Report any work-related accident or ill-health.
- Follow all health & safety procedures.
- Follow site rules and not consume substances like alcohol or drugs while on duty
- Take active participation in any worker consultation exercise conducted by the employer.

Worker’s rights:
- To be provided with information on steps the employer has taken to ensure their H&S at work.
- To receive necessary training in occupational health & safety.
- To be consulted by the employer on all matters related to their health & safety at work.
- To leave the workplace if there is reason to believe the presence of an immediate, serious danger
to their life or health and not be forced to return until it is confirmed to be safe.

Role of enforcement agencies

Every country has its enforcement agency responsible for enforcing health & safety law. In many countries
such agencies seek help from the national police force to support them in this role. These agencies: provide
advice, investigate accidents, take formal enforcement action or start criminal procedures. A separate fire
authority enforces fire safety law or provides advice to employers in many countries. Insurance companies
also enforce safety by conducting site inspections & audits on a regular basis. If health & safety standards
are not improving, the insurance company may raise premiums or refuse to provide insurance policy cover.

Powers (authority) of an enforcement agency:

- Enter premises of the client at any reasonable time
- Take a police person or other authorized person if there is obstruction in the execution of duty
- Examine and investigate anything on the site
- Instruct that the whole site or a part of it to be left undisturbed
- Take photographs and measurements
- Collect samples or retain articles and substances
- Order the testing, dismantling and examination of any equipment
- Take possession of items
- Require answers to questions and ask to a sign a statement, if required
- Inspect or make copies of relevant documents
- Order medical examination
- Issue improvement notice or prohibition notice
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Consequences of non-compliance:
Breach of health and safety law is seen as a criminal offence all over the world. Failure to comply
with law may lead to the following actions:
(i) Formal enforcement action –
- Improvement Notice: Enforcement agency can force an employer to improve the conditions
in the workplace within a given time period.
- Prohibition notice: Enforcement agency can order to stop or suspend high-risk activities in
the workplace until improvements are made:
(ii) Prosecution of the organisation in the criminal courts -
The organization may be subjected to prosecution in a criminal court; successful prosecution can
result in punishment in the form of a fine.
(iii) Prosecution of individuals (directors, managers and workers) -
Responsible individuals of the organization may be subjected to prosecution in a criminal court;
successful prosecution can result in a fine or imprisonment.
(iv) Civil compensation claim -
The worker may claim from compensation schemes
(v) Legal action (civil law) -
The worker may take legal action against their employer through the civil legal system, and prove
that their employer had been negligent and was therefore is responsible for their injury.
Other international standards
- ISO: the world’s largest developer of management standards
- It is not law: companies adopt these standards as it demonstrates good management practice
- This results in a common approach to managing occupational health and safety internationally.

A few ISO management standards are:

o ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety Management System
o ISO 9001 – Quality Management System
o ISO 14001 – Environment Management System

Sources of information: 
External Sources of Information
 ILO (Conventions and recommendations)
 WHO Guidelines – World Health Organization 
 Data provided by manufacturer(MSDS)
 National Laws(Legislation)
 International standards (ISO, OHSAS)
 Books & encyclopaedias
 Professional bodies
 Experts (consultant, lawyers)
Internal Sources of Information
 Accident, ill health and absence data
Medical Records
 Audit and inspection reports
 Accident Investigation report
 Safety Committee meeting minutes
 Equipment Maintenance records
 Risk Assessments
 Health & Safety Policy

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Who does what in an organization?

The ultimate responsibility of ensuring the health and safety of a workplace lies with the employer.
Directors and senior managers (top management) have duty to ensure that the employer (the
company) meets this responsibility. This is because, they hold authority to set the policy & allocate
resources for its implementation.

Responsibilities of top management: MD, CEO, directors & sr. managers:

Top management gives an organization its direction and priorities. They are not involved in the
daily activities inside an organization. They develop strategies and provide resources. They have
the authority to control and decide what an organization does and how it does it. They have high
influence over the organization and its priorities. The employees lower down in the organization
sees them with a high regard. This demands them to demonstrate high levels of commitment &
leadership in all matters related to health & safety. Therefore, they are responsible for making sure
that the company (employer) meets all the necessary legal requirements. They must ensure that:
- A suitable HS Policy is made available, that is signed by the topmost official in the organization
- Realistic, achievable goals and objectives are set for the organization
- Sufficient resources are provided to establish, implement & maintain a HS-MS
- H&S performance is reviewed regularly to ensure that goals/objectives are achieved & is valid.
- An organizational structure is put in place by clearly defining roles and responsibilities
- A Director or Sr. Manager is appointed specifically for H&S management in the organization
- Competent H&S advisors are appointed to help the organization meet it H&S duties
- Contractors are coordinated and managed so as to demonstrate the duties to third parties
- Monitoring reports are received, reviewed and correction plans initiated.

Responsibilities of middle managers and supervisors:

Middle managers, line managers and supervisors are involved in the daily activities in an
organization and are responsible for ensuring the health and safety standards in areas or
operations under their control. They should:
- Take control of all the health and safety matters in their area of responsibility
- Actively participate in the risk assessment process
- Play their part in developing safe systems of work
- Take responsibility for the H&S of staff directly under them or lower down the hierarchy
- Ensure that their team is fully briefed on new systems/processes when introduced
- Conduct inspections in their area of responsibility & deal with any unsafe acts/conditions
- Train, coach and mentor the members of their team.

Shared responsibilities of joint occupiers of site (multiple contractors)

When two or more employers or contractors work on the same site, the risks created by one
contractor affect the other contractor’s workers. The contractors must cooperate and coordinate
their activities to ensure the achievement of good standards of health & safety. Effective
communication, exchange of relevant information and joint development policies and procedures
is the way in which such a cooperation and coordination may be achieved.
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The contractors/employers on the same workplace must:

- Hold regular meetings
- Share relevant information and Risk Assessments
- Avoid carrying out processes or activities that are incompatible with the other parties’ activities
- Implement rules for the site like common assembly point, security check point & speed limit
- Develop joint procedures for managing visitors or contractors visiting site
- Develop common procedure for traffic management on site
- Conduct joint inspections & monitoring of workplace
- Develop common procedure for emergencies on site
- Develop common procedure for waste management on site
- Obtain advice on health & safety matters from a shared consultant

Contractor management
Contractors are widely used in the workplace, either to do a particular job or for the purpose of
extra labour when needed. Contractors may be used for a one time requirement or for a long
period of time.
Shared duties client and contractor
Contractors are responsible for the health & safety of themselves as well as others who might be
affected by their work. The client & his workers owe responsibility to everyone on the site. The
contractor & his workers also owe duty to everybody on the site. This shows that the collective
responsibility of ensuring Health & Safety on the site is shared between the client & contractor.
- A contractor owes duty to their own employees & others who might be affected by their work.
- The employees of the contractor should take reasonable care of themselves & others on site
- The client owes responsibility to their employees & others who may be present on their site
- The individual worker should take reasonable care of themselves & others on site

The client manages contractors through:

1) Selection of contractors:
A contractor is carefully selected based on his health & safety Competence. The evidences that
may be considered to prove the contractor’s competence are:
- Previous experience of the contractor with the particular type of work
- Reputation of the contractor amongst previous/current clients
- Name of previous/current clients to be use as references
- A copy of their health and safety policy: quality and content to be reviewed
- Risk assessments conducted: quality and content to be reviewed
- Method statements: quality and content to be reviewed
- Qualification and training records of staff including health and safety staff.
- Equipment maintenance and test records
- Accident history records
- Records of enforcement action by authorities
- Membership of a professional organization or certified body
- Copy of insurance policy document
- Evidence of resources like access to expert health and safety advice.

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2) Planning and coordination of Work:

- Information must be exchanged between client and contractor
- Client should inform the contractor, the hazards and risks existing in the workplace
- Contractor should inform about the hazards and risks created by his work on the site
- Such an exchange of information results in planning of works keeping everyone safe.
- The contractor should conduct risk assessments & produce safe work methods
- The client should review the risk assessment & method statements to point out errors/issues
- All these exercises should happen before work starts on the site
- All the works on the site are coordinated in such a way that there is not a chance of conflicts

3) Monitoring and managing work:

The client must ensure that the contractor complies with safe work practices. This may be
achieved through:
- Having a signing in and out procedure
- The contractor naming a works supervisor
- Conducting site induction training for all contractor workers
- Controlling high risk activities through a Permit To Work (PTW) system

Exam Prep Questions

Q1. Define with examples: Health, Safety, Welfare
Q2. What are the reasons for maintaining good standards of health & safety?
Q3. Why is necessary to manage health & safety in a workplace?
Q4. What are the benefits of maintaining good standards of health & safety in a workplace?
Q5. What are the responsibilities of workers (employees) in a workplace?
Q6. What rights do workers have in a workplace?
Q7. What are the responsibilities of employers?
Q8. Roles or power or authority of enforcement agency or regulatory authority
Q9. What are the sources of information?
Q10. Duties & responsibilities of directors / senior manager / CEO / senior management
Q11. Duties & responsibilities of middle managers / line manager / supervisor
Q12. Shared responsibilities of contractors(2 or more) on a site (or) joint occupiers of site
Q13. What are the shared duties of a contractor?
Q14. Assessing competence of a contractor (or) criteria for selection/suitability of contractor
Q15. How can the work of a contactor be monitored?
Q16. How is the work coordinated by the client a contractor on a workplace?

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