Task One – Health and Safety Policy Manual
Introduction
The Director Bell Dilate Limited Gen Services is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the health and safety procedures of the Group at any period, as highlighted in the General Policy Statement of the Group. It is therefore paramount to note that the discharge of this duty from the highest office of the group is among the top priorities and other obligations executed in the service provision chapter. The aim of this Health and Safety Policy Manual is to ensure safety through reasonable applications, and t provide an environment that is safe for both workers and children who are a part of the group. This manual provides procedures of ensuring the safety of the children who attend elementary schools.
In order to achieve safety standards, all stakeholders must play their part. Through planned arrangements, priorities, and monitoring of the safety practices as highlighted in this health and safety policy manual, health and safety will be inevitable. Regular reviews and performance measurements will be the indicators to measure the effectiveness of these safety management techniques.
However, of great importance is the fact that safety is collegial and that everyone must play a part in order to control accidents. Personal commitments will not only ensure health and safety, but also promote the welfare of all those involved.
Aim
In every workplace or institution, there are health and safety procedures that govern the environment. As the word advances technologically, institutions have enacted new standards of health and safety in order to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the people. Back on dry land, technological advancements in areas of science and medicine have also called for the improvement of safety management techniques and conditions. Consequently, many institutions have enacted legislation on health and safety procedures. For instance, the Health and Safety at Work Act requires all institutions through their management teams to publish health and safety procedures that will not only ensure safety, but also ensure the maintenance of passable safety standards.
This manual on health and safety policy highlights the various arrangements the Group’s Health and safety has put in place in order to ensure a safe environment for both employers and employees within the wok environment.
Policy
This policy statement highlights some procedures that Bell Dilate Limited will apply in order to ensure safety conditions within the company so the management will brief all workers in order to attract their attention. Consequently, all employees have an obligation to work with the management of the company in order to implement the arrangements that will be vital in promoting health and safety conditions within the work environment (British Land 2012, pp. 3-10).
Training
The statement of this policy proposes employee training on health and safety procedures. The company will create programs for all employees to attend and learn more about health and safety standards. Additionally, the trainings will recommend supplementary procedures especially those from the Health and Safety at Work Act, Regulations and Orders among others. Therefore, both the management and employees will receive brochures of the manual that will always remind them about the importance of working in a safe environment.
Joint Consultation
This manual proposes consultation among all stakeholders in order to ensure the work environment is safe.
Safe Working Practices
This manual is a prerequisite for ensuring that all employees promote safe working practices by urging them to report any incident immediately. This is in line with the Company Policy.
Self-Regulation
The company is flexible in matters pertaining health and safety procedures, and it encourages constant monitoring of safety management techniques and systems for a safe environment.
Sub-Contractors
All contractors will first fill in the questionnaire on health and safety procedures in order to gauge their stance on matters of safety. The contractors will also follow the guidelines of the company and that it will not lower any procedure that will benefit the contractor at the expense of health and safety of the employees. The Bell Dilate monitoring procedure will constantly monitor contractors to ensure safety.
Manufacturers and Suppliers
All manufacturers and suppliers to the Bell Dilate Limited will provide additional information on health and safety of all supplies they make to Bell Dilate Limited. Later on, the management will pass the information to the user.
Environment
Bell Dilate Limited understands the importance of safeguarding the environment even for future generations. Therefore, the safety procedures will include practices that will sustain the environment.
Inspection and Amendment
The manual will be available at every department and desk and mounted all over the work environment in order to remind employees of their expectations. The company will also review the policies after every six months (Alpha Logistics Services Limited 2012, pp. 1-7).
Company Policy for Health and Safety at Work
The organogram sets out the responsibilities of every officer in order to minimize confusion.
Managing Director
Some of the responsibilities include:
- Fostering enthusiasm on health and safety arrangements;
- Ensuring there is financial support towards implementation of health and safety policy;
- Propelling auctioning of the health and safety policy;
- Being an overall leader in ensuring there is a safe environment;
- In cases of accidents or injury, leading investigations and implementing recommendations to ensure no such thing happens in the future;
- Being the role model.
Directors
Just like the managing director:
- Promoting interest and enthusiasm in health and safety practices;
- Ensuring the tendering process is free and fair and that it follows the laid procedures and standards;
- Ensuring all employees receive health and safety trainings;
- Leading supervisory roles in ensuring employees adhere to the health and safety arrangements.
Safety Department
The director in charge will ensure:
There is monitoring of safety equipments and improvement of procedures and interest promotion on matters of security;
- Reviewing the procedures after a certain period.
Safety Manager
- Promoting interests of health and safety management;
- Carrying out daily inspection on health and safety related procedures and practices;
- Passing knowledge on safety of goods delivered by contractors to the users;
- Liaising with other officers in the government or local administration to ensure safety;
- Training employees on health and safety matters;
- Advising the management team on the way forward.
Safety Advisor
- Providing knowledge on health and safety management practices to both employees and management team;
- Carrying out investigations in case of safety breach and making recommendations;
- Drafting health and safety procedures for contractors, manufacturers and suppliers.
Employees
They are the greatest beneficiaries of these procedures. Their responsibilities include:
- Ensuring that they are safe by making sure there are no omissions and bad acts;
- Having statutory obligation to work with the safety management office for safety;
- Suggesting new ways of averting accidents;
- Informing the authorities of any accidents or misses immediately;
- Never taking risks and instead, ensuring no equipment is faulty and no mishap reported.
Task 2 – Risk Assessment
Introduction
In many organizations and institutions all over the world, risk assessment is fundamental in establishing various procedures that will control accidents. These institutions have enacted health and safety policies that promote a safe environment. It is important to note that the risk assessment part is the cornerstone of health and safety management techniques and therefore, it requires much attention. In other words, if an institution fails to establish sound risk assessment practices, or does not have risk management practices entirety, then preventive measures are definitely absent, and this can lead to catastrophic consequences.
Statistics indicate that thousands of people injure themselves while in their lines of duty. Additionally, some workers become ill because of poor health and safety practices at the workplace. This reasoning propels institutions to develop risk management procedures for safe environment. Risk management is a dynamic progression that ensures institutions both corporate and private have the necessary proactive policy in place to oversee workplace risks. This is the reason why all organizations should carry out the assessment and come up with procedures to maintain a safe environment. Moreover it is advantageous to all institutions to ensure there is safety within workplaces. Some of the things done under risk assessment include taking into account any risk that can emanate in a workplace environment, investigating the effectiveness of the laid down safety measures, drafting all outcomes of the assessment, and finally, periodic review and implementation of the recommendations on risk assessment.
Implementation of Health and Safety Legislation
Enacting health and safety legislation is one thing and its implementation is another. In fact, various governments through their Ministries of Labor and International Labor Organisation practices have always enacted legislation meant to ensure safety within workplaces. However, out of ignorance, many institutions do not implement and that results into accidents and catastrophes. The occupational health and safety legislation is a benchmark that highlights the standards of ensuring that there are sound practices in place to minimize injuries, accidents and other fatalities within workplaces. It also ensures the protection of environment and that employees protect themselves from diseases that may arise while executing their duties.
Legislation sets out the roles and responsibilities of employers and the management team. Therefore, in terms of its implementation, different sections according to the organogram of the company will play a part. However, in implementing health and safety legislation, the services of the employer are paramount. The employer has the sole responsibility of ensuring the implementation of the health and safety policies in the workplace in order to protect lives. For instance, it is important to note that the employer is the one who will create programs and training workshops for employees to learn more about health and safety procedures. If the employer does not organize this, then employees will always remain in oblivion on matters of health and safety. They should also train employees how to run machines, equipments and train on the benefits f working in a safe environment without taking personal risks. The legislation also empowers employees to refuse to work in an unsafe environment. In some instances, the government through law enforcement agencies has proceeded to ensure that all institutions implement the legislation, failure to which the law takes its own course. There are also inspectors from the labor department who periodically inspect workplaces, solve issues pertaining to health and safety of workers, and recommend prosecution in case an institution fails to implement health and safety legislation. The officers also issue orders in case an institution contravenes any section or the entire legislation, and takes the frontline in carrying out investigations about accidents or work refusals (Hallenbeck 1986, pp. 27-58).
Impact of Health and Safety Requirements
Health and safety requirements have impact on customers, employees, work practitioners, visitors and even clients within workplaces. To start with, risk assessment ensures that there is no violence in workplaces that is ensured by isolation of employees and good remuneration
The health and safety requirements demand that employers enact legislation to warrant clients, employees, visitors and customers their safety. By working with trade unions, there is no doubt that the workplaces will be safe. Legislation also empowers employees to ensure that non-employees are safe and that they remain unaffected by the work activities. The requirements also propose that anybody operating a machine should ensure that it does not injure another person. Moreover, the provisions that industries should control their emissions to the atmosphere are good news to many people who want to protect their environment (European Agency for Safety and Health at Work 2013, pp. 7-14).
Monitoring of Health and Safety Policy
In order to ensure effective health and safety measures, it is important to carry out periodic monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring is paramount as it provides a leeway on the performance of the health and safety procedures and activities so far employed. Additionally, through monitoring, institutions can understand their weaknesses and work towards implementing policies that ensure health and safety of all stakeholders. Some of the core actions in monitoring of health and safety procedure include:
- Documenting training programs and incidents that happen in a company and reporting maintenance programs;
- Regular audit of the efficiency of the health and safety structures, risk controls and responsibilities of stakeholders;
- Analyzing any failures, new products from contractors, manufacturers and suppliers;
- Monitoring sickness or absence from duty as a result of safety in workplaces;
- Regular monitoring and evaluation reports on the health and safety performance.
