The Safety of Employees at Work Essay

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Workplace Safety

Safety within the workplace is a central issue that Occupational Safety and Health Authority hold with the highest consideration than any other matter within the workplace that can potentially affect the employees. OSHA has in place lucid rules and regulations guiding the safeguarding of the employees safety within organizations. There are various initiatives taken by organization to ensure that there is safety within the workplace. Regardless of the safety initiative taken, employees should feel free to report any illnesses or injuries in the workplace if not then the entire workforce will be at risk. With a sound safety program in place there will be a reduction of accidents at the workplace. This paper will hence concentrate on the issue of workplace safety, its application and the different approaches that both the employees and the employers can always put into practice in order to ensure safety of the employees and of the investment that has been put in place. The paper will have a dual approach to the safety issue, with one approach taking on the physical hazards and the other looking at the health/welfare of the employees.

In every workplace a worker has the right to an environment that is safe, the right to proper training as well as the right to refuse any working terms that are unsafe or may predispose them to undue danger. In general it is everyone's responsibility to assure that any work that is undertaken meets the minimum safety requirements. It is therefore important to note that no work is worth risking one's life and limb. Safety can be achieved through approaches that are systematic to evaluating the risks and seeking solutions for eliminating the risks. It all begins with all members within an organization who wish to take part in the creation of a safe and productive working environment. Employers involved in health and safety of the workplace will reduce the costs of workplace injuries and illnesses. Though it may seem as if the increase of safety on a job execution or general working conditions costs more, in the long run it may be financially worse for the organization in case someone gets injured or killed and especially if legal repercussions follow.

Aims and objectives of the evaluation exercise

This evaluation is aimed and identifying the apparent dangers and the potential hazards that exist within the Top Furniture workshop and give suggestions of how these can be corrected. The main objectives therefore are;

To highlight the overt hazards which exist within the workshop.

To critically evaluate what would be potential hazard within the workshop.

Analyze the existing procedures for handling the dangerous chemicals and gases that ere used within the workshop.

Analyze the procedure for receiving and storing all the supplies that come into the workplace and evaluate any possible gaps in the process that can pose danger to the employees.

Draw out alternative plans that can be used to more effectively handle the issue of workplace safety within the context of the workshop.

The methodology that has been used in this evaluative report and recommendations is the observation method, literature review from authority websites on workplace safety and also a look at the written down criteria that guides the handling of potentially dangerous chemicals and tools and the code of conduct written by the organization. Interviews among the employees based in the workshop was also an instrumental part of the collection of the data that helped in coming up with this evaluation.

The workplace

Within any workplace, the people who are most neglected despite the fact that the most exposed to danger are the employees working in the garages or the workshop. They are exposed to several kinds of dangers from the systemic neglect to the physical harm they face on a daily basis as they carry out their activities to ensure the company is well serviced and supplied with whatever they need. The case study here is a company that has branches in several parts of the country and deals in furniture of all ranges; the home furniture, office furniture, garden furniture, public places furniture and also deals in general joinery and welding works. The workshop is the nerve center of the company since they are the ones concerned with fabricating the furniture, both wooden and the metallic parts, assembling them and presenting them to the various showrooms for sale. The organization's workshop is a very busy place since they have orders that are continuous and in most cases bulk orders.

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This means that the moment the doors of the workshop open, it is movement and work throughout except during the breaks. Of more concern, apart from the busy schedule in the workshop is the variety of gases, chemicals, fire sources, electric installations and powered machinery and tools that are present in the workshop. All these factors present varied kinds of danger to the workers who are stationed within the workshop handling the chemicals and machinery. In such an environment, safety cannot be compromised hence there is need for a proper plan that will help in raising the safety standards, as well as procedures that are geared towards the safety of the employees, particularly in the workshop.

Health and safety management systems

There are some guidelines that ae stipulated by various work safety agencies including OSHA which is a central agency in ensuring employee protection, treatment and compensation in the event of injury at work place. Below are some of the safety precautions that need to be observed within a work environment similar to the workshop of Top Furniture, some of which were conspicuously missing in the workshop and among the employees.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The safety measure and the type of PPE that will be required will depend on risk associated with the workplace there are various protective clothing ranging from helmets, facemasks, eye protectors, overall, industrial aprons, leg protectors, disposable gloves, and many more. These are worn on the basis of the impeding risks that may not be foreseen immediately (The University of Chicago, 2010). It is important to note that some employees in the workshop in scrutiny did not have helmets and some never used gloves. One reason that stood out for such a discrepancy was sheer employee negligence and in a few cases, the employees said that they were not provided with helmets once the ones they had were worn-out and the straps were detached. It was also concerning to see some employees without the heavy duty industrial boots that have hardened toe tip. This being a heavy machinery place requires that those operating therein have their feet protected.

Careful handling of hazardous materials

Another safety practice that must be observed in work environments such as the workshop is identification of hazardous substances and handling them as they occur rather than postponing. There should be a proper and official company plan for identifying and handling hazards substances, placement of warning signs, removal of fluids or toxic materials and dangerous tools and proper labeling of hazardous material. These are simple and basic measures that can go a long way to save the employees from unreasonable dangers they could be predisposed to. Upon inquiry from the employees if they were aware of any official procedure of this above, the common answer was negative, yet they work in an environment where chemicals and substances that if mishandled can pose serious danger. In case of an accident involving these chemicals, the employees are not equipped with the knowledge to handle such hazards.

Quick response to hazards

First aid response is a standard approach that is fully recommended to any organization or workplace setting to avert possible acceleration of the harm that an individual may encounter. There has to be a first aid kit that is fully equipped with the necessary content according to the workplace that it is meant fro and the possible dangers that may befall the employees there. There also needs to be a detailed action plan developed on how injured employees should be handled. There should be emergency numbers ready, an identified medical facility and a well equipped first aid kit available to everyone or at least to every department. There must be a selected number of employees from each department that are thoroughly trained for the first aid response and the training should emphasize more on the likely incidents within the organization. The workshop had sufficient first aid kits that were well equipped and they were easily reachable in case of an emergency, this was a sign that there was some level of safety awareness within the company. Emergency numbers were prominently displayed, including the number of the hospital that was identified to be used in case of an emergency.

Machine safety

At the workplace, the employer should ensure that the machines, tools and equipment are in good condition and in no way cause injury to the workers due to unworthy condition that they may have deteriorated to.

Good health and safety practice also includes….....

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