Element 3

Organizing for Health and Safety

Outline the health and safety roles and responsibilities of employers, manager, supervisors, employees and other relevant parties?

Organizing health and safety roles and responsibilities:

Employer:

The employer’s responsibilities are to ensuring that the workplace is safe and free of health risk.

Which categories of people does an employer owe a duty to?

It is important to consider who an employer owes a duty to:

·         His own employees

·         Other workers who might be working within his workplace but are not his direct employees

·         His subcontractors

·         Visitors in his area

·         People who might be outside his workplace but are affected by his work like public passing by

Directors and Senior Managers:

They have duty to ensure that their organization meets this obligation. They are responsible for setting policy and allocating resources to allow that policy to work effectively

So the responsibilities of directors and senior managers are to ensure that:

·         The right health and safety policy is put in place

·         An adequate budget is set for the implement of policy

·         The right organizational structures are put in place

·         Competent people are employed by the organization

Middle Managers and Supervisor:

Have duty to ensure that the part of organization under their control is safe and free of health risk. They execute the policy of their organization operationally

Safety specialists:

He has responsibility for giving correct advice and guidance to the organization and its workers

The typical responsibilities of the safety specialist include:

·         Promoting a positive health and safety culture

·         Advising management on accident prevention

·         Developing and implementing policy

·         Overseeing the development of adequate risk assessments

·         Identifying training needs

·         Monitoring health and safety performance

·         Overseeing accident reporting and investigations

Workers

Have duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and others who might effect by thing they do. They have also responsibilities to cooperate with their employers

Controller of Premises:

They are responsible for ensuring that the premises that they control are safe to use as a workplace and that access of workplace is safe.

Self Employed:

They have duty to take reasonable care of their own and other who might effect by their work.

Outline the areas of responsibility placed on people in the supply chain for the articles and substances which the supply to workplace?

Suppliers, manufacturers and designers: have duty to ensure that:

·         Any plant or equipment that they provide for us at work is safe for its intended purpose and comes with appropriate instructions

·         Any substance that they provide for us at work is appropriately tested packaged, labeled and comes with appropriate information.

Contractors:

They are responsible for their own safety and safety of others who their work might affect. However, the client who takes on contractors is also responsible for ensuring that those contractors do not endanger anyone. A client must therefore choose contractors carefully and must plan and monitor the contractor’s work to ensure safety

Client can manage contractor in three ways

1.    Select the contractor              2. Plant the work         3. Monitor the work.

1.      Select the contractor:

Before selecting contractor client should carefully check their health and safety competence. To help in this you can ask to see evidence of competence such as:

·         A copy of their health and safety policy

·         Examples of risk assessments

·         The qualifications and training records of staff

·         Membership of a professional organization or certified body

·         Record of maintenance and test for plant and equipment

·         Names of previous or current clients

·         Accident history records

·         Records of enforcement action taken by authorities against them

·         Proof of adequate resources such as access to specialist safety advice

2.        Planning Work:

Contractor should carryout risk assessment on the work involve and develop safe working methods to control the risks indentifies.

3.      Monitoring the Work:

Client should ensure that contractor complies with safe working practice

Joint occupiers of premises:

When two or more employers share a workplace they must cooperate and coordinate their activities to ensure good health and safety standards

Explain the importance and means of consulting with employee on health and safety issues and the means to achieve effective consultation?

Consult with employees:

Employers should consult with their workers on health and safety matters. It is legal duties in many countries even where there is not legal duty it is recognized as a good practice

Consulting:

The two way exchange of information and opinion between employer and workers

Informing   :

Providing information to workers in a form they can understand. This information flow is one way

The two methods which employers normally use to consult workers are:

1.    Direct consultation      2. Through worker representatives

Consultation is usually achieved by establishing a health and safety committee made up of key managers and workers. The workers involved in this committee are usually representing groups of workers.

Discussed the use of a health and safety committee as a method of consultation with workers and looked at the various issues that must be in order to make committee work effectively?

Health and safety committee:

To work effectively the committee has to be set up and run according to agreed rules and procedure which form part of the policy arrangements of the organization. The following issues should be taken into account in these arrangements

1.    Who is on the committee – there should be balance between managers and workers

2.    How often will the committee meet? – the committee should meet regularly

3.    Who will act as chairperson? – all meeting need someone to take charge

4.    What authority will the committee have? – Committee must be able to make decision

5.    What will be discussed? – committee meeting should have a published agenda

6.    How will the discussion be recorded? – MOM usually taken & posted on notice board

7.    How will issues discussed be followed up? – All agreed actions must be recorded together with responsible person name for taking action and deadline.