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<h1>Occupational Health and Safety - Room for Improvement</h1>

As a newly appointed Principal OHS Consultant for a Justice
Department I receive a number of Incident and hazard Report forms
from staff working in a variety of roles. What I find alarming is
that the Manager comments on many of these reports from staff show
a lack of commitment to a thorough risk assessment, which in turn
leads to a lack of appropriate risk management.
Many comments are of a nature such as;
&#8220;There are no other contributing factors&#8221; (to a back
injury sustained from getting out of an office chair). &#8220;The
work environment is ergonomically appropriate&#8221;.
&#8220;There are no environmental issues&#8221; (contributing to
a steam burn from reaching over a boiling kettle) &#8220;I have
advised the staff member to be more careful in future&#8221;.
&#8220;This [ankle and knee] injury occurred because the staff
member did not get the stepping platform&#8221; (in order to relace
a number of files in a compactus). &#8220;The staff member has been
told to use the steps in future&#8221;.
There is a lack of analysis about a whole range of factors in
these kind of typical responses. For example, assumptions are made
about the ergonomic suitability of a workstation, but my enquiries
reveal that the workstation and the staff member have never had a
professional assessment (made freely available by the agency!).
Questions are not asked about why there was a need to reach over
a boiling kettle, and whether a different layout in the kitchen
would remove the need for this action.
Why does someone feel compelled to climb on compactus shelving
rather than get the approved stepping platform? Were workload and
time constraints considered? Were the steps within a reasonable
distance from where the filing task was being performed? Was the
compactus room sufficiently clear of clutter to allow the
convenient use of the stepping platform?
Managers cannot rely on the &#8220;human factor&#8221; as an
excuse to tolerate proven risk in the workplace. Staff DO have a
responsibility to work within the OHS policy framework, but the
organisation should ensure that safety procedures and equipment are
as practical and accessible as possible. It IS human nature to take
risks for convenience and this risk in itself must be addressed in
an overall approach to OHS.
I was further amazed to read about a staff injury sustained by
use of a long, sharp bodkin (somewhat crudely known as a
&#8220;pig-stabber&#8221;) in order to punch a hole in a sheaf of
papers so that they could be collated with a &#8220;filing
pin&#8221; (another frequently identified and unnecessary workplace
hazard). The rest of the department has moved to another records
management system using approved plastic folders and hole punches.
The area in which this injury occurred has chosen not to comply
with new requirements resulting in an injury, the need for
immediate medical attention and completely avoidable worker&#8217;s
compensation costs?
Why? Why? Why?
The truth is that many Managers and staff do not accept the
&#8220;no-blame&#8221; principle, which seeks to identify and deal
with hazards rather than pin the blame on the worker for not being
careful enough. In all of the above examples there were other
options (workplace redesign, hazard elimination, alternate work
practices etc) but they have chosen not to address these issues. It
is much easier for management to subtly blame the worker, and to
let the risk remain unaddressed. There are many examples of
managers discouraging workers from submitting a Hazard Report as it
is seen as &#8220;rocking the boat&#8221;. What can be done to
improve the management response to workplace hazards and
injury?
For a start, Executive and senior management need to make OHS a
genuine priority. It needs to be &#8220;talked up&#8221;, resourced
and integrated in all decision making.
Secondly, managers need to be trained in the use of the Risk
Assessment framework (i.e. how likely is the risk to occur and how
severe are the consequences). There is an Australian Standard for
Risk Assessment training and implementing this training is an
immediate priority for us.
Thirdly, management responses need to be monitored, especially
via the Hazard Reports, and FOLLOWED UP by the OHS Coordinator
(myself in this case). The resistance to change has been
significant, and I have already had many conversations in which I
have had to emphasis the responsibility of management to identify,
assess and manage risk. The Australian legislation in all states is
very clear that this responsibility lies with management and not
workers. Workers are accountable for not following documented
policies and procedures, providing the system allows this to
occur.
Fourthly, Management and staff need to be trained in Hazard
Management, with a strong focus on the highest level of
intervention (which is the ELIMINATION of risk from the workplace).
Training and work instructions run a very poor last when it comes
to managing hazards and risks.
Our injury rates have been high for some time. There has been a
little work in the areas mentioned above, but the culture of safety
and accountability is not well developed across the organisation.
The number of injuries has plateau&#8217;d but I am hopeful that
with a concerted effort, we can see a measurable and significant
decline over the next 12 - 18 months. The cost of work injuries is
also rising disproportionately. This should be a motivating factor
for management. Is it really justifiable to spend $20m each year as
a result of the inattention and lack of commitment to safety?
I think not. I expect that the picture will have improved
markedly by the time 2007 arrives on our doorstep!

<div>Author Info 
Lewis Stratton has extensive experience in senior management and
Human Resources with specific expertise and interest in recruitment
and selection and occupational health, safety and welfare. More
information is available on 
<a target="_new" href="http://www.progressenterprise.com">http://www.progressenterprise.com</a>
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Article Source: <a href="http://www.innoarticles.com" title="Your #1 Source For Quality Articles">InnoArticles.com</a>
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