Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace assumption of risk = an obsolete attitude toward accident prevention

where the worker accepted all the customary risks and unsafe practices early approach to safety in the workplace used the careless worker model o assumed accidents were due to workers carelessness newer approach: shared responsibility model o assumes that the best method to reduce accident rates relies on the cooperation of the 2 main partners: the employer and the employees o accident rates are reduced if: ! mgmt is committed to safety in workplace ! employees are informed about accident prevention ! consultation btw the employer and employees takes place on a regular basis ex: creation of a health and safety committee committee designed to determine and assign responsibilities for effective workplace health and safety programs ! trusting relationship btw employer & staff ! employees have actual input into decision-making process

Workplace Injuries and Health Hazards Workplace Injuries - the # of workplace injuries has declined in recent years but the direct cost of injuries has NOT - younger workers more likely to be injured - men more than twice as likely as women to have an injury - logging & forestry, construction, manufacturing, and transportation are most dangerous industries when considering time-loss injury rates - most common injury: back, then fingers, legs Health Hazards - four categories of health hazards: o physical agents exposure to physical elements such as noise, temperature, lighting, vibrations, radiation o biological agents/biohazards exposure to natural organisms like parasites, bacteria, insects, viruses, etc. o chemical agents exposure to chemical compounds or other harmful toxic substances o ergonomically related injuries caused by the work envt and including repetitive strain, stress, over-exertion/fatigue, back injuries Younger Workers and Workplace Safety - most common injuries affecting young workers: electrocution, machine injuries - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety documents the risks associated with several jobs often performed by younger workers Federal and Provincial Safety Regulations - text focuses on federal but each province has specific legislation about it

Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace at federal leve, Canada Labour Code (part II) details elements of an industrial safety program, provides for regulations to deal w/ various types of occupational safety programs - establishes 3 fundamental employee rights: o the right to know about hazards in the workplace o right to participate in correcting those hazards o right to refuse dangerous work - Joint Occupational and Safety Committee o Usually reqd in every workplace w/ 20 or more employees o Requirements: ! Meet at least once a month ! Ensure adequate records are kept regarding accidents & health hazards ! Investigate and resolve complaints ! Participate in investigations ! Regularly monitor health/safety programs ! Monitor records of injuries and illnesses ! Cooperate w/ safety officers investigating a complaint/accident ! Develop, establish, promote health & sfety programs/procedures - Hazardous Products Act = federal act to protect consumers by regulating sale of dangerous products - Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) = federal law requiring labels on all hazardous products and a Material Safety Data Sheet on each o See page 559 for symbols o Requires employer provide training to enable employees to recognize WHMIS hazard symbols Safety Enforcement - all industrial units are inspected at least once a year to confirm safe operation - safety officer may at any reasonable time enter any property or place used - safety inspectors given a wide range of powers - Canada Labour Code (Part II) details powers o See page 560 (bottom) to 561 for details Responsibility for Health and Safety - legal requirements are minimum requirements for employers - far more effective and less costly in LR if responsibility for safety concern for everyone: top mgmt, supervisors, employees - many organizations neglect safety issues when designing orientation programs - top mgmt o must set policies and make concern for health and safety part of orgs culture/strategy o some orgs are outsourcing health and safety needs ! ex: hiring a health and safety expert on a part-time or contract basis - supervisors o must become proficient in mging safety o must know about health and safety laws, safety regulations, training in observing safety violations, learning communications skills to convey necessary info -

Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace o ingredients of an effective safety training program include: ! accident investigation and analysis ! communication skills and report writing ! overview of legislative requirements ! meeting with mgmt and objective setting ! organization and responsibility of joint health and safety committee ! team problem-solving/problem-solving techniques ! audits and inspections ! principles of occupational health and safety; and ! ergonomics - employees o must be trained to understand safety rules and how to operate equipment safely o system of enforcements must be in place, understood, followed o good safety performance s/b recognized, rewarded by mgrs o unsatisfactory practices should be documented & corrected Implications for HR Mgmt - HR professionals should ensure consistent enforcement of all safety and health rules - If an accident results, the employer gets fined by govt - When charged w/ health and safety offence, best defence is due diligence = company took all the reasonable steps to avoid the particular event - Court considers magnitude of risks involved and nature of the potential harm - Effective safety program helps establish due diligence Workplace Stress - workplace stress = the harmful physical and emotional responses that can happen when there is a conflict btw job demands of the employee and the amt of control the employee has over meeting those demands - not all stress is harmful - moderate level of stress can increase performance - each individuals body has a pre=programmed response to stress called the generalized stress response o see figure 13-7 (pg 566) for generalized stress reponses - whether stress will increase into something more serious depends on the severity & duration of the stress situation and the individuals ability to cope - most important: whether the person feels helpless and out of control Causes of Stress at Work - stressors = conditions that tend to cause stress - individual and situational factors can intervene to strengthen/weaken the relationship btw stressful job conditions and the risk of injury or illness - major distress can occur from only one stressor but usually stressors combine to affect an employee in a variety of ways until distress develops - acute stressors: occur infrequently but are extremely stressful events - chronic stressors: ongoing, daily problems and hassles that occur at work - psychological stress: tends to be highest in jobs where employees have high demands but little latitude in making decisions - poor supervision can cause stress

Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace change of any type: general and widely recognized cause of stress o requires adaptation by employees - organizational downsizing survivors experience high stress o asked to work longer hours o probability of having an accident can increase Burnout - condition of mental, emotional, and sometimes physical exhaustion that results in substantial and prolonged stress - HR department must be proactive o Help employees prevent burnout before it occurs o Jobs may be redesigned, staff conflicts resolved, counselling provided, temporary leaves arranged Stress and Job Performance - no stress " job challenges are absent, performance tends to be low - as stress increases, performance tends to increase o healthy stimulus to encourage employees to respond to challenges o eventually reaches a plateau represents a persons top day-to-day performance capability - if stress becomes too great performance declines Stress Mgmt - curative solutions: try to correct the outcome of stress - preventive solutions: attempt to change the cause of stress - curative measures o give employees chance to relax: aerobic exercises, yoga, meditation o counselling professionals on staff o external consulting services o ex: Awareness, Attitude, Action method to stress reduction (AAA) ! focuses on developing awareness of stress-related problems ! adjusting attitudes accepting responsibility for your actions, developing a positive outlook ! taking action revolves around time mgmt and physical activity - preventive measures o first, organizations can develop stress mgmt training sessions and assistance to help workers deal w/ stress o second, some org are looking at improving working conditions in order to reduce stress at work The Stress Audit - assists in identifying the cases of stress - ask the following questions: o do any individuals demonstrate physiological symptoms? o Is job satisfaction low, or are job tension, turnover, absenteeism, strikes, and accident proneness high? o Does the orgs design contribute to the symptoms described? o Do interpersonal relations contribute to symptoms described? o Do career development variables contribute to symptoms above? -

Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace o What effects do personality, sociocultural influences, and the non-work environment have on relationship btw stressors and stress? Human Resource Actions to Reduce Stress - better communication improves an employees understanding of stressful situations - training courses can be provided on the subject of coping with stress Fitness and Employee Wellness Programs - have a positive impact on reducing stress and absenteeism and increasing productivity - evidence indicates that fitness and wellness programs: o improve employee health o decrease health-care costs o improve employee satisfaction o decrease absenteeism and turnover o improve corporate image Other Contemporary Safety Issues Workplace Security - terror concerns, preparations for a disaster (earthquake, floods, etc.). access to workplace property are all concerns - workers are looking for assurances that their workplace is safe and are placing more attention on work-life balance - high-risk workplaces are using retina scanners as a means of identification Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) - may be caused by major combustion pollutants, biological air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, heavy metals - HR professionals should take proactive steps to prevent SBS Workplace Violence - violence is the third highest cause of all workplace deaths and leading cause of workplace death for women - measures aimed to prevent/redue: anti-violence policy, self-defence training, safety and security measures - courts are placing a heavier onus on employers to take reasonable care in making sure that the workplace is safe - factors considered by courts: crime rate in neighborhood, security measures in place, lighting of buildings, architectural design of buildings, recommendations from security consultants Ergonomics - study of relationships btw physical attributes of workers and their work envt to reduce physical and mental strain and increase productivity and quality of work life - ergonomics program seeks to ensure that the physical and behavioural characteristics of the employee are compatible with the work system - 2 common types of injuries that may be reduced by the application of ergonomic principles: o overexertion and lower-back injury and o repetitive strain injuries - research suggests that the most rapidly growing category of workplace illnesses involves ergonomic disorders

Chapter 13: Ensuring Health and Safety at the Workplace AIDS AIDS and HR Mgmt - breach of Human Rights to discriminate against someone HIV-infected - each org should have a policy and an action plan in case this arises - policy o protect employees right to privacy o guarantee the employee will not be isolated from other workers o keep those diagnosed w/ AIDS productive as long as they are able - mandatory training o present facts on HIV o address personal conerns o reiterate policy o help with job restructuring o discuss how to manage co-workers - education o explain policy o present facts o encourage empathy o provide workshops for discussion - counselling and support o help employees w/ AIDS cope w/ disease o assist others in coming to terms w/ HIV infected co-worker Occupational Health & Safety Strategy - top mgmts involvement in setting health and safety policies = essential - clearly assign responsibilities for plant safety and health programs to ensure companys policies carried out - occupational health and safety committee w/ enforcement authority helpful - control process must be in place - causes of accidents should be identified and controlled to avoid a repeat - effective training program needed - many orgs are hiring occupational health and safety specialists to design & administer comprehensive workplace health and safety programs - mgmt should continually encourage safety awareness