Occupational health and safety. Occupational health and safety Purpose The Workplace Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy reflects our commitment to a safety culture that extends beyond the once traditional view of physical injuries sustained from accidents in the workplace to the physical and psychological health and wellbeing of staff.
Scope All RCH employees, volunteers, contractors and visitors. Policy RCH is committed to the provision of a safe and healthy work environment for all employees, volunteers, contractors and visitors by: Promoting the physical and psychological health in the workplace.
They must keep pace with the changes occurring at the workplace. CSA Z recommends an annual review, and as required. The following are questions that need to be considered for preparation of a policy: What is the goal of the safety program - to have fewer injuries and illnesses than similar operations?
When confronted with conflicting priorities or allocation of limited resources, does safety get more importance? Equal importance? How is this decided? Is safety the responsibility of line management or staff management - who is accountable? What benefits does management expect to derive from an effective program?
Who will be assigned responsibility for coordinating activities? The policy can only be put into effect where: responsibilities are clearly defined and assigned, methods of accountability are established, proper procedures and program activities are implemented, adequate provision of financial and other resources are provided , and responsibilities for carrying out the policy objectives are clearly communicated and understood within the workplace.
For example, a policy could specify: individual responsibilities Outlined in Appendix A , legal responsibilities, accountability systems, promotion of health, safety and well-being awareness, education and training needs, reporting and correcting health and safety deficiencies, and injury and illness control information. Methods of establishing accountability should be designed to monitor the quality and adequacy of workplace procedures, including: inclusion of accountability in the statement of policy, inclusion of health and safety responsibilities and performance objectives in job descriptions, procedures for ensuring that health and health performance is considered as part of performance appraisals and salary reviews, regular health and safety program reviews, and regular reporting requirements built into program elements.
An effective policy for health and safety management must be: clearly defined and communicated, backed up by sound arrangements and put into practice, reflected in day-to-day attitudes and actions of people, and monitored. Ways in which policy and responsibilities can be communicated include: orientation induction training, policy and procedure manuals, health and safety committees, job descriptions, website, notice board notices and reminders, safety talks, meetings, and refresher training, senior management attendance at safety meetings, and demonstration of senior management commitment through effective response and review to committee recommendation inspection reports, incident investigations, and health and safety program evaluations.
While each workplace will do this in its own way, there are some general issues which should be addressed: The policy should state that the workplace has clear rules for healthy and safe work behaviour. It should clarify who is responsible for developing, observing, and enforcing the rules. There should be clear guidelines for maintaining and operating equipment and machinery. Again, individual responsibilities must be clarified. The policy should state what type of education or training program will be provided by the company to ensure that employees can meet their responsibilities.
This learning could include first day orientation, on-the-job training, and refresher courses. The means for providing employees with information about basic or specific workplace hazards, and detailed written procedures for hazardous jobs should be outlined.
Regular worksite health and safety meetings at all levels of the organization are an essential part of a good safety program. The policy could identify what issues will be discussed at these meetings, what can be communicated verbally, and what should be in writing.
Are obligations towards employees made clear? Does it say which senior officer is responsible for seeing that it is implemented and for keeping it under review, and how this will be done? Is it signed by senior executive? Have the views of managers and supervisors, safety professionals, and health and safety committees or representatives been taken into account?
Were the duties set out in the statement discussed with the people concerned? Do they understand how their performance is to be assessed and what resources they have to carry out their tasks safely? Does the statement make clear that cooperation on the part of all employees is vital to the success of the health and safety policy?
Does it say how employees are to be involved in health and safety matters, for example, by being consulted, by taking part in inspections, or by participating on a health and safety committee? Does it show clearly how the duties for health and safety are allocated, and are the responsibilities at different levels described?
Does it say who is responsible for the following matters? Investigation reports and incident records. Fire precautions and evacuation procedures. First aid. Safety inspections. Education and training program. Ensuring legal requirements are met. Is management solely responsible for providing a healthy and safe working environment?
Other matters to consider Note or refer to your risk management process. Does your policy reflect the nature of your workplace activities and scale of safety risks you have? Tell everyone about it so they know what they should expect and what is expected of them: go through it at a staff or toolbox meeting include it in inductions for new workers.
Review your policy regularly at least once a year to ensure it remains relevant and effective. Why have safe work procedures Safe work procedures are a practical and consistent way for everyone to commit to safety. They clearly: document the sequence of steps for doing the task safely incorporate the appropriate risk control measures into those steps.
Add favourite Print. On this page. Back to Top. Apply for Job safety analysis JSA , also known as "job hazard analysis", is the first step in developing the correct procedure. In this analysis, each task of a specific job is examined to identify hazards and to determine the safest way to do the job. Job safety analysis involves the following steps:. The analysis should be conducted on all critical tasks or jobs as a first priority. Critical jobs include:. Job safety analysis is generally carried out by observing a worker doing the job.
Members of the joint health and safety committee should participate in this process. The reason for the exercise must be clearly explained to the worker, emphasizing that the job, not the individual, is being studied.
Another approach, useful in the analysis of infrequently-performed or new jobs, is group discussion. A work procedure may consist of more than one specific task. In such cases, each separate task should be analyzed to complete a job safety analysis for that procedure. The final version of the safe work procedure should be presented in a narrative style format that outlines the correct way to do the job in a step-by-step outline. The steps are described in positive terms, pointing out the reasons why they are to be done in this way.
Reference may be made to applicable rules and regulations and to the personal protective equipment required, if any.
Workers who carry out the tasks should be consulted in developing the procedure. Health and safety education should start with worker orientation when a worker joins the organization or is transferred to a new job. It has been found that inexperienced workers, in general, are involved in incidents at a higher rate than others. While experience can only be gained through time, both health and safety education and job skills training can be used to improve this record.
Orientation sessions normally cover such items as an explanation of the function of the work unit, organizational relationships, administrative arrangements, and various policies and rules. Security protocols e. A new employee can be expected to absorb only a certain amount of information in the first few days.
Be sure to pace the training to ensure all of the information or skills are learned. Other tips include to provide written information that outlines the points covered in the orientation sessions. It also serves as a checklist for the person conducting the orientation. A buddy or mentor system is useful. This system allows for on-the-job reinforcement of the information presented to the new employee.
This process also promotes the safety awareness of the experienced workers who are the "buddies". All workers, but especially new, inexperienced, or transferred workers, should be encouraged to ask questions at any time when doubt exists as to correct procedures or their ability to do the task safely. The orientation should address:. Soon after the orientation sessions, employees should be assessed on their understanding of the items discussed.
In this way, both the quality of training and the level of understanding can be evaluated. Continue with education and training throughout their employment, as needed.
The objective of education and training is to instruct recipients about health and safety procedures or specific job practices, and to raise awareness or skill levels to an acceptable standard. The standard states that a supervisor "should be competent i. Organizations should define what constitutes an acceptable combination of knowledge, training, and experience in relation to the supervision of others performing tasks. Workplace inspections help to identify existing hazards so that appropriate corrective action can be taken.
Health and safety legislation requires workplace inspections as a proactive action to ensure workplace health and safety. The frequency of planned formal inspections may be set out in legislation.
Records of previous incidents and the potential for incidents are factors to be included when determining if more frequent inspections are needed. Supervisors are responsible for conducting their own inspections for the areas they are responsible for and for taking action on unsafe conditions and acts as they are reported or encountered.
General inspections may be conducted by health and safety committee members or representatives, especially if they have received training or certification. Other criteria for selecting the inspection team are:.
Pre-planning any inspection is always worthwhile. Documents, such as previous inspections, incident investigations, maintenance reports, and committee minutes, should be consulted. If a checklist is to be used, it should be reviewed and changed to meet specific needs of the workplace. Checklists are useful aids in that they help ensure that no items are overlooked in an inspection.
One type of checklist is the "critical parts inventory". This inventory itemizes parts and items that may result in an incident if they fail. While many ready-made checklists are available in safety literature, it is best to adapt these to your workplace.
The health and safety committee should participate in the preparation of these tailor-made checklists. During the actual inspection, both work conditions and procedures should be observed. If a hazard poses an immediate threat is discovered, preventive action must be taken right away, not after the inspection.
Notes are made, specifying details of the hazard, including its exact location. In this way, priorities for remedial action can be established. Inspections serve a useful purpose only if remedial action is taken to correct shortcomings. Causes, not symptoms alone, must be rectified. Corrective action should be taken immediately, emphasizing engineering controls, management failures, or the need for worker education, whatever applies.
Occupational health and safety legislation in all Canadian jurisdictions requires that specific injuries and certain categories of incidents must be reported. There may be minimum legal requirements for their investigation. Many organizations investigate other events e. Incidents are investigated so that measures can be taken to prevent a recurrence of similar events.
The investigation represents an "after-the-fact" response for any particular mishap. However, a thorough investigation may uncover hazards or problems that can be eliminated "before-the-fact" for the future.
After causes have been determined, prompt follow-up action is required to achieve the purpose of the investigation. Please note : The term incident is used in some situations and jurisdictions to cover both an "accident" and "incident". It is argued that the word "accident" implies that the event was related to fate or chance. When the root cause is determined, it is usually found that many events were predictable and could have been prevented if the right actions were taken - making the event not one of fate or chance thus, the word incident is used.
For simplicity, we use the term incident to mean all of the above events. Emergency procedures are plans for dealing with emergencies such as fires, explosions, major releases of hazardous materials, violent occurrences, or natural hazards. When such events occur, the urgent need for rapid decisions, shortage of time, lack of resources, and trained personnel can lead to chaos.
The objective of the plan is to prevent or minimize fatalities, injuries, and damage. The organization and procedures for handling these sudden and unexpected situations must be clearly defined. Communication, training, and periodic drills are required to ensure adequate performance when the plan must be implemented. First aid is generally prescribed under health and safety legislation or workers' compensation legislation. The OSH program must include the following information:.
A policy on return to work after a lost-time accident might appropriately be included in this section of the program. Under no circumstances should the reduction of severity ratings be a reason for initiating a "modified work" program.
All jurisdictions in Canada have legislation specific to harassment and violence note that the legislation in the Yukon will be in force in September All jurisdictions specify elements required in harassment and violence prevention policies and programs. While there are variations between jurisdictions, there are many common elements such as:. Once the health and safety program has been set in place and the program appears to be running smoothly, effort is still required to maintain compliance, enthusiasm and interest.
In addition, specific items may be needed to address workplace specific activities. Examples of such items are:. A good health and safety program provides a clear set of guidelines for activities that, when followed, will reduce incidents and cases of occupational disease. The key to success is the manner in which the program is implemented and maintained. The program must be communicated to all workers.
Special emphasis should be given to new workers, newly appointed supervisors, and new members of the joint health and safety committee. Revisions to policies and procedures should be publicized.
The program should be available in a single written document.
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