Hrmg100 week 11

ORGANISATIONAL HEALTH
AND SAFETY (OHS)

A HEALTHY ORGANISATION
 is profitable
 grows – and has a competitive advantage
 has employees who experience job satisfaction
 values and enjoys workplace diversity
 practices the principles of equal opportunity
 has low absenteeism and low staff turnover
 has a minimum of workplace accidents, injuries,
deaths and diseases
 has very few working days lost (strikes) because of
industrial disputes

Definition
 Mayhew and Peterson define Occupational Health &
Safety (OHS) as ‘the physical, physiological and
psychosocial conditions of an organisation’s
workforce, related to aspects of work and the work
context’
 the role of effective OHS management is to reduce the
risks that exist at a workplace and improve OHS
conditions
Industrial Relations in Australia © 2006 Pearson
Education Australia 3

Costs of poor OHS
 despite the lack of comprehensive data, it is clear that
work-related injury, illness and fatalities have had
significant impacts in Australia
 estimated that every year in Australia OHS directly costs
the Australian economy at least $30 billion
 also substantial indirect costs
 loss of productivity
 loss of goodwill and corporate image
 social security payments to injured or ill workers

STATISTICS ARE HARD TO FIND!
In 1994 the Industry Commission estimated:
 68% of workplace accidents and injuries are
experienced by men
 73% of claims are for accidents
 27% of claims are for disease
 >500 workplace fatalities (deaths) per year
 The main injuries are from:
- falls, sprains, crushing
- construction workers, transport workers, factory
workers

Some Workplace Hazards
There are a range of physical and psychological
workplace hazards including:
 physical factors - noise, heat and cold;
 chemical and biological agents - toxins, poisons and
other irritant substances;
 other hazardous substances - asbestos and cigarette
smoke;
 workplace organisation - dangerous work procedures
that involve factors such as loading and handling
goods;
 stress is becoming an increasingly important factor
affecting OHS at the workplace

Addressing OHS
Addressing OHS can normally be categorised under
four broad categories:
 environmental modification and
monitoring
 individual screening and monitoring
 individual behavior change
 broader organisation strategies

Key Principles of Effective OHS
 OHS management should be integrated into core
management and work activities
 the use of a systems approach to OHS; that is,
there should be a risk assessment and audit as
well as a comprehensive and carefully structured
control system that allows for monitoring
feedback and modifying the system as a result
 OHS management needs to address and accommodate
change
 management system should ensure worker
involvement – OHS is everyone’s responsibility
 senior staff need to demonstrate their commitment to
OHS

National and State OHS Legislation
 Several Acts of Parliament concerned with OHS in
Australia
 Commonwealth government, for constitutional
reasons, has had limited power to enact national
OHS legislation
 State and, more recently, Territory governments have
had primary responsibility for OHS regulation
 legislation is often supplemented by codes of practice
that advise companies how to comply with
legislative requirements
 employees have also accessed common law to pursue
claims against employers

The Purpose of Regulation
In general, the legal rules and institutions in Australia
have been developed to:
 prevent the occurrence of workplace injury, disease and
death
 rehabilitate workers suffering from work-related
injuries or illness in order to assist their return to work
 provide monetary compensation to workers who have
suffered permanent work-related illness and injury or
fatal accident (or to their relatives in the case of death)

Historical Development of OHS Legislation
 colonies, and later the States, between 1873 and 1910,
adopted a ‘command and control’ legislative approach
to OHS based on the British Factory Acts
 1970s and 1980s new state OHS legislation in Australia
followed the British
 based on the concept of ‘duty of care’ by employers to
provide a safe workplace
 adoption of self-regulation instead of punishment
 efforts made to promote joint workplace health and safety
committees and OHS management systems

Historical Development of OHS Legislation (2)
 Australian Commonwealth Government
established the National Occupational Health
and Safety Commission (NOHSC) in 1985
 NOHSC established to lead and coordinate
national efforts to prevent workplace death,
injury and disease in Australia

Work-related stress
 a 1995 study of Australian workplaces found that
stress was the second most common cause of
injury or illness behind dislocation and sprains
 several factors contribute to stress:
 high employment
 job insecurity
 short-term contracts
 continuous change
 bullying

Addressing stress
Employers should:
 minimise opportunities for stress to occur, through
improved personnel management
 provide employees with information about the causes
and effects of stress
 provide employees with assistance to overcome stress,
including providing employees with information
about the need for regular exercise, proper diet, time
management and relaxation techniques etc

Workplace bullying
 has emerged as a major and growing OHS issue
 estimated that at least 10% of Australian workers
experience some form of occupational violence
each year
 the consequences of occupational violence for an
individual can be physical and/or psychological
 perspective of target (not perpetrator) is critical
 most bullying behaviour is subtle. Violence is a
minority of cases; has been long suffered in
silence
 toughening of legislation and penalties, emphasising
‘duty of care’

Sexual Harassment
 an increasingly important issue
 can result in significant law suits against an organisation as
well as a damaged public image
 includes a range of behaviours from sexually suggestive
remarks and the unnecessary display of sexual material,
to persistent and unwanted physical contact
 victims of this type of behavior often suffer a loss of self-
esteem and considerable stress
 changing workplace behavior and culture can be a slow
process
 through introduction of appropriate policies and training

Obesity
Obesity has reached crisis point in
several developed countries
 Obesity rates have more than doubled in Aus. in the last 20
years and accelerating
 A major health concern that can affect worker and
company productivity. Emerging as perhaps the
greatest threat to national health
 Several organisations and govt are introducing campaigns
aimed at lowering obesity levels. Major emphasis on
educating people

HIV/AIDS
 Australia has been relatively successful at
containing HIV
 every organisation should develop acceptable and
sensitive polices that protect workers without
discriminating against HIV-infected workers
 HIV/AIDS policy should inform employees about
HIV and explain how the organisation is
responding to the issues in the workplace
 some organisations have refused to issue a special
policy because they are treating as another
infectious disease (Stone, 2005)

Terrorism
 Awareness of security issues in Aus organisations has
increased markedly in last 10 years
 Security screening, ‘debugging’ of board rooms
 Visible and undercover security personnel
 Proactive training of staff to deal with security
incidents
 Encourage staff to report unusual behaviour

The Risk Management Process
Identify and assess hazard
Can the source of the hazard be removed?
Yes
Do so
No
Can workers be separated from the source of
the hazard?
Yes
Do so
No
Would training remove
the hazard?
Yes
Do so Negotiate introduction
and use of personal
protective clothing and
equipment
No

Hrmg100 week 11

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