Health & Safety Issues in the Organisations

 According to the survey of the International Labor Organization(ILO) they had stated that 7,397 employees dies every day from Occupational accidents and work related diseases like fatigue, stress, Migraine, attacks, etc. which means around 2.7 Million people die every year just because of the unethical behavior of the organisations. The high level management should take care of their workers because as Richard Branson has said: Employees are the biggest assets of the organisation.

So it is the responsibility of the organisation to make their employee feel safe from everything. some of the most frequently cited violations which i have noticed during my research on the safety causes are:

1. (Fall Protection, e.g. the unprotected sides and edges and leading edges):
The workers who work in the construction companies or real estate companies when they work on the high height they are usually not equipped with the safety cables, helmets, etc. which causes harm to the life of the workers.

2. (Hazard Communication, e.g. classifying harmful chemical):
The employees working in the pharmaceuticals industries they are not aware about with which chemical they are working with the management only tell them how to work with the chemicals but do not tell them with which chemical they are working with. Also employees do not get the usual protective gadgets to get protected from the chemicals just because of that employees are getting serious diseases.

3. (Scaffolding, e.g. required resistance and maximum weight numbers):
Scaffolding also called scaffold or staging is the temporary structure used to support a work crew in materials to aid in construction, maintenance and repair of buildings bridges and other man made structures. If the scaffold is not constructed properly it may collapse hence causing death of employees on it by falling down from a great height.

4.(Respiratory Protection, e.g. emergency procedures and respiratory/filter equipment standards.):
Respiratory Protection is done by a Respirator. It is a device designed to protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous atmospheres including particulate matter such as dusts and air borne, microorganisms, as well as hazardous fumes, vapors and gases. Like cotton industries and leather industries is a big example for Respiratory hazardous because they do not provide Respirators to the employees which causes many diseases to the employees.

Let's take an example of a company who is Disregarding the Workers Safety: 

OSHA: Aluminum Service LLC:

Despite a tumultuous relationship with OSHA, Aluminum Shapes LLC continues to disregard worker safety. Aluminum manufacturers is facing $169,524 in penalties following an August 2019 incident in which a worker was hospitalized. Aluminum Shapes continues to disregard their legal responsibility to comply with safety and health standards, said OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick, in a statement. Employers have an obligation to provide a safe and healthful workplace for their workers. The agency cited the company for one serious and three repeat violations after a steel plate fell from an uninspected crane onto an employee's foot. In addition to not inspecting the crane on an annual basis, Aluminum Shapes did not report this injury to OSHA within 24 hours and failed to balance and secure the load. Aluminum Shapes has a long-standing history of noncompliance with OSHA going back to 2011.

·         In January 2017, inspectors found 51 health and safety violations and discovered that two employees had been injured previous to the investigation, but it was not reported. In the first case, the worker experienced chemical burns after entering a tank to drain residual sludge containing dehydrated sodium hydroxide, aluminum oxide and decomposed metal. Despite employees reporting to supervisors that they were experiencing chemical burns to their skin, the workers were directed to re-enter the tank, suffering further injuries.

·         The second incident occurred when a machine operator suffered a broken pelvis after being caught between the unguarded moving parts of a metal fabrication machine, according to OSHA.

OSHA also cited the company for repeat violations including fall hazards, lack of stair rails, machine guarding and electrical hazards. Aluminum Services LLC also received serious citations for inadequate ladders, inappropriate respiratory and hearing protection, insufficient entry permits, and lack of machine guarding and hazardous chemical training. In total, OSHA proposed penalties of $1,922,895. Despite its lengthy OSHA history, Aluminum Shapes still does not comply with federal safety and health standards, said Paula Dixon-Roderick, director of OSHA’s Marlton Area Office in a 2017 statement. These hazards leave workers vulnerable to the risk of serious injury and possible death. OSHA has now placed the company in the Severe Violator Enforcement Program for repeated safety failures.

Why OSHA should Hire Safety Consultant:

In order for most companies to remain competitive and stay in business, they must provide--per OSHA--a safe work environment for all of their employees . . . not just the full-time employees. You may have the best safety and training program, however, human error is impossible to predict and control 100 percent. Your safety and training manager (if you have one in house) usually has more on his/her plate than the original job description depicts. He or she does not have the time, and your budget constraints do not allow him or her the resources, to keep up with the ever-changing environment in which we live and work. Therefore, in most cases, it is very cost effective to hire a safety consultant to take a fresh look at your company policies, training, accident prevention programs, and a multitude of other issues that may be particular to your type of industry and company.