Occupational Health and safety (OH&S)

What is an occupational health and safety (OH&S) program?

A health and safety program must include the elements required by the health and safety legislation as a minimum.

Because organizations differ, a program developed for one organization cannot necessarily be expected to meet the needs of another. This document summarizes the general elements of a health and safety program. This approach should help smaller organizations to develop programs to deal with their specific needs.

What are individual OH&S responsibilities?

Health and safety is the joint responsibility of management and workers. Management is accountable for non-compliance to health and safety legislation.

Responsibility may be defined as an individual’s obligation to carry out assigned duties. Authority implies the right to make decisions and the power to direct others. Responsibility and authority can be delegated to subordinates, giving them the right to act for superiors. It is important to note that, while some responsibilities can be delegated, the superior remains accountable for seeing that they are carried out.

Individual responsibilities apply to every employee in the workplace, including the Chief Executive Officer. All employees will then know exactly what is expected of each individual in health and safety terms.

To fulfill their individual responsibilities, the people must:

• Know what these responsibilities are (communication required).
• Have sufficient authority to carry them out (organizational issue).
• Have the required ability and competence (training or certification required).

Once all these criteria have been met, safety performance can be assessed by each individual’s supervisor on an equal basis with other key job elements. Health and safety is not just an extra part of an employee’s job: it is an integral, full-time component of each individual’s responsibilities.

What are examples of responsibilities of workers?

Examples of responsibilities of workers include:

• Using personal protection and safety equipment as required by the employer.
• Following safe work procedures.
• Knowing and complying with all regulations.
• Reporting any injury or illness immediately.
• Reporting unsafe acts and unsafe conditions.
• Participating in joint health and safety committees or as the representative.

What are examples of responsibilities of first-line supervisors?

Examples of responsibilities of management include:

• Providing a safe and healthful workplace.
• Establishing and maintaining a health and safety program.
• Ensuring workers are trained or certified, as required.
• Reporting accidents/incidents and cases of occupational disease to the appropriate authority.
• Providing medical and first aid facilities.
• Ensuring personal protective equipment is available.
• Providing workers with health and safety information.
• Supporting supervisors in their health and safety activities.
• Evaluating health and safety performance of supervisors.

What are examples of responsibilities of safety coordinators?

Examples of responsibilities of safety coordinators include:

• Advising all employees on health and safety matters.
• Coordinating interdepartmental health and safety activities.
• Collecting and analyzing health and safety statistics.
• Providing health and safety training.
• Conducting research on special problems.
• Attending joint health and safety committee meetings as a resource person.

Why are correct work procedures established?

Governmental health and safety regulations represent minimum requirements. In almost all cases, organizations will have to augment these regulations with specific rules.

We need rules – to protect the health and safety of workers – but there are dangers in having either too few or too many rules. Too few rules may be interpreted as a sign that health and safety are not important, or that common sense is all that is required to achieve them. Too many rules may be seen as not treating employees as thinking adults and makes enforcement of all rules less likely. Following are some guidelines for establishing rules:

• Rules should be specific to health safety concerns in the workplace.
• The joint health and safety committee should participate in their formulation.
• Rules should be stated in clearly understandable terms.
• Rules are best stated in positive terms (“employees shall” not “employees shall not”).
• The reasons for the rule should be explained.
• Rules must be enforceable, since disregard for one rule will lead to disregard for others.
• Rules should be available to all employees in written form, in the languages of communication of employees.
• Rules should be periodically reviewed to evaluate effectiveness and to make changes for improved effectiveness.

Compliance with health and safety rules should be considered a condition of employment. Rules must be explained to new employees when they start work or if they are transferred or retrained. After a suitable interval, these employees should be briefed to ensure they understand the rules applicable to their work.

The employer must establish procedures for dealing with repeat rule violators. Supervisors are responsible for correcting unsafe acts, such as a breach of rules, and they must be supported in this duty. Points that should be considered in establishing procedures on this issue are:

• Ensure that employees are aware of the rule.
• Ensure that employees are not encouraged, coerced, or forced to disregard the rule by fellow employees.
• All rules are to be observed.
• No violation will be disregarded.
• The role of discipline is that of education, not punishment.
• Action is taken promptly.
• While having guidelines for penalties for the first offence or infractions may be desirable, some flexibility is required when applying the guidelines since each case will vary in its circumstances.
• Action is taken in private, and recorded.

Why is employee orientation important?

Health and safety education should start with employee orientation when an employee joins the organization or is transferred to a new job. It has been found that inexperienced workers, in general, are involved in accidents 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 explanation of the function of the work unit, organizational relationships, administrative arrangements, and miscellaneous policies and rules.

Items related to health and safety that should be included are:

• Emergency procedures.
• Location of first aid stations.
• Health and safety responsibilities, including those specified by legislation.
• Reporting of injuries, unsafe conditions and acts.
• Use of personal protective equipment.
• Right to refuse hazardous work.
• Hazards, including those outside own work area.
• Reasons for each health and safety rule.

A new employee can be expected to absorb only a certain amount of information in the first few days. A brochure outlining the points covered in the orientation sessions is useful as a handout to employees. It also serves as a checklist for the person conducting the orientation. A buddy system is a useful follow-up to the initial orientation. 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”.

New, inexperienced or transferred employees should be encouraged to ask questions at any time when doubt exists as to correct procedures. The new employee orientation may include a set of questions, such as the following:

• What are the hazards of the job?
• Is job safety training available?
• What safety equipment do I need to do my job?
• Do I need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE)? Will I receive training on how to use the PPE?
• What do I do in case of fire or another emergency?
• Where do I find fire extinguishers, first aid kits, first aid rooms and emergency assistance?
• What are my responsibilities regarding health and safety?
• If I notice something wrong, to whom should I report?
• Who is responsible for answering safety-related questions?
• What do I do if I get injured or have an accident?

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.

How do you design a training program?

The objective of training is to implement health and safety procedures into specific job practices and to raise awareness and skill levels to an acceptable standard.

Occasions when employee training may be required are:

• Commencement of employment.
• Reassignment or transfer to a new job.
• Introduction of new equipment, processes, or procedures.
• Refresher, annual, or periodic education and training to ensure skills and knowledge.
• Inadequate performance.

CSA Standard Z100-13, Occupational Health and Safety Training, also outlines suggested training for supervisors. The standard states that a supervisor “should be competent (i.e., have adequate knowledge, training, and experience) on all processes and tasks over which he or she is exercising authority. Organizations should define what constitutes an acceptable combination of knowledge, training, and experience in relation to the supervision of others performing tasks.” Topics that may be included in supervisor training include:

• Roles and responsibilities – legal and corporate.
• Internal responsibility system.
• Hazard identification, hazard control, risk assessment.
• Emergency procedures.
• Incident investigation.
• Conducting planned inspections.
• Auditing skills.
• Training.
• Planned task observation.
• Communication skills.
• Motivation and discipline.
• Managing troubled employees.
• Off the job safety.
• Problem solving skills.
• First aid.
• WHMIS/chemical safety.
• Industrial hygiene and medical surveillance programs.
• Duty to accommodate.

When providing training, an instructor should:

• Receive training in how to instruct.
• Prepare an orderly plan for instruction.
• Explain reasons why each step must be done in a certain way.

All instructors should:

• Plan the session beforehand; break the job down into steps; have training aids available.
• Explain what is to be done.
• Describe all the hazards and protective measures.
• Demonstrate each step, stress key points, and answer any questions.
• Have the employee carry out each step, correct errors, and compliment good performance.
• Check frequently after the employee is working independently to ensure correct performance.

Documented correct work procedures are very important in job skills training.

How do you implement occupational health and safety programs?

A good health and safety program provides a clear set of guidelines for activities that, if followed rigorously, will reduce accidents and cases of occupational disease. The key to success is the manner in which the program is implemented and maintained.

Senior management must demonstrate commitment and support the program by:

• Providing resources such as time, money, and personnel.
• Ensuring that employees receive training or certification as required.
• Making all applicable health and safety information available to all employees.
• Including health and safety performance as part of employee performances appraisals at all levels.
• Attending health and safety meetings.

The program must be communicated to all employees. 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. However, if separate manuals have been developed for various elements, such as accident/incident investigation procedures, their use should be referred to in the main document.

Should workplace specific items be included in occupational health and safety programs?

The elements of OH&S programs discussed so far apply to all basic health and safety programs. In addition, specific items may be needed to address workplace specific activities. Examples of such items are:

• Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS).
• Lock out procedures.
• Confined space procedures.
• Hot-work permits.
• Material handling rules.
• Plant maintenance.
• Fire safeguards.
• Vehicle safety rules.
• Off-the-job safety.
• Working alone guidelines.
• Personal protective equipment requirements.
• Engineering standards.
• Purchasing standards.
• Preventive maintenance.