Cardiff University
Speaker – Ray Davies
HM specialist inspector
Health and Safety is a very important part of any work environment. Many laws and regulations are put forward to maintain proper regulations in a work environment. HSE, the health and safety Executives are a body that help the organizations in following all such regulations put forward by the law for the safety and health of the workers and the working environment. (Krause T R The behaviour-based safety process 1997)
The speech was about the importance of health and safety in normal operations of any work place, and how these can be handled effectively, without ending up with any unpleasant happenings.
Health and safety executive works at providing a healthy working environment to all the workers, and prevent them from any kind of illness due to work related exposures and tasks. HSE strives at applying the law, which was amended in 1974, called the HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK. This is a criminal law, and has 208 regulations in it, with some of the latest ones being the provision and use of work equipment regulations -passed in 1998, supply of machinery safety regulations – passed in 2008, etc. (Improving compliance with safety procedures 2014)
When a company does not follow the safety regulations laid down by this law, they can be taken to the court and charged with a maximum of twenty thousand Euros or 12 months of imprisonment in the Magistrate court. HSE, as an organization, helps the companies in following the rules and regulations (all 208 regulations) put down by this law, to prevent any such mishap from happening.
When an accident or illness happens inside the premises of a work place, a HM inspector can come in and investigate, without any prior notice, and also, can demand to leave undisturbed. Statistics shows that as far as 2347 people died of pulmonary disorders and 173 fatalities occurred in the years 2011/2012. Maximum number of fatalities occurred in construction sites, and also, with the young and inexperienced people. HSE helps in training these workers, and also aid in putting up all types of safety measures, to prevent these accidents from happening.
Health and Safety Executive not only operate for construction sites, but also for nuclear installations and mines, where exposure and injury are maximum and in schools and colleges too, with minimum risks. Hospitals and other office premises like central and local government buildings can also be benefitted by employing HSE (with 124 Euros per hour charge) to avert any setbacks. (Railway safety cases 2001)
Here are the list of functions handled by the local authorities and other enforcing authorities:
There are many rules and regulations to be followed, when one handles safety and health of an organisation. For a person handling the reins of safety and health of a workplace, all information regarding the laws and regulations put forward to handle this are given in the government website. It is necessary to understand the loop holes with respect to safety and health, in one’s workplace, by taking a tour of the operations, and also, think about risks and accidents that can happen (even minor ones) and act to put in training and guidance facilities to avoid such risks. (Dow’s fire and explosion index 2013)
The speech was an excellent learning medium to understand the need of health and safety in a workplace, and how to identify the risks and overcome it efficiently.
References:
Dow’s fire and explosion index: Hazard classification guide (7th edition) American Institute of Chemical Engineers 1994 ISBN 0816906238
Railway safety cases. Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000 including 2001 and 2003 amendments. Guidance on Regulations L52 HSE Books 2003 ISBN 0 7176 2186 3
Improving compliance with safety procedures: Reducing industrial violations Report from the Human Factors in Reliability Group (HFRG) Violations Sub-Group HSE Books 1995 ISBN 0 7176 0970 7
Sulzer-Azaroff B ‘The modification of occupational safety behaviour’ Journal of Occupational Accidents Nov 1987 Vol 9 No 3 177-197
Krause T R The behaviour-based safety process: Managing involvement for an injury-free culture (2nd edition) Van Nostrand Reinhold 1997 ISBN 0442022476 Successful health and safety management 97 ISBN 047128758X
Health and safety climate survey tool (Electronic publication) HSE Books 1997 ISBN 0 7176 1462 X
A guide to the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 L80 HSE Books 1996 ISBN 0 7176 1159 0 (Out of print)
The future availability and accuracy of the references listed in this publication cannot be guaranteed.
