Auto repair industry is probably the most accident prone industry throughout the world and is an issue of major concern for the ILO, employees, government authorities and employers. Not only does health and safety related accidents and diseases have traumatic effects on the auto repair workers, they require owners to pay huge compensation and medical bills to the victim and penalties for OSH violations. The major health and safety hazards comprise of accidents or deaths caused by getting crushed under inadequately supported vehicles, toxic emissions from exhausts, asbestos fumes, cuts and bruises from tools, burns, eyesight damage, stress and trauma from working in stressful conditions etc. This paper proposes to formulate some policies in an auto repair firm which are consistent with OSHA regulations as an effort towards lowering the rate of accidents in motor vehicle repair industry
Safety Policies
Safety Policies are formulated to control the occupational risks a worker is exposed to at the workplace. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has identified five domains of workplace health and safety namely, communication about the hazards, exposure to disease causing pathogens, personal protection equipments, stress and trauma and safety of unborn babies. Three major safety issues in the firm that are addressed through the policies are – lack of awareness about the hazards, prevention of accidents and safety training. Communication Policy
It is an indisputable fact that many accidents and other afflictions are caused by lack of awareness of the occupational health risks. Emissions from exhaust pipes in vehicles have toxic gases like oxides of Carbon and Asbestos particles, inhalation of which can cause lung afflictions and cancer. Also presence of isocynates in sprays cause asthma and skin diseases. Motor repair workers suffer the risk of developing dermatitis and skin cancer from continuous exposure to fuels and other harsh materials and used engine oil (Monney, Dwumfour-Asare, Owusu-Mensah & Kuffour, 2014). Welding glare and perpetual exposure to noise may permanently affect eyesight and hearing respectively. Dirt, grease and grime stuck in nails are carriers of disease causing pathogens. However the workers in an auto industry are mostly uneducated and are not aware of the health risks they are exposed to at the workplace.
The policy directs that potential hazards involved while executing a job are clearly communicated through posters, workshops and slogans to apprise the workers about the risks involved in performing certain jobs without using protective gears like gloves, masks, goggles etc. Posters must illustrate potential hazards through sketches and figures to catch the attention of illiterate workers.
It should also dictate that instruction manuals must clearly indicate the intervals between servicing and maintenance of lifting equipments to avoid accidents resulting from failure.
Communication policies must direct about the safety rules to be followed in the workplace and include the names and numbers of persons to be contacted in case of fires from short circuits or any other emergency. It should also provide information about availability of first aid kits and the immediate steps for evacuation during emergency and include instructions for representation of these measures by graphics and symbols for effective communication.
The policy should also incorporate provision of information about counseling to people involved in accidents to reduce trauma. It should also advice about periodic rest between jobs for relieve from stress thereby reducing chances of accidents due to inability to concentrate.
Prevention Policy and Implementation of safety rules
Implementation of policies fulfill the management’s legal obligation towards providing a safe workplace, lowers lawsuits, significantly decrease workers’ compensation premiums, and protect employees from danger (Zellers, Thomas & Ashe,2007). Prevention policy must direct formation of safety committee to enforce the rules like wearing protective gears during risky operations. Corrective measures to address negligence to follow rules and imposition of fines for breaking safety rules must be a part of the policy guidelines. Implementation policy must also direct practicing of good housekeeping in the workshop by keeping the tools and spares in their respective bins to avoid littering on the floor and causing accidents. It should also direct immediate reporting of loose parts, nuts and bolts, wear and tear in supporting platforms and equipments to maintenance personnel or the shop in charge. Leakage in tanks, loose wires and other occurrences that need immediate attention must be clearly identified through the policy guidelines and instructions to deal with them must be included for preventing accidents. Installation of warning alarms and cutting off power supply in case of emergency to stop work must also be recommended through this policy. The policy must clearly guide the shop in charge to supervise use of protective equipments, report leakage, short circuits and breakages to maintenance staff and arrange for regular inspection of equipments. It should also direct about evacuation procedures, emergency response and use of safety equipments like fire extinguisher to the shop in charge.
Another method of implementing OSH prevention rules is by using motivational tools like rewards for individuals and teams for following the rules and procedures. The implementation policy must also direct and declare rewards for accident free month and can recommend organizing various competitions like making slogans and posters on safety and mark safety week for building awareness and emphasizing its commitment to safety.
Policy on Safety Training
Safety training policy is intended at building awareness about safety legislations in the auto repair industry, health related risks, the preventive measures to minimize risks and emergency response process. The policy should include the firm’s aim of providing regular training to the workers through organization of workshops and safety drills for promoting accident free workplace and emergency preparedness. Active participation of workers in safety training programs makes it more effective (Mahan, Morawetz, Ruttenberg, & Workman, 2014) and must be recommended in the policy. The policy should outline specific training methods like demonstrations of safety equipments like alarms, fire extinguishers, switches etc. by experts. Experts may also be called to conduct workshops that provide information on the hazards faced during various operations, the personal protective equipments and their use and emergency response training like administering first aid, initiating evacuation, controlling panic and calling for assistance. The policy outlines periodic organization of safety drills to check preparedness for emergency, arrange sessions to check worker awareness about the meaning of safety symbols, hazards and prevention measures and using of audio and video clips to demonstrate the merits of using PPE, timely maintenance and good housekeeping.
Training for dealing with stress and trauma has also been addressed by the policy which directs arrangement of counseling sessions for affected people who may suffer from depression, fear and erratic behavior resulting from being in accidents, contracting diseases or losing colleagues to mishaps. Disorders like Carpel tunnel syndrome arising from repetitive movements can be avoided by training the workers for job rotation and prevent monotonous assignments.
References
Mahan, B., Morawetz, J., Ruttenberg, R., & Workman, R. (2014). Workplace safety and health improvements through a labor/management training and collaboration. NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 23(4), 561-576.
Monney, I., Dwumfour-Asare, B., Owusu-Mensah, I., & Kuffour, R. A. (2014). Occupational health and safety practices among vehicle repair artisans in an urban area in Ghana. Journal of Environmental and Occupational Science,3(3), 147-153.
Zellers, L., Thomas, M. A., & Ashe, M. (2007). Legal risks to employers who allow smoking in the workplace. American journal of public health, 97(8), 1376-1382.
