Element 1 Q&A
Element 1 Q&A
Safety
1.1 Morals and Money
Introduction to Key Terms
Health
Health refers to both physical and psychological well-being of a person and not just the mere absence of
disease or ill health
Safety
Freedom from any source of ham, injury or ill health extending to the workplace.
Welfare
Access to basic facilities for comfort and wellbeing. Examples include: drinking water, rest and eating
facility, washing facilities etc.
In simple terms, the moral reason can be summarised as, ‘it’s the right thing to do’. It is right and proper
that workers go to work to earn a living and return home in the same state, not suffering from ill health
or serious physical injury. People expect this as a fundamental right. Workers expect it. Society expects
it.
Personal injury accidents, worker ill health and property damage cost money. When an accident or ill-
health occurs there will be direct and indirect costs associated with that event. Some of these losses can
be insured against, but many cannot. Accidents and ill health can significantly affect the financial
resources of an organisation and, in some cases, can put an organisation out of business. This is the
financial argument for managing health and safety. It is sometimes referred to as the business case
because it focuses on money.
Give examples of direct and indirect costs associated with bad health and safety
• First-aid treatment.
• Worker sick pay.
• Repairs to, or replacement of, damaged equipment and buildings.
• Lost or damaged product.
• Lost production time while dealing with the injury.
Examples of indirect costs:
Give examples insurable and uninsurable costs associated with bad health and safety in the workplace
The legal reason for managing health and safety relates to the framework of international and national
laws that govern the conduct of businesses and organisations. Most countries have laws that set
standards for how organisations should conduct themselves with regard to the management of health
and safety risks. Failure to achieve these legal minimum standards can lead to enforcement action by
the authorities or prosecution before the courts. Successful prosecution can lead to a fine and, in many
countries, to imprisonment for the individuals concerned.
What are some of the international labour organisation (ILO) framework that place obligations on
employers.
• Provide workplaces and work equipment, and use work methods, which are safe and pose no
risk to health.
• Provide appropriate instructions and training.
• Provide necessary supervision.
• Put in place health and safety arrangements adapted to suit the size and nature of the
undertaking.
• Provide any necessary personal protective clothing and equipment free of charge.
• Ensure that the hours of work do not adversely affect employees’ safety and health.
• Take measures to eliminate any extreme physical and mental fatigue.
• Stay up-to-date with knowledge in order to comply with the above.
What are the workers’ responsibilities and rights as per the ILO?
• Take reasonable care of their own safety and that of other people who might be affected by the
things
• that they do and the things that they fail to do.
• Comply with safety instructions and procedures.
• Use all safety equipment properly and not tamper with it.
• Report any situation which they believe could be a hazard and which they cannot themselves
correct.
• Report any work-related accident or ill health.
Article 19 of C155 gives workers the following rights:
• The right to be provided with adequate information on actions the employer has taken to
ensure occupational safety and health.
• The right to the necessary training in occupational safety and health.
• The right to be consulted by the employer on all matters of occupational safety and health
relating to their work.
• The right to leave a workplace which the worker has reason to think presents an imminent and
serious danger to their life or health, and not be compelled to return until it is safe.
Enforcement agencies often provide advice, investigate workplace accidents, take formal enforcement
action to force employers to comply with the law and start criminal proceedings against persons or
organisations they believe have committed offences.
What are the consequences of non-compliance with health and safety obligations set by the local and
international frameworks?
• Formal enforcement action: an enforcement agency might force an employer either to make an
improvement within the workplace within a given time period, or to stop carrying out high risk
activities altogether until improvements are made. Failure to comply with formal enforcement
action is usually considered to be an offence in itself.
• Prosecution of the organisation in the criminal courts: successful prosecution might result in
punishment in the form of a fine.
• Prosecution of individuals, such as directors, managers and workers: successful prosecution
might result in punishment in the form of a fine and/or imprisonment.
• Taking legal action against their employer through the civil legal system, and having to prove
that their employer had been negligent and was therefore to blame for their injury.
• Claiming compensation from national or regional compensation schemes, with no requirement
to prove negligence or blame through the use of the legal system.
• ISO 9001
• ISO 14001
• ISO 45001
• ILO
What are the sources of information on national health and safety standards?
The employer in this context is normally an organisation, such as a company, and is sometimes referred
to as the ‘corporate body’.
It is important to recognise that the employer in this context is not normally a natural person (a living,
breathing individual); instead, they are a legal person and exist only in a legal sense. For example, Qatar
Airways is an employer and a legal person.
• Employees
• Other workers such as casual workers, agency workers and contractors.
• Visitors.
• Public
What are the health and safety duties of directors and senior managers?
What are the health and safety duties of line managers and supervisors?
• They should control work in their area of responsibility and set a good example.
• They should take part in carrying out risk assessments, in the development of consequent safe
systems of work and ensure that members of their teams are fully briefed on the systems.
• They should carry out inspections of their working areas and deal with any unsafe conditions or
actions, reporting to managers if in any situation, they personally do not have the power to take
action.
• They finally have an important role to play in training, coaching and mentoring members of their
team.
What are the duties of health and safety practitioners?
• Must ensure that there are no risks to the Health & Safety of people using the premises as a
place of work, People entering the premises to use machinery or equipment and People
accessing & exiting from the premises, and those using substances provided in the premises.
• Must ensure the availability of emergence arrangements
• Must ensure the provision of adequate welfare facilities
• Must conduct joint meetings to handle issues that affect the premises, facility they use.
The way that a client manages contractors can be broken down into four key areas: