Professional Documents
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Module 8 - Managing Health and Safety
Module 8 - Managing Health and Safety
work health
and safety
Members:
PreparedBy: Almanzor, De Guzman,Fernandez,
Group 6 Gaite, Javier,Pumarada
analyse to what extent workplace injuries and accidents
01
cost Australian workplaces
Objectives 03
explain the harmonization of WHS legislation in Australian
federal and state government jurisdictions, and analyse its
advantages and disadvantages
Direct and Indirect WHS costs include sick leave, medical costs and rising insurance
premiums, lost productivity, replacement salaries, equipment downtime, lost potential output,
loss of current and future earnings, adverse effects on teamwork and morale, and the cost of
providing social welfare programs for injured incapacitated workers
THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM
The range of potential work hazards, both physical and psychological is
increasingly broad, and encompasses the following:
The main professions to be involved in WHS in Australianindustry include medical professionals, occupational
epidemiologists, occupational hygienists, ergonomists, dangerous goods specialists, HSE(health, safety and
environment) coordinators, trainers, industrial psychologists and industrial sociologists
Each professional group represents a different perspective and isconsidered separately below.
WHS and The Medical Model
Medical specialists focused on the identification of the direct physiological
effects sof work on health.
Medical Model the viewof WHS held by doctors and paramedics that focuses
on scientific diagnoses of the causes, effects and treatment of WHS usually
from an indivisual employee perspective. The model has been challenged
particularly by studies of workplace related psychosocial hazards.
Ergonomics I ndustrial
focuses on fitting the job space
and technology to the person so Sociology
that work can be done more
comfortably, conveniently, and focuses on the structural and
broader workplacesocialaspects
efficiently
of WHS. aspects such aslackof
worker control on their work
processes,production
Industrial imperatives and associated
reward systemsare significant
Psychology contributors to WHS accidents
and diseases.
application of psychology to the workplace
and to workplace accidents and diseases
brought a different perspective to their
causes and treatment. investigation of
work-related psychosocialhazards.
The LegalProfession
of WHS
concerned lawyers and insurance agents, especially in the settlement of
workers' compensation claims
frequent disputes have ended up in the federal and state courts, resulting in
payment to illor injured workers or decisions in favor of employers
the legal profession has a vested interest in WHS issues and there are numerous
examples of costly litigation as the result of employers' negligence or
employers' failure to provide a healthy and safe workplace
Occupational Occupational
Epidiomology Hygiene
studies may involve looking at art and science of anticipating,
workers exposed to a variety of recognizing,measuring,
chemical, biological or physical evaluating, communicating,and
(e.g., noise, heat, radiation) agents controllingworkplace
to determine if the exposures environmentalhazards.
result in the risk of adverse health occupationalhygienists are
outcomes. typically called on to determine
whether workers are exposed to
hazardous levelsof airborne
contaminants ordeafening noise
and to recommend waysof
controlling the risk to health or
hearing.
growth in education and awareness of
WHS issues from the 1970s unions and
Union their national representative body, the
Australiancouncil of trade union