Occupational Safety and Health Management

Philosophy of Safety and Health

Life is full of hazards. Terms
Safety Hazard Health Accidents

Safety
Safety can be defined as a situation that is protected or prevented from hazards, catastrophy or disturbances that may be caused by unpredictable physical or environmental sources.

Workplace Safety
Free from hazards or risks of injury A place that enables us to control loss caused by accidents A place that enables us to protect loss of human, properties as well as income or profit.

Hazard
Workplace condition which exists or can be caused in combination with other variables, which has the potential for accidents, serious injuries, diseases and/or property damages. Hazard in industries:
Chemical Ergonomics Physical Biological

Health
As an un existence of risks that can cause harm and injury to human such as accidents, illness or natural catastrophies.

Accident
An unplanned event that will produce unacceptable / unwanted results or outcomes.

DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Understanding the past can help safety & health

professionals examine the present and future with a sense of perspective and continuity. Modern developments in health & safety are part of the long continuum of developments. Beginning in the days of the ancient Babylonians. Circa 2000 BC, their ruler developed his Code of Hammurabi, which encompassed all the laws of the land at that time. Showed Hammurabi to be a just ruler, and set a precedent followed by other Mesopotamian kings.
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DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Significance of the code from the perspective of safety &

health are clauses dealing with injuries. Allowable fees for physicians & monetary damages assessed against those who injured others. Later emerged in the industrious Egyptian civilization. Much labor was provided by slaves & slaves were not treated wellunless it suited the needs of Egyptian taskmasters.

DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

To ensure maintenance of a workforce to build a huge

temple bearing his name, Rameses II created an industrial medical service to care for the workers. They were required to bathe daily in the Nile and given regular medical examinations, & sick workers isolated. The Romans were vitally concerned with safety & health, as seen from their construction projects. Aqueducts, sewerage systems, public baths, latrines, and well-ventilated houses.

DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In 1567, Philippus Aureolus produced a treatise

on the pulmonary diseases of miners. Covered diseases of smelter workers & metallurgists. Diseases associated with handling/exposure to mercury. Around the same time, Georgius Agricola published De Re Metallica, emphasizing need for ventilation in mines, showing devices to bring fresh air into mines. The eighteenth century saw Bernardino Ramazzini, who wrote Discourse on the Diseases of Workers. Drew conclusive parallels between diseases suffered by workers and their occupations.
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DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

The Industrial Revolution changed forever the methods

of producing goods, summarized as: Introduction of inanimate power (i.e., steam power) to replace people and animal power. Substitution of machines for people. Introduction of new methods for converting raw materials. Organization/specialization of work, resulting in a division of labor.

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DEVELOPMENTS BEFORE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

These changes necessitated a greater focusing of

attention on the safety and health of workers. Steam power increased markedly the potential for life-threatening injuries, as did machines. The new methods used for converting raw materials also introduced new risks of injuries and diseases. Specialization, by increasing the likelihood of boredom and inattentiveness, also made the workplace a more dangerous environment.
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MILESTONES IN THE SAFETY MOVEMENT

The safety movement traces its roots to England. In the Industrial Revolution, child labor in factories was common. Hours were long, work hard, and conditions often unhealthy & unsafe. After an outbreak of fever among children working in their cotton mills, people of Manchester, England, demanded better factory working conditions. In 1802 the Health & Morals of Apprentices Act passed. oMarked the beginning of governmental involvement in workplace safety.
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EVOLUTION OF OSH LEGISLATION

Malaysian legislation based on 19th century British Legislation Industrial Revolution in the UK resulted in many accidents. 1844- safety provision addressing fencing of dangerous machinery Robens Report enforcement approach make people think that safety and health were matter of detailed regulation. Piecemeal regulatory, haphazard law, paid insufficient regard to organizational and human factors, did not cover all workers and some hazards.
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EVOLUTION OF OSH LEGISLATION

Recommendations by Roben: More self regulation by employers and employees Single comprehensive Act based on common law Support by regulations and voluntary codes (standard code of practice) Self regulation creating a better framework for better safety and health for industry itself

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TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE CHANGED THE SAFETY MOVEMENT

The Chernobyl accident in 26 April 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel. The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere and downwind. Two Chernobyl plant workers died on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation poisoning. UNSCEAR says that apart from increased thyroid cancers, "there is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years after the accident." Resettlement of areas from which people were relocated is ongoing.

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TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE CHANGED THE SAFETY MOVEMENT

Bhopal Tragedy - On Dec. 3, 1984, over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) & other gases, including hydrogen cyanide, leaked into north Bhopal, India. Killing more than 3,000 people in its aftermath. It was discovered the protective equipment that could have halted impending disaster was not in full working order. The International Medical Commission found that as many as 50,000 people were exposed, and may still suffer disability as a result. This disaster shocked the world.
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TRAGEDIES THAT HAVE CHANGED THE SAFETY MOVEMENT

Union Carbide Corporation, owner of the plant, was accused of many things, including: Criminal negligence. Corporate prejudice - choosing poverty-stricken Bhopal, on the assumption few would care if anything went wrong. Avoidance - putting its plant in Bhopal to avoid stricter US safety & health standards. In February 1989, Indias Supreme Court ordered Union Carbide India Ltd., to pay $470 million in compensatory damages. Funds were paid to the Indian government to be used to compensate the victims.

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OSH LEGISLATION IN MALAYSIA

Selangor Boiler Enactment 1892 followed by Perak, Pahang and Negri Sembilan Machinery Ordinance 1913 Machinery Enactment 1932 (Machinery Branch, Department of Mines) Machinery Ordinance 1953 (Machinery Department, Ministry of Labour) Factories and Machinery Act 1967 (Factories and Machinery Department, Ministry of Labour) Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Human Resouces)
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INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Roben style legislation Australia, UK, Sweden and OSHA 1994 Safety and Health Committee, general duty of care provisions and improvement / prohibition notices. UK Her Majesty Factory Inspectorate and then Health and Safety Executive USA detailed OSH standards and regulations, reliance on inspectors (NIOSH, Labor Department)
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MANAGEMENT OF OSH IN MALAYSIA

Huge losses due to accidents Proactive approach OSH is a management function SHO ensure compliance with regulations and promote safe work practices

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DUTIES OF SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER

Provide advice on safety measures and assist in safety program Inspect and audit the workplace Invesigate all accidents and incidents Assist supervisors in investigating accidents Keep statistics on accidents Secretary to safety and health committee
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