What Is Occupational Safety And Health?

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH  (OSH)  is an area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goals of occupational safety and health programs include to foster a safe and healthy work environment. OSH may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, and many others who might be affected by the workplace environment. Occupational safety and health can be important for moral, legal, and financial reasons. All organisations have a duty of care to ensure that employees and any other person who may be affected by the companies undertaking remain safe at all times. Moral obligations would involve the protection of employee's lives and health. Legal reasons for OSH practices relate to the preventative, punitive and compensatory effects of laws that protect worker's safety and health. OSH can also reduce employee injury and illness related costs, including medical care, sick leave and disability benefit costs. OSH may involve interactions among many subject areas, including occupational medicine, occupational hygiene, public health, safety engineering, industrial engineering, chemistry, health physics, ergonomics and occupational health psychology.

In the United States, Occupational safety and health Act is  a federal job safety law (a law passed by the United States Congress that created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to prevent employees from being injured or contracting diseases in the course of their employment). The Occupational Safety and Health Act (Act 154, Malaysia) is an Act which provides the legislative framework to secure the safety, health and welfare among all Malaysian workforce and to protect others against risks to safety or health in connection with the activities of persons at work. This Act was gazetted on 24th February 1994 and may be cited as the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994. This Act is a practical tool superimposed on existing safety and health legislation. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) under the Ministry of Human Resources is currently responsible to enforce the laws in Malaysia. Meanwhile, NIOSH is a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health which is responsible to promote as well as provide a specific training and educate industrial personnel on Occupational Safety and Health Management. 

Since 1950, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shared a common definition of occupational health. It was adopted by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health at its first session in 1950 and revised at its twelfth session in 1995. The definition reads:

"Occupational health should aim at: the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health; the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological capabilities; and, to summarize, the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job."

"The main focus in occupational health is on three different objectives: 

(a) the maintenance and promotion of workers’ health and working capacity; 

(b) the improvement of working environment and work to become conducive to safety and health and 

(c) development of work organizations and working cultures in a direction which supports health and safety at work and in doing so also promotes a positive social climate and smooth operation and may enhance productivity of the undertakings. 

The concept of working culture is intended in this context to mean a reflection of the essential value systems adopted by the undertaking concerned. Such a culture is reflected in practice in the managerial systems, personnel policy, principles for participation, training policies and quality management of the undertaking."

 - Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational Health (At-risk workers without appropriate safety equipment)

Physical hazards are a common source of injuries in many industries. They are perhaps unavoidable in many industries such as construction and  mining, but over time people have developed safety methods and procedures to manage the risks of physical danger in the workplace. Employment of children may pose special problems.

Falls are a common cause of occupational injuries and fatalities, especially in construction, extraction, transportation, healthcare, and building cleaning and maintenance.

An engineering workshop specialising in the fabrication and welding of components has to follow the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work regulations 1992. It is an employers duty to provide ‘all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work which him against one or more risks to his health and safety’. In a fabrication and welding workshop an employer would be required to provide face and eye protection, safety footwear, overalls and other necessary PPE.

Machines are commonplace in many industries, including manufacturing, mining, construction and agriculture, and can be dangerous to workers. Many machines involve moving parts, sharp edges, hot surfaces and other hazards with the potential to crush, burn, cut, shear, stab or otherwise strike or wound workers if used unsafely. Various safety measures exist to minimize these hazards, including lockout-tagout procedures for machine maintenance and roll over protection systems for vehicles. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, machine-related injuries were responsible for 64,170 cases that required days away from work in 2008. More than a quarter of these cases required more than 31 days spent away from work. That same year, machines were the primary or secondary source of over 600 work-related fatalities. Machines are also often involved indirectly in worker deaths and injuries, such as in cases in which a worker slips and falls, possibly upon a sharp or pointed object.

Confined spaces also present a work hazard. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health defines "confined space" as having limited openings for entry and exit and unfavorable natural ventilation, and which is not intended for continuous employee occupancy. These kind of spaces can include storage tanks, ship compartments, sewers, and pipelines. Confined spaces can pose a hazard not just to workers, but also to people who try to rescue them.

Noise also presents a fairly common workplace hazard: occupational hearing loss is the most common work-related injury in the United States, with 22 million workers exposed to hazardous noise levels at work and an estimated $242 million spent annually on worker's compensation for hearing loss disability. Noise is not the only source of occupational hearing loss; exposure to chemicals such as aromatic solvents and metals including lead, arsenic, and mercury can also cause hearing loss.

Temperature extremes can also pose a danger to workers. Heat stress can cause heat stroke, exhaustion, cramps, and rashes. Heat can also fog up safety glasses or cause sweaty palms or dizziness, all of which increase the risk of other injuries. Workers near hot surfaces or steam also are at risk for burns. Dehydration  may also result from overexposure to heat. Cold stress also poses a danger to many workers. Overexposure to cold conditions or extreme cold can lead to hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, or chilblains.

Electricity poses a danger to many workers. Electrical injuries can be divided into four types: fatal electrocution, electric shock, burns, and falls caused by contact with electric energy.

Vibrating machinery, lighting, and air pressure can also cause work-related illness and injury. Asphyxiation is another potential work hazard in certain situations. Musculoskeletal disorders are avoided by the employment of good ergonomic design and the reduction of repeated strenuous movements or lifts.

Specific occupational safety and health concerns vary greatly by sector and industry. Construction workers might be particularly at risk of falls, for instance, whereas fishermen might be particularly at risk of drowning. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies the fishing, aviation, lumber, metalworking, agriculture, mining and  transportation industries as among some of the more dangerous for workers.

Read more...

Construction Safety

A Copy of OSHA, Act 154 

(Akta Keselamatan Dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan 1994)

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) - SlideShare

Feb 23, 2013 - INTRODUCTION Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994) ... to suit the particular industry or organization, and by the accumulation of .... Besides that, he also can require any person employed in a place of work ...

Guidelines on occupational safety and health act 1994 - DOSH

Department of Occupational Safety and Health

Sep 22, 2007 - Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) was enacted on 25th February 1994 with ..... This Act shall apply throughout Malaysia to industries specified in the First Schedule. .... Regulations 1986, require fifty or more persons.

Audit of Occupational Health and Safety - Audit Report - About the ...

Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Mar 10, 2015 - ARCHIVED - Audit of Occupational Health and Safety - Audit Report ... CFIA and its employees, form the basis for the Agency's OHS mandate.

Other references
Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH)
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HELTH (OSH)

Programme and Opportunities

Training is an integral part of Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) to ensure the success of any OSH programme at the workplace, adequate and effective training must be implemented for all those responsible in OSH. 

Training enables managers, supervisors and workers to understand the working of safety management systems and the legal compliance required. 

They will then understand their own responsibilities and the necessary actions to be taken towards upgrading safety and health at their respective workplaces.

There are four (4) types of training programme provided by NIOSH:

OSH Practitioners Programmes

Accident Investigation and Reporting Workshop

Emergency Respond Plan Preparedness

Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control

Safety and Health Committee

Occupational Safety and Health for Supervisor

Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA)

Compliance to Regulations Under OSHA 1994

Compliance to Factories and Machinery Act 1967 and Regulations

Competency/Certificate Programme

Certificate Programme for Safety and Health Officer

Chemical Health Risk Assessment

Industrial Hygiene Technician I

Industrial Hygiene Technician II

Authorized Entrant and Standby Person (AESP)

Authorized Gas Tester and Entry Supervisor (AGTES)

Indoor Air Quality for Assessor

Monitoring of Noise Exposure

Occupational First Aid (OFA)

Trainer’s Programme

Train the Trainer

Training Management for Business

Safety Induction for Construction Workers

Confined Space Train the Trainer

Safety Passport Programmes

Program Contractor Safety Passport System (CSPS)

Program BPCM Safety Passport (NBPSP)

Program NIOSH NESTLE Safety Passport (NNSP)

Program Oil and Gas Safety Passport (OGSP)

Program OSFAM Safety Passport (NOSP)

Program NIOSH PORT Safety Passport (NPTSP)

Program NIOSH SESB Safety Passport (NSESP)

Program NIOSH TM Safety Passport (NTMSP)

Program NIOSH TNB Safety Passport (NTSP)

Program SYABAS NIOSH  Safety Card (SNSC)

Job Opportunity

Safety & Health Manager Responsibilities -Coordinate activities and responsible for the implementation, monitoring, sustenance and continual improvement of safety and health in compliance with Legal, OSH Management System/s and organizational requirements. -To coordinate all activities relating to the development, distribution and implementation of the safety & health management system. -Conduct safety & health audits and inspection as planned -Conduct/attend joint safety and health walkabout/inspection with local authorities, clients, senior management and Work Package Contractor. -Response immediately on Site Safety & Health related issues and follow up closely on the rectification status of the issued non-compliances. -To review and provide comment on Safety and Health Management System documentation submitted by the Work Package Contractors. -To liaise with local authority, client, independent consultant and Work Package Contractors to resolve any safety and health related matter -To provide guidance and consultation internally within the project organization on Safety and Health Management System requirements and implementation -To be part of the S&H Risk Review Committee at respective package and jointly review all Job Safety & Health Analysis produced by Work Package Contractor -To organize and chair periodic safety & health meetings with WPC and SC and attend other related meetings -Manage the production of timely Monthly Safety and Health Performance Report and ensure timely submission of WPC's Safety & Health Performance Report -Ensure all the Work Package Contractors, System Provider and Major Supplier implements the Safety and Health Management System accordingly. -Continually assess and evaluate the performance of Work Package Contractors. -Identify training needs, assist in developing training modules and coordinate with the Construction Orientation Center to conduct safety & health trainings for PDP, SC and WPC. -Conduct trend analysis on monthly basis, recommend action for improvement and submit monthly report for the package under his/her supervision. -To steer incident investigation and ensure timely and quality reporting -To manage and assess the performance of the Safety & Health officers under his/her supervision and ensure enforcement of safety & health requirement on site Requirements -Degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent. -Preferably to be registered Safety & Health Officer with DOSH and posses a valid Green Book or NEBOSH certificate holder. -Minimum twenty-five (25) years practical experience relevant to the works, preferably in railway/metro projects with fifteen (15) years manager capacity. -Excellent knowledge and experienced in OHSAS 18001 and/or MS 1722 Management Systems requirements. -Good technical knowledge in safety and health. -Well versed with safety and health legislative requirements. -Excellent leadership, auditing, inter-personal, communication, presentation and analytical skills. -Able to communicate with all levels in the organization. -Well versed in working with Microsoft Office - Word, Excel, Power Point. -Good command of English and Bahasa Melayu languages (written and oral). -Self motivated, can work independently with minimum supervision. -Age restriction: 45 years old and above Job Type: Full-time Salary: RM15,000.00 /month Required education: Bachelor's Required experience: -infrastructure project (e.g. rail/metro; highway/expressway; road; bridge/viaduct): 10 years -hands/on safety: 10 years Required licenses or certifications: -Green Book and / or NEBOSH -DOSH -Registered Safety & Health Officer Safety Manager We are currently working with a major multinational contractor engaged in a range of MRT and Civil Engineering works in Malaysia. They are now seeking to add additional team members to the business following a new contract win as follows; -Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor's Degree, Post Graduate Diploma, Professional degree for occupational safety and health or equivalent. -Relevant certificate is necessary. -Required language(s): Bahasa Malaysia, English -At least 5 year(s) of working experience in the construction field is required for this position. -Experience in Metro works / MRT 1 is highly desirable. -Good PC knowledge in MS Word, Excel, Power Point etc. -Salary is negotiable based on experience. Job Type: Full-time Salary: RM15,000.00 /month Job Location: -Kuala Lumpur Required education: -Bachelor's Required experience: -Safety Management: 7 years Required language: -English

Others

OHSAS 18001

http://certificationeurope.com/what-is-ohsas-18001/

What is OHSAS 18001

OHSAS 18001 is an internationally recognised occupational, health and safety management system series standard. The OHSAS 18001 standard is based on the similar ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Plan - DO - Check - Act structure.  To achieve certification to OHSAS 18001 an organisation must have a health and safety management system compliant with the requirements of the OHSAS 18001 standard. The standard also requires a company to have appropriate health and safety policies, procedures and protocols to ensure it is a safety conscientious organisation.

How to establish an OHSAS 18001 Occupation health and safety management system?

-Formulate   an  Occupational, Health and  Safety  Management  System (OHSMS) with  the establishment of an occupational, health and safety  (OHS)  manual  in which the scope  of OHSMS is  determined

-Establish an occupational, health and safety policy and OHS objectives and programmes

-Ensure document and record control

-Implement and maintain a procedure to identify hazards, assess risk and determine controls in the work place

-Maintain procedures to ensure applicable occupational, health and safety legislation is identified, communicated within and compliance assessed

-Define resources, roles, responsibilities, accountability and authority with regard to the OHSMS

-Implement an adequate occupational, health and safety communication, participation and consultation process

-Maintain good operational control

-Plan emergency preparedness and response

-Meet   strict criteria in relation to incident investigation

-Identify and deal with OHS non conformities by applying corrective and preventative action

-Monitor and measure the occupational, health and safety performance of the organisation

-Audit the system and review the system at a management level periodically

Achieving OHSAS 18001 Certification

-Please click on the “Contact Us” button to request a call back or for further information on OHSAS 18001 and a no-obligation competitive quotation from our dedicated business development team.   Alternatively you may contact us directly on +353 (0)1 64 29300 (Dublin) or + 44 (0)28 90737913 (Belfast, Northern Ireland).

-You can watch an information video on the OHSAS 18001 standard on our You Tube channel here.

-You can also download a brochure on the health and safety standard and view details of our training courses by clicking on the relevant buttons.

MS 1722

What does certify to the standard means?

An organisation has established a systematic approach to control and improve its occupational, health and safety performance. 

This will contribute to protection of employees from work hazards, injuries, ill health, diseases, near misses and fatalities. 

By complying with the standards helps relevant  organisations to complywith legal requirements set out by Occupational, Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), Factory and Machinery Act1967 (Act 139) and Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984 (Act 302) and their relevant regulations. 

Standards used?

National Standards

MS 1722:2011 – Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems – Requirements

(FIRST REVISION)

This is a Malaysian Standard that provides requirements on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (OSHMS)  and basis for the development OSH systems in an organisation.

Association  Standard (recognised internationally)

OHSAS 18001:2007 – Occupational, health and safety Management Systems – Requirements

OHSAS is a standard that is developed by the OHSAS team, an association that includes government agencies, certification bodies, national standards, industry associations, and consultants. OHSAS 18001 is to assist organisations in establishing a management system to manage and control their health and safety risks and improving their OH&S performance.