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HEALTH
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the sections, participants will appreciate the Health and Safety at Work
Act and related work and safety legislation. This presentation covers:
INTRODUCTION
Section 2 of the HASAW Act imposes general duties of employers to their employees.' The Act
states that 'it shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as its reasonability is
practical and safe, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.' This includes
the following:
Make assessments of the risks to the health and safety of employees and others;
Under Section 3, general duties of employers and self employed to persons other than their employees'
the Act requires every employer and self-employed person to conduct their undertaking in such a way as to
ensure, so far as is reasonably practical that persons not in their employment are not exposed to risks to
their health or safety.
NOTE
o
The Board
The board should set the direction for effective health and safety management. Board members
need to establish a health and safety policy that is much more than a document it should be
an integral part of the organisations culture, of its values and performance standards.
Health and safety appear regularly on the agenda for board meetings;
The chief executive can give the clearest visibility of leadership, and can name one of
their members as the health and safety champion;
The presence on the board of a health and safety director can be a strong signal that the
issue is being taken seriously and that its strategic importance is understood; and
The Board must set targets helping at defining what the board is seeking to achieve.
Quotes from health and safety leaders in the public and private sectors
Health and safety is
integral to success.
Board members who
do
not
show
leadership in this
area are failing in
their
duty
as
directors and their
moral duty, and are
damaging
their
organisation.
Board level
involvement is an
essential part of the
21st Century trading
ethic. Attitudes to
health and safety
are determined by
the bosses, not the
organisations size.
The Management
The management has to put in place reasonable practical steps to ensure the health and safety of
employees, customers and members of the public.
Effective leadership: if visible board members can reinforce health and safety policy by being seen
on the shop floor, following all safety measures themselves and addressing any breaches
immediately.
Effective monitoring of sickness, absence, and workplace health can alert the board to
underlying problems that could seriously damage performance or result in accidents and
long-term illness;
Provide health and safety training to both new and existing staff to promote their
understanding and knowledge of key health and safety issues within the organisation;
Displaying written statement of policy and a wide range of manuals on health and
safety issues.
Effective monitoring system: regular collection of workplace health and safety data to
enable the board benchmark the organisations performance against others in its
sector;
Continuous assessment of the risk as well as the health and safety of employees;
Appoint safety representatives at the lower levels of the organisation to enhance safety
culture in the business.
OHS Act provides a statutory framework for promoting and improving the standards
of occupational health, safety and welfare of employees in both public and private
sector.
In 1997 the ISO decided not to develop an OHSMS standard. As a result many
countries have developed their own.
Ghana has no national body, policy nor process that governs Occupational Safety &
Health management (Annan, 2013).
Ghana has different agencies under different jurisdictions which monitor different
industries for workplace and employee safety (Annan, 2013).
OSH Contd
Currently, two major edicts provided guidance in the provision of occupational/
industrial safety and health services, practice and management in Ghana.
These include the Factories, Offices and Shops Act 1970, Act 328 and the Mining
Regulations 1970 LI 665, but these have only driven the mining and the labor sectors
and are therefore very limited in scope, given the multifaceted distribution of industrial
operations that we have in Ghana. There is the Workmens Compensation Law 1987
(PNDC 187) which relates to compensation for personal injuries caused by accidents
at work and hence, indirectly impacts on monitoring worker / workplace safety.
OSH Contd
Even though Ghana does not have a national policy on Occupational Health and Safety,
the Ghana Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651) has made provision for Occupational Health and
Safety.
Part XV Section 118 of the Labour Act, 2003 stated the responsibility of employers to
provide a safe and healthy working environment and obligation on employees to use
safety appliances provided by the employer in compliance of the employers instructions.
The OHS activities stated under the Act 328 include, creating safe work and work environment
and promoting the safety, health and welfare of employees in order to ensure effective utilization
of human capabilities thereby promoting increased productivity.
Hazardous chemicals refer to any chemical for which evaluation is performed by the
chemical for which evaluation is performed by the manufacturer/importer, as listed on
the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), indicates it is hazardous.
Hazardous Chemicals also refer those chemicals that have import restrictions, where
licenses and permits are needed before they are imported, transported, stored,
managed and controlled.
Employers must draw health and safety policies regarding the management, control
and storage of hazardous chemicals giving direction as to what to do.
Organising
Audit
Planning &
Implementing
Measuring
Performance
Reviewing
Performance
Policy
Effective health and safety policies set a clear direction for the
organisation to follow.
Organising
Planning
There is a planned and systematic approach to implementing the health and safety
policy through an effective health and safety management system.
Measuring Performance
Performance is measured against agreed standards to reveal when and where
improvement is needed
Group Exercise
Discuss in detail the implications of health and safety legislation on an
organisation.
Legal: non-adherence to the legal requirements means breaking the law and this
has several implications ramifications for the organisation etc.
Socio-cultural: loss of goodwill, reputation and confidence from the general public if
accidents and incidents are rampant and are made public etc.
REFERENCES
Annan J.S., (2013). Occupational & industrial safety & health in Ghana. Retrieved August 7, 2014,
from
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=197916.
Health and Safety Commission (2006). Health and safety statistics 2005/06. Sudbury: HSE Books,
UK.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s.18
ILO (2012). Occupational safety and health. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from
http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/subjects-covered-by-international-labour-standards/occupationalsafety-and-health/lang--en/index.htm.
Health
and
Safety
Executive,
www.hse.gov.uk/puns/indg401.pdf.
(2005).
Retrieved
August
7,
2014,
from
Control of substances hazardous to health in the production of pottery Approved Code of Practice L60
HSE Books 1995.
Thank you