Health and safety

2. Learning outcomes
By the End of this topic, you will be able to;
• Explain the reasons why accidents should be investigated
• Describe the process involved in accident investigation and reporting
• Discuss the factors that lead to violence at the workplace
• Discuss the sources of workplace stress

3. Rationale for Investigating Accidents
The primary reason for investigating
accidents is not to identify a scapegoat, but
to determine the cause of the accident.
This information benefits the ongoing effort
of reducing the likelihood of accidents, and
preventing similar accidents from
happening in the future.

4. Accident Investigation and Reporting
An accident report is completed when the accident in question
represents only a minor incident. It answers the following questions:
who, what, where, and when. However it does not answer the why
question. Supervisors often complete accident reports. OSHA form
301 can be used for accident reports.
An accident analysis report is completed when the accident in
question is serious. It answers all the questions: who, what, where,
when, and why. Accident analysis must identify the actual root cause
or the company will expend resources treating only the symptom or
even worse solving the wrong problem. Serious accidents are always
accompanied by the potential for litigation. If there might be legal
action, it is important to have a professional conduct the investigation
even if it means bringing in an outside consultant.

5. Most common causes of accidents
Personal beliefs and feelings: Individual did not believe the accident would
happen to him or her; individual had personal problems that clouded his or
her judgment, etc.
Decision to work unsafely: Some people, for a variety of reasons, feel it is
in their best interest or to their benefit to work unsafely.
Mismatch or overload: Individual is in poor physical condition; individual is
fatigued, etc.
System failure: Lack of rules, regulations, procedures; failure to correct
known hazards; insufficient training for employees, etc.
Traps: Defective equipment; failure to provide, maintain, replace proper
personal protective equipment, etc.
Unsafe conditions: unsafe conditions created by the elements; unsafe
conditions created by a fellow employee, etc.
Unsafe acts: individual chooses to ignore the rules; individual uses drugs or
alcohol, etc.

6. Accident Investigation Guide
The investigation should be guided by the following words:
who, what, when, where, why, and how. Causes of the
accidents should be the primary focus.
OSH recommends the following questions:
What type of work was the injured person doing?
Exactly what was the injured person doing or trying to do at
the time of the accident?
Was the injured person proficient in the task being performed
at the time of the accident? Had the worker received proper
training?
Was the injured person authorized to use the equipment or
perform the process involved in the accident?

7. Steps for conducting accident Investigation
Five steps:
Isolate the accident scene: This is done to keep curious onlookers from
removing, disturbing, or unknowingly destroying vital evidence. Nothing but the
injured worker should be removed from the scene.
Record all the evidence: As quickly as possible because certain types of
evidence may be perishable; accident scene may be disturbed knowingly or
unknowingly, pressure may mount to get a critical piece of machinery back into
operation. If in doubt, record it.
Photograph or videotape the scene: Both still and video cameras must be on
hand, loaded, and ready to use should an accident occur. Place a ruler or coin
next to the object when making a close-up photograph to get the object’s size or
proper perspective.
Identify witnesses: Primary witness, secondary witness and tertiary witness
list.
Interview witnesses: Primary witness first. May be necessary to re-interview

8. Violence at the Workplace
Violence at the workplace typically involves unlawful activities that can lead to legal actions or police
investigations involving criminal procedures. People generally relate violence to physical assault. However,
it is more than just physical assault. It comprises the following problems:
• (a) Verbal abuse;
• (b) Harassment;
• (c) Threatening behaviour;
• (d) Physical attacks; and
• (e) Bullying or mobbing.

9. Factors leading to Workplace Violence
(a) Individual factors
(i) History of violence
There is a tendency that a violent person may already have some history of violence prior to joining the company.
This person posses
(b) Environmental factors
• (i) Hostile or threatening work environment
Employers who allow aggressive conducts and ignore thefts, fights, sexual and racial harassments will create a
hostile environment and cause discomfort among employees.
(c) Social factors
• (i) Workplace changes
Employees who experience changes at the workplace may sometimes feel anxious and stressful. This can happen
especially when computer monitoring at the workplace is increased or when there is an increase in the number of
part-time employees or a more diverse work force.

10. Stress at the Workplace
Sources of the workplace stress
•Role ambiguity
•Personality
•Personal and family problems
•High workload
•Environmental conditions
•Lack of feedback
•Task complexity
•Lack of control over job assigned
• Lack of psychological support

11. Dealing with workplace Stress
We all know that employees experience stress at some point in their job. It is not easy to eliminate stress at the workplace but
somehow it must be addressed accordingly. Most employees are not open to admit that they are experiencing stress and it is a
challenge to persuade them to manage their stress.
There are some efforts which can be implemented to deal with workplace stress. Supervisors and top management may implement
the following:
• (a) Reduce role ambiguity Clarify the job scope for the employees.
• (b) Increase feedback to the employees Let the employees know the quality
outcome of the job done.
• (c) Reduce exposure to physical hazards Ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn at all times while carrying out
work activities.
• (d) Adjust the working pace to suit the employees Unless it is unavoidable, ensure the employees have suitable working pace
and set reasonable deadlines.

12. Environmental Management System (EMS)

13. Environmental Management System (EMS)
The EMS adopted at the workplace should be able to establish the following:
• (a) Environmental protection policy;
• (b) Commitment to environmental protection;
• (c) Responsibility and accountability related to environmental protection;
• (d) Environmental concerns in organisational planning;
• (e) Management processes for achieving performance benchmarks; and
• (f) Requirements based on government regulations and requirements to be applied in the
organisation.