HSE People Network | Health and Safety Jobs

Taken from our blog - http://www.resourcing-solutions.com/blog/?p=223#more-223

Health & Safety at work

When it comes to posting your CV on an internet job board there are some basic rules you need to follow to make sure your details can be found by the right people and to maximise your chances of finding your next job.

Each job board is slightly different, but the basics are the same for each.

1. They will always ask you for your contact details – many sites have an option to hide these details and a lot of people take advantage of that, which is understandable. What you need to remember is that your contact details need to be SOMEWHERE, or recruiters and potential employers won’t be able to contact you. I had a CV in yesterday from a job site – a good candidate with skills highly relevant to a particular job I’m working on, but he didn’t bother to put any contact details on either his CV or on the site so I can’t let him know about the opportunity. A complete waste of time. So, remember either put your contact details on the job board, or on your CV.

2. Salary and location options – it can be tempting to select all locations and all salary brackets when you post your CV, but actually when you do that you’re making it more difficult for people to assess your suitability for a particular role. If you say you are looking for £30 – 40,000 a year, for example, that’s clear and people can work on that basis. If you select “£10 – 20k, 20 – 30k, 30-40k, 50 – 60k, 60k +” then it gives no accurate information at all, so won’t help recruiters assess your suitability at all! Likewise with location – if you really are totally mobile and can go anywhere in the UK (or the world) at a moment’s notice, then fine, select all those locations. 99.5% of people AREN’T totally mobile though, and would rather cut their hands off than relocate to Outer Mongolia or Timbuktu! If you aren’t really going to do it, then don’t say you will!

3. Always make your nationality clear, either on the job board selection options or on your CV. People need to know for legal reasons, not to be racist! It isn’t us being nosy, it’s the Home Office!

4. Keywords – many job boards allow recruiters and potential employers to search candidate’s CVs using keywords. If your CV or profile doesn’t have the relevant keywords in it people won’t be able to find you. Once a recruiter has your CV they may well be able to “read between the lines” to ascertain your relevant skills and experience, but if the right keywords aren’t in there to enable them to find your CV in the first place, they’re never going to get that far!

5. Job title – look on a job title as a keyword. Many job boards give you the option to put in your current job title, which recruiters and potential employers can then search on. If you put “unemployed”, what do you really think the chances are of anyone finding your CV or looking at your profile?

6. Spelling – my old bug bear, but just as relevant as ever, particularly when it comes to keyword searching. If, for example, you write IOSH as OHS institution, no-one will find you. If you spell NEBOSH as NESHOB (which I saw recently, so it isn’t a joke!) no-one will find you. Also, a properly formatted and spellchecked CV demonstrates your attention to detail and your professionalism.

The new " Introduction to Health and Safety at Work" fourth edition by Hughes and Ferrett will be available from Amazon Books in August. 

Advance orders are now being accepted for mid August delivery. (Check for updated delivery information with Amazon Books) 

This book will be of particular interest and benefit to students studying for the Nebosh National General Certificate.

 

There are few families that have impacted the American people as much as the Kennedys. Through politics, activism, fashion, controversy and tragedy, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that this family name will be remembered. The latest tragic end has fallen upon Senator Edward M. Kennedy who died at the age of 77 on August 25th.

Kennedy spent over 3 decades of his life in the U.S. Senate and among his many contributions (over 2,500 bills), one of his passions was creating a safer workplace for American workers.

One of the most well-known rights Kennedy fought to give workers was the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This act gave all workers the ability to take unpaid leave to care for themselves or family members in case of a medical illness or for maternity leave without fear of termination. Over 60 million Americans have been able to take advantage of this act thanks in part to Ted Kennedy.

Kennedy also worked to provide Americans with the right to paid sick leave by introducing the Healthy Families Act, which would ensure 7 days of paid sick leave to be used for workers’ health maintenance as well as their family members. He also saw the need for the Working Families Flexibility Act in order to allow employees the ability to meet the needs of both family and work through a flexible job arrangement.

He even made a point throughout his career to address the financial discrimination that hits women where it hurts, their wallets. Women currently earn 78 cents to every $1 earned by a man. When the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was signed by President Obama, Kennedy was a leader in its passing.

Another group Kennedy fought for are those in the mining industry, with his MINER Act legislation passed in 2006. Despite the new law being passed, Kennedy felt more needed to be done and he continued to call for safety investigations across the country concerning these workers.

He also worked tirelessly to pass the Protecting America’s Worker’s Act, which would expand the coverage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. “Enacting of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 was a major step in guaranteeing the basic right of workers to be safe on the job.  Since the law was signed, however, we have not substantially amended it to improve worker protections,” said Kennedy.

Although this bill has not yet become law, even after his death it will live on through the efforts of his fellow senators. He will be missed.

SETTING THE STAGE FOR ACTION

 

Introduction

Fred A. Manuele, author of On the Practice of Safety, considers occupational ergonomics to be "the art and science of designing the work to fit the worker to achieve optimum productivity and cost efficiency, and minimum risk of injury." To best fulfill the goal to achieve these benefits through ergonomics, a sound program should be developed. A program that includes a written plan, education, training, and effective procedures to identify, analyze, and evaluate work for ergonomic risk factors.
As with other workplace safety and health issues, managers and employees both play key roles in setting the stage: developing and carrying out an ergonomics program. It's important that management understand the benefits of an effective ergonomics program.
Ergonomics as part of a company safety and health program
Ergonomics programs should not be regarded as separate from those intended to address other workplace hazards. Aspects of hazard identification, case documentation, assessment of control options, and health care management techniques that are used to address ergonomic problems use the same approaches directed toward other workplace risks of injury or disease. Although many of the technical approaches described in this course are specific to ergonomic risk factors and MSDs, the core principles are the same as efforts to control other workplace hazards.
Reactive vs. Proactive approaches
Proactive ergonomics activities emphasize efforts at the design stage of work processes to recognize needs for avoiding risk factors that can lead to musculoskeletal problems. The goal is to design operations that ensure proper selection and use of tools, job methods, workstation layouts, and materials that impose no undue stress and strain on the worker.
Essential considerations
Ergonomics issues are identified and resolved in the planning process. In addition, general ergonomic knowledge, learned from an ongoing ergonomics program, can be used to build a more prevention-oriented approach. Management commitment and employee involvement in the planning activity are essential. For example, management can set policies to require ergonomic considerations for any equipment to be purchased and production employees can offer ideas on the basis of their past experiences for alleviating potential problems.
Planners of new work processes involved in the design of job tasks, equipment, and workplace layout, must become more aware of ergonomic factors and principles. Designers must have appropriate information and guidelines about risk factors for MSDs and ways to control them. Studying past designs of jobs in terms of risk factors can offer useful input into their design strategies.
Expressions of management commitment
Management commitment is a key and perhaps the most important controlling factor in determining whether any worksite hazard control effort will be successful. Management commitment is more than mere "support." Support is merely talk, but real commitment is expressed by actually backing up that talk with action that takes time and money.
Remember, support = talk and commitment = action!
Management commitment can be expressed in a variety of ways. Lessons learned from NIOSH case studies of ergonomic hazard control efforts in the meatpacking industry emphasize the following points regarding evidence of effective management commitment:
Policy statements are issued that:
• treat ergonomic efforts as furthering the company's strategic goals
• expect full cooperation of the total workforce in working together toward realizing ergonomic improvements
• assign lead roles to designated persons who are known to "make things happen"
• give ergonomic efforts priority with other cost reduction, productivity, and quality assurance activities
• have the support of the local union or other worker representatives
• allow full discussion of the policy and the plans for implementation
• set concrete goals that address specific operations and give priority to the jobs posing the greatest risk
Resources are committed to:
• train the workforce to be more aware of ergonomic risk factors for MSDs,
• Provide detailed instruction to those expected to assume lead roles or serve on special groups to handle various tasks,
• bring in outside experts for consultations about start-up activities and difficult issues at least until inhouse expertise can be developed, and
• implement ergonomic improvements as may be indicated.
• provide release time or other compensatory arrangements during the workday for employees expected to handle assigned tasks dealing with ergonomic concerns.
It's important to furnish information to all those involved in or affected by the ergonomic activities.
Misinformation or misperceptions about such efforts can be damaging: If management is seen as using the program to gain ideas for cutting costs or improving productivity without equal regard for employee benefits, the program may not be supported by employees. For example, management should be up-front regarding possible impacts of the program on job security and job changes. All injury data, production information, and cost considerations need to be made available to those expected to make feasible recommendations for solving problems.
Employee involvement
Promoting employee involvement in efforts to improve workplace ergonomic conditions has several benefits. They include:
• enhanced worker motivation and job satisfaction,
• added problem-solving capabilities,
• greater acceptance of change, and
• greater knowledge of the work and organization.
Worker involvement in safety and health issues means obtaining worker input on several issues.
• The first input is defining real or suspected job hazards.
• Another is suggesting ways to control suspected hazards.
• A third involves working with management in deciding how best to put controls into place.
Employee participation in an organization's efforts to reduce work-related injury or disease and ergonomic problems may take the form of direct or individual input. A common involvement process is participation
through a joint labor-management safety and health committee, which may be company-wide or departmentwide in nature. Membership on company-wide committees includes union leaders or elected worker representatives, department heads, and key figures from various areas of the organization.
Two factors are critical to the different forms of worker involvement. One is the need for training both in hazard recognition and control and in group problem solving. The second is that management must share information and knowledge of results with those involved. No single form or level of worker involvement fits all situations or meets all needs. Much depends on the nature of the problems to be addressed, the skills and abilities of those involved, and the company's prevailing practices for participative approaches in resolving workplace issues.
Who should participate?
Ergonomic problems typically require a response that cuts across a number of organizational units. Hazard identification through job task analyses and review of injury records or symptom surveys, as well as the development and implementation of control measures, can require input from
• safety and hygiene personnel,
• health care providers,
• human resource personnel,
• engineering personnel,
• maintenance personnel, and
• ergonomics specialists.
In addition, worker and management representatives are considered essential players in any ergonomics program effort. In small businesses, two or more of the functions noted on this list may be merged into one unit, or one person may handle several of the listed duties. Regardless of the size of the organization, persons identified with these responsibilities are crucial to an ergonomics program. Purchasing personnel in particular should be included, since the issues raised can dictate new or revised specifications on new equipment orders.
How best to fit these different players into the program could depend on the company's existing occupational safety and health program practices. Integrating ergonomics into the company's current occupational safety and health activities while giving it special emphasis may have the most appeal.
Conclusion
Taking a proactive approach to ergonomics is so important to the success of the program. Maximizing employee involvement is one of the keys to a successful proactive ergonomics program. When employees identify and help devise solutions, they gain a degree of ownership. We value what we own. Ownership increases the probability that "EC" (ergonomically correct ;-) behaviors are performed when employees are not being directly supervised.

Ehi Iden
Ceo
Occupational Health and Safety Managers Ltd
Ikeja-Lagos
Nigeria
234 (1) 480 509
234 (0) 803 339 1619
e: ehi@ohsm.com.ng
w: www.ohsm.com.ng
 blog: www.ohsmcomng.blogspot.com

Reference to my mentor and Friend:
Steve Geigle 

These past few days have been horrific across the U.S. The stunning tragedy at Fort Hood claiming the lives of 13 people along with many injured, and then today’s workplace shooting in Orlando. All that seems to come to mind is, what is wrong with people today and why is it that signs of danger get ignored until it is too late?

In Fort Hood, Texas on Nov. 5 at 1:30 p.m. suspected shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, gunned down the very soldiers who he was there to help. 13 have died and 30 are seriously wounded. So what made this man crack to the point of violence and were there any signs that could have been an indication of what was to come?

It was reported by several individuals that Hasan was frequently expressing anger about his upcoming deployment. He was also involved in many office arguments about his disapproval of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. His final and most explosive outburst took the lives of his fellow soldiers and he now lies in a hospital bed breathing on a ventilator. Now don’t get me wrong, not foreseeing the future is nobody’s fault in this tragic situation. But being aware and alert to possible dangers is important to everyone. Unfortunately, it seems that our soldiers can’t even feel safe on their own base. It’s hard enough to have to become mentally prepared for the dangers of war without having to worry about your safety at home.

As if that wasn’t enough horror for one week, another shooting occured in Orlando, Florida at the office of Reynolds, Smith and Hills. This shooting left Otis Beckford, 26, dead and five others injured. This incident reportedly occured due to the anger of disgruntled former employee, Jason Rodriguez. Rodriguez is currently in police custody facing a charge of first-degree murder.

With two fatal episodes of workplace violence taking place within two days, one has to wonder – could anything have been done to prevent such tragedies? From 1992 to 2006, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) found that 11,613 workplace homicides took place. Many have even indicated that this type of violence is expected to grow due to the stress of the economy and job market. Employers need to take the extra time to ensure their employees’ safety by taking extra security precautions as well as training efforts.

Here are some helpful tips on creating a safer work environment to avoid workplace violence:

- Do thorough background checks on employees.

Many employers currently do this, but some have become more lax due to financial reasons. If you find out that a potential employee has a violent past, it may be in everyone’s best interest if you pass.

- Provide proper training.

All employees should be administered not only training for the physical hazards of their jobs, but the emotional ones as well. There is a reason companies have a Human Resources department. Take advantage of all of the recommended HR training, such as Violence in the Workplace at www.safetyskills.com.

- Create an open-door policy and protocols for safety concerns.

Make sure that employees feel safe when coming to a supervisor about a possible safety issue. All discussions should be respected and stay confidential. Create a protocol for reporting a concern for violence and follow-up on the matter with discretion.

- Have a no tolerance policy.

Never condone or forgive a violent matter of any kind in your workplace. It doesn’t matter how minor the incident or if it was a joke gone awry. This needs to be embedded into the minds of your staff that your number one concern is their safety.

- Get security.

Get some type of security in your workplace. This can mean an actual security guard, a monitoring system or a personal keycode system that can be removed upon the termination of an employee. The harder it is for a disgruntled employee to get into the building, the less likely they will try.

The summer temperature is rising by the day and so are the rates of heat-induced illness and death. The first report of heat-induced illness took place in Memphis, TN on June 24, 2009, but deaths have been occurring all season and are sure to continue. These incidents remind us to provide employees with the proper training to ensure their safety when working in these conditions.

“Working in extreme temperatures is not only uncomfortable, it can be life-threatening,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “It is important for workers and their employers to minimize the chances of heat-induced illnesses, and imperative that they recognize the signs of heat stress and take the proper precautions to reduce the chances of illness or death.”

Many employers who spend the majority of their time indoors tend to lose sight of the risks that dramatic weather conditions can have on their outdoor workers. By simply taking the time to administer safety training on this issue can save everyone involved from getting burned.

“This heat is taking a toll on everyone, but especially to those who have to work in it day in and day out. We wanted to help these employees stay safe by creating a SafetySkills™ Heat Stress course that tackles this issue and what preventative measures should be taken,” said Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com.

Workplace safety can appear very daunting for many employers. Creating a safe work environment for workers is not only morally right, but also a legal right in this country. There are many important tools available to ensure that all of the necessary precautions are taken to avoid and reduce accidents in the workplace.

1. Hazard Assessment/Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

Hazard assessment or job safety analysis (JSA) helps identify potential safety risks in the workplace and what measures should be taken to avoid these hazards.

2. Implementing controls at work stations

Implementing safety controls and devices to work stations based on the findings of your JSA will reduce the occurrence of workplace accidents. This includes built-in safety devices, such as a chemical eyewash station, or requiring employees to wear hard hats and protective eye wear on the job. This year alone, 78% of eye injuries were due to a lack of protective eye wear.

3. Provide proper safety training to employees.

View training as an investment. The better the training your employees receive, the less likely an incident will occur. Many employers forgo educating their workers on topics that could potential save them thousands in workers’ compensation claims and lawsuits.

Today there are more choices than ever when it comes to safety training. Many employers think the only option is the traditional classroom setting, but thanks to technology – online training is the quickest, easiest, cheapest and most environmentally conscious choice. Many online safety training companies offer their own tracking systems to alleviate the administrative burden from employers and some offer free courses (www.safetyskills.com) or trials. But always make sure that your training provider is IACET certified and has the proper credentials.

Whatever type of training is chosen, setting high standards of training completion on employees is crucial and any incidents of negligence by an employee should be deemed unacceptable. This ensures your financial security as a company, as well as the safety of all of your workers.

4. Staying current.

Keeping up with the latest guidelines and trends in safety is very time consuming, but necessary. OSHA sets the standard in safety. If an employer doesn’t have time for this task, finding a training provider that does is the best route to take.

It is also important to pay attention to any news coverage about emerging workplace safety issues. For instance, incidents of Heat Stress have become more and more common resulting in heat-related illness and death. Providing training on Heat Stress is a new trend that is becoming necessary, especially for those who work outdoors.

Besides training, all gear and equipment should be regularly maintenance and replaced when it becomes outdated or a potential hazard. This is another topic that has been in newsstands across the country due to the recent metro tragedy in Washington, D.C. It was reported that the metro train that crashed needed to be replaced for a newer model, which would have saved the lives of many.

5. Refresher courses.

Like any student who finishes a class, sometimes a refresher course is needed down the road. Issues in safety are constantly changing because our technology keeps advancing. This also means that with new advancements means new problems. Giving refresher courses every year is a great way to reduce the likelihood of workplace accidents.

Here is a clever trick for anyone who is using an upto date browser such as IE8 or Google Chrome. With HSE People it is now possible to do an RSS feed from some of our main pages.

What this means is for example you can go to the Jobs Forum click on the RSS Feed Icon and then add to your browser. This will give you a tab in your browser that will automaticaly update with all the jobs on the site. You can then view all the jobs on 1 page whether you are logged into HSE People or not.  You can set it to update as often as you like.

This is a handy way to watch forum topics also. Feeds can easily be deleted from your browser by right clicking on the feed then clicking delete.

Just one of the many features available to members.