Workplace Health and Safety docx

Running head: FUNDAMENTALS OF HRM
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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FUNDAMENTALS OF HRM
Introduction
Young workers of age 15 to 24 make up a significant part of the Australian Workforce.
These workers are noted for their enthusiasm, energy and determination towards the work that
are provided to them (Curry et al. 2015). They are known to be savvier than the older workers
regarding the use of modern and sophisticated technology in the workplace. These young
workers are an asset as they are noted for bringing in fresh ideas and perspectives to the tasks
that they are expected to perform. However, these young workers have less experience and
therefore they are less aware about the key risks associated with working in various workplaces
and the responsibilities they have to perform the work in an effective manner. The presence of
various “workplace health and safety” (WHS) laws enforces a responsibility of abiding by the
WHS laws.
The essay aims in critical evaluation of the injuries that are experienced by the young
workers in the Australian workplaces. The major causes of these injuries will be critically
analysed in this essay to detail the consequences of the workplace injuries subjected to both the
workers and organization. The essay will provide the details of the main industries in which the
injuries occur. The essay will provide the details of the legal entitlements that are mainly
conferred on the employees as a result of WHS laws. The legal responsibilities placed on the
organization as a result of WHS laws are further indicated in the essay. Administration of the
health and safety requirements of a workplace is a necessity to understand the human resource
practises that can be applied to eliminate these major risks factors from the work place.
Evaluation of the same is a necessity for eliminating the risks associated with workplace harm
and injuries.

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Extent of Serious injuries Faced by Young Australian workers
Work related injuries are quite common in Australian workplace. Epidemiological studies
have indicated that young workers generally have a higher occupational injury rate. The injuries
range from minor injuries to serious muscle sprains and strains in joints. However, there are
evidences of traumatic injuries as well (Xiang et al. 2014, p.250). Researches indicate that
deaths of the young workers in Australia due to serious injuries accounts for more than 10% of
the overall workplace fatalities. The serious work injuries include traumatic incident at work,
vehicle incident, constructional hazards and others. According to a report of work related injuries
survey (WRIS), Out of 12 million young workers in Australia who were of age less than 25 years
17% of the workers experienced work related injuries. This number is quite serious. The workers
experience these injuries as a part of their job and the rate of injuries is found to be higher among
the young workers. Young workers are more prone to these workplace injuries as they have little
or no experience about the workplace safety process and procedures (Roberts et al. 2015, p.
490). Along with that, the physical and the cognitive ability of these workers are still growing
and therefore, the young workers are more likely to face or experience serious injuries in the
workplace.
The major work place injuries that are faced by the young workers in Australia are
indicated as follows-
1. Muscular Stress: Lack of proper training or experience in lifting and handling objects
often result in muscular stress which can be serious. This is a common workplace injury that can
be avoided if staffs have the right amount of training and supervision. Lack of experience of the
young workers results in this type of injuries and workplace hazard.

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2. Fractures: Working in height are an essential needs for the constructional worksite in
Australia and it is one of the major causes of this injury. Fractures are often too serious that leads
to disabilities (Ioannou et al. 2016, p. 380).
3. Open Wound: Open wound and infection are quite common among the young workers
as they tend to ignore their injuries.
4. Contusion: This type of injuries are quite common in constructional workplace. Young
workers succumb to these injuries mostly because of lack of experience in handling heavy
objects
5. Tissue Disorders: Some injuries faced in a construction worksite are often too serious
and causes tissue disorders.
6. Deafness: This is one of the serious injuries that are faced by the young workers in
Australia. Working in extreme conditions among the machineries that generate huge sounds
often result in serious injuries to the ear drum causing deafness (Reid et al. 2014,p .380).
7. Dorsopathy and Hernia: These two are the common injuries that are faced in the
workplace and are counted among the serious injuries. Lack of training in handling heavy objects
results in these issues.
The above discussed seven points indicate the extent to which the young workers face
serious injuries in their workplace. The major causes of this injuries are requires to be analysed
to get a detailed knowledge of the factors that adds to the workplace injuries.
Major causes of Injuries: Details of Industries

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The findings of the previous section indicate that young workforce of Australia are
subjected to a number of serious injuries, the major causes of which are needed to be analysed.
The various causes of the serious workplace injuries and the details of the industries in which
they occur are discussed in the following paragraphs-
Sprains and Strains while lifting and handling Objects: Muscular stress generally
occurs while lifting and handling objects. Muscular stress can normally be avoided if the staffs
and the workers have the needed training and supervision. This type of injuries is mostly
common in construction industry. It is therefore made mandatory that all the workers are
required to have a white card that confirms that they have a detailed understanding of the
workplace hazards and they know how to handle those objects safely.
Falls: Working at a height without proper training is another major cause of the injuries
that are listed in the preceding section. The statistics indicate that around six percent of the total
workplace injuries in Australia occurs due to falling from a height. Injuries due to falling from a
height is common in constructional workplace and to reduce this particular risk, it is of foremost
necessity to maintain a tidy environment at the workplace so that no tripping hazards occur at the
workplace (Bong et al. 2015,p. 276).
Machine Entanglement: This is another common cause of workplace injury and is
common mostly in factories. Machine entanglement might occur mainly because of loose
clothing, unbound hair and other range of injuries (Xiang et al. 2015). To address this major
cause of injury, the workers are requires to wear protective gloves and should maintain a safe
distance while working with the machineries.

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Unidentified Falling Objects: This is a key cause of the injuries and occurs mainly when
the shelves and the storage components are not properly secured or packed. In constructional
worksite, movable objects can collapse thus wounding the unsuspicious workers standing below.
In order to reduce such occurrences, it is of foremost necessity to designate a storage area that
has the capability of limiting the employee exposure to potential harm that can cause due to
unidentified falling objects.
Repetitive Motion Injuries: With the workplaces becoming more and more computer
oriented, the repetitive and the continuous use of computers can have an adverse effect, leading
to eyestrain and cumulative trauma disorder (Larsen, Aisbett & Silk 2016). Therefore, repetitive
motion injuries are common cause of workplace injuries and can occur in any workplace. This
cause of injury can be managed by proper ergonomic training and equipment along with regular
breaks.
Acts of Workplace Violence: Acts of workplace violence is quite common and can be a
chief cause of the damages and the accidents that occur in workplace. Conflict resolution within
the workplace is a necessary step to prevent the act of violence in the workplace.
Ineffective Training and Induction: The ineffective training and induction is a major
factor that results in increase of the workplace issues. This is quite common among the young
workers mostly because the younger staffs generally lacks experience about handling the objects
that mainly results in workplace injuries (Matthews et al. 2015, p. 550). In order to eliminate
this factor, it is of foremost necessity to provide training to the young workers to eliminate this
major cause of injury. The injury due to ineffective training is quite common in all the business
sector.

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Lack of Supervision and Mentoring: Lack of effective project supervision, mentoring
and support is another key factor that contributes to the major causes of workplace injuries.
Young workers lacks experience and therefore, they require effective supervision and mentoring
to ensure that they do not succumb to common causes of workplace injuries and accidents. This
issue is quite common in all the workplaces and is more prevalent in the construction sites.
Lack of Experience and Maturity: Lack of experience and maturity among the young
workers are the common causes of injuries and therefore, the rate of injuries among the young
workers is considerably more than that of the experienced workers.
The above discussed points provides a detailed idea of the major causes of workplace
injuries that occur. The evaluation of the causes of these injuries indicate that this types of
injuries are mostly prevalent in construction workplace (Vasconcelos & Junior 2015). Along
with that, the injuries related to factories are common in manufacturing industries that involve
factory works. Elimination of this causes of injuries is essential to reduce the accidents and the
fatality rate that are caused due to workplace injuries.
Consequence of Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries are required to be controlled as it has negative impacts on both the
worker and the organization. This section of the essay will evaluate the consequence of
workplace injuries for both the workers and the employees regardless of the age of the workers.
Consequence of workplace injuries to Workers: The consequence of the injuries to the workers
is negative irrespective of the age of the worker. The major negative consequence of employee
injuries are indicated as follows-

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1. Personal hardships of the workers, pain and sufferings are the major consequence of the
workplace injuries to the workers.
2. Majority of the workplace injuries results in the loss of work leading to financial hardships
(Mekkodathil, El-Menyar & Al-Thani 2016).
3. Workplace injury can further affect the employee morale. They might become apprehensive to
perform similar works in future leading to problems in finding job, which in turn lead to increase
in the financial crisis.
4. An injury in workplace often result in certain physiological effects which include anxiety,
depression and reduction in the productivity.
Consequences to the Company: The workplace injuries have poor effect on the organization as
well. Workplace injuries affects a company in a negative manner. The increasing rate of
accidents in an organization negatively impacts the reputation of the company. Therefore, the
accidents and the injuries to the workers often results in indirect cost to the workplace injuries
(Curry et al. 2015,p. 890). Any injury to a workers directly affects the company as the company
loses one of the most important assets that is employee asset. The consequences of the workplace
injuries to a worker, irrespective of the age of the worker is indicated as follows-
1. Lost Productivity: When a worker is not able to work due to any injury, the overall
productivity of the company declines. In this case, the co-workers, might have to take additional
responsibilities that can have a negative impact on their own job responsibilities (Zardo et al.
2014, p. 125). Therefore, incident of any accident severely impacts the productivity of an
organization.

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2. Training Replacement Workers: If a worker is unable to work due to injuries, the company is
required to replace that worker and for that hiring and training of a new employee becomes a
necessity (Takala et al. 2015, p. 335). Hiring and training of new employees or workers can be
both expensive and time consuming matter and thus, workplace injury mostly have a negative
impact on the company.
3. Administrative Time: A workers’ injury in a worksite requires detailed administration and
documentation which falls under the indirect cost that is incurred by the organization due to the
accident (Potter et al. 2019, p. 45).
4. Medical Compensation to the Worker: Any employee who are injured to the workplace are
entitled to receive medical compensation from the employer (Egels-Zandén & Merk 2014, p.
470).
5. Cost of Legal Services: Any serious injury in a workplace results in legal proceedings, cost of
which is required to be borne by the organization.
6. Accident Investigation and Record Keeping: Regardless of the severity of the injury or the age
of the employee, an organization is entitled to investigate an accident for detailed record keeping
which falls under the indirect cost that a company needs to bear.
7. OSHA FINES: Complying with OSHA regulation is essential and non-compliance with OSHA
regulations often attracts huge penalties (Howard 2017).
The above discussed points indicate the major consequence of workplace injuries to the
workers and the organization irrespective of the employees’ age. The analysis indicate that

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workplace damages mostly have a negative influence on both the workers and the employees and
therefore this type of injuries are required to be reduced.
Legal Entitlements
There are certain legal entitlements that are conferred on the employees as a result of
WHS laws. The “Occupational Health and Safety Rights” of the workers is covered by health
and safety laws (Australia 2015). The WHS is mainly covered by the health and safety laws and
include Fair Work Act, common law, workers compensation law and privacy law.
Under the “common law”, the employer is required to take a proper care for the health
and safety. If an employer fails to do that, the employer can be held reasonable for the same and
can be prosecuted under this law (Walters et al. 2015). As per this law, a worker cannot be sued
on basis of any injury or illness that has caused due to work.
The “occupational Health and Safety Act 2004”, is the main piece of legislation that
enables the Australian workers with the privileges in occupational Health and Safety. This
particular Act clearly sets outs the responsibilities of the employers and the workers and the
participation of the workers and consultation which incorporates, resolution of the main issues
and providing necessary protection for both workers and representatives.
Therefore, an employer is required to take a reasonable of their workers and not wilfully
endanger the life of the worker (Forrester & Griffiths 2014). The WHO act empowers the
governor in council to make the regulation related to the occupational health and safety and this
regulation falls under the legal requirements.

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The workplace health and safety laws entitles the workers or the employees with certain
rights, which are indicated as follows-
1. Right to privacy in the workplace
2. Right to be free from discrimination
3. Right to fair wages
4. Right to health and safety
5. Right to be free from retaliation for filing a clam or lodging a complaint against the
employer (Barrett, Mayson & Bahn 2014)
6. Medical leave and medical compensation
7. Health and Safety Training at Job
Apart from that, the workers can request for flexible and safe working arrangements.
Legal Responsibilities
The workplace health and safety laws places certain legal responsibilities on the
employers or an organization. Under this law, the employers are accountable for health and
safety management of all the workers. The health, safety and the welfare of the employees are
the responsibility of the employers (DeCenzo, Robbins & Verhulst 2016). The health and safety
laws make in mandatory for the employers to take necessary steps to ensure maximum protection
of the employees or workers from any harm and for that, effective controlling of the key risks
that could arise in the workplace becomes a necessity.

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As per the workplace health and safety laws, the employer obliged to address the key
risks that are existing in the workplace and has the capability of causing a harm to the workplace.
As per the health and safety laws, if workers feel that his/her employer is exposing them towards
any risk, and even after pointing out the same to the employer, no satisfactory response has been
received, the worker can make a complaint against the employer to Health and Safety Executive.
Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the employer to offer an information about the major risks
in the workplace.
Human Resource Practices to be applied
Controlling the workplace health and safety issue becomes a necessity and therefore,
certain human resource practices are required to be applied to reduce or eliminate the risks and
workplace harm and injuries. These HR practises are indicated as follows-
1. Implementation of Strict Safety Policy: A Strict Safety Policy in an organization can
significantly reduce the health and safety issues (Becker & Smidt 2016). As per this policy, the
workers who are not designated to work in a high risk zone should be discouraged to enter the
hazardous Zone. Furthermore, labelling the unsafe environments are necessary as well.
2. Provide Health and Safety Training: This HR practise is required to the applied to
significantly reduce the risks to workplace harm and injuries as majority of the injuries occur due
to lack of proper training (Morgeson, Brannick & Levine 2019).
3. Encouraging Open Communication: An open communication regarding the Health and
safety needs of the workers is an essential HR practise that can significantly reduce the health
and safety issues persisting in the workplace.

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4. Encouraging Effective Practises: Workplace Safety and Security is an effective
practise mostly when the programs, procedures and policies are implemented to attain the stated
objectives of prevention harm to people, property and environment.
The above discussed points indicate the details of the human resource practices that can
be implemented to decrease the risks linked with workplace harm and injuries.
Conclusion
The essay provides a detailed idea of the extent of serious injuries that are experienced by
the young workers in Australian workplace. The lack of experience or proper training can be
cited as the major causes of these accidents. The essay provides a detailed understanding of the
key causes of injuries and the consequence of these injuries to the workers and the organizations.
A worker is entitled to certain legal rights that are evaluated in the report. The legal
responsibilities that are placed in a workplace due to workplace health and safety laws are further
indicated in the essay. The essay provide a brief idea of the necessary HR management practices
that can be applied in a workplace to eliminate the chances of occurrence of the workplace harms
and injuries.

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