Reflection on Health and Safety at Workplace

This reflective portfolio discusses the importance of health and safety at workplace, different types of occupational health hazards, strategies to prevent and cope up with the hazards, and more. It also covers topics such as hazards in the construction industry, health and safety hazards in the oil and the gas drilling industries, women in the hazardous industry, the different marine and the offshore hazards and Occupational health in hazardous industry. The course aims to develop the skills in learners to maintain and manage varied aspects of health and safety.

Running head:REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO
Reflection on Health and Safety at Workplace
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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Reflective Portfolio
Work plays a central role in the life of people and since most of the workers have to
spend at least 8 hours a day in a workplace, the workplace should be healthy and safe. Every day
workers all over the world are faced with several work related hazards. Health hazards are more
in vogue in the industrial sectors such as the construction industries and the mining industries,
where every day the workers are subjected go several health hazards (Friend and Kohn 2014).
For example inhalation of harmful chemicals at the workplace, exposure to construction debris,
excessive heat and smoke and more can have adverse effect on the health of the workers and
families. The manufacture industry, mining industry, oil refineries, and the construction
industries are considered as the priority industry for the work health and the safety. There are at
least 250 million of the occupational hazards occurring worldwide, out of which 335,000
resulted in mortality(Chen and Zorigt 2013). According to the reports the developing countries
are encountered with fatal hazards more than the developed countries. The number of diseases
related to workplace is much higher in reality than that of the actual number reported. The
training regarding the maintenance of health and safety in industries is important as very little
information regarding the work and safety in the Singapore manufacture industry is available.
The most common self-reported exposure to hazards are the exposure to the airborne hazards,
vibration, noises, heat, burn and obnoxious fumes (Zanko and Dawson 2012). Before this
training I had a very limited knowledge regarding the health and the safety in industries. To me,
it was only about the exposure to the harmful gases and heat. But with this workplace safety
diploma course have not only enhanced my knowledge about wide array of hazards that occurs
in industrial sectors but have also helped me to learn about suitable strategies regarding the work
place hazards.

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By the end of this course, I believe that I would be able to understand the different types
of occupational health hazards, identify the appropriate ways to identify the hazards, identify the
potential triggers that leads to hazards, understand the commitment of the management and
employees towards the prevention of the hazards, different strategies to prevent and cope up with
the hazards. In my course module we have gained idea about sensible risk management,
ergonomic, toxicology, hazardous agents, the probable hazardous industries and health and
safety management of the industrial hazards.
Ergonomics is a practice to design the workplace or the products required to fulfill the
aims of the occupational health and safety. The main aim is to make the organization a holistic
workplace to where the physical, emotional and the safety well-being of the patient should be
taken care off. Heavy metal industries involve tasks of repetitive movements, manual handling,
poor body positioning and uncomfortable height of the work station that can cause
musculoskeletal injuries and I have learnt how the employees face problems related to the
equipment operation and layout, computer systems, lighting, thermal comfort and noises and the
proposed solutions that we have learnt are more general and might not be applicable to all
settings (Mahmoudi et al. 2013). Hence I believe that the study materials should have been more
specific. For example the ergonomics intervention that has to be taken in case of heavy
engineering industries should be entirely different from a bank. Jobs that involve manual
handling cause physical stress in comparison to a bank employee who require more mental
involvement and hence strategies should be different in each case.
Increased humanization and urbanization are posing harmful effect on fauna and the
flora. The industrial pollution are affected the wetlands, oceans, rivers, lakes and the agricultural
fields. The different by-product of the industrial and the harmful wastes generated are posing a

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threat to both the terrestrial as well as the aquatic life (Schilling 2013). The quality of the surface
water near the industrial sites is heavily degraded having a water quality index below 50 which is
much lower than the normal level. The organic qualities of the soil are being affected by the
untreated industrial sludge. Furthermore the degrading air quality in the industrial areas is
posing threat to both the industrial workers and the neighborhood (Schilling 2013). Historical
vestiges are also affected by the pollution caused by the industries. Previously Iwas aware of the
environmental pollution caused by the industries, but did not have any idea about the role of the
employees or the techniques in detail to mitigate the environmental hazards.
I believe that the initial step in managing accidents is the identification of the cause of the
accident. In most of the cases, an accident occurs either due to the negligence of the employee or
the employer. I strongly believethat consistently high fatal accident rates in the developing
countries can only be controlled by occupational health and safety programs that focus on
prevention. Similarly I have also felt that the occupational health service in this country should
be developed robustly including the training of the employees and the employers. While studying
about the occupational health hazards, I have also come to know that life risk that all the
industrial and the marine occupational workers are encountered with, which have also developed
a sense of respect towards these people stick to their commitment risking their life.
I believe that my learning would help me to flourish as an occupational safety officeras I
think that I have inculcated important knowledge and skills required to become a safety officer,
where I would be able to channelize my learning and work for the betterment of the organization.
In spite of all my learnings I believe that mere theoretical learning would not help to develop
substantial skills in dealing with the real life hazards, but hands on trainings and real drills are
required to strengthen the theoretical knowledge.

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My course has emphasized on five topics such as hazards in the construction industry,
health and safety hazards in the oil and the gas drilling industries, women in the hazardous
industry, the different marine and the offshore hazards and Occupational health in hazardous
industry.
Although health hazards are seldom confined to specific sexes, but women’s anatomical
and physiological make up makes them vulnerable to some of the occupational hazards.
Women’s job structure is fluid and multidimensional. Female rig workers can have severe impact
on their health and are likely to change positions due to excessive physical strain. They have also
expresses concerns regarding the PPE and the unhygienic sanitary facilities (Zungu 2012).
Exposure to radiations and obnoxious fumes can be harmful for the reproductive health of the
women and hence as per my personal belief working on oil rigs gives more masculine vibes.
Owing to the complex and the delicate bodies of women, the work place should be set in a
holistic way to serve the physical needs of women, such as providing them with in-house jobs,
provision of comfortable work stations and a women- friendly environment (DeMatteo et al.
2013). Women working in hazardous industries like oil and gas drilling have to face several
problems. Oil and gas well drilling service require diverse equipment and materials. Recognition
and the control of the hazards can be critical for preventing the injuries and deaths. Several types
of hazards are associated with the oil and gas wells. This is to be mentioned that in most of the
cases the oil and the gas field are located in remote areas and therefore the workers has to be
transported to the sites (Mason et al. 2015). High way vehicle accidents may get the workers
killed or injured. Hence out course has provided us with the knowledge of motor vehicle safety,
work zone traffic safety, prevention strategies for the work related road accidents. Three of the
five on site accidents in this industry are due to the struck by/ caught in hazards. The OSHA

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documents have provided with guidelines that helps us to address the standards associated with
derricks, hoist and cranes. Furthermore the workers in the oil and the gas industries are faced
with the risks of explosion and fire due to the ignition of the flammable and the ignition vapors.
Flammable gases like the vapors, hydrogen sulphide can be emitted from the wells, production
equipment (Mason et al. 2015). Ignition sources can be electrical energy sources, open flames,
cutting and welding tools and frictional heat. I believe that this course has been helpful in
providing with the guidance on handling of flammable gases and liquids and the possible
strategies in case of dangerous firebreak out (Sousa et al. 2014). One such example of my
learning is that now I understand that while monitoring the atmosphere with a gas detector, if the
combustible gas exceeds above 10 percent of the lower explosive level (LEL), the work should
be ceased immediately.
While reflecting on my knowledge regarding the occupational health hazards in a
construction industry,it is to be informed that the hazards can be classified into six categories –
the silica related diseases, the asbestos-related diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, hearing loss
due to excessive noises andhand-arm vibration syndrome (Hughes and Ferrett 2012). Dust,
smoke, noise at a construction site is unavoidable but the use of the personal protective
instruments can decrease the hazardous effects on human beings and can also protect the workers
from sudden injuries (Hughes and Ferrett 2012). In this course we have learnt about the use of
the different personal protective instruments at, the simple ways to avoid unnecessary exposure
to construction debris, fall from heights and machine related crush accidents, the use of proper
scaffoldings for preventing falls, proper use of the aerial lifts or elevated platforms. Notably I
have also gained knowledge regarding the baseline of the allowable slopes for excavations, the

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ways to maintain a material safety data sheet and have learnt the proper means of hazard
communication, as I feel it the only way to avoid upcoming avoidable hazards.
In this module we have also learnt about the product safety, consumer protection and the
different ways of assessing the system and product safety. The module has helped us to learn
about the testing and the certification of the products, inspection and the auditing and system
certification, training and the knowledge services. The need for the product safety can be
explained by the incidents like accidents due to the instruction of the steam boilers, the Chicago
Expo fire that took place in the year 1894, while working in electricity products. We have also
learnt about the regulating authorities and the accreditation units responsible for the product
safety.
While focusing on another topic of my study regarding the various marine and offshore
hazards, I must say that running a marine vessel by keeping in mind all the requirements as per
the international regulations and sticking to then is not an easy task. Management of the
hazardous material on on-board marine vessels and offshore platforms are now one of the
complicated and growing requirement for the maritime operators all around the globe (Jepsen et
al. 2015). Our study has emphasized on the high risk material management such as the
identification of the hazardous substances, the audits for the management plans, the invitation to
tender the documentation and the tender the analysis and the recommendations (Kristiansen
2013). I have also learned about the leading indicators of the occupational health and safety
performance of a company that would help me understand whether a company is in compliance
with OSHA standards (Sinelnikov et al. 2015).

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One of the drawbacks of this course is that in order to finish the curriculum on time, we
had to hurry through certain topics other than going deep into it, such as the strategies to manage
with the marine and the offshore hazards. The study materials lacked the discussion of risk
assessment tools in compliance with the various regulations like the ISM code, the OSHS
standard, the tanker management self-assessment, the maritime labor convention and the safety
and Environmental management systems (SEMS).
It is time that we deliberate on the occupational health and safety of the health and
safety in the industries in this transitional economy. The health and the safety is getting
compromised both in the construction industry and also in getting exposed to hazardous
chemicals that are posing threat to human body.
One of the common themes that can be identified from these five sectors is health
hazards. Regardless of the type of industry. Marine and offshore industry, construction industry,
manufacture industry, food industry, all have their specific levels of health hazards whether it is
musculoskeletal disorder, or respiratory diseases or other occupational diseases. Reduction of
the health hazards is the proper risk assessment and the identification of the hazards. The
identification tool acts as the directives for adopting specific interventions. I believe that in order
to prevent hazards at the work place, it is necessary to identify the hazards that can be
encountered with, before the commencement of the work. The health hazards at a construction
site may come from the hazardous substances that are already present on the site. Risk
assessment is the process for looking at the conditions which the workers are exposed to and
whether the hazards can likely to harm the workers. Assessment of the risks should be done by
considering the factors like the air concentration of the fumes, the dusts and the vapors generated
from the work processes, the efficiency of the ventilation system for controlling the contaminants

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of the air, the likelihood of the skin and the eye contact with the irritants, exposure to hazardous
physical agents like noise, heat, radiation, light and heat and the ergonomic factors.
The Bachelor of Science Safety, Health and Environmental Management course that I
undertook is designed for preparing students for employment in the fast expanding area of health
and safety management as well as environment management. As the course aims to develop the
skills in learners to maintain and manage varied aspects of health and safety, I acknowledge the
need to take additional initiatives to develop their competencies prior to initiation of the course.
The rationale is that development of certain skills prior to enrollment into the course as well as at
the initial stages of the course would enhance the competencies gained through it, thereby
increasing the chances of employment at later stage. Given the opportunity to begin the course
again, I would enroll in a soft skill development program that would help me in developing
communication skills. Professionals working in the field of health and safety, and environment
management need to have suitable communication skills that help them to work in collaboration
with different stakeholders such as colleagues, clients, policy makers and the public. Enrollment
in a specialized course would present the chance to learn skills for communicating promptly and
professionally under different scenarios. Communication in the form for meetings, group
discussion, presentations and site visits that are elementary part of a professional’s life in this
field would be developed considerably. The course would also give me the chance to deliver
messages to the target audience while taking part in presentations and group discussion
embedded in the course. I would be able to handle interaction on the professional front using
objective, tactful and sensitive approaches. Seeking opportunities for public speaking helps in
broadening the target audience on issues of environmental science health and safety (Laberge,
MacEachen and Calvet 2014).

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Coming to the near end of this reflective portfolio, it would be justified to give a
comprehensive overview of personal perceptions of the course and the value it added to my
professional life. Most importantly, course has helped me to learn the much needed expertise to
establish self as a Health and Safety practitioner and environment management specialist. The
course gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to draw from a diverse array of
technical and non-technical skills. I have also been given the chance to apply my knowledge for
developing practical solutions. The unique flexible course allowed me to set my own objectives
and learn at my own pace in order to suit the demands of the course as per the time available.
The balance of overall study load and assessments was justified in my opinion. The striking
feature of the course is that students are guided to learn skills through different modes of
assessments that are profoundly interactive. I would also like to mention that the course has
helped me to raise my level of awareness regarding the responsibilities and duties that a safety
practitioner has. I take confidence in stating that the course in Safety, Health and Environmental
Management has gained immense appreciation in the recent past due to its clearly defined
learning outcomes focusing on the integration of skills and knowledge that emerge from essential
contents of the subject. The learning outcomes ensured that the instructor and student goals were
appropriately aligned. The structure of the course also enabled students to utilize critical teaching
material in an effective manner. Through such learning outcomes students are given opportunity
to evaluate the methodological and theoretical foundations of the subject of health and safety,
and environment management (Davis and Sumara 2014). The syllabus has been realistic in place
of irrational so that the learning outcomes can establish the standards for the course.
As Gross et al. (2015) had commented, the learning process can only be successful when
there is immense scope for sharing feedback within the education environment. Student

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outcomes are essentially improved when educators take a proactive approach in providing
regular feedback to the learners enthusiastic to gain knowledge of the development they are
making. In my opinion feedback is a powerful influence on achievement that systematically
guides a student’s development. It would have been more advantageous if we were provided
with verbal feedback throughout the course extensively. While summative assessments gave the
opportunity to gain advanced knowledge, formative assessment in the form of verbal feedback
would have provided further encouragement to take up future endeavors. Such feedback also
establishes the foundation for appropriate student-educator relationship within the learning
sphere (Woods and Welch 2018).
The reflective portfolio would come to an end with a note on how I intend to continue to
learn and how I can develop myself for establishing a successful career in this sector. This would
highlight how I aspire to make further progress. While the Bachelor of Science course has been
elementary in acting as a foundational stone for my profession as a Health and Safety
Practitioner, I opine that additional can be undertaken for broadening my knowledge level and
becoming industry-ready. A common path to obtain specialization credentials is get enroll in an
online course that can support further learning. I intend to enroll myself in applicable online
courses focusing on specialized domains of the wide industry. This would ensure that my
competencies as a professional are enhanced and I stay abreast of the recent developments made
in the field. Chances of securing a full-time position in a reputed firm would thereby be
strengthened. Online courses would come with the feature of being flexible and convenient as
per my needs. The present course would make me more ambitious and help me remain informed
for new challenges. As a student of health and safety management I aspire to contribute to the
sector through continual professional development and zest to apply theory into practice.

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References
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industry. Journal of Business Research, 66(11), pp.2321-2331.
Davis, B. and Sumara, D., 2014. Complexity and education: Inquiries into learning, teaching,
and research. Routledge.
DeMatteo, R., Keith, M.M., Brophy, J.T., Wordsworth, A., Watterson, A.E., Beck, M., Rochon,
A., Michael, F., Jyoti, G., Magali, P. and Dayna, R., 2013. Chemical exposures of women
workers in the plastics industry with particular reference to breast cancer and reproductive
hazards. New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 22(4),
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Friend, M.A. and Kohn, J.P., 2014. Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Bernan
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