Work Health and Safety Assessment: Underpinning Concepts and Risk Identification

This assessment explores the underpinning concepts of work health and safety and provides guidance on identifying and managing risks. It emphasizes the importance of protecting individuals and improving productivity. The assessment also discusses the role of Safe Work Australia in promoting work health and safety.

Work health and safety
assessment

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Underpinning concepts related with work health and safety......................................................1
Identifying risk with appropriate recommendation.....................................................................3
Ethico-moral reasoning...............................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Work health and safety assessment is considered to be as the duty for specific issues
which in turn helps each person to retain responsibility (Hansen& et.al. (2018, August)). Work
health and safety helps in protecting individual from eliminating the risk associated with the
work. This study will highlight on, challenges for environmental health. This study helps in
carrying out environmental health assessment in order effectively mitigate environmental health
risk.
MAIN BODY
Underpinning concepts related with work health and safety.
Work health and safety (WHS)
Work health and safety hazards helps in effectively managing the risk associated with the
health and safety. Worker's compensation law tends to have worker's compensation insurance
policy for the employees of the organization. Work health and safety helps in creating a safe
working environment which in turn leads to long term success to the business (Work health and
safety, 2019). Work health and safety is very useful in reducing injury, improves productivity,
reducing cost associated with accidents and worker's compensation. Under the Australian Work
health and safety law the organization must ensure health and safety of the employees within the
organization (Straker & et.al. (2016)). The company must focus on providing safe working
environment, maintaining safe structure and machinery, safe use or handling of machinery,
maintaining adequate facilities, monitoring the health of workers and providing supervision and
training related with safety.
Managing risk helps in improving the health and safety and productivity of the
organization. It is very useful in eliminating and controlling risk which in turn helps in reducing
the number of severe injuries accidents, illness and extra cost to the company. Managing risk
also helps in improving the health of the worker and also helps in promoting the well being and
the capacity to work with higher efficiency (Joss & et.al. (2017)). Managing risk helps in
fostering innovation at the workplace which in urn helps in improving the productivity and
quality of the work. The duty holders to mange WHS risk mainly consists of PCBU's, officers,
manufacturers, managers, suppliers, importers, structures, designers, etc. employers and
employees of the organization also have duty take reasonable measures for health and safety at
the workplace. The first step towards managing WHS risk is identification of hazards, assessing
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risk, controlling risk and reviewing the controlling measures. The management of the
organization can effectively eliminate risk by substituting the hazards of the company with safer
alternatives (Work health and safety, 2019). Reducing the risk by some engineering control helps
in reducing or managing risk. Reducing exposure to hazardous substances with the use of
administrative control and use of personal protective equipment helps in managing and
controlling risk within the organization.
Regulating agency of the WHS law must regulatory inspect the workplace. They focus on
providing advice and effectively enforce the law which leads to organizational health and safety.
In order to carry out health and safety audit the company should focus on effectively identifying
the level of risk within the workplace. It also helps in determining the strengths and weakness
associated with the company's safety procedure. It also helps in assessing safety procedures that
are legally compliant. Comparing the current documentation and practice with the best legal
obligation helps in effectively determining and assessing health and safety within the
organization (Provan & Pryor, (2019)). Recommending improvements in safety procedures and
ensuring that resources are used effectively in order to manage organizational health and safety.
Health and safety management system tends to focus on effectively determining that the safety
systems are operating in a systematic and efficient manner. It also focuses on determining how
the hazardous substances are effectively controlled and taken care of by efficiently utilizing the
hazardous resources (Esposito, (2019)). Audit helps in addressing the overall performance in
order to effectively manage health and safety system in the organization. Management system of
the organizational health and safety tends to focus on several areas such as planning,
organization health and safety responsibilities, consultation arrangement, hazard identification,
training and competence, implementation of various activities and procedure, reporting,
measurement and evaluation, reviewing of the organization health and safety system and overall
performance of the organization.
Safe Work Australia
Safe Work Australia is considered to be as Australian government statutory agency which
was established in the year 2009. The key responsibility associated with the Safe Work Australia
is to improve the the work health and safety across Australia. This agency tends to have
partnership with unions, government, industry which in turn helps in reducing death and injury
within the workplace (Solutions, (2017)). They key role of Safe Work Australia is to harmonise
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the organizational health and safety laws within the organization, identifying various
opportunities associated with the improvement of workers compensation. It also helps in
influencing the Australian workplace culture (Warmerdam & Lingard, (2017, June)). It also
focuses on raising awareness related with work health and safety.
Identifying risk with appropriate recommendation.
Task or
scenario
Hazard/s Associated
harm, e.g.
what could
go wrong?
Existing
Risk
Controls
Current
risk rating
Use the
Risk
Matrix
Any
additional
controls are
required?
Residual
risk rating
Use the
Risk
Matrix
Individuals
getting
engaged
with the
pesticides,
cleaning
products,
caustic
substances,
petroleum
products,
acids, heavy
metals, etc.
results in
getting
affected by
chemical
hazards.
Chemical
hazards
Harm
associated
with the
chemical
hazards can
have both
physical and
health
impact on
the
individual
(Hansen&
et.al. (2018,
August)). It
may result
in corrosion,
blindness,
explosion,
respiratory
system
In order to
control risk
of chemical
hazards,
individuals
in the
workplace
must use
clothes
which are
chemical
protective,
use gloves,
wear eye
protection,
wear
respiratory
protection,
etc.
Out of 5
current risk
rating is 4.
Organizatio
n must
focus on
substituting
dangerous
chemical
substances
with the
safer
products
which leads
to
organization
al health
and safety.
Out of 5
residual risk
rating is 4.5.
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irritation,
skin
irritation,
etc.
Individuals
getting
engaged
with the
physical
hazards are
ergonomic
hazards,
heat and
cold,
radiation,
noise,
pressure,
vibration,
height, poor
posture,
poor
workstation
setup, poor
manual
handling,
etc. are
prone to
physical
hazards.
Physical
hazards
Harm
associated
with the
physical
hazards are
heat stroke,
increased
irritability,
dizziness,
rashes,
cramps,
chronic heat
exhaustion,
high risk of
accidents,
loss of
concentratio
n, heavy
manual
work, etc.
In order to
control risk
of physical
hazards,
employees
must use
safety
equipments,
reduce
vibrations
and noise
present in
workplace,
keeping,
keeping
clean
working
surface, use
of proper
footwear
and eye
wear,
managing
cords,
proper
lighting, etc.
helps in
Out of 5
current risk
rating is 3.5.
Additional
control
taken by the
organization
is to place
barrier
between
physical
hazards and
employees
(Straker &
et.al.
(2016)).
Out of 5
residual risk
rating is 4.
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controlling
physical
hazards.
Individuals
getting
engaged
with the
safety
hazards are
mainly
associated
with trips,
fall, slip,
fire,
electricity,
cord running
on floor, etc.
Safety
hazards
Harm
associated
with the
safety
hazards are
death,
injury,
illness,
partial or
permanent
disablement,
etc.
In order to
control risk
of safety
hazards,
employees
must use
personal
protective
equipments,
isolate the
hazards,
administrati
ve control,
etc. helps in
controlling
risk of
safety
hazards
(Warmerda
m &
Lingard,
(2017,
June)).
Out of 5
current risk
rating is 4.
Additional
control
taken by the
organization
to control
safety
hazards is to
substitute
hazards with
less risk
and use of
engineering
control
helps in
controlling
risk of
safety
hazards.
Out of 5
residual risk
rating is 4.5.
Individuals
getting
engaged in
activities
Biological
hazards
Harm
associated
with the
Biological
In order to
control risk
of
Biological
Out of 5
current risk
rating is 3.
Additional
control
taken by the
organization
Out of 5
residual risk
rating is 4.
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like bodily
fluids,
blood,
sewage,
vermin,
dust,
harmful
plant, etc.
are affected
by
biological
hazards.
hazards are
allergies,
infection
(such as
AIDS,
Tuberculosi
s, cancer,
etc.),
various
range of
skin
irritation,
virus, etc.
hazards,
employees
must wash
hands
before and
after
carrying out
any
particular
Biological
hazardous
activity
(Provan, &
Pryor,
(2019)).
Individuals
must use
protective
uniform or
clothing,
use
protective
gloves, use
sanitizer,
use mouth
mask, use
hair mask,
etc. in order
to reduce
the risk of
infection.
to control
Biological
hazards is
by reducing
the number
of person to
get exposed
to biological
hazards,
using safe
means of
transporting
and
maintaining
biological
hazards, etc.
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Ethico-moral reasoning
Ethico- moral reasoning is mainly associated with finding ethical reasoning by reflecting
on moral issues. Protective work and health assessment helps in preventing work illness and
injuries. It helps in reducing injuries, accidents and personal loss within the work place. It helps
company to reduce the use of hazardous substances and replace it with less risky components
which helps in protecting workers of organization.
CONCLUSION
From the above conducted study, it has been concluded that, Work health and safety
helps in protecting individual from eliminating the risk which is related with the organization.
Work health and safety helps in reducing injury, reducing cost associated with accidents and
improves productivity. Safe Work Australia helps in improving the work health and safety across
Australia. It also helps in raising awareness associated with the work health and safety.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Esposito, M. (2019). Workplace harassment should be treated as a work health and safety
issue. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia).41(1). 10.
Hansen, A & et.al. (2018, August). Lived Experiences of Heat Exposure as an Occupational
Safety Hazard in Australia. In ISEE Conference Abstracts (Vol. 2018, No. 1).
Joss, N & et.al. (2017). The emergence of integrated approaches to worker health, safety and
wellbeing in Australia. Australian journal of primary health.23(2), 154-161.
Provan, D. J., & Pryor, P. (2019). The emergence of the occupational health and safety
profession in Australia. Safety science. 117. 428-436.
Solutions, C. I. T. (2017). Safe Work Australia urges all workplaces to put their health and safety
first. CIT.61(2), 6207.
Straker, L & et.al. (2016). Sedentary work. Evidence on an emergent work health and safety
issue.
Warmerdam, A., & Lingard, H. (2017, June). EXAMINING THE DEFINITION OF A
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN AUSTRALIA. In Joint CIB W099 & TG59 International
Safety, Health, and People in Construction Conference (p. 242).
Online
Work health and safety. 2019. [ONLINE]. Available
through:<https://www.business.gov.au/Risk-management/Health-and-safety/Work-health-
and-safety>
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