Analysis of Safety Culture at Custom Transportation: Management Report

This report analyzes a case study involving Custom Transportation, a medical supply delivery company, facing safety challenges as it plans to expand. The report addresses issues such as warehouse accident rates, cumulative trauma disorders, and an employee with AIDS, while responding to directi...Read More

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Chapter 12 - Creating a safety culture at Custom Transportation
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction- Custom Transportation holds specialization in the delivery of medical
supply and equipment to clinics, hospitals, and other companies that are located in Midwest.
It is located at Elgin, Illinois, and generally comprises of warehouse staff, sales
representatives, and truck drivers, who are aged more than 40 years. The company intends to
expand the coverage, thereby increasing the number of employees from 225 to 500. Being
employed as Warehouse Manager requires overseeing the safety programs of company. This
essay will contain an analysis of the case study and will also focus on responses to the
directives that have been given by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Addressing the issues- The first safety issue is associated to rate of accidents in the
warehouse. Research evidences elaborate on the fact that maintaining adequate safety
in warehouse management proves effective in protecting and
safeguarding the health and survival of all employees. Correct
implementation of safety procedures will also help in avoiding equipment
downtime (Hofstra et al., 2018). Therefore, it is necessary that a good
company will provide all employees with vital safety tips. Efforts will be
taken to ensure that safety equipment are present in sufficient amount
and are used under all circumstances. It is vital to use hydraulic dollies or
forklifts for lifting items that are extremely hefty. This directive will also be
addressed by providing training to the employees regarding the use of
appropriate hard hats, eyewear and other PPE (de Vries, de Koster & Stam,
2016). They will also be notified about the different sprinklers and
emergency exits that need to be accessed at the time of emergency.
There is mounting evidence for the act that ensuring all
warehousing floors being free of ‘slip and trip’ threats can prevent

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workplace hazards (Richards, 2017). Conducting regular safety check in
order to eliminate any liquid, stray cords, hazardous items, or cracks and
pits in the floor will ensure safety of employees. Storage of dangerous
equipment in an area that is obviously labelled and highlighting the safe
walks will help in preventing accidents that can cause serious injury to the
employees (Lepak & Gowan, 2010). Creating a sense of consciousness in the
workplace will prove indispensable for patient safety and can be
accomplished through direct communication between workforce
members. They will also be encouraged to be continuously conscious and
alert of things around them, besides promoting communication to ensure
circumvention of collision accidents.
Staffs are generally absent for the duration of weekend and
beginning of the weeks. Absence requests that are not planned and
dropped less than two days earlier will not be accepted, except under
emergency conditions. After providing an initial verbal warning in a formal
interview, a second interview will be held with the employees to warn
them over a letter, in addition to providing the opportunity to explaining
the absence record (Bergström et al., 2017). The organization must hold the
discretion of temporarily suspending all such employees from their work,
if no improvements have been observed, following which the final
disciplinary action of employment termination might be taken if the
employee fails to show compliance to the requirements of the
organization (Lepak & Gowan, 2010).

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According to Putz-Anderson (2017) Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD)
occurs due to excess tear and strain on the muscles, tendons and nerve
tissue due to the unchanging nature of work and workplace. It can be
addressed by creating provisions for job rotation and alteration in job
workplace. Job rotation would allow employees to take on new
responsibilities at different sites for a definite time, before going back to
their original workplace (Leider et al., 2015). Developing a module for free
shift planning and scheduling will also help the employees in managing
their health, thus preventing any CTD. Eliminating an AIDS patient is not
ethical on the part of the organization, however, precautions need to be
taken for preventing the transmission of the disease. With the aim of
instilling a culture of safety, a wider space needs to be arranged (Lepak &
Gowan, 2010). Heavy and light items should be segregated and group safety
of the employees will also be ensured.
Wellness program- Implementation of a wellness program would
prove effective in mitigating health-associated absence of employees,
while instantaneously decreasing costs of healthcare and decreasing
employee strain and anxiety. According to Lowensteyn et al. (2018) a wellness
program will also help in improving the employee morale and workplace
culture, besides increasing warehouse productivity. These programs are
initiatives that are implemented for improving the health and wellbeing of
the employees. They will decrease employee-related healthcare expenses,
and will also upsurge employee engagement. Apart from snowballing
employee productivity, the program will also prove advantageous in
increasing job satisfaction (Wood et al., 2019).

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Challenges encountered- While transporting medical supplies and
equipment, one of the biggest challenge would be uphold an uncluttered
and clean workplace, while preventing any contamination of the sterilized
equipment. Microbial contaminations will increase risk of the employees
and the consumers to suffer from device-related infections (Chu, 2018).
Thus, the provision for safety equipment, and office tools should be
increased. In addition, resistance from the employees will also act as a
challenge. Bad execution and management of any changes in the
organization might make the employees resist the process that can be
addressed by listening to their grievances, communicating effectively,
implementing the strategies for the directive in different steps, and giving
them recognition (Ybema, Thomas & Hardy, 2016).
Addressing the AIDS patient- Having open and honest conversation
about the disease, acting as an active listener, and reassuring the patient
will prove effective. Other employees will also be educated to familiarize
them with HIV, through awareness-raising sessions and participatory
education. The employee suffering from AIDS must not be identified as a challenge.
Though the CFO demands expulsion of the employee to ensure optimal health of other
workers in the warehouse, efforts must be taken to motivate the employee for leading a
longer life, through proper behavioral and lifestyle modifications (Dipeolu, 2014). While
maintaining a comfortable environment, individual privacy should be safeguarded, in
addition to preventing any discriminating or stereotypic behavior towards the affected person.
Conclusion- To conclude, a safe work environment is generally considered to be a
productive one. Taking into consideration the expansion of the business, implementing

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measures for safety in the warehouse is an obligation for all staff. Protection measures will
safeguard the employees from any kind of health hazard. In addition, minimizing injuries will
also lead to reduce absenteeism, thus bringing about a decrease in expenses. It is also
necessary to prevent the manifestation of attitudinal temperament of the employees against
the one affected with AIDS.

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References
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L. (2017). Preventing sickness absenteeism among employees with common mental
disorders or stress-related symptoms at work: Design of a cluster randomized
controlled trial of a problem-solving based intervention versus care-as-usual
conducted at the Occupational Health Services. BMC public health, 17(1), 436.
Chu, V. H. (2018). Device-Associated Infections. Infectious Disease Clinics, 32(4), ix-x.
de Vries, J., de Koster, R., & Stam, D. (2016). Safety does not happen by accident:
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Dipeolu, I. O. (2014). HIV and AIDS in Workplace: The role of behaviour antecedents on
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Hofstra, N., Petkova, B., Dullaert, W., Reniers, G., & De Leeuw, S. (2018). Assessing and
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Putz-Anderson, V. (2017). Cumulative trauma disorders. CRC Press.
Richards, G. (2017). Warehouse management: a complete guide to improving efficiency and
minimizing costs in the modern warehouse. Kogan Page Publishers.
Wood, J., Huggins, A., Clausen, L., & Lailari, S. (2019). Finding Fit: School Nurses Lead the
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