Engineered Air: Case Study on Workplace Safety and HR

This case study analyzes a workplace accident at Engineered Air, focusing on the application of the Workers' Compensation Act of Alberta. It addresses the responsibilities of both the employer and employee following an accident, including reporting procedures, compensation, and the provision of medical care. The assignment explores the role of the HR manager in managing the accident, including reporting to statutory bodies, distributing the injured employee's workload, and designing a return-to-work program. The study also outlines the direct and indirect costs associated with workplace accidents, offering a comprehensive overview of the legal and practical aspects of occupational health and safety within an organization. The case study provides a detailed analysis of the relevant sections of the Workers Compensation Act, specifically sections 24, 25, and 32, and their implications in the context of the accident.

Running Head: CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Case Study on Occupational Health and Safety
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

1CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Introduction
Workers Compensation Act is a law for the welfare of the employees and the
employer. It provides financial benefits during emergencies. The paper is based on the case
study of Engineering Air. And it also explains the roles and responsibilities of the employee
as well as an HR during accidents in the organisation according to the Workers
Compensation Act of Alberta.
Response to Question 1
THE WORKER’S COMPENSATION ACT is the law governing body that looks
after the safety and security of the employees and the employer at the workplace. It provides
compensation and insurance facilities to the injured employee or the dependant of the
employee at the time of injury. Under this Act, the Worker Compensation Board(WCB) is
created to administer the insurance for the workers and the employers in the workplace of
Alberta. Under the law, the worker has to be compensated for the lost health, income and
other cost related to the injury of the worker (Workers’Compensation Act &
Workers’Compensation Regulation, 2015). The sections 24, 25 and 32 explains the fair
practices that have to be undertaken by the Human resource manager at the time of
compensating the workers or the employer (worksafebc.com, 2020). Section 24 includes the
eligibility criteria of an employee eligible to avail the compensation benefits. Section 25 of
the Act defined the various payment modes of the compensation by the organisation, and
section 32 describes how the reporting should be made to the concerned authority for avail
the benefits (Barnetson, 2015).

2CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Response to Question 2
The employer and the employees have equal responsibilities while dealing with
accidents at the workplace. There are certain duties which need to be followed at the time of
accidents at the workplace. During the accidents, the employer has the legal authority to
report it the Worker’s Compensation Board(WCB), regardless of minor or major, the accident
is. It needs to be reported accordingly. The employer must understand the accident and
provide the employee with workers compensation under the Workers Compensation
Act(section 25). During accidents, it is the foremost duty of the employer to provide
compensation to the employees by reporting for the medical claim and providing medical
facilities to the injured worker. In case of any dispute during accidents, the employer must
resolve it. HR should access the situation and assist the injured. In case of death, accidental
benefits should be given to the dependant of the deceased employee (worksafebc.com, 2020).
And information should be gathered, and evidence should be kept for further investigation.
The employee should apply for the medical claim and sick leave from the company since the
employee suffered from the broken arm and concussion. Under the Worker’s Compensation
Act in EngineeringAir, the employee should be compensated for all the days of absence
(Lippel, 2019).
Response to Question 3
After the accident has been reported, an HR manager has several roles to play. Some
of them are- in case of the accident(major or minor), an HR should be aware of the
companies policy and which statutory bodies should be informed about the injured employee.
Under section 33(1) of the Worker’s compensation Act, manager after receiving the notice of
the accident(section 32) shall record the details of the accident and also provide a copy of the
report to the injured employee (Workers’Compensation Act & Workers’Compensation

3CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Regulation, 2015). Since the employee suffered from disabled of more than one day, the
manager should provide a copy of the report to the Board within 72 hours so that the
employee is compensated and gets medical benefits from the company (worksafebc.com,
2020). During the absence of the employee, the work should be distributed among the
employees or contract labour should be hired on behalf of the injured so that the absence of
the injured employee does not hinder the production.
Response to Question 4
A return to work program is a legal written program designed by the HR department
for the injured employee. As an HR manager, return to work programme will be designed
based on the medical certificate provided by the employee (worksafebc.com, 2020). Planning
the duties which will be suitable for the injured until the employee is fully recovered to
undertake the responsibility. The return to work plan will state goals for the individual and
various actions needed to support the returning of the injured to work (wcb.ab.ca, 2020). The
steps include planning assessment for the return to work, initiates the planning based on
advice by the doctor of the employee, coordinate, communicate regularly, review and
feedback.
Response to Question 5
Some of the direct costs could be medical claim cost by the employee, legal expenses
and investigation costs. The indirect cost includes loss of productivity, equipment damage
and hiring of temporary labour cost on behalf of the injured.

4CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that the Worker’s
Compensation Act plays a crucial role in an organisation and helps in boosting the morale of
the employee.

5CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
References
Barnetson, B. (2015). “Fortis Et Liber” Unless You Are a Farm Worker: Workers’
Compensation Exceptionalism in Alberta, Canada. SAGE Open, 5(2),
2158244015575632.
Barnetson, B. (2015). Worker Safety in Alberta. Alberta oil and the decline of
democracy in Canada.
For workers - WCB Alberta. (2020). Retrieved 22 January 2020, from
https://www.wcb.ab.ca/resources/for-workers/
Foster, J., Barnetson, B., & Matsunaga-Turnbull, J. (2018). Fear factory: retaliation
and rights claiming in Alberta, Canada. Sage open, 8(2), 2158244018780752.
Lippel, K. (2019). Policy Brief: Worker’s Compensation.
Medeiros, N., & McIntyre, R. (2014). The constitutionality of the exclusion of farm
industries under the Alberta Workers’ Compensation Act.
My Handbook - WorkSafeBC. (2020). Retrieved 22 January 2020, from
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/law-policy/occupational-health-safety/
searchable-ohs-regulation/personal-handbook
Selby, J. (2015). Delaying, Disarming, and Deceiving the Union: The Lougheed
Government, Alberta Government Employees, and the Public Service
Employee Relations Act, 1977. Labour/Le Travail, 75-100.
Steenstra, I. A., Munhall, C., Irvin, E., Oranye, N., Passmore, S., Van Eerd, D., ... &
Hogg-Johnson, S. (2017). Systematic review of prognostic factors for return to

6CASE STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
work in workers with sub acute and chronic low back pain. Journal of
occupational rehabilitation, 27(3), 369-381.
Workers’Compensation Act, W. C. A., & Workers’Compensation Regulation, W. C.
(2015). Alberta WCB Policies & Information. Policy, 401(Part I).
WorkSafeBC. (2020). Retrieved 22 January 2020, from
https://www.worksafebc.com/en