Critical Problem - Workplace Safety

Critical Problem: Workplace Safety

I have identified several problems in this report and would like to focus on Workplace Safety. The other problems are important to address, however, avoiding employee injuries must take priority over getting them on the job and motivating them. Our employees need to know their health and safety are of utmost importance. This alone should also provide some motivation. I was not able to locate a safety manual, which is necessary and would benefit everyone. As our employees learn about workplace safety before they start to work, are likely to learn about other jobs we offer. A formal training program is also necessary to ensure workplace safety.

In addition to moral obligations, the United States Department of Labor outlines our responsibilities through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, to ensure a safe workplace environment (Employer Responsibilities). The following are our responsibilities under OSHA Law: “Employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Employers MUST provide their workers with a workplace that does not have serious hazards and must follow all OSHA safety and health standards. Employers must find and correct safety and health problems. OSHA further requires that employers must first try to eliminate or reduce hazards by making feasible changes in working conditions rather than relying on personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, or earplugs. Switching to safer chemicals, enclosing processes to trap harmful fumes, or using ventilation systems to clean the air are examples of effective ways to eliminate or reduce risks. Employers MUST also:

• Prominently display the official OSHA Job Safety and Health – It’s the Law poster that describes rights and responsibilities under the OSH Act. This poster is free and can be downloaded from www.osha.gov.

• Inform workers about chemical hazards through training, labels, alarms, color-coded systems, chemical information sheets, and other methods.

• Provide safety training to workers in a language and vocabulary they can understand.

• Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.• Perform tests in the workplace, such as air sampling, required by some OSHA standards.

• Provide required personal protective equipment at no cost to workers.*

• Provide hearing exams or other medical tests required by OSHA standards.

• Post OSHA citations and injury and illness data where workers can see them.

• Notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace fatality or within 24 hours of any work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye (1-800-321-OSHA [6742]).

• Not retaliate against workers for using their rights under the law, including their right to report a work-related injury or illness.

* Employers must pay for most types of required personal protective equipment.” (All About OSHA).

My observations in just three days here confirm we are not in compliance with many of the above-stated requirements.

I am certain our employees are not aware of their rights and responsibilities related to safety in the workplace. On my third day here, I witnessed a worker cut her thumb as she was working. She cut it on a random sharp object. It was evident she was in pain, yet she wrapped her wound in a handkerchief and continued to work. Her injury was never reported.

The only sign related to safety I noticed in the entire factory is a blackboard that reports the number of days since the last safety incident. It is a cheap blackboard. That alone sends a message to our employees that safety is not a priority. More troubling is the number that is written on the blackboard – 679. I know this can’t be accurate based on the incident I experienced and mentioned in the previous paragraph. Nearly two years without a safety incident is highly unlikely. According to a November 8, 2018, news release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, there were 2.8 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 employees reported by private industry employers in 2017. That number was 2.9 for 2016 incidents. (News Release, BLS, DOL) Although there was a slight decline, it is apparent that employees work through injuries and work-related illnesses without reporting them. I have also heard workers in the lunchroom discussing unsafe work conditions. They lowered their voices when they realized I could hear them.

We need to ensure employees are aware of their rights and responsibilities, and that they are protected when they report incidents. OSHA has a “Whistle Blower” program that protects employees from retaliation. It provides the following:

“To help ensure that workers are free to participate in safety and health activities, Section 11(c) of the OSH Act prohibits any person from discharging or in any manner retaliating against any worker for exercising rights under the OSH Act. These rights include raising safety and health concerns with an employer, reporting a work-related injury or illness, filing a complaint with OSHA, seeking an OSHA inspection, participating in an OSHA inspection and participating or testifying in any proceeding related to an OSHA inspection. Protection from retaliation means that an employer cannot retaliate by taking “adverse action” against workers, such as:

• Firing or laying off;

• Blacklisting;

• Demoting;

• Denying overtime or promotion;

• Disciplining;

• Denying of benefits;

• Failing to hire or rehire;

• Intimidation;

• Making threats;

• Reassignment affecting prospects for promotion; or

• Reducing pay or hours.

(All About OSHA)

We need to educate the management of our responsibilities as well as educate our employees of their rights and responsibilities. My plan to do this is as follows:

1. Safety Manual

I will write a Safety Manual, or update an existing manual, to include all aspects of workplace safety for Doohickeys U Need, Inc. As indicated in the solution above, it will include how to guides, information on best practices, State