Work Health and Safety Practices

Work Health and Safety Practices

1.) Identify and briefly describe three Work Health and Safety (WHS) practices relevant to an organization.

        The three WHS practices relevant to an organization include:

• Provision of Safe plant and structures: If an organization includes management or control of plant then this practice facilitates practical guidance to persons associated with it.
• Provision of adequate facilities for welfare of workers: This practice includes provision of basic facilities like first-aid and toilets for welfare of workers and volunteers.
• Provision of appropriate training: This includes provision of training, adequate information or supervision in order to protect the workers against any kind of risks involved at workplace.

2.) Give three examples of areas within Tourism/Hospitality organization where you need to apply safe work practices.

        The three areas for application of Safe Work practices include:

• Machinery and Equipment: Many type of machinery and equipments are used in this particular kind of organization like, slicers, vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners, pressure cleaners etc. These may cause sprains, strains, open wounds, fractures or amputations. Hence the staff needs to be deliberately trained by employers to correctly use them and moreover the machines should not be operated with guards off.
• Electricity: Damaged electrical cords attached to electrically operating machines may lead to common electrical hazards. For avoidance of such mishaps, electrical lead should not be wrapped over the appliances and water leakage in electrical appliance should be avoided.
• Hazardous Substance and Dangerous goods: The chemical cleaning agents, such as detergents, cleaning fluids or air fresheners are most common hazardous substances that may risk health of the employees.

3.) When following safe work practices:

        a.) Whom would you report an unsafe work practice to?

                Unsafe work practices threaten the employees physically as well as mentally. These practices need to be reported to the supervisors managing the applications of Health practices in the organization. The supervisors should patiently listen to the problem and should find the best possible solution to it soon. Regular meetings and seminars could boost up this process a more. Apart from this the workplace OH&S representative, your union and Work Cover may also be contacted.

        b.) What organizational information can assist you in identifying/describing safety procedures?

                Thorough information about the regular working environment in the areas like shop floor, docking area and at the building site may suggest the daily hazards faced by the employees. Also an adequate data about the common facilities like that of kitchen and of toilets and their related hazards may also assist in setting up of safety procedures for the organization. Moreover, a brief summary of the total number of working staff, their health conditions and their related ailments may also give an idea of what all to include in safety procedures.

        c.) What type of protective equipment could you use in an organization?

                For Tourism/Hospitality organization, Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used. PPE is nothing but safety clothing worn by a worker in order to minimize the exposure of hazards. These equipments include respirators, gloves and clothing for head, eye and foot protection like safety glasses, face protectors, hearing protectors, safety footwear etc.

        Workers of different areas of this industry may require different types of PPE. Like a Dishwasher may require Chemical resistant gloves and non-slippery footwear. Similarly, one working as housekeeping and maintenance staff may require safety goggles or face shield and steel-toed boots respectively. A cook may require Heat and cut-resistant gloves while cooking.

        d.) To whom and when should you report any breaches of work safety or suspicious behavior?

                The supervisors or the committee that has been set up to deal with safety hazards need to be reported in case of suspicious behavior an violation of safety laws at the workplace. The safety committees conduct regular inspections and audits at the workplace. The members of the Committee use their insights to seek out for the best possible solution of the prevailing problem. The employees need to report the breaches of work safety during conduction of such audits or during work-safety meetings as these meetings provides an efficient forum where both employers and employees can openly discuss the issues and their related solutions.

4.) Respond to each of the following:

        a.) Give two examples of a situation that has the potential to cause an emergency situation throughout a Tourism/Hospitality organization.

        Example 1. Terrorist Activities is one of the major causes that can cause emergency situation in an organization. Renowned Hotels have always been a soft target for terrorist attacks as these places do not have firm security measures as compared to other govt. organizations. These kinds of attacks cause a huge mass destruction accompanied by a negative impact on the popularity of such places. Hence the Hospitality/Tourism industry needs an updated plan for surveillance and emergency. Hotels and other Tourism spots may use protected networks to protect their operations and guests’ data and records.

        Example 2. Fire can be another chaos-causing situation. It’s a leading cause of unintentional cause of injury and death in Hospitality/Tourism sector. Victims of such an event are generally elderly people and children. The major cause of death in a fire is asphyxiation and higher-degree burns. As fire generates back, impenetrable smoke hence it becomes impossible to navigate. The guests’ should be made aware of location of fire alarms, manual sprinklers and extinguishers and also about alternate escape routes.