Signs of a deadly workplace exposed
A workplace is any location either permanent or temporary where an employee performs any work-related duty. Includes, but is not limited to, the building, surrounding perimeters, parking lots, field locations, client’s homes and traveling to and from work assignments.
No!!! I'm sure if you were asked this a thousand time your answer will be No, No, No, No .....to infinity, but how can you tell if your present/prospective workplace is not a ''Deadly workplace''?
Here are the seven (7) common signs to watch out for;
- Lack of Access Control; If the workplace lacks access control of any sort, be it the conventional security visitors register or the hi-tech biometric access. You need to be extra careful and be your own security guard because in such workplaces anything can happen, an assassin can just stroll in and end a life even in cases of mistaken identity.
- No Induction ; A workplace that lacks consideration for proper integration of new recruits, visitors and contractors is also a welcome development for harmful incidents to happen new face. Such inductions are usually in the form of two basic types, formal and informal. Formal induction is a planned attempt to introduce new employees to the organization, job and the working environment in line with safety principles and human resources principles as failure to do so can result to fatal incidents since statistics have proven that people who are new in a workplace gets injured within the first few weeks in higher percentage than old employees.Informal induction is not planned and is ad hock. New employees learn through trial and error method. They get familiar with the work and work environment by them selves. This induction type will make the stress on new employee at the very beginning, because of his/her not knowing things at the operations. So in that case, new employee may leave the organization at the beginning and then the organization may need to follow all the process of recruiting and new employee to the organization. Also this method will create a large number of errors making by new employee and then it may creates big losses to the organization.
- Poor Housekeeping; When we think of “housekeeping” we tend to think of the common phrase: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” But housekeeping means more than this. Good housekeeping means having no unnecessary items about and keeping all necessary items in their proper places. What’s so important about housekeeping? Think about what could happen if a bunch of oily rags suddenly caught fire one night, or if, in an emergency, employees couldn’t get out of the work area safely because aisles were cluttered. Imagine those same employees unable to get out altogether because of a blocked exit. Experience has shown that good housekeeping is an essential part of your company’s health and safety program. Some people can’t stand a mess, while others leave an evidence trail of poor housekeeping everywhere they go. But in the workplace, bad housekeeping can have consequences that go far beyond creating an image of a sloppily run, unprofessional operation. Poor housekeeping causes a wide range of injuries and fatalities, ranging from painful slips, trips and falls, to workers being unable to evacuate burning buildings because of blocked fire exits, to dust explosions that can claim multiple lives in an instant. Every workplace should have ''everything in place and a place for everything'', if otherwise, the workplace becomes a dead trap and the workplace becomes vulnerable to fire risk, injuries, confusion in emergency situation, rodent infestation, poisoning etc. Good house keeping is the cheapest form of accident prevention. Below you can find when good meets bad in the figures illustrated.Fig.1. Good Housekeeping
Fig.2. Poor housekeeping. - Lack of Anti-Violence Policy; Does your workplace have a violence policy to cover/protect you? Workplace violence is a growing hazard for both employers and employees. Unfortunately, few employers have adequate policies in place to deal with this problem. As a result, many employers risk liability in the event violence occurs at their workplace.Remember that any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in a work setting including aggravated assault, sexual assault, product tampering, sabotage, homicide, includes acts committed during robberies are the second leading cause of death in the workplace overall. workplace violence is Rated “High” as a security problem in 94% of workplaces. Note these points, CDC USA says, ''Violence has reached “epidemic proportions” 111,000 violent incidents occur per year. While 750 – 1,000 workplace homicides occur per year Protect yourself by reporting threats, physical or verbal or disruptive behavior.
- No Risk Assessment; A careful examination of what could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more. The aim is to make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill. It is a legal requirement. Therefore, assessing risk at the project, portfolio, and business levels helps understand risk, make better decisions, negotiate fair contracts, create risk mitigation scenarios, and improve teamwork. When operations are carried out without risk assessments for such are not being conducted, such operations have planned to fail and to cause an incident either a safety violation consequences or financial losses as the benefits of risk assessments cannot be over emphasized. Risk assessment helps organizations to eliminate or reduce their risk to As low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). Lack of proper risk assessment and it's implementation can lead to fatal errors and accidents. But incidents/accidents can be prevented by doing these simple activities;Try a less risky option, Prevent access to the hazard (e.g. by guarding). Organize work to reduce exposure to the hazard , Issue personal protective equipment and Provide welfare facilities (e.g. washing facilities to remove contamination, first aid etc.).
- Bullying; Does your employers have policies against bullying? Are you protected from the bullies if they exist in where you work? Bullying is “offensive behavior through vindictive, cruel, malicious remarks and attempts to humiliate and undermine an individual or groups of individuals.” Attacks are typically unpredictable, irrational and unwanted. Employees bully and intimidate to gain power over their fellow employees. These attacks demoralize employees and cause them to become depressed, to be unable to work productively and, most often, to leave. According to 1999 International Labor Organization report on workplace violence, it was emphasized that physical and emotional violence is one of the most serious problems facing the workplace in the new millennium. That Over 80 per cent of bullies are bosses and some are co-workers. A minority bully their higher-ups. A bully is equally likely to be a man as a woman. Bullied employees waste between 10 and 52 per cent of their work time. Research shows they spend time defending themselves and networking for support, thinking about the situation, being demotivated and stressed — not to mention taking sick leave due to stress-related illnesses. Organizations that manage people well outperform those that don’t by 30 to 40 per cent. Adult bullies, like their schoolyard counterparts, tend to be insecure people with poor or non-existent social skills and little empathy. They turn this insecurity outwards, finding satisfaction in their ability to attack and diminish the capable people around them. Obvious bullying behaviors include persistent, Invalid criticism and nitpicking, Name-calling and personal insults, Shouting and displays of temper, Public ridicule and humiliation, Exclusion, Disregarding or ignoring, Devaluation of efforts, Threats and Spreading harmful rumors.
- Misleading Health and Safety Statistics; According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) , ''Health and safety differs from many areas measured by managers because success results in the absence of an outcome (injuries or ill health) rather than a presence. But a low injury or ill-health rate, even over a period of years, is no guarantee that risks are being controlled and will not lead to injuries or ill health in the future. This is particularly true in organizations where there is a low probability of accidents but where major hazards are present. Here the historical record can be a deceptive indicator of safety performance''. Here was a clear indication that what is recorded as performance may not be the clear picture of the real scenario. Under-reporting an emphasis on injury and ill-health rates as a measure, particularly when related to reward systems, can lead to such events not being reported so as to ‘maintain’ performance. Whether a particular event results in an injury is often a matter of chance, so it will not necessarily reflect whether or not a hazard is under control. An organisation can have a low injury rate because of luck or fewer people exposed, rather than good health and safety management. Some Organizations feels a clean sheet keeps them on clean notes but his ironically keep them in danger zones
8. Poor or no Emergency Preparedness; ¨Emergency – potentially life-threatening situation, usually occurring suddenly and unexpectedly. Immediate response is essential , Speed in responding can mean the difference between life and death or between minimal damage and major damage Preparation is planning for emergencies so does your organisation Plan, practice, evaluate or adjust where necessary? Emergency preparedness is planning and actions undertaken in advance of a possible or probable natural or man-made disaster. Plans for reconstruction, food storage, sanitation equipment storage, and conducting drills are usually part of an emergency preparedness plan.
Responses to emergencies includes but not limited to: Medical personnel , Fire-fighting personnel,Security personnel , Safety personnel and Specialists from different fields.
10. Lack of Incentives and rewards: Positive reinforcement is very important, if people feel the only way they get recognized is by doing something as their good deeds are not recognized , they will continue breaking the rules to get that recognition instead of getting nothing. therefore, employees recognition is necessary in your organisation as you desire it.It makes sense to recognize and reward good deeds even if with just a good commendation instead of just looking for culprits to punish.
Thank you for your time.
To be continued!!!
