Define the terms

Health

Safety

Welfare:- Welfare is a government support for the citizens and residents of society. Welfare may be
provided to people of any income level, as with social security, but usually it is intended to ensure that
the poor can meet their basic human needs such as food and shelter. Welfare attempts to provide poor
people with a minimal level of well-being, usually either a free- or a subsidized-supply of certain goods
and social services, such as healthcare, education, and vocational training

Definitions Of Health, Safety, Welfare & Environmental Protection

Give the meaning of the terms:

Health

Safety

Welfare

Environmental Protection

Health – The term ‘health’ can be defined as – A state of well-being in both a physiological &
psychological sense. In occupational terms, it would include not suffering for example from fatigue,
stress or noise induced deafness Etc.

Or

The protection of bodies & minds of individuals from illness because of occupational exposure to
chemicals & certain hazards resulting in such consequences like cancer, silicosis, noise induced hearing
impairment, Vibration white finger etc.

Or

State of complete

Physical,

Mental &

Social well being,

Not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Safety – It can be defined as the absence of danger or physical harm to persons, extending in the
workplace to things such as equipment, materials, and structures.
Or

The protection of individuals from physical injury – Eg. Cuts, crush, amputation, etc. It refers to a
workplace having an acceptable degree of freedom from risk (i.e) Risk is reduced as low as reasonably
practicable.

Or

A state of condition of Being Safe,

where hazards have been controlled to achieve an acceptable level of risk.

Welfare – The term ‘welfare’ relates to the provision of workplace facilities that maintain the basic well-
being and comfort of the worker such as eating, washing and toilet facilities which enable them to fulfil
their bodily functions.

Or

Looking after people’s basic needs. Provision of welfare facilities like clean drinking water, hygienic
washroom facilities, clinic facilities, rest area to relax, transport facilities from the workplace to
camp/residence and back.

Environmental Protection – Protection of the environment from Air pollution, water pollution and land
pollution in order to protect Animals, Birds, plants, Water/sea living organisms and human from health
effects of pollution.

Or

It may be defined as a measure used to prevent harm to the environment of the world. It prevents harm
to land, air, water and natural resources providing protection to flora, fauna and human beings and their
inter-relationships.

Sometimes Environmental Protection can be mistakenly considered as work environment. Remember

work environment is totally different from it. Work environment comes under the topic ‘ergonomics’ and
the work environment requirements include sufficient arrangements for suitable space, seating,
ventilation, temperature, lighting, noise and humidity.

Managing Safety and Health

"The discipline that goes into a safety program will spill over into production and quality control. People
will be more aware of safety and how they do their jobs. We believe it will work to our benefit with
production and quality."
Safety Management Systems

A safety and health system for your business

As an employer, it is your responsibility to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. A safety and health
management system, or safety program, can help you focus your efforts at improving your work
environment. Whatever you call it, your plan describes what the people in your organization do to
prevent injuries and illnesses at your workplace.

Your organization will have its own unique system, reflecting your way of doing business, the hazards of
your work, and how you manage the safety and health of your employees:

If you manage a small business in a low-risk industry, your system may simply involve listening to your
employees' concerns and responding to them.

A large business in a hazardous industry may have notebooks full of written policies and procedures and
a full-time safety director.

What's most important is that your system works for your organization. It's up to you to decide how best
to operate a safe and healthy workplace, and to put your plan into practice.

What makes a successful system?

A successful system will be part of your overall business operation, as important as the other things you
do to succeed in business.

Successful safety and health systems have the following in place:

Managers committed to making the program work.

Employees involved in the program.

A system to identify and control hazards.

Compliance with OSHA regulations.

Training on safe work practices.

Mutual respect, caring and open communication in a climate conducive to safety.

Continuous improvement .

Take a look at your safety and health system. Some components may be strong and others may need to
be strengthened. The following sections describe these key factors and give ideas about how to make
them part of your program. And remember, if you operate one of many thousands of small businesses in
Maine, your system can be simple and largely informal.

Use the following as a practical guide and adapt it to your needs. Because small businesses often cannot
afford in-house safety and health professionals, you may need help setting up your system. You can call
SafetyWorks! --- our services are free and confidential. Your workers' compensation insurance provider,
your industry organization, or a private consultant may also be able to help.

I. Make a commitment

Put as much energy into your commitment to safety and health as you put into any other important part
of your business. Make sure to include workplace safety and health in your business plan and integrate it
into all facets of the business.

Write a policy that emphasizes the importance you place on workplace safety and health.

Commit the resources (time, money, personnel) needed to protect your employees.

Begin meetings with a safety topic.

Encourage employee participation in safety and health.

Let employees know they will be expected to follow safe work practices if they work for your business.
And follow them yourself.

Respond to all reports of unsafe or unhealthy conditions or work practices.

If injuries or illnesses occur, make it your business to find out why.

Go beyond the regulations; address all hazards, whether or not they are covered by laws.

II. Involve employees

In a safe and healthy workplace, employees have a stake in the success of the program --- safety and
health is everyone's responsibility. Actively encourage employee involvement if you want your program
to succeed. Hold people accountable and makes sure everyone does their part.
Establish an active workplace safety and health safety committee.

Make daily safety inspections part of some employees' jobs.

Keep employees informed about safety inspections.

ISO

The International Organization for Standardization is an independent, non-governmental organization,

the members of which are the standards organizations of the 168[1] member countries. It is the world's
largest developer of voluntary international standards and facilitates world trade by providing common
standards between nations. Over twenty thousand standards have been set covering everything from
manufactured products and technology to food safety, agriculture and healthcare.

Use of the standards aids in the creation of products and services that are safe, reliable and of good
quality. The standards help businesses increase productivity while minimizing errors and waste. By
enabling products from different markets to be directly compared, they facilitate companies in entering
new markets and assist in the development of global trade on a fair basis. The standards also serve to
safeguard consumers and the end-users of products and services, ensuring that certified products
conform to the minimum standards set internationally.

ILO

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing with labour problems,
particularly international labour standards, social protection, and work opportunities for all.[1] The ILO
has 187 member states: 186 of the 193 UN member states plus the Cook Islands are members of the ILO.

How we work

The unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments to
ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping
policies and programmes.

Mission and impact

The main aims of the ILO are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities,
enhance social protection and strengthen dialogue on work-related issues.

Identifying workplace hazards .

Every workplace has hazards. As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to look after your
employees’ safety and protect them against health and safety hazards at work.
In order to manage workplace health and safety and help prevent accidents and sickness absence, it’s
important to identify, monitor and reduce the risk associated with workplace hazards.

What are workplace hazards?

Simply put, workplace hazards are any aspect of work that cause health and safety risks and have the
potential to harm.
Some hazards are more likely to be present in some workplaces than others, and depending on the work
that you do, there will be hazards that are more or less relevant to your business.
What are the most common workplace hazards?
There are many types of workplace hazards, which tend to come under four main categories:
physical hazards – the most common workplace hazards, including vibration, noise and slips, trips and
falls;
ergonomic hazards – physical factors that harm the musculoskeletal system, such as repetitive
movement, manual handling and poor body positioning;
chemical hazards – any hazardous substance that can cause harm to your employees;
biological hazards – bacteria and viruses that can cause health effects, such as hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and
Legionnaire’s disease.
Common health risks
Some of the most common health risks associated with workplace hazards include:
breathing problems;
skin irritation;
damage to muscles, bones and joints;
hearing damage;
reduced wellbeing.
How to prevent workplace hazard
The best way to protect yourself and your employees from workplace hazards is to identify and manage
them and take reasonable steps to prevent their potential to harm.
In order to control workplace hazards and eliminate or reduce the risk, you should take the following
steps:
identify the hazard by carrying out a workplace risk assessment;
determine how employees might be at risk;
evaluate the risks;
record and review hazards at least annually, or earlier if something changes.

Health and Safety is a crucial legal requirement that effects every industry, sector and business in the
UK. Unfortunately, most employers and even consumers may see this as a financial, paper-loaded
burden. This post addresses the importance of Health and Safety to all businesses and their
consumers. The importance of effective management of Health and Safety as a whole can be divided
into moral, legal and financial reasons.

Moral reasons

Yes, there are moral reasons for Health and Safety, such as duty of reasonable care. This is a duty on
an individual or organisation to take reasonable care of their actions and the potential side effects or
consequences. Basically one should not hurt or put others in danger with one’s own actions, especially
at the workplace.

It is unacceptable to put the health and safety of people at risk especially for your own profit. A
perfect example would be if a company is trying to save money by not installing safety guards on
dangerous moving parts of machine. Or being careless about Asbestos exposure. As Society develops
and changes, moral obligations and expectations change as well. 30 years ago it was acceptable to
expose people to high levels of noise. As a result of this, people developed chronic hearing problems
which changed the attitude with regards of acceptable levels of noise.

Legal reasons

The Legal reasons for Health and Safety are probably the reasons why most tolerate the Health and
Safety measures. These include preventative (Local authorities), punitive (Criminal law) and
compensatory effect of law (Civil law).

When we talk about the legal reasons for Health and Safety we have to understand how statute and
common law works in H&S implementation.

Statute law is passed by parliament or established by parliament. Statute law is the ultimate law.
Statute law consists of primary legislation such as Acts, Regulations or Orders. On the other hand,
Common law is traditionally grown over centuries and judicial precedent that involves previous
judgment decisions made by Courts.
We also need to look at other legal instruments such as Civil law and Criminal law and their affects on
health and safety. A simple definition of Criminal law would be that is an offence against the State. On
the other hand, Civil law would be offence against individuals seeking compensation.

Financial reasons

Overall, the moral, legal and economic reasons are very closely linked for managing Health and Safety.
An organization that loses money through poor management of H&S (being sued or inability to
effectively carry out business activities) could possibly go out of business.

Furthermore, insured and uninsured costs that a company has to take into account can be divided into
direct and indirect costs. Good health and safety can improve productivity, reduce risks and improve
team spirt and morale in the workplace. A perfect example of good H&S practice would be to provide
additional cooling fans for a worker who works on a moulding machine that generates high
temperatures, especially during hot summery days. Providing regular and frequent breaks or job
rotations can also help.

It gives employers the opportunity to express their vision and promote a better public image, improve
working conditions and quickly adapt to new changes in law, society or public demand. This is turn
leads to positive financial returns and lowers risk for high-risk industries.

Health and safety, in essence, is all about caring for employees, consumers and members of the public
and knowing how to apply the principles and written laws into practice efficiently. As a H&S
professional I asked myself many times what drives me to improve my knowledge, is it for me to look
good in the eyes of the others and to enhance my career with a better position or financial gain? As a
matter of fact, I am inspired to improve people’s lives and to have the ability to change people’s
attitudes towards Health and Safety.