TASK 1

The moral values of Ground Engineering Limited is very poor because they are ethically less

concerned in various ways as demonstrated in the scenario

1. Lack of safe system of work and equipment: It is the moral responsibility of Ground

Engineering Limited to provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and equipment, and use

work method which is safe and without risk to health. However, the workplace is not safe as

seen in the scenario with the materials store being in messy state, there are bags containing

soil and are seen obstructing pathways. Their equipment is not periodically inspected as the

organization depends solely on breakdown preventive maintenance. It is therefore morally

wrong to subject employees to these unsafe working conditions

2. Lack of induction training: It is the obligation of Ground Engineering Limited to give formal

inducting training to new workers. However, no formal induction training was given to new

workers as demonstrated in the scenario. This will make it difficult for the new workers to

identify any risk inherent in a workplace. This is morally not right.

3. Negligence of workers complaints: The complaints of the workers and that of their team

leaders are not taken seriously, the field laboratory workers complained of fatigue due to high

work load and poor working conditions to the Principal Engineer who promised to discuss the

situation with the Managing Director. However, the workers are not expectant of any response

as previous promises have yielded no result. Morally this is wrong because it is not the right

thing to do.

4. Poor treatment of workers: Workers are not consulted during work plans, workplace chairs

are broken, and sickness and absenteeism among workers is high. It is therefore morally right
 for Ground Engineering Limited to consult workers during plans as it will give workers a sense

of ownership.

5. There are also instances which illustrates that the morals of Ground Engineering Limited can

be improve, such as when workers complained about fatigue and poor working conditions,

they should have been given proper attention. When the state of sickness and absenteeism

were high, the management should have investigated to find out the cause and this would

have contributed in positive morals in the workplace.

1 (b)

The implementation of the recommendation of the client’s representative is very pertinent as it

would help Ground Engineering Limited to avoid various cost that could be direct and indirect of

which some can be insured and some uninsured.

It is therefore required that the recommendation of the client’s representative be given a dominant

consideration due to the following financial justification.

1) To avoid first aid and medical cost: The Principal Engineer was taken to the hospital as a

result of the injury he sustained. This will cost the organization money which ordinarily would

have been prevented if proper preventive control measures were put in place.

2) To avoid cost arising from repairs of equipment and maintenance of damage property:

Ground Engineering Limited depend solely on breakdown maintenance philosophy due to the

fact that machines are not periodically inspected and lack statutory inspection certificate as

demonstrated in the scenario. This goes a long way to show that the integrity of the machines

is not defined. This will impact the organization financial when the machine will breakdown.
3) To avoid cost that could arise from damage reputation: Ground Engineering Limited has

failed in all their safety practices which ranges from lack of health and safety policy to poor

safe system of work as demonstrated in the scenario. These poor health and safety practice

can damage has company’s reputation as seen in the scenario where the client’s

representative did not give any positive commendation about the health and safety

management system of the organization as the organization stand a high chance of losing the

contract.

4) The need for a formal health and safety management system in the workplace can help

Ground Engineering Limited save money in the long run as senior management will be

committed to put the right health and safety policy in place to reduce risk and hazard as low as

reasonably practicable which will prevent workers from injury.

5) To avoid fines: Fines may be initiated by labour inspectors as a consequence of non-

compliance to safety requirement

1 (C)

A breach of health and safety laws like lack of health and safety policy, lack of appropriate for

existing workers and lack of induction training for new workers, absence of safe of method of work

as demonstrated in the scenario all contravenes Recommendation 10 of International Labour

Organization R164 and is seen as a criminal offence and the following could be the consequence

of formal enforcement actions.

1) Prohibition notice to step Ground Engineering Limited from operations or any other activities

which the inspector feel could lead to serious injury or damage

2) Prosecution of the company in the criminal court which could result to fine or jail

3) Prosecution of the Principal Engineer and Managing Director for negligence of their duty which

might result to fines and / or imprisonment.

4) Withdrawal of license: Ground Engineering Limited can lose their licensed for breaching the

required law meted on them to ensure the health and safety of the workers

5) Issuing of formal caution/improvement notices: this will ensure that specific breach of the law

by Ground Engineering Limited will be address and a stipulated date within which the situation

should be remedied is given.

TASK 2
In order to ensure health and safety in the selection process of a contractor, I would strongly

consider their evidence of competence which comprises the following:

1) The contractor health and safety policy: to be sure if the contractor have cover any

accident or near misses.

2) Records of contractor’s staff qualification and training records: To show whether the

contractor staff possesses the requisite knowledge, training and experience to carry out

their job safety.

3) Being a member of a professional organization or certified body: to show if the contractor

have license to do a particular type of job or not since professional bodies like international

Organization for standardization (ILO) etc give there membership only after careful and

thorough investigation of the contractor ability and training.

4) Maintenance records of the contractor equipment, plants, and machinery: To show if the

contractor is maintaining his equipment in safe condition and also is safe to use so that

there won’t be any accident or near misses.

5) Record of Accident History: To know the root cause of the accident and to know the

management preventive control measures put in place to avoid reoccurrence and to know

if there is record of any enforcement action.

6) Record showing examples of risk assessment and method statement and safe system of

work: the quality of risk assessment to know how suitable and sufficient it is the method

statement and safe system of work will show how accident can be prevented.

7) Details of the Previous and Current Client of the contractor is also very important as this

will be use as reference to know the performance of the contractor as regard to health and

safety of the contractor in workplace.

TASK 5

The Principal Engineer is responsible for the health and safety policy of Ground Engineering

Limited but his role as the health and safety manager and representative is extremely poor.

This can be seen in various ways.

1) It is the conduct risk assessment and risk profiling in the workplace. But there is no risk

assessment record available.

2) It is the responsibility of the Principal Engineer to conduct to develop a health and safety

policy for the organization; however, there is no health and safety policy in the workplace

as demonstrated by the scenario.

3) It is the responsibilities of the Principal Engineer to give the organization direction as

regards to health and safety and also to set priorities. However he failed as nothing is done

to promote health and safety in work.

 4) It is also the responsibility of Principal Engineer to create an organization structure with

proper line of communication and feedback procedure.

5) It is the responsibility of the Principal Engineer to organize work so that it does not

adversely affect occupational health and safety particularly physical and mental fatigue

(psychological health). But he failed as workers are exposed to high level of noise from

certain activities and field workers and labouratory workers complain about fatigue due to

high work load.

6) The Principal Engineer is also responsible to participate in workers consultation or their

representatives. However, workers are not consulted during work plans

7) It is also the responsibility of the Principal Engineer to ensure that necessary instructions

and training are given to workers. However, he failed to do so as he does not have any

health and safety training. Other workers in the scenario do not have any safety training;

there is no induction training for new workers.

8) This is the responsibility of the Principal Engineer to ensure that work method that are used

are safe and without risk to health from the scenario workers are not given any toolbox

talks nor induction they are seen carrying out work without planning and there is no safe

system of work in place

TASK 6

The various information to be included in the induction pack which is based on the scenario

are:

1) Introduction to risk assessment system: No record of risk assessment in the workplace, so

training of risk assessment will be included in the induction pack.

 2) Proper housekeeping training: Housekeeping issue needs to be taken care of as the materials

store is messy and bags containing soil are seen obstructing pathways.

3) Introduction to safe system of work and safe practices must be addressed in the training as

the labouratory workers work on a floor that is almost constantly wet giving less concern about

safe practices.

4) Safe movement around the workplace. In the labouratory the Principal Engineer trip over a

sack of soil material and sustained a head injury. New workers should be inducted on how to

take safety measures when moving around in workplace.

5) Details of specific hazard and controls: New workers should be inducted on specific hazards

like high noise level, fatigue due to high work load, wet floor in the labouratory and bags

containing soil and obstructing pathway should be specify during induction training.

6) Workers consultation arrangement: Workers are not consulted in the workplace, the training

will also include consultation arrangement.

7) The induction training: training should also involve discussion of the health and safety policy.

There is no health and safety policy in the company based on the scenario

8) All workers should be trained about the layout of the facilities with respect to health and safety

signs so that workers would be able to know the areas in the facilities that should be restricted.

TASK 7

The organizational factors that will negatively influence the behavior health and safety behavior at the

store are:
1) There is no health and safety culture in the store, both the Principal Engineer and the workers

are unaware of their health and safety responsibilities and are less concern about health and

safety.

2) No commitment in leadership and management’s as senior managers do not visit the

workplace for safety tour.

3) No resources were allocated to matters relating to health and safety. There was no first – aider

no personal protective clothing and equipment.

4) Health and safety is not communicated effectively as messages conveyed by workers to

senior management were not given consideration.

5) There was no training regarding health and safety was provided to the workers in the

workplace. The Principal Engineer who is responsible to develop a formal health and safety

management system lack the requisite training

6) The level of supervision in the workplace is very low as senior management do no visit the

workers while working.

7) At the workplace, there is no consultation and workers involvement as senior management

does not consult the workers during work plans.

7B

The individual human factor which might have negatively affected the behavior of the injured

worker is as follows:

1) The injured worker (Principal Engineer) is not competent as he lack the knowledge, ability,

training and experience in health and safety matters.

 2) He was under pressure to please the client representative since he did not meet the entire

safety requirements and wanted the client to see their labouratory if he could comment

positively on it.

3) The injured worker was not aware of the threat associated with the labouratory as he lack

training on proper housekeeping.

4) The injure worker also lack co-ordination as he is not safety conscious of his movement in the

laboratory.

5) The injured worker also have a poor knowledge on the laout of the facility

TASK 8

Base on recommendation 10 of the International Labour Organization R-164-Occupation safety and

Health Recommendation 1981 (N0.164), they following employer’s obligations are likely to have been

contravened leading to the Principal Engineer’s accident in the scenario.

1) It is the obligation of the employer to provide and maintain workplaces, machinery and

equipment and also to use a safe method of work, which are safe and without risk. The place

is not safe leading the Principal Engineer’s accident

2) To give necessary instructions and training to workers. This obligation has also been

contravened because the Principal Engineer has no training record of health and safety.

3) It is the obligation of the employer to provide adequate supervision of work, of work practices

and the application use.

4) The Principal is not under any supervision of the employer and hence he work without any

guidance.
5) It is also the duty of Ground Engineering Limited to institute organizational arrangement

regarding occupational safety and health. No health and safety management system is in

place in the workplace and this contravene the employers obligation.

6) It is the duty of the employers to provide adequate personal protective clothing for their

workers. The Principal Engineer was not fully equipped with personal protective equipment

before entering the labouratory. There was no provision of personal protective clothing and

equipment as demonstrated in the scenario.

7) To take all reasonably practicable measures eliminating excessive physical and mental

fatigue.

8) To stay up to date with knowledge in order to comply with new hazard that might arise.

9) To verify implementation of applicable and safety standard by carrying out regular workplace

environmental monitoring and conducting health and safety audit.

Task 3

The benefits of developing a formal safety management system in line with ISO 45 001 included

legal, economic, social and moral gains. The follow given below are other specific benefit.

1) To own a well organized management approach based on the PDCA (Plan – Do – Check –

Te) cycle pattern which will make simple the daily activities of Ground Engineering Limited. As

demonstrated in the scenario, there is no safe system of work, no provision for recording

accident and near misses in any document, any formal way of reporting complaints by writing

them out. Although there is a health and safety representative, however he has no formal

training of health and safety.

2) To demonstrate commitment by top management. Both the Principal Engineer and Managing

Director is required to demonstrate commitment by setting good health and safety policy that

will help to reduce workers absence and high sickness rate.

3) To improve the reputation of the company, developing a formal safety management system in

line with ISO 54001 standards will give Ground Engineering Limited recognition in their

business and will also attract more clients towards their business, and positively impacting

them financially. The client representative witness a lot of safety issues in the company that

does not comply with the ISO45001 standard and give recommendation as demonstrated in

the scenario. Therefore imply that the company a low reputation regarding health and safety.

4) To facilitate consultation and participation from workers before taking decision. From the

scenario workers impute are not considered. These will give the workers sense of ownership

and boost the morals of the workers.

5) Having a suitable system in place for managing & preparing for emergency although the

company has first aid in place for emergency situations, they do not have a first aider. The

organization is therefore required to provide a competent first aider in the work place, based

on ISO45001

6) To be able to procedures on how to evaluate workers competence, how to improve their

perception toward risks and hazard and how to allocate sufficient resources and finally how to

record incidents and maintenance history in the log.

7) To help meet the need and expectations of the workers, leadership and workers participation

can be achieved through feedback system and workers consultation in work plans and safety

policy. This will boost workers morals and enhance productivity and ownership.
 8) Being able to consider internal and external issues, needs of workers, and workers

expectation while making the framework. This will aid the organization to consider various

aspects while conducting risk assessment and also make them suitable and sufficient.

TASK 4

There are various negative indicators of safety culture at the company. Some of the negative

indicators that based on the scenario are:

1) Absence of written records: all near misses and accident that have been verbally

communicated are not recorded.

2) Absence of maintenance log: the organization has no maintenance long and their heavy deep

machines do not have the necessary statutory inspection certificate.

3) Lack of management commitment to safety: the organization has been told on several

occasions to adopt a preventive maintenance policy by the field leaders but the top

management insists that it will cost huge amount of money.

4) Lack of workers consultation: as demonstrated in the scenario, senior management does not

visit the work place and workers are not consulted during work plans.

5) Poor management system and procedures: the organization has no safe system of work as

senior management believe that breakdown maintenance philosophy is better that preventive

maintenance and workers are seen carrying out work without planning as demonstrated in the

scenario.

6) Health and safety receive lower priority that other business issues: the workers do not have

suitable personal protective equipment as workers can be seen working without hand-glove

and safety shoes.

 7) Absence of first aider: from the scenario it is understood that though there was a first aid box,

however there was no first aider because it was the client representative that administered first

aid to the Principal Engineer

8) Absence of risk assessment: the client representative requested for risk assessment and was

told that they do not think the need one.

9) Lack of resources: the company lack the resource required to carry out safe operation in the

workplace as workers are seen carrying out work, suitable protective clothing and the Principal

Engineer do not have the resequite training that certify him as a health and safety

professional.

10) Lack of health and safety competence in the workplace: the various team leaders and the

Principal Engineer need training on health and safety topics that they are responsible. The

field worker lack safety trainer, new workers are not given an formal induction training and

even the Principal Engineer has no health and safety training. This will likely lead to poor job

performance and increased levels of work – related stress like fatigue as demonstrated in the

scenario.

(B)

The measures taken to improve health and safety culture in a workplace are given below:

(a) Effective training: Effective and adequate training should be put in place to enable workers do

work safely and also identify some risk and hazards that is inherent in the work place.

(b) Co-operations and consultation: senior managers should actively engage ans consult workers

in developing and implementing safety policies to promote stronger awareness, understanding

and sense of ownership.

 (c) Management commitment and leadership: senior managers should be committed to what they

say and ensure that they comply to all safety rules in their place of work

(d) Through effective communication: A suitable means of communication and good report

procedures should be developed to enable incident to be investigated effectively.

TASK 9

The following are the various factors to consider to determine if first aid provision is realistic and

proportionate in the work place are:

1. The size of the organization: The number and distribution of workforce that will be covered by

the first aid.

2. Different work activities: the nature and type of work carried out in the organization. Some

activities such as office work has less hazards than maintenance work.

3. Presence of vulnerable person: People that are more or most likely to be exposed to the

hazard.

4. Specific procedures required: some materials and substances require safety protocol.

5. The hazards present in the workplace: The type of hazards inherent in the workplace.

6. Past experience: past record of accident and ill-health should be taken into consideration,

including the type, location and the nature of the harm caused.

7. Ease of access to medical treatment: The provision of more first aid facilities, equipment and

facilities should be made available where external medical services are not available.
 TASK 10

(a)

Investigation of previous accident could have help to prevent the current accident in the following

ways:

1. Accident investigation will help improve the health and safety management in the laboratory to

ensure this kind of accident will never be repeated.

2. If the accident is not investigated, it will have a detrimental effect on the morale of the workers

including their team leaders and the workers will feel that the organization do not value their

welfare.

3. Accident investigation will indicate monitoring as the necessary control measures before

another accident happens in the workplace.

4. Investigation of the previous demonstrate management commitment to provide a safe and

healthy workplace for all workers in the organization as required.

5. The investigation of previous accident will help the organization to see the need for risk

assessment and also highlight areas where it need to be done.

6. The investigation of previous accident will help the organization to adopt a safe system of

work.

7. The health and safety performance of the organization is very poor. So an investigation of

previous accident will help identify weakness in health and safety systems, arrangement and

procedures so that safety standard can be improve.

(b)

1. Absence of risk assessment and safe system of work in the laboratory.

2. Lack of management commitment to provide a safe place of work for their workers.

3. Failure by management to monitor working conditions in the laboratory to ensure that workers

are not expose to risk.

4. No provision of Personal Protective Equipment. The employers did not check in order to

provide shoes that are slip resistance.

5. Lack of adequate training and induction of new and existing workers.