Element 1: Why we should manage workplace health and safety

1.1 Morals and money

Most people accept that going to work should not damage anyone's health. The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work recognises a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right.

A moral argument starts from this: pain, disability, lost income and grief for the family are real costs that no organisation should cause.

The financial argument looks at what incidents cost. Insured costs are the ones an insurance policy repays, such as medical bills or damage to property. Uninsured costs are much larger and are often missed: lost production, investigation time, replacing and training staff, repairs, damaged reputation and lost contracts.

Costs can also be split into direct costs (the immediate result of the incident, such as treatment or repair) and indirect costs (the knock-on effects, such as delays, lower morale and overtime to catch up).

Key terms

• Incident: An event at work that causes, or could cause, harm, injury, ill-health or damage (the ISO 45001 meaning used by NEBOSH).
• Insured cost: A cost that insurance pays for.
• Uninsured cost: A cost the organisation carries itself, usually larger than the insured cost.

Study tip: When you justify an improvement, use all three arguments: moral, financial and legal.

Practice questions for 1.1

1.2 Regulating health and safety

Governments set rules and enforcement agencies check them. The syllabus asks what enforcement agencies do and what happens if an organisation does not comply. The exact powers and penalties depend on each country's law, so check the law of the country you work in.

In general, enforcement agencies can give advice and require improvements, and non-compliance can lead to legal action as well as claims for compensation and loss of reputation.

International standards such as ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety management systems) are voluntary, but they give a common framework for good practice across countries. The syllabus also covers where learners can find information on national standards.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) sets out basic ideas in Convention C155 (Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981) and Recommendation R164. The syllabus points to these references: employers' responsibilities (C155 Article 16 and R164 recommendation 10) and workers' responsibilities and rights (C155 Article 19 and R164 recommendation 16).

Article 16 requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workplaces, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are safe and without risk to health.

Under Article 19, workers cooperate with the employer in meeting its obligations, and a worker must report without delay to a supervisor any situation that the worker has reasonable grounds to believe presents an imminent and serious danger to life or health; until the employer has taken remedial action, where needed, the employer cannot require workers to return to a work situation where that danger continues.

Key terms

• ISO 45001: The international standard for occupational health and safety management systems.
• ILO C155: The ILO convention on occupational safety and health and the working environment.

Study tip: Quote the right ILO article for the point you are making. Check the exact wording in the ILO text before you rely on a paraphrase.

Practice questions for 1.2

1.3 Who does what in organisations

Health and safety is a shared responsibility. Directors set the direction and provide resources, managers organise the work and make sure the arrangements are followed, supervisors check day to day, and workers follow instructions, use equipment correctly and report problems.

Top management shows commitment by:

• Making resources available to design, run and maintain the management system
• Defining roles and responsibilities
• Appointing a senior person with specific responsibility for health and safety
• Appointing competent people, inside or outside the organisation, to help it meet its duties
• Reviewing health and safety performance

The syllabus says organisations that share a workplace have responsibilities to work together on health and safety issues (C155 Article 17, R164 recommendation 11). Clients and contractors owe each other duties (ILO Code of Practice, Safety and health in construction, chapter 2).

Good practice includes planning and coordinating the contracted work, choosing contractors carefully (checking their competence, safety record and insurance), and managing them while they work (induction, supervision and monitoring).

Key terms

• Competent person: Someone with enough training, skills, experience and knowledge to do a task safely.
• Pre-selection: Checking a contractor's competence before awarding the work.

Study tip: A common weakness is that the organisation chooses a contractor and then forgets to monitor them.

Practice questions for 1.3