ELEMENT

Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety 1 1

01

UNIT IG1
MANAGEMENT OF
HEALTH AND SAFETY
(Theory Paper)

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2 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

ELEMENT 1

WHY WE SHOULD
MANAGE WORKPLACE
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Learning Outcomes:

1.1 Discuss the moral, financial and legal reasons for managing health and safety
in the workplace

1.2 Explain how health and safety is regulated and the consequences of
non-compliance

1.3a Summarise the main health and safety duties of different groups of people at
work

1.3b Explain how contractors should be selected, monitored and managed

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
ELEMENT
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The Size of the Health and Safety Problem: Most organizations and individuals would like to manage
safety in their organizations, but sometimes they are not
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has released
convinced enough to take action. So now, we will try to
01
the following data to support the cause of maintaining
find out what are the prime reasons for maintaining and
safety in the organizations:
promoting good standards of health and safety. Though,
 2.3 million women and men around the world expose somebody may sit down and come out with at least a
to work-related accidents or diseases every year. As a dozen reasons for managing safety, but all these reasons
result of this, over 6000 deaths have been reported can be summarized into the following three reasons:
in every single day

 There are 340 million occupational accidents and 160

million occupational diseases recorded each year

 Around 7 lakhs people die every year due to

hazardous substances

 Construction industry witnesses highest number of

fatal accidents

Worldwide Workplace Fatalities (ILO):

All Regions
Region Fatalities
Established Market economies 19,662
Formerly Socialist Economies of Europe 15,563
1.1  Morals and Money
India 36,740
China 68,231 Moral Expectations of Good
Other Asia and Islands 80,586 Standards of Health and Safety:
Sub-Saharan Africa 45,864
Organizations set up businesses and obviously make
Latin America and America and Caribbean 26,374
profits and earn money. To get the work done they
Middle Eastern Crescent 41,850
hire workers and contractors. Workers get paid for
WORLD 334,870
accomplishing the tasks given by the employer. The
employer provides everything to the employee to get
Work-Related Disease Deaths (ILO): the task done in the desired time with the desired quality.
No employer would want his employees to get injured
No. of deaths attributed
Causes of death or hurt while completing the tasks. The employer has a
to occupation
moral duty to take care of his employees. This moral duty
Cancer 30+years 456,240
can also be called ‘humanitarian’ or ‘ethical’. An employer
Cardiovascular and 200,025
pays the employees for the duties given to them and not
cerebrovascular disease 15
for getting injured while doing them. Hence the employer
- 60 years
has to ensure that employees who work for him do not
Chronic respiratory 275,000 get injured or suffer ill-health. This is the moral reason for
disease 15+ years managing safety.
Pneumoconiosis 36,000
(proportionalestimate
from US figures)
Nervous system disorders 12,080
15+ years
Renal disorders 15+ years 13,100
Total 992,445

The above is what that is reported, many incidents go

unreported and hence not recorded.

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4 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

The Financial Cost of Incidents  Loss of staff morale, which impacts productivity and
quality.
(Insured and Uninsured Costs):
 Cost of remedial action following an investigation.
Today the business scenario is changing and if a business
is not able to make profits year on year then it is difficult  Compliance with any enforcement notice served.
to sustain it. Accidents cost money, and businesses realize
 Cost of recruiting and training temporary or
that to maximize profits and to minimize costs, the costs
replacement labor.
associated with accidents either needs to be totally
eliminated or atleast minimized as far as possible. Let us  General difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff as
now understand as to what are the costs associated with an indirect result of the accident.
accidents.  Loss of goodwill of the customers following delays in
The theory of costs of an accident can be closely associated production and fulfilling orders.
with that of a floating iceberg. What we see above the
 Activation of penalty clauses for failing to meet
ocean level is only 1/10th of the mass of the iceberg, while
delivery dates.
9/10th of the mass is hidden below the waters. In the same
way, we associate the costs of accidents only to costs of  Damage to public image and business reputation.
hospitalization and compensation payments which can  Damage to industrial relations, perhaps leading to
be easily measured, this is also known as direct costs, but workers unrest.
the majority of the costs is hidden like the iceberg and can
be many times the direct costs, these costs are known as Looking at the above it is proved beyond doubt that
indirect costs. accidents cost money and it is the indirect costs which cause
most of the damages to the companies’ performance and
Let us now define Direct and Indirect Costs and look at
hence it is worthwhile for businesses’ to invest in accident
examples of the same.
prevention (which some companies unfortunately look at
Direct Costs: the measurable costs arising directly from as costs) rather than face the loss making consequences of
an accident. Examples of direct costs are: the accidents.
 First aid treatment

 Worker sick pay

 Hospitalization costs

 Compensation payable to the victims

 Fines in the criminal courts

 Repairs or replacement of damaged structures and

plant

 Lost or damaged product

 Lost production time while dealing with the injury

 Overtime to make up for the lost time

 Costs associated with rehabilitation of the injured

worker and their return to work.

Indirect Costs: Those which arise indirectly as a

consequence of the event. Indirect costs are often difficult
to quantify precisely and may be hard to identify. Examples
of indirect costs are:

 Loss of staff from productive duties in order to

investigate the incident, prepare reports, undertake
hospital visits, deal with relatives, attend court
proceedings.

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
ELEMENT
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Insured and Uninsured Costs: welfare of its employees. These legislations are made by
local governments in consultation with the society. The
To take care of any eventualities arising from accidents
societal expectations may increase as the living conditions,
01
employers are required to buy insurance by paying a
technology and awareness increases, and the law also gets
premium. In most countries it is a legal requirement for
amended to take care of these enhanced expectations.
employers to have insurance for their workers. Other than
To ensure that the law is adhered to, the national
meeting the legal requirements it also creates a sense of
governments also appoint the enforcement agencies,
comfort both in minds of the employer and employee that
who are empowered to enter workplaces, conduct
in case of an accident the insurance will take care of the
audits, interview people and verify records. During such
costs associated with it. But not all costs are covered by
routine inspections, if the enforcement agencies find any
insurance and generally the quantum of uninsured costs
violations with respect to the law then they may initiate
is generally much higher than the insured costs. Some
proceedings, which can range from a simple enforcement
examples of possible insured and uninsured costs are as
notice to prosecution in the criminal court, which can lead
follows:
to either fines, imprisonment or both.
Insured Costs:
 Damage to plant, buildings, vehicles and equipment.

 Compensation paid to workers.

 Medical costs.

Uninsured Costs:
 Production delays of down time.

 Loss of materials and product

 Accident investigation time.

 Emergency supplies and first aid

 Cleaning up the site

The following are the social factors that influence health
 Criminal fines and legal costs. and safety:
 Sick pay of injured workers.  Economic climate
 Overtime to make up for lost production.  Government policy

 Hiring and training new employees or temporary  Risk profile

employees  Globalizations

 Loss of business reputation.  Migrant workers

 National level of sickness and incapability
In general, uninsured costs are usually 2-10 times expensive
than direct costs. Even though, most of the uninsured  Social expectations of equality
costs cannot be insurable due to the following reasons. Basic Safety Requirements:
 Difficult to quantify Most national laws will talk about the following basic
 Not readily measurable safety requirements:

 Safe place of work.

Legal Reasons for Managing Health
and Safety in the Workplace:  Safe plant and equipment.

 Safe systems of work.

No employer can start a business without taking care of
the legal requirements. Even before the businesses are set  Information, Instructions, Training and supervision.
up, certain permits are sought from the local authorities;  Competent workers
these permits are only given if the employer undertakes
to ensure that all the legal requirements are met. Most  The above five requirements follow a certain logic
national legislations would require employers to make that we should know, only then can we appreciate its
arrangements to take care of the health, safety and effectiveness.

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6 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

safe systems of work need to be followed and no unsafe

acts or conditions are created by them. This can be done
by ensuring that the work is carried out under ‘Competent
Supervision’.

1.2  Regulating Health and

Safety
What Enforcement Agencies do and
what happens if you don’t Comply:

Firstly the employer has to provide a ‘Safe Place of Work’,

a place which is inherently safe, for e.g., good ventilation
and illumination and a means of safe access and egress.

Having created a safe place to work, the employer

then has the task of getting ‘Safe Plant and Equipment’
installed in these premises. These plant and equipment
could be ranging from large stationary equipments
like compressors and generators to material handling Each country has its own ways of enforcing the health
equipments like Fork lift trucks to simple hand held tools. and safety laws. No matter what the agency is called they
Needless to say all these equipments and plant need to be
all follow certain guidelines which are almost the same
reasonably safe at the time of procurement, by ensuring
worldwide. The enforcement agencies plays the dual role
that it meets the required standards and at the same time
of ensuring that the activities are carried out as per the
it needs to remain safe during its lifetime by ensuring that
regular preventive maintenance and routine inspections requirements of the law and at the same time if laws are
are carried out. violated or accidents happen then investigate and create
a basis for criminal prosecution of the organization.
Now, having equipped his safe place of work with safe
Sometimes they may also provide advice to the employers.
plant and equipment, the next task for the employer
is to provide ‘Safe Systems of Work’, that is the right, The enforcement agencies have the right to enter premises
documented way of operating these plant and equipment. at any time without a prior appointment and take photos
These procedures should not only cover the routine
or ask for records or seize any incriminating or banned
day-to-day activities but also the non-routine activities
substances present in the premises and if required even
which happens once in a while and at the same time the
get it destroyed. For carrying out this activity they can seek
procedures should also cover emergencies, both man-
made and natural, so that adequate action can be taken help of the local police.
to save lives.
Role of Enforcement Agency – Summary
Having ensured that the above three requirements are
 Provide advice
met the employer now has the task of getting employees
to work for him. These employees need to be adequately  Investigate workplace accidents
‘Trained’ so that they know how to work on these safe
 Take formal enforcement action to force employers
plant and equipments using the safe systems of work and
are adequately aware of the inherent risks present and to comply with the law and start criminal proceedings
know the use of safety devices and implements, thereby against those they believe have committed offences.
keeping him and others safe and free from injury. Having
 To interpret law and publish ACoP, HSG, INDG etc.
trained the employees the employer has to ensure that the
 Would differ from country to country

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
ELEMENT
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Purpose of Law: compensation. This law applies to the unorganized sectors

and to those in the organized sectors who are not covered
 Set boundary to operate – level playing field
by the Employees State Insurance Scheme, which is
01
with no bias
conceptually considered to be superior to the Workmen’s
 Regulate relationship – obligate responsibility Compensation Act.
 Resolve conflict – maintain Industrial relations and In certain countries the claimants can directly claim
Public relations compensation from regional or national compensation
schemes without having to use the legal system.
 Establish rights – ensure no exploitation of labour

Consequences of Non-compliance: The Part Played by International

A breach of health and safety legislation is a criminal Standards (like ISO 45001):
offence and the following could be the consequences:
The International Organisation for Standardization is the
 Formal enforcement action: There are two types of world’s largest developer of management standards. ISO
enforcement action: has developed
– Improvement notices: This identifies a specific  ISO 9001 (Quality management standard)
breach of law and specifies a date within which
the situation should be remedied.  ISO 14001 (Environmental management standard)

– Prohibition notice: This notice is given to halt  ISO 45001 (Occupational health and safety
an activity which the inspector feels could lead to management systems (H&SMS))
serious personal injury. Whilst these are not legal documents they have been
 Prosecution of the organization in the criminal adopted by many companies throughout the world
courts: Successful prosecution might result in since they demonstrate good management practice. The
punishment in the form of a fine. result is a common approach to managing quality and
 Prosecution of individuals, such as directors, environmental matters. At a technical level, ISO has been
managers and workers: Successful prosecution responsible for developing safety standards to which
might result in fines and/or imprisonment.. machinery, etc. should conform, e.g. ISO 12100: Safety of
Machinery. Such standards are then commonly referenced
by national legislation on machinery safety, since
compliance with the recognized international standard
demonstrates safety.

An employee or any interested party who has injured or

suffered health effects due to conditions existing in a The International Labour
workplace can claim for compensation by filing a case
in the civil court. Here the claimant (the person who is
Organisation’s (ILO) Convention
claiming compensation) has to prove that the employer C155 and Recommendation R164:
was negligent in his actions and that this negligence
We have now understood that one of the
resulted in the claimants’ ill- health or injury.
reasons for managing health and safety is
In India, The Workmen’s Compensation Act 1923 is one the legal reason. Let us now understand
of the oldest legislation for labour. It covers all cases of how these laws get made, whether there
‘accident arises out of and in the course of employment’ is uniformity in these laws across nations,
and the compensation cost to be paid at lump sum based how the enforcement of these laws
on the severity of the injury and the earning capacity happen and the consequences of not following the law.
of the individual. The young worker deserves high
A prime mover in the field of international labour and
compensation based on the wage limit. The victim (injured
safety laws is the International Labour Organisation or the
person) or the dependent (in case of fatality) can claim the
ILO, which is part of the United Nations. The ILO consists of

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8 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

member states, with almost all the countries in the world 2. … to ensure that .. the chemical, physical and biolog-
been part of it. Through deliberations of the member ical substances and agents under their control are
states the ILO regularly releases standards that regulate without risk to health…
health and safety laws across the world. These standards 3. … to provide… adequate protective clothing and pro-
or laws are known as Conventions and Recommendations. tective equipment to prevent.. risk of accidents or of
Once these conventions and recommendations are passed adverse effects to health.”
in the ILO through a majority vote it becomes binding on
R164 expands the above and provides more guidance as
each of the member states to convert these conventions
to how to implement the above requirements given in the
into their own national legislations by an act of their
convention.
respective parliaments so that they can be binding on the
businesses operating within their geo-political spread. Article 10 of R164 puts the following obliga-
Let us now look at the difference between a convention
tions on the employers:
and a recommendation and take some examples of the  To provide workplaces and work equipment and use
same so as to reinforce our learning’s. work methods which are safe and pose no risk to health.

Conventions are legally binding international treaties  To provide appropriate instructions and training.
that need to be ratified by member states, while
 To provide necessary supervision.
Recommendations serve as non- binding guidelines.
Convention lays down the basic principles that need to  To put in place health and safety arrangements adapted
be implemented by ratifying countries, while a related to suit the size and nature of the undertaking.
recommendation supplements the convention by providing  To provide any necessary personal protective clothing
more detailed guidelines on how it can be applied. and equipment free of charge.
In 1981, the ILO adopted the Occupational Safety  To ensure that the hours of work do not adversely affect
and Health Convention (C155). This is a goal setting employees’ safety and health.
convention and describes safety requirements at both the
 To take measure to eliminate physical and mental fatigue.
national as well as the individual organization level.
 To stay up-to-date with knowledge in order to comply
This convention is supplemented by the Occupational
with the above.
Safety and Health Recommendation 1981 (R164). It
provided detailed guidance as to how to comply with the Now let’s look at how the Indian government has
policies laid down in C155. implemented the above requirements in the national laws:

Let us now look at some of the requirements laid out in The Indian connection: The Factories Act, 1948 states
C155 and R164. the duties of the employer or here it is mentioned as the
occupier
Employers’ Responsibilities:
Section 7A. General duties of the occupier.-
1. Every occupier shall ensure, so far as is reasonably
practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all workers
while they are at work in the factory.

2. Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of

sub-section (1), the matters to which such duty extends,
shall include-
a. the provision and maintenance of plant and
systems of work in the factory that are safe and
without risks to health;
b. the arrangement in the factory for ensuring safe-
Article 16 of C155 identifies some basic ty and absence of risks to health in connection
with the use, handling, storage and transport of
obligations placed on employers:
articles and substances;
1. “… to ensure that .. workplaces, machinery, equip-
c. the provision of such information, instruction,
ment and processes under their control are safe and
training and supervisions as are necessary to en-
without risk to health….”

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
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sure the health and safety of all workers at work; Section 111. Obligations of workers.-
d. the maintenance of all places of work in the 1. No worker in a factory - 01
factory in a condition that is safe and without
risks to health and the provision and mainte- a. shall willfully interfere with or misuse any appli-
nance of such means of access to, and egress ance, convenience or other things provided in a
factory for the purposes of securing the health,
from, such place as are safe and without such
safety or welfare of the worker therein;
risks;
b. shall willfully and without reasonable cause do
d. the provision, maintenance or monitoring of anything likely to endanger himself or others;
such working environment in the factory for the and
workers that is safe, without risks to health and
c. shall willfully neglect to make use of any appli-
adequate as regards facilities and arrangements
ances or other things provided in the factory for
for their welfare at work.
the purposes of securing the health or safety of
From the above it is amply clear that though the wording the workers therein.
may be different between the C155 and Factories Act,
2. If any worker employed in a factory contravenes
1948, the meaning generally remains the same.
any of the provisions of this section or of any
rule or order made there under, he shall be pun-
Workers’ Responsibilities and
ishable with imprisonment for a term which may
Rights: extend to three months, or with fine which may
extend to one hundred rupees, or with both.

In addition to the responsibilities, article 19 of C155 gives

the following rights to the workers.

 The right to be provided with adequate information on

actions the employer has taken to ensure occupational
safety and health.

 The right to necessary training in occupational safety

and health.
Till now we understood the duties of the employer,
 The right to be consulted on employer on all matters of
but to ensure that health and safety really works in
an organization, we also need good cooperation and occupational safety and health relating to their work.
support from the workers also, hence C155 puts certain  The right to leave the workplace which the worker
responsibilities on the workers also and at the same time has reason to think presents an imminent and serious
provide them with certain rights: danger to his or her life or health and not be compelled
The article 19 of C155 states that all workers and their to return until it is safe.
representatives have to cooperate with the employer so that The Indian Connection: The Factories Act, 1948, gives the
he can fulfill his or her legal obligations. workers the following rights
Article 16 of R164 provides more details: Section 111A. Right of workers, etc.-
 Take reasonable care of their own safety and that of the
Every worker shall have the right to –
others who might be affected by the things that they do
and the things that they fail to do.  obtain from the occupier, information relating to
worker’s health and safety at work,
 Comply with safety instructions and procedures.
 get trained within the factory wherever possible, or, to
 Use all safety equipments provided and
get himself sponsored by the occupier for getting trained
not tamper with it.
at a training centre or institute, duly approved by the
 Report any situation which they believe could be a Chief Inspector, where training is imparted for workers’
hazard and which they themselves cannot correct. health and safety at work,
 Report and work-related accidents or ill- health.  represent to the Inspector directly or through his
The Indian connection: The Factories Act, 1948 states the representative in the matter of inadequate provision for
duties of the workers. protection of his health or safety in the factory.

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10 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

Where you can find Information on 1.3 Who does what in

National Standards: Organisations
Information on international standards is available from
the ILO website and similarly on national standards from
Roles of Directors & Managers:
the national websites. Some sources of information are as Directors and managers play an important role in
follows: establishing, implementing and driving health and safety
 www.hse.gov.uk the health and safety website for UK. within the organization. They have with them a vital
element without which nothing would be possible. This
 www.ilo.org for information on ILO conventions and
vital element is what we call as ‘resources’. Resources
recommendations.
could be money, space, manpower, plant and equipment
 www.dgms.gov.in for information on Indian labour or more simply, it could be managerial time to give a
and OHS laws. hearing to health and safety related issues.

 https://bis.gov.in/ for information on quality, safety

and reliability of products w.r.t Indian scenario

 www.osha.europa.eu for EU related information.

 https://www.osha.gov/for USA related information

Besides these national and international organisation, the

sources of information which may vary according to the
nation includes

 Information from trade unions/trade associations

 Health and Safety magazines

 National Safety Councils

Their roles and responsibilities include:
 Internet and Encyclopedias
 Give the organisation its direction
 Standards and technical guidance publications
 Setting up a health and safety policy, taking care of
 Information from manufacturers and suppliers data statutory requirements.
Summary on Sources of Information:  Creating an organizational structure, with proper
lines of communication depicting responsibility and
Internal External feedback.

 Accident records  National legislation  Creating measureable aims and objectives towards
fulfillment of health and safety standards and statute.
 Medical records  Material safety data
Ensuring that the resources required to achieve the
sheets
 Risk assessments set objectives are reasonably adequate.
 Codes of practice /
 Maintenance reports  Ensuring that there are personnel with specific roles
Guidance notes
 Safety inspection related to health and safety and these people should
 Operating instructions be reporting to director level personnel.
reports
 Trade association’s  There are adequate numbers of competent persons
 Audit reports
publications available to take care of the organizations health and
 Safety committee safety obligations.
 Safety publications
minutes
 Workplace exposure Role of Supervisors:
limits
A supervisor means a person who has charge of a workplace
or authority over a worker. He must:

 Ensure that a worker complies with health & safety

regulations

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
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 Ensure that equipment, protective device or clothing appropriate cases, the competent authority or authorities
provided by the employer are maintained in good should prescribe general procedures for this collaboration”.
condition and used as prescribed
01
(Source:https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f ?p=NOR
 Instruct workers about any potential of or actual MLEXPUB:12100:0::NO:12100:P12100_INSTRUMENT_
health/ safety hazards; and ID:312502:NO)

 Take every precaution reasonable in the Joint occupiers of premises are those that share a
circumstances for the protection of workers. common premise but have their own business interests,
employees, processes and equipment. In such scenario
the risks created by one of the business could affect the
employees of the other business. For e.g. there could
be pathological lab next to a garment manufacturing
company. The biological hazards and waste generated
by the pathological lab could become a hazard for the
workers working in the garment company and at the same
time the cloths and other raw material will create a fire
hazards for the workers in the pathological lab. To deal
with such a scenarios the individual business owners have
responsibility towards each other been joint occupiers of
How Top Management can premises. The following things can be done to ensure a
Demonstrate Commitment: proper coordination:

 Each employer should nominate a senior employee to

 By making resources available to design, implement
a joint committee which can meet regularly to discuss
and maintain the occupational health and safety
safety related matters.
management system
 There should be joint consultations to ensure that
 By defining roles and responsibilities
hazards of each of the occupiers are known and the
 By appointing senior managers with specific control measure recorded.
responsibility for health and safety
 There should be procedures jointly made to deal with
 By appointing competent people (internal emergencies and fire and other emergency mock
and external, including specialists) to help the drills should be planned and jointly executed.
organisation meet its health and safety obligations
The law puts a duty on the employer to provide ‘safe
 By reviewing health and safety performance plant and equipment’. The employer procures these from
manufactures, but these will be ‘safe’ only if the designing
Responsibilities of Organisations who
and manufacturing is safe. To ensure this legislation puts
Share a Workplace to Work together on
certain responsibilities on the supply chain.
Health and Safety Issues (C155 Article 17,
 Plant and equipment should be designed as per
R164 Recommendation 11)
acceptable standards and manufactured under
Let us now look at requirements laid out in C155 Article the required quality control. This should include
17, R164 Recommendation 11 with respect to sharing of procurement of the raw material from authorized
workplace. vendors, manufacturing as per a set procedure
Article 17 of C155 states that “Whenever two or more and tested and certified, if required by third party
undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one surveyor, before dispatch.
workplace, they shall collaborate in applying the requirements  It should include operating instructions and complete
of Occupational Safety and Health Convention manual for servicing and replacement of the parts.
Article 11 of R164 states that “Whenever two or more  If the manufacturer is supplying chemicals, then it
undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one should be supplied only in proper containers, labelled
workplace, they should collaborate in applying the provisions as per international standards and accompanied by a
regarding occupational safety and health and the working Material Safety Data Sheet or the MSDS.
environment, without prejudice to the responsibility of each
The Indian Connection: The factories act 1948 sec 7-B
undertaking for the health and safety of its employees. In

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12 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

describes general duties to manufactures. It states “Every 2. Pre-selection of Contractors:

person who designs, manufactures and imports or supplies
While selecting the contractor, the client has to take
any article for use in any factory shall- ensure, so far as is
care of the following three things i.e.
reasonably practicable, that the article is so designed and
constructed as to be safe without the risks to the health of  People or the contractors workers
workers when properly used….”  Equipment the contractor brings with him and

How Clients and Contractors should  Procedures that he is going to employ and other
documents and records.
Work together:
In case of workers the following needs to be checked:
The duties they owe each other (as per  Competence of the workers, for e.g. if welders,
‘Safety and health in construction’, ILO then their weld test qualifications; or scaffolders,
Code of Practice – chapter 2) then their relevant qualifications.

 Clients should:  Number of workers, adequate for the project

without the need to bypass any critical
– (a) co-ordinate or nominate a competent person
requirements.
to co-ordinate all activities relating to safety and
health on their construction projects;  Right mix of people, so that the correct ratio of skilled
v/s unskilled workers v/s supervisors is adequate.
– (b) inform all contractors on the project of special
risks to health and safety of which the clients are or In case of equipment the following needs to be
should be aware; checked:

– (c) require those submitting tenders to make  Whether the equipment meets the required
provision for the cost of safety and health measures national and the companies’ own standards.
during the construction process.  Whether any statutory tests is required and has
 In estimating the periods for completion of work stages been carried out (for e.g. lifting tools and tackles).
and overall completion of the project, clients should take
 Whether the plant and equipment are suitable for the
account of safety and health requirements during the
task and the environment in which they are to be used.
construction process.
In case of documentation, the following needs to be
As the employer has the responsibility to protect own checked:
workers as well as contractors. To ensure that, contractors
 The contractors’ health and safety policy.
have to be managed by the following steps:
 Example risk assessments and method statements.
 Effective planning and co-ordination of contracted
work  Previous experiences of carrying out similar type
of work.
 Pre-selection of the contractor
 Accident records and legal labor permits.
1. Effective planning of the contracted
 Any enforcement action pending or otherwise.
work
3. Co-ordination of the Contracted Work:
Client shall if required appoint a Project Management
Consultant (PMC) and plan the contract work as follows: This step is required because a project site is quite
complex with several contractors working side-
 Decide on scale of contracting.
by-side executing several parallel or sequential
 Scope of the work to be determined operations; even the clients’ own workforce may be
involved. To ensure that the activities don’t clash and
 Decide on information to be shared
one contractor’s activities do not create a hazard for
 Hazards posed by the site and work carried out others, proper co-ordination of the work is required.
The client can do this by having a control over the
 Hazards posed by the contractor’s activities
work schedule and certain safety critical activities
 Risk assessments of contractor’s job are carried out only under the Permit to Work system
 Method statements authorized by the client.

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ELEMENT
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Summary
 Occupational health and safety is an organized system to ensure the safety, health and welfare of people employed at
01
different types of work premises

 Three key reasons for practicing good standards of health and safety. They are:

– Moral: Employer or employee should ensure that the work which is undertaken should not affect others or put
others in danger
– Financial: Poor occupational health and safety performance influence additional costs to organization.
Employer should implement good strategies to effectively manage the costs of accidents, ill health events, and
environmental incidents
– Legal: Employer should ensure safe systems of work for all his employees and satisfy legal requirements with
respect to health and safety
 Financial Cost of Incidents

– Direct Cost is a type of cost which can be easily identified to measure the cost of a product or service E.g: Labour
wages, equipment cost, worker compensation etc.
– Indirect Cost is a type of cost which cannot be easily identified to measure the cost of a product or service E.g:
Cumulative business loss, production delays, extra overtime payments, recruitment and training of staff etc.
 Few of the above costs may be Insured and many be Uninsured. To summarize, cost of any accident would be: Direct
Insured, Direct Uninsured, Indirect Insured and Indirect Uninsured.

 Most of the uninsured costs cannot be insurable due to the following reasons.

– Difficult to quantify
– Not readily measurable
 Enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing health and safety practices at workplace

 Roles of enforcement agencies

– Inspect the work area to identify health and safety problems

– Suggest precautionary and preventive control measures for the identified risks
– Order authority to eliminate substances which cause dangerous risks
– Violation of health and safety factors makes the enforcement agencies to
ͫͫ Issue of improvement notice and prohibition notice
ͫͫ Take legal actions against the organization and its members like directors, managers
ͫͫ Give punishment in the form of fines and license cancellation
 The International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) creates standards that can be utilized by organizations to
enhance and manage organization’s performance to international standard

 Some examples are: ISO 9001 for Quality, ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety, ISO 14001 for Environment

 International Labour Organisation (ILO) is an agency works for health, safety and welfare of labours across the globe

 ILO standards refer to conventions, recommendations and also code of practices, guidance and manuals on health and
safety

 ILO’s conventions (agreement) and recommendations clearly define the roles and responsibilities of employers and
workers to promote good standards of health and safety in a complex industrialised country

 Example of ILO Conventions and recommendations are C155 Occupational Safety and Health and (R 164), 1981

 Employer’s responsibilities as per

– Article 16 of Convention C155

ͫͫ Make sure workplace, machinery, equipment and processes are proper, safe and risk-free

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14 NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety

ͫͫ Ensure appropriate control and protection of physical, chemical and biological substances
– Recommendation R164
ͫͫ Make sure workplace is safe and secure
ͫͫ Ensure frequent breaks and rests are given to workers
ͫͫ Provision of personal protective equipment and encourage the use of it
ͫͫ Conduct training and give necessary instruction and information with respect to the specified tasks
ͫͫ Stay up-to-date with health and safety knowledge
ͫͫ Ensure proper record keeping and documentation
 Worker’s responsibilities and rights as per

– Article 19 of Convention C155

ͫͫ Co-operate with employers and others to full-fill the organization requirements
ͫͫ Consult with employers for the provision of training and personal protective equipment
– Recommendation R164
ͫͫ Take care of own health and safety
ͫͫ Ensure your own actions not put others in danger
ͫͫ Adhere to safety and health procedures of the organization
ͫͫ Use appropriate PPE for the task specified
ͫͫ Communicate to the concern authority if any violations in health and safety procedures
 Individuals in an organisation right from employer to worker have pre-defined roles and responsibilities to accomplish
organisation’s requirements without sacrificing the health and safety factors

 Some of the roles and responsibilities of following individuals

 Give the organisation its direction

 Setting up a health and safety policy, taking care of statutory requirements

 Creating an organizational structure, with proper lines of communication depicting

responsibility and feedback.
Directors & Managers
 Creating measurable aims and objectives towards fulfillment of health and safety
standards and statute

 Ensuring that the resources required to achieve the set objectives are reasonably
adequate

 Ensure that a worker complies with health & safety regulations

 Ensure that equipment, protective device or clothing provided by the employer are
Supervisors maintained in good condition and used as prescribed

 Instruct workers about any potential of or actual health/ safety hazards; and

 Take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of workers

 Top management can demonstrate commitment by

– making resources available to design, implement and maintain the occupational health and safety management
system
– defining roles and responsibilities
– appointing senior managers with specific responsibility for health and safety
– appointing competent people (internal and external, including specialists) to help the organisation meet its health
and safety obligations
– reviewing health and safety performance

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 Why we should Manage Workplace Health and Safety
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 Requirements laid out in C155 Article 17, R164 Recommendation 11 with respect to sharing of workplace.

– Article 17 of C155 states that “Whenever two or more undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one 01
workplace, they shall collaborate in applying the requirements of Occupational Safety and Health Convention
– Article 11 of R164 states that “Whenever two or more undertakings engage in activities simultaneously at one
workplace, they should collaborate in applying the provisions regarding occupational safety and health and the
working environment, without prejudice to the responsibility of each undertaking for the health and safety of its
employees. In appropriate cases, the competent authority or authorities should prescribe general procedures for
this collaboration”.
 Duties of the clients and contractors when working together with reference to ‘Safety and health in construction’,
ILO Code of Practice

– Clients should:
ͫͫ co-ordinate or nominate a competent person to co-ordinate all activities relating to safety and health on their
construction projects;
ͫͫ inform all contractors on the project of special risks to health and safety of which the clients are or should be
aware;
ͫͫ require those submitting tenders to make provision for the cost of safety and health measures during the
construction process.
– In estimating the periods for completion of work stages and overall completion of the project, clients should take
account of safety and health requirements during the construction process.
 As the employer has the responsibility to protect own workers as well as contractors. To ensure that, contractors have
to be managed by the following steps:

– Effective Planning of the contract work E.g. Deciding scale of contractor, information to be shared etc.
– Pre-selection of the contractor E.g. Check contractor worker’s competence, equipment effectiveness, reviewing
health and safety policy, accidents records, legal labour permits etc.
– Co-ordination of the contract work E.g. To ensure that the contractor’s work activities don’t clash with other work
activities

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