Improving Workplace Safety: A Salad Fresh Case Study Example

Introduction

An Occupational Health Safety and Management System (OHSMS) is a prescription of thoughts, strategies, methods, and activities that a firm uses in managing threats associated with the safety and health of its workers. It describes an improvement in Operational Health and Safety (OHS) by efficiently handling workplace threats (Melbourne, 2009). Salad Fresh is a company that leads to producing salads in forms of pre-washed, dressed, and assembled salads that get into the market with different and interesting tastes (Johnstone, 2004). To accomplish different tasks resulting from improvement and change in the work portfolio, the firm has responded by introducing new work equipment and procedures. On 5th May 2006, a fifteen-year-old worker was involved in an accident at the company on his course of work, which resulted in the amputation of his finger. As a result of the accident, the investigation was made, and the firm's OHS was found unimplemented at the situation (Melbourne, 2009). It happened when the employee was working on the unpacking machine, which was cleaned after every different batch of products was made to pave the way for the next batch.

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The employee, who had less knowledge on how to do the cleaning process, inserted his hand on the pipe to pick the remaining product, which he realized was still stuck at the edge. The impeller on the machine was still spinning, and out of ignorance, his arm came into contact with the system made his finger to be removed and others were wounded (Sui et al., 2018). Safety procedures at the workplace had never been taught to the workers, and training was not done either. The incident created a need for Salad Fresh to have an effective WHSMS, which will be followed by company employees and enable an effective ground for communication among all involved stakeholders on problems associated to work well-being and care.

Goals and Purpose

The proposal is created to have in place a well-maintained WHSMS. Salad Fresh will have a very competent WHS policy describing efficient work with the sole purpose of having high standards of performance at the company (Melbourne, 2009). Salad Fresh will use the plan to acquire and meet their goals while following the laid down legislation concerning WHS (Sui et al., 2018). The objective of the plan is to have a WHSMS that looks into all employees' interests and capabilities and other third parties who might be at risk from the company’s daily actions (Sui et al., 2018). According to the policy, failing to respect the procedures and rules in this guide will result in a punitive act on the culprit (Melbourne, 2009).

WHSMS Description

A WHSMS is described as a set of laid down methods that a company's system follows and the procedures followed by the company that helps it meet the requirement of WHS legislation when guarding employees' well-being and protection (Sui et al., 2018). It aims to help learn, manage, and minimize workstation damage (Archer et al., 2012). WHSMS offers a basis for setting up clear guidelines that the company requires to follow and health needs and processes to be followed in addressing all work safety areas (“OHS Management System Guide,” 2020). Additionally, it gives companies a way to identify improvement needs and specific areas and enable implementation processes that are important in hazard reporting by employees and other parties (Johnstone, 2004). All stakeholders in a company must learn and meet their roles and responsibilities to enhance safety by following the WHSMS outlined measures in line with the WHS Act (Darabont et al., 2017).

Management Overview

Implementation Method

Salad Fresh will ensure that it protects all of its workers' well-being and protection. At the same time, at the workplace and even that of other parties who may be at threat when its daily corporate actions are ongoing (Melbourne, 2009). The protection process will be achieved by:

• Enhancing safety in the expected work procedures, equipment, and plants to ensure that the employees will work in extremely safe environments.
• Implementing ongoing consultations of workers with the managers to enhance improvement of relationships when dealing with workplace safety issues.
• Analyzing health and safety practices in place within the organization and getting employees updated on any changes regarding the policies.
• Looking for WHS experts to aid in enhancing communication, information, training, and monitoring systems.

Contacts, Roles, and Responsibilities

A person conducting a business undertaking (PCBU) is like a company with an implied duty of ensuring the protection of all shareholders involved in the business either directly or indirectly. Salad Fresh is an example of a PCBU and thus must maintain its workers' health and safety and all other third parties who may be at risk when its daily corporate activities are being accomplished (Darabont et al., 2017). It is the directors’ roles to ensure the company complies with policies by the WHS Act (Melbourne, 2009). They must allow personnel to participate in well-being and protection strategy creation procedures and ensure they follow the agreed-upon business procedures with or without supervision. It is the duty of all workers to protect themselves from health-related dangers during their fulfillment of work procedures by taking careful approaches to business actions (Melbourne, 2009).

Major Tasks, Timelines, and Priorities

Salad fresh has a great job of ensuring that health and safety risks towards employees and other parties are highly eliminated. It offers and maintains safe equipment and work systems promptly (Darabont et al., 2017). It also has the responsibility of ensuring safety while using, maintaining, and holding equipment, plants, and products. Salad Fresh will also give efficient and timely training, supervision, and control to the employees to certify safety maintenance.

Implementation Schedule

For Salad Fresh to enhance a healthy and safe environment for workers, effective communication between all stakeholders will be ensured (Melbourne, 2009). Employees will be given the freedom to:

• Request for clarification concerning WHS
• Sensitize the management on any safety matters identified
• Raise propositions they have on WHS
• Give feedback, and participate in WHS evaluation
• Take part in WHS plans
• Implementation Support

External Consultation

Salad Fresh will engage in deploying outsider WHS specialists to help in employee training, equipment viability assessment, and reviewing WHS to make it updated and ensure it offers employees maximum safety protection (Melbourne, 2009). Hired experts will be responsible for new business procedures introduction and employee training.

Facilities and Resources

Cleaning of equipment and plants will be done following the recommended procedures by producers and competent experts who may have the audacity to inspect and repair any malfunctioning machine. Employees will be expected to report unsafe equipment to their respective leaders to enable immediate repair (Melbourne, 2009). Personal protective equipment (PPE) will be given to all employees as protective gear to them as they engage in daily business operations.

References

Archer R., Borthwick K., Travers M., and Ruschena L., (2018). WHS: A Management Guide (5 Ed.,), Cengage Learning (Available in Campus).

Bianchini, A., Donini, F., Fanelli, M., Pellegrini, M., and Saccani, C., (2015). Effective Implementation Measurability in a Health and Safety Management System. In Proceeding of the 25th European Safety and Reliability Conference, Zurich (Vol. 2015, pp. 3191-3199). https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco_Pellegrini6/publication/283513498_Effective_implementation_measurability_in_a_health_and_safety_management_system/links/563cbb0f08ae45b5d28975f9/Effective-implementation-measurability-in-a-health-and safety-management-system.pdf

Darabont, D.C., Antonov, A.E., and Bejinariu, C., (2017). Key Elements on Implementing an Occupational Health and Safety Management System Using ISO 45001 Standard. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 121, p. 11007). EDP Sciences. https://www.matec-conferences.org/articles/matecconf/pdf/2017/35/matecconf_mse2017_11007.pdf

Guide to the Model Work Health and Safety Act. (2012). Safe Work, Australia, pp. 1-46.

Jensen P.l., Quinlin M., and Wilthagen, T., (2000). Systematic Occupational Health and Safety Management, Emerald Group Publishing.

Johnstone R., (2004) Occupational Health & Safety (2nd Ed.), Lawbook Co.

Mol T., (2003). Productive safety management (1st Ed.).

Melbourne, (2009). OHSMS Implementation Guide. Employee Health Unit; Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, pp. 1-28.

OHS Management System Guide. (2020). Department of Education and Training, Victoria State Government, pp. 1-34. http://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/

Sui, Y., Ding, R., and Wang, H., 2018. An Integrated Management System for Occupational Health and Safety and the Environment in an Operating Nuclear Power Plant in East China and its Management Information System. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183, pp.261-271. https://translateyar.ir/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/745.pdf

Taylor & Francis Boyd C., 2003, Human resource management and occupational health and safety. Routledge

Yoon, S.J., Lin, H.K., Chen, G., Yi, S., Choi, J., and Rui, Z., 2013. Effect of Occupational Health and Safety Management System on Work-Related Accident Rates and Differences of Occupational Health and Safety Management System Awareness Between Managers in South Korea’s Construction Industry. Safety and Health at Work, 4(4), pp.201-209. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2093791113000450

Zanko, M., and Dawson, P., 2012. Occupational Health and Safety Management in Organizations: A review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(3), pp.328-344. http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3884&context=commpapers