Paul Green

Safety Writing Sample

identification survey that is specific to the firm’s industry. It would be

counterproductive to address hazards that do not exist within the particular

industry (e.g. excavation safety for a manufacturer of widgets would be redundant).

In conducting this preliminary hazard identification survey, a Job Hazard Analysis

Form (JHA aka JSA or Job Safety Analysis) should be created that can be used in

unison with daily safety inspections and safety meetings. In creating the JHA,

regulations that are specific to the industry, hazards, equipment, and machinery

should be consulted. An excellent source for information is the OSHA website. In

particular, the Small Business Handbook and The Safety and Health Management

Guidelines; Issuance of Voluntary Guidelines are of enormous help in understanding

the proper procedures for implementing a new and successful safety program.

According to these resources, a good safety management system contains four basic

program elements: 1) Management leadership and Employee Involvement, 2)

Worksite Analysis, 3) Hazard Prevention and Control, and 4) Training

Safety should be emphasized at all levels of employment and an effective

safety program must start with a top down approach. This means that safety must

start and end with management, as the commitment of management provides a

motivating force for the planning and controlling of activities within a firm. As the

safety program disseminates through the firm, lower-level employee involvement is

of upmost importance. If lower-level employees are not a part of the safety program

or if they feel that management is not serious, a culture of safety will not be

established. Lower-level employees have valuable information into hazard

lower-level workers should be involved in the initial and succeeding job hazard

analysis surveys. Implementing an accountability system is also a great way to

create positive involvement in the safety program. Managers and employees should

be held accountable for their safety responsibilities. They are more likely to search

for solutions to safety problems if they are held accountable for there part of the

team effort.

Hazard prevention and control is another invaluable component of the safety

program. This consists of addressing any hazards found during the job hazard

analysis survey. If the firm has a sufficient budget, a safety officer would be a great

investment into the successful prevention and control of hazards. Hazard awareness

is key to a safe work environment. When workplace hazards change due to various

reasons, new job hazard analyses should be performed to help workers recognize

the new hazards and steps to be taken to prevent accidents from occurring. If an

accident or near miss does occur the cause and means for prevention must be

identified through a thorough investigation that is documented and shared with all

employees at the next safety meeting to help prevent reoccurrence. Using the

hierarchy of controls is the most effective way to control hazards and this will be

discussed in question three of this exam.

Safety training must be provided so that employees understand the hazards

that they are exposed to and how to prevent exposure to these hazards. Supervisors

should be trained on their responsibilities and into why they are responsible for the

safety of those within their supervision. This would include recognizing potential
 Paul Green
Safety Writing Sample
hazards, maintaining physical protections, and reinforcing the training that

employees have had on these hazards and safeguards through the enforcement of

safe work practices. Managers should be trained so that they understand the

guidelines of the safety program and into how they can actively participate in

overseeing that these guidelines are followed. Managers should be trained into the

requirements of mandatory documentation such as the OSHA 300 log. An excellent

training option for managers and supervisors is the OSHA 30 hour course, as it

provides training on all of the safety program requirements identified in this essay.

2. The experience modification rate (EMR) is a competence indicator used by

insurance companies to assess a firm’s risk of jobsite accidents or workers’

compensation claims. Generally, one is average while greater than one is poor and

less than one is good. The number is based on a percentage of average, where 1.25

would be 125% of the average premium, and so on. If a firm’s EMR is high, several

negative effects may occur. For one, firms may pay higher insurance premiums; this

reduces the firm’s profitability. Also, the firm may lose work if they are known to

have had accidents in the past. Clients may request a firm’s insurance information as

part of the bidding process and use this as a factor in assessing the firm’s

performance. If the firm has a high EMR, it may lose potential jobs due to a client’s

fear that an accident may occur at their facility, thus further reducing the firm’s

profitability. If a firm is known to be unsafe (has a high EMR), quality employees

may not hire on in fear of being injured. This can have a snowballing effect, whereas

the best workers will not work for the firm and only mediocre workers are
 Paul Green
Safety Writing Sample
available. The mediocre workers may be inherently less safe due to having poor

work habits, which are further exacerbated by the firm’s lack of safety programs. A

firm may reduce its EMR by limiting accidents. This may take a substantial amount

of time, usually three years without having an accident, before insurance premiums

are reduced. Another way to lower a company’s EMR is by implementing a formal

safety program. Insurance companies reward firms by reducing insurance

premiums if firms have effective and actively maintained safety programs in place.

3. In the hierarchy of controls, engineering controls should be used first, followed by

administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment. Engineering

controls should be considered first, because they eliminate or reduce the level of

noise at the source. Engineering controls may include the isolation of noisy

equipment by enclosing the equipment with a physical barrier, such as an acoustic

box for a whining blower or rip saw. Engineering controls take the human error out

of the equation, whereas administrative controls and PPE rely on human

participation for their effectiveness. Administrative controls may include the

rotation of workers out of noisy areas prior to exceeding permitted exposure limits.

Another example of an administrative control is the implementation of procedures

for using noisy equipment intermittingly. If communication is not clear as to the

amount of time that a worker may spend at a certain noise level or if the noisy

equipment is used longer than what management permits, overexposure can occur.

PPE is also reliant on human involvement. If a worker does not use the PPE

correctly, such as by installing earplugs incorrectly, overexposure and subsequently

hazard, therefore there is still a chance that exposure can occur. Engineering

controls remove the potential hazards, thus eliminating the chance of human error.

Therefore engineering controls are the best solution. Administrative controls are

better than PPE, because they place the responsibility on management, who are

supposed to be better trained into the recognition of hazards than that of non-

managerial workers. PPE is last, because a worker may forget to use hearing

protection or may use the PPE improperly. There is also a chance that the PPE does

not work as designed. All of these instances may result in the worker being exposed

to excessive sound levels if the PPE does not work as intended. The hierarchy of

controls can be applied not just to noise protection but also to any of the multitude

of hazards that are present in various industries.

4. The OSH Act of 1970, also known as the Williams-Steiger Act and the “safety bill

of rights,” established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect

workers from occupational hazards. Section five of the OSH Act covers employer and

employee duties and is more commonly referred to as the general duty clause.

Section five states that employers shall provide employees with a place of

employment that is free of recognizable hazards that could cause death or serious

harm, and that employers must comply with all standards promulgated under the

OSH Act. The general duty clause covers hazards that are not specifically addressed

under any of OSHA’s rules and regulations. This simply means that if there is not a

specific standard covering a recognizable hazard, the employer must act accordingly
 Paul Green
Safety Writing Sample
to abate a recognized hazard. Also, if there is a specific standard for a particular

situation but recognizable hazards exist beyond what is covered within the specific

standard, further hazard abatement measures must be taken by the employer. If the

recognized hazards are not removed, the employer may be found to be negligent of

duties and further penalties may be assessed in the event of an accident or OSHA

inspection. The general duty clause also states that employees shall comply with

OSHA rules and regulations applicable to the worker’s own actions and conduct.

This part of the general duty clause relieves some of the burden from the employer

if it is found that the employee was negligent of duties. For instance, if an employee

has been adequately trained in safe work practices but does not follow the

prescribed procedures, the employee may be found negligent of duties. This takes

the blame off of the employer in the case of an accident or OSHA Inspection, if

proper documentation of the safety training is maintained.