Managing Employee Safety

Managing Employee Safety

University of Phoenix

Introduction

An organization’s purpose is to maintain stability, operate in an efficient profitable manner, and keep employees safe and healthy. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) along with other regulatory governmental bodies have certain rules put in place that sometimes conflict with a companies ability to maintain this efficiency. The various ways that companies handle this conflict depends on the managing capabilities, the limitations of the government’s laws and regulations, as well as the ethics that are instilled in the company. In as such this paper outlines the role of human resources in managing employee safety risks; identifies federal law relevant to working conditions; and evaluates the role of ethics in creating a safe work environment. Team D has been tasked with analyzing key findings using six different companies. Illustrated in the individual synopses one will see the various ways that companies have dealt with some of these conflicts as well as the result reflecting from companies polices and actions. The comparison of discussed companies will give a clear analysis of how important it is for a company to maintain safety laws and their efficiency.

Role of Human Resources in Managing Employee Safety Risks

What is the role of human resources in managing employee safety risks? In many organizations, health and safety responsibilities are within the human resources department to ensure employee health and safety. This division whether a part of the company or an outsourced segment should know when and how to use existing resources to respond to employee concerns.

In order to meet these responsibilities, human resources must understand the health and safety responsibilities of employers, managers, supervisors and employees within the organization; implement personnel management policies to ensure that everyone in the workplace is aware of employee responsibilities; establish effective ways of meeting health and safety responsibilities; and ensure that employees fulfill their health and safety responsibilities as outlined in the federal laws, regulations, and mandates intertwining with organizational policies and programs (CCOHS, 2008).

Federal Laws, Regulations, and Cases Relevant to Working Conditions

Healthcare organizations adhere to the Exposure Control Plan which require employers to implement and provide safer medical devices that are appropriate, commercially available, and effective (Department of Labor, Docket H-370A, 2001). This Federal Mandate is an example of OSHA regulating working conditions in the place of employment. In the healthcare atmosphere, needlestick injuries and other sharps-related injuries which expose workers to bloodborne pathogens (hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)) continues to be an important public health and safety concern (Center for Disease Control, 2007). Exposures occur through needlesticks or cuts from other sharp instruments contaminated with an infected patient's blood, leaving healthcare personnel at risk for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

OSHA’s response to the health and safety hazard was to issue the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in 1991 to protect workers from this risk (OSHA, 2007). In a September 9, 1998, OSHA solicited information on occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens due to percutaneous injury (Department of Labor, Docket H-370A, 2001). Based on the responses from the requested information, OSHA pursued an approach to minimize the risk of occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens involving three components. First, OSHA proposed a recordkeeping standard to include a requirement that all percutancous injuries from contaminated needles and other sharps be recorded on OSHA logs (Department of Labor, Docket H-370A, 2001). Secondly, OSHA issued a revised compliance directive to reflect advances made in medical technology and treatment for the BBP standard on (Department of Labor, Docket H-370A, 2001). The directive guides OSHA in enforcing the standard as well as ensures that consistent inspection procedures are followed. Lastly, OSHA placed amendment of the bloodborne pathogens standard on its regulatory agenda to more effectively address sharps injuries in response to growing concern over bloodborne pathogen exposures from sharps injuries.

Since the revision of the BBP (Bloodborne Pathogens) standard, a wide variety of medical devices have been developed to reduce the: risk of needlesticks and other sharps injuries. These “safer