ASSIGNMENT NO. 1 (INDIVIDUAL ASSIGMENT)
OSH AT THE PUBLIC SECTOR
OSHA and Public Sector
The philosophy and guiding principles of Occupational Safety and Health 1994 Act (OSHA 94) is responsibilities to ensure safety and health at the workplace lies on those who create the risk and those who work with the risk.
The objectives of the Act is; (1) to secure the safety and health of person at work; (2) to protect persons at work other than employees; (3) to promote an appropriate and suitable environment for persons at work (physiological & psychological needs); and (4) to enable previous legislation to be replaced by regulations and approved industry codes of practice operating in combination with OSHA 1994 in order to enhance safety and health.
The scope of the Act was persons at work in all economics activities including public and statutory authorities as per First Schedule of this Act, except on board ships the armed forces.
OSH Issues in the Public Sector
Although most work in the public services falls under the heading of office work, which does not involve high risks, a series of ergonomic studies has revealed a direct relationship between working conditions and worker performance, as well as certain health problems, mainly affecting the musculoskeletal system. Parameters of particular importance for office working conditions are desk and chair design, lighting, ambient temperature, ventilation and air quality, workplace arrangement (physical planning), work organisation and fire-risk provision.
With increased use of computers in office work, some of the above factors (eg lighting) have become even more vitally important, and new factors have been added, such as the characteristics of computer monitors and keyboards, user training, user/computer interface design, form and features of user/computer interaction, and user support.
Most workstations and workplaces in the public sector have been designed without taking account of the proper specifications for the above parameters, resulting in working conditions that are far from satisfactory.
Workers' lack of awareness of certain risks they are facing, and their lack of training in ways to eliminate or avoid such risks are serious obstacles to improved health and safety at work.
Apart from office jobs, which constitute the majority, there are other jobs that present different types of high risk. They include building maintenance (M&E), waste collection, gardening and landscaping, some jobs in the healthcare sector and other jobs for which, as a whole, improvement of working conditions and workers' health and safety problems have not been dealt with in a systematic way. Complicating efforts in this direction are the bonuses paid to workers in jobs hazardous to their health and safety and financial incentives to attract or keep workers in high-risk jobs; these often act as inhibitors to improving working conditions and eliminating risks.
A final important finding is that the public servants' circular (surat perkeliling) contains no concept of occupational accident or illness. Therefore, occupational accidents and illnesses are treated as ordinary illnesses, and as a result in such cases victims cannot obtain the special treatment necessary for their recovery, which is provided for in relevant legislation. On the other hand, no record is kept of occupational accidents and illnesses among public servants. Such a record would be a good indicator of the impacts of working conditions in the public sector, and would at the same time allow for evaluation of interventions and monitoring of the measures taken to reduce risk.
The Assignment
You are required to get the related quotation or sentences from the references (journals, books and newspaper cutting) to elaborate more on the issues described above.
The marks are given as follows
i. 1 journal (full text) + 1 book (quotation page only*) + 1 newspaper cutting/website (full article**) = 100 marks
ii. 2 journals (full text) + 1 newspaper cutting/website (full article**) = 100 marks
iii. 2 books (quotation page only*) + 1 newspaper cutting/website (full article**) = 100 marks.
Your marks will be deducted for not following the arrangement of type and number of references, and for late submission.
DATE OF SUBMISSION: BEFORE 3-MAR-2012 SATURDAY 3.00PM
Method of submission: SOFTCOPY email to: lukmanw@uum.edu.my
The submission based on first come first served and cannot have the same answers of quotation/sentences. Received quotation/sentences will be published in this blog according to date and time received. So check your colleague’s quotation/sentences before you submit your quotation/sentences.
* Please list authors, year, title, publisher and page number.
** Please list writer, title, publisher and date published/website name and URL address.
FIRST SCHEDULE OSHA 1994
1. Manufacturing
2. Mining & Quarrying
3. Construction
4. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
5. Utilities: Electricity, Gas, Water and Sanitary services
6. Transport, Storage and Communication
7. Wholesale and Retail Trades
8. Hotels and Restaurants
9. Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services
10. Public Services and Statutory Authorities
