Safety management system design for Hobart Brothers Co.

Designing a Safety System

Safety management system is a management policy to prevent or minimize injury within a workplace. Top organizations across the United States are increasingly investing in safety management because of the general believe that safety is central precondition to market competitiveness and "an integral part of high quality business operations." (Tervonen, Haapasalo, & Niemela, 2009 P. 17). Safety is defined as a state where all the business related risks are managed at acceptable level. Typically, safety management is a management policy used to protect workers from undetermined accidents. Safety management is very similar to corporate safety where corporate safety is a holistic management strategy to protect an organization as a whole against accidents, misuse, harm and crime.

Objective of this project is to design safety management system for Hobart Brothers Co. To design safety management system for the company, the paper provides essential components that could prevent accidents and injury within the organization.

Hobart Brothers Co is a manufacturing company specializing in manufacturing of Metal Cored Wire, Solid Wires Stainless, Stick Electrodes, Hardfacing, Submerged Arc, welding wire and airplane ground power equipment. Within the last few years, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that the company violated the 55 safety and health worker safety rules. The company violated safety rules that include inadequate fall protection, lockout/tagout programs, noise sampling and safety rule violations. Proposed penalties on the company totaled $174,600. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

Identification and Discussion of Components that could Influence Injury

Several components could influence injury within an organization some of the components are as follows:

Failure to provide worker with protective equipment: This component could influence injury within an organization. An organization such as Hobart Brothers Co where workers are dealing with heavy metal needs to provide protective equipment for workers to protect workers from injury. If workers do not wear protective equipment, and if heavy metals fall on them, the issue may lead to workers' injury.

Failure to develop and implement procedure to control hazardous energy: Lack of procedure to control hazardous substances could lead to injury, which could ultimately affect the health and safety of workers. Hazardous substances could affect the worker's eyes, which could ultimately make worker to fall. Moreover, Hobart Brothers Co has been accused of failing to guard machine as well as failing to provide fall protection for workers required to be working on the oven. The issue may cause a serious injury to workers working on top of the oven. In case of accidentally fall, workers may fall on the oven, which may cause serious injury to workers. Moreover, employees working at the drawbench machine have not been informed about the hazard relating to chemical use in the company. Thus, employees are exposed to chemical and hazardous injuries, which include eyes and skin irritant. Being exposed to chemical could lead to skin burn and may ultimately lead to serious injury. (U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

Other components that could lead to injury within the company are:

Keeping existing door unlocked

Failing to implement adequate tagout or lockout procedure,

Failing to provide training for workers on hazardous energy source.

According to data from the U.S. OSHA, the Hobart Brother Co injury rates were more than the national average. The company injury rate was 5.9% per 100 workers in 2008 and increased to 6% in 2009. However, the national average injury rate was 3.9% in 2008 and 3.6% in 2009. The paper discusses the risk, hazard and accident to enhance greater understanding on their harm to workers and business.

Outlining and Definition of Risk, Hazard and Accident

A risk is a likelihood of harm being done to an individual, and the harm is a negative health and safety consequences. Hazard is anything that could cause harm within a workplace. Typically, work material, work method & practice and equipment could cause harm in a workplace. Hazards can arise from:

the work environment,

the use of substances machinery, poor work design,

Inappropriate systems & procedures.

Common agents that could cause hazard in a workplace are as follows:

Biological agents,

Chemical agents,

Physical agents, which include:

Noise,

Vibration,

Ionizing Radiation,

Physical hazards include:

Falls,

Workplace transport,

Dangerous machinery,

Electricity,

Among activities that could cause risks, hazard and accidents in a workplace are:

Falling from high places at workplace,

Slips and trips

Struck by a falling object,

Moving heaving loads,

Bad working position in a confined place.

Struck by workplace vehicles,

Injuries from hand tools,

Inhalation of chemical,

Exposure to a dangerous chemical materials,

Work near oven or hot water,

Expose to radiation,

Loud noise,

Vibrating machinery or vibration from tools.

Identification of Resources needed to Address Safe Practice in Relation to this Hazard

Several resources needed to enhance safe practice in relation to hazard. Some of these resources are as follows:

Administrative controls which include employee rotation.

Special procedures plans or permit that includes:

Lockout

Confined space permit

Energized electrical permit and work plan

Personal Protective Equipment for body that include:

Body (FR clothing)

Coverall

Fall Protection harness.

Personal Protective Equipment for hand that include:

Leather gloves

Electrically rated gloves

Chemically resistant gloves which include Nitrile, Vinyl, Butyl rubber, Silver shield

Personal Protective Equipment for eye that include:

Impact goggle/glasses

Dust goggles

Chemical goggles

Personal Protective Equipment for foot such as:

Substantial footwear

Shoe covers

Steel toe

Steel shank

Personal Protective Equipment for face such as:

Impact face shield

UV/Heat face hood or shield

Chemical splash face shield

Personal Protective Equipment for head such as:

Hard hat

Arc rated hood

Engineering Controls

Additional ventilation

Noise controls

Enclosure

Training

Aerial Personnel Powered/lift platform training

Asbestos Awareness

Asbestos 8-hour training for specific material

Scaffold Safety

Lead Awareness

Lead Worker

Hoist or Lift & Crane Training

Forklift Safety

Aerial Personnel lift/Powered

First Aid

Lockout Safety

Respiratory Protection

Confined Space Awareness

Confined Space Entry

Blood Borne Pathogen

Back protection

Fall Prevention and Ladder Safety (University of Washington, 2012).

Noise management

The company should not allow workers to be exposed to noise level that exceed 85 dB (A). Eight hour noise level within the work place should not be more than 85 dB (A) and its peak level should not be more than 140 dB (C).

Conclusion

This project designs a safety system for the Hobart Brothers Co. In the last few years, the company has been accused of not respecting safety rules laid down by the government. The paper suggests several safety procedures that the company should employ to minimize injury within the workplace.