Workplace Safety Management After a Paint Factory Accident

Overview of the Accident and Its Consequences

A serious accident on the production floor at a latex paint company has injured three employees. As a result, the company must deal with a number of pressing issues. First, the decline in employee productivity following the accident threatens to become a drain on company profitability. Further, the company will be required to prove that it has met its obligations under the health and safety rules of the union and OSHA legislation, and may face substantial financial penalties if it has not done so. Liability for injuries to employees and damage to the company's reputation are a real threat, particularly if the company was not in compliance with applicable health and safety standards.

Immediate Steps and Safety Compliance Obligations

Richards needs to take a variety of immediate steps to deal with the accident. To adequately prepare for the staff meeting, he needs to understand what happened and, to the best of his ability, identify the safety management system design or performance factors that contributed to the conditions and behavior causing the accident. He will also need to be familiar with the Washington Administrative Code, OSHA rules and regulations, and union safety rules, and he must determine whether the company had followed them.

More importantly, Richards will be expected to find and implement methods to prevent the accident from recurring. To improve morale, he should consider publicizing the causes of the accident and the steps being taken to address them. At a minimum, a better line of communication between management and employees is needed. Finally, there is the issue of resource constraints caused by twenty percent of the workforce being hospitalized — a situation that must be resolved in a way that is satisfactory to both employees and management.

Safety Training and Health and Safety Policy

Safety training is not optional. The law requires that a company provide whatever information, instruction, and training are needed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of its employees. The Director of Personnel holds responsibility for making sure that this happens. Before training can commence, the Director of Personnel must enforce the development of a clearly defined health and safety policy.

The goal of training is to ensure that all workers — both management and staff — understand what the policy requires and what their individual obligations are in meeting those requirements. While training should remain positive in tone, employees must be informed of the consequences of failing to comply with safety policies. Training may also need to be tailored to address the specific hazards associated with unique processes carried out in the organization. As part of the training program, employees should know that the Director of Personnel is available to address any health and safety concerns, whether about existing guidelines or about the company's compliance with them.

References

Management styles. Retrieved June 11, 2005, from