LO3. Perform Tasks in Accordance with Relevant OSH Policies and Procedures

Information Sheet 3.1: Industry Related Work Activities

Industries are responsible for transforming raw materials into products intended for use by other industries or even for the consumption of citizens. All of them include high labor, as well as machines to assist in the process.

Its strands can be divided according to the purpose of what it produces or the type of activity or sector in which it fits. These classifications are important insofar as industrial activity can be better analyzed in socioeconomic and spatial aspects. The strategies that are applicable to each one depend on the analysis as to where this industry is in the classification framework of these organizations.

Industry types

This first classification seeks to group manufacturing institutions according to the purposes for which they operate. It is one of the most common ways of classifying industries as they assist in local economic and social analysis.

1. Production goods industry

Industrial entities of production goods are those organizations that are dedicated to the production of raw material that will later be used by another industry that will then transform this element into the final product.

This type of industry is dedicated to transforming an element taken from nature into another material that will be used for the production of some final manufacture.

Consider, for example, that aluminum is extracted from bauxite, which is found in nature. This withdrawal procedure, then, is the activity of the production goods industry. Afterwards, this aluminum will be used by another industry to build a final good.

2. Capital goods industry

The capital goods industry is in some ways responsible for creating materials that help other industries fulfill their roles. This is due, therefore, to the fact that it is responsible for the production of machinery and other equipment that will be applied by factories.

Here are included the industries that produce agricultural machinery, such as mats, planters, harvesters and others, as well as those that produce industrial tools. Ex: metallurgical, steel, petrochemical, naval, etc.

3. Consumer goods industry

The third and last of the types of industries according to this classification is that of consumer goods. In this case, they transform the raw material into a final product that is offered in different markets.

This industrial type is known as the Light Industry, since it does not produce such complex and specific machinery and goods.

This includes both durable products, such as electronics and household appliances, as well as non-durable products, such as medicines, food and beverages.

They are classified in three ways:

Durable goods industry

They include non-perishable products such as household appliances, electronics, furniture, vehicles, among others. It receives this name since the products generated have a long durability.

Semi-durable goods industry

It is an intermediary between the two other types of consumer goods industry. That is, the products generated have a median useful life, for example, phones, clothes, shoes, etc.

Non-durable goods industry

They involve perishable products considered to be of primary need, for example, food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, etc.

Activity types

Another relevant classification uses the type of activity to carry out the division between industries. In this case, they can be considered extractive or transformation. These two types correspond to the less specific ones, since within each of the modalities different types of industries are covered.

1. Extractive industry

This industry is dedicated to the extraction of natural resources. They are generally non-renewable, such as oil and other minerals, as well as vegetables and rubber from the rubber tree.

This type of operation is aimed at capturing raw materials that will be transformed and manufactured in the future.

2. Manufacturing industry

This other modality includes those industries that already have the raw material in their hands and acts in order to transform it into a product. In this case, all other industry activities are included, such as those related to food, textile production and several others.

Cutting-edge industries

High-end industries are those that focus on high technology. Unlike many of them, these involve qualified labor, that is, workers with a high educational level.

Here, we can mention companies related to communication, computers, telephones, aviation, navigation, among others.

Why is it important to know the types of industry?

Knowing how to classify a type of manufacturing organization in different ways, based on what it produces and who the final recipient is, helps when developing activities in favor of a company.

When a company is hired by another company to provide services, it must know in which environment it is entering and how its services can be useful there. Knowing the production processes, their flaws and their advantages is a great starting point.

An employee hired to provide services in an industry draws on knowledge as to the type of industry and the sector in which it operates. This is important even when the operator is going to provide activities exclusively in the business administrative part.

Various solutions are aimed at companies according to the type of activities they carry out and to whom their products are intended.

Information Sheet 3.2: General OSH Principles

OHS Indicators

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment. As a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who are impacted by the workplace environment.

MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

The employer identifies his general responsibilities regarding occupational safety and health laws.
Everyone in the organization understands the general requirements of occupational safety and health laws.
The employer is actively involved in OHS management.
A competent person in the organization coordinates safety management activities.
There is occupational safety and health policy that is up- to- date.
Everyone in the organization knows about the occupational safety and health policy.
Adequate resources are provided for all aspects of OHS management.
All employees have sufficient time to carry out specific tasks related to occupational safety and health.
All employees are accountable for safety and health in their area of responsibility.

OSH Signs or Symbols in the Workplace

Safety signs are the alert signs that help in indicating various hazards ahead. These labels help in reducing accidents at workplace and on road side. It is a process of providing information or instructions by means of placing required signboards.

Different types of hazards required different types of safety labels. There are several safety labels available in the market. All that is need is to figure out the right label as per requirement. Safety Signs consist of words, messages and a pictorial symbol with variety of shapes, size and colors. Each label color is standardized and reflects a specific meaning.

SIGN COLORS DEFINED:

Red color reflects immediate hazardous situations that will cause death or other serious injuries like Danger signs and Fire symbols.
Orange Color represents a potentially unsafe situation that could cause serious injury and indicated by warning signs
Yellow color used to alert against unsafe practices, which if not avoided, may results in minor or moderate injuries like Caution Signs.
Green color indicates the emergency egress location, first aids and other safety equipment.
Blue color is used to convey safety information.

Information Sheet 3.3: OSH Violations Non-Compliance Work Activities

Frameworks for human error

Most if not all accidents include in part human actions or inactions as a contributing factor. Either in the execution of work (e.g. someone pushing the wrong button), the preparation of work (e.g. poor planning) or for example in the quality of design and/or maintenance of equipment.

To control human error, two paradigms can be identified in the literature, a top-down approach and a bottom-up approach. In order to control human errors most modern companies have created extensive procedural frameworks, like safety management systems which are also meant to describe and regulate undesired behaviour of employees. Rule violation occurs when these organizationally, professionally or legally defined rules are not followed by employees. When companies take a top-down approach all violations are unacceptable ^[2]. Violations are considered to undermine the control the organization thinks it has over its OSH risks through the safety management system. The idea is that if all employees work according to the rules risks will be mitigated. The root cause to violation is therefore attributed to a poor OSH culture.

Violations

Though the above-mentioned taxonomies are broadly similar there are some differences with respect to the classification of violations. As can be seen in the table below:

Unintentional violations

These occur when rules are written “in an attempt to control behaviour that is impossible to control” or when employees do not know or understand the rules that they are expected to follow. It can be argued that these types of violations should be viewed as errors rather than violations. The category does help point out the role of intentionality. It is obvious that unintentional violations are very likely to require different remedial actions than those appropriate for intentional violations.

Acts of sabotage

Reason defines ‘acts of sabotage’ as a form of violation. Though acts of sabotage may occur, the management of this behaviour is outside the scope of this article.

Routine violations

Routine violations are identified in all classification models. Routine violations occur when the normal most common ways of working are different from prescribed rules and procedures. Often routine violations are so common amongst a group of employees that they are no longer perceived as violations or deemed to be risky behaviour.

Maintenance working practices had been degraded over time in such a way that the prescribed methods for these tasks where routinely violated. This was also due to lack of supervision and training, allowing the situation to persist.

Situational violations

Situational violations occur when circumstances in the workplace (such as time pressure, equipment availability) require or entice employees to violate specific rules. For example an employee was killed falling whilst erecting a steel structure. The employee had needed to climb a structure but there was no provision for securing him with a harness and no other safeguards where available.

Exceptional violations

Exceptional violations occur in unusual circumstances for example in crisis situations and might in those cases even be inevitable. It is then believed that violation is necessary to cope with the exceptional circumstances. As an example the inquiry into the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant revealed that during testing before the accident an anomaly occurred. Operators and engineers continued to improvise to protect their test plan leading to an increasingly unstable power plant.

Optimizing violations/lack of discipline

They occur when employees are tempted to cut corners and finish work early, seemingly acting in their own interest.

Why do people violate?

The different types of violations have been explained, but this does not explain the reasons why people violate.

Expectation that rules have to be broken
Powerfulness of competence to work around procedures
Existence of the opportunity to violate
Inadequate work planning.