Essay Example on Investigating Fatal Incident: Critical Analysis of Cost & Compliance

The incident in this case study was critical since it claimed the deaths of some employees. Hence, it was paramount to investigate the due causes of the incident so that as to prevent future incidents. Additionally, this investigation would give information on the cost of the tragedy and determine whether the business owner complied with the applicable regulations, such as occupational health and safety policies (Canham, Waterson & Khalid, 2018).

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Ideally, this investigation would be conducted by a 10-team member of experts. It will involve scene management and assessment. It will entail interviews with the employees, supervisors, the business owner, and the onlookers to gather more data. Representatives from the police unit will also be involved in this investigation. As part of the investigation, our team will try to uncover the root cause of the incident. The team shall also examine all the inherent factors in a series of events that ended in the incident.

From the data provided in the case study, Amanda seemed to be careless of the safety of her employees by not offering adequate training and safety gear and outfits during the event of setting up the tents on that fateful day. Additionally, she was negligent even after Jacob insisted on further training since he had no explicit knowledge of supervision. If Amanda had taken heed of the safety and health policies, such an incident would have been prevented. In conclusion, Amanda did not provide a pleasant working environment for her employees, and this was the root cause of the incident. Due to the inconveniences and losses caused, Amanda is supposed to take responsibility and compensate the families who lost their loved ones and also compensate the injured employees.

Explain how Job Safety Analysis and the establishment of Safe Work Practices/Safe Job Procedures would relate to this situation.

Job safety analysis realizes the procedure that would be put into place to integrate the required safety and health measures and practices into a specific job operation. It is a fundal aspect as it enables the company to identify potential risks and hence recommend the secure way to do the task (Albrechtsen, Solberg, & Svensli, 2019). In Events Tent Rentals, Job Safety Analysis has clearly been shown even from the early stages of launching the company. This role was taken by Laura and passed it to the supervisors by putting strong measures and rules that would protect the workers during the event of erecting the tents and also came up with training programs that would foster safety and healthy development when working. Mock tent put-up sessions were arranged before employees went on the actual field. This ensured any concerns would raise, and the employees were trained on ways of identifying potential hazards and how to overcome such risks.

Laura clearly understood the vitality of Job Safety Analysis as she had taken a course in Health and Safety. The measures that were put in place included a compulsory attire of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by every employee. Each employee was supposed to wear a hard hat, safety vest, and safety glasses, which were provided by the company. Additionally, Laura built upon on the safety requirements and warnings stipulated by the tent producers, which included how to safely put up the tents and also warnings such as the risks involved by electrocution. Also, the warnings included the aftermath of improper set up of the tents. Laura came up with a manual that stated a few rules which include, that the supervisors were to inspect the areas where the tents were to be raised and were also to be present during tent assembly and dismantling (Event Tent Rentals).

Safe Work Practices are outlined procedures stating how to do a job with minimum hazards to equipment, environment, materials, and also processes. The manual that Laura came up with stipulated on the rules that were mandatory to be followed concerning safety and health policies. They included putting on Persona Protective Equipment when performing the task, and if any employee did not comply with the policies, it would lead to a direct termination.

What role did training and communication play in this incident?

The training program allows the company to enforce those skills that every employee needs to understand and improve. Developing training programs congregates employees and elevates them, so they all have common skills and knowledge. Training also minimizes any weak links within the organization who depend heavily on other employees to complete fundamental tasks (Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, & Wright, 2015). In the Event Tent Rentals, Laura puts more concentration on training the employees since they were all students and had little knowledge of setting up tents. Furthermore, she organized training sessions for the employees where they gather together and have hands-on experience related to the job. Supervisors had extra training sessions so that they would gain knowledge on how to identify potential risks in the event of working and the necessary measures to take in case of hazards. Hence, training of the employees ensured a safe way of working to the employees and proper tent set up.

Communication is used to relay information within a company. Effective communication increases efficiency and productivity, which benefits the organization. Proficient communication within the company can improve employee morale to create a supportive work environment. Laura always ensured that she nurtured a favorable structure within the organization through her efficient communication. This ensured that the employees worked together in small teams and achieved a common goal. Through Laura's communication techniques, she organized outings such as hikes and trips to local parks, which encouraged team-building. Therefore, Laura always employed a proper communication way that made the employees feel comfortable and respected, which increased their productivity.

Compare and Contrast the different approaches used by Event Tent Rentals when implementing occupational health and safety policies and programs both before and after Laura left the business in 2013.

During Laura's tenure at Events Tent Rentals, the occupational health and safety policies were well implemented at the right time. Laura always established programs that advocated for the implementation of these policies. Such programs included training sessions to all employees and emphasizing wearing Personal Protective Equipment like boots, hard hats, safety glasses, and a safety vest. Laura always provided general directions to the supervisors and the other employees about their duties and responsibilities in delivering a safe and healthy working atmosphere. Also, Laura monitored all the events strictly within the company. Laura always consulted and complied with specific government laws such as the WHMIS training and the Internal Responsibility System (IRS). She always ensured that safety and health policies were her utmost concern.

On the other hand, Amanda worked closely with Laura to implement these occupational health and safety policies by taking part in most of the events organized. However, most of the time, she was not concurring with some of the measures that Laura put in place. Amanda always perceived implementing some measures as a waste of resources. Amanda always focused on revenue generation with less interest in the safety and health concerns of the employees. This was evident since after Laura left the business in 2013, Amanda entirely did not implement any occupational safety and health policies. For instance, she did not offer any training to the incoming employees who had no idea of tent launching. Jacob, one of the supervisors, went the extra mile by requesting further training, but Amanda just brushed off the request. She was not able to interview the new employees as she had many duties to take care of. The lack of implementation of these policies led to adverse consequences to the business that claimed the death of Alexander and critical injuries of several other new employees such as Kelly, Brian, John, and Alisha.

References

Albrechtsen, E., Solberg, I., & Svensli, E. (2019). The application and benefits of job safety analysis. Safety science, 113, 425-437. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753518316874

McKinnon, R. C. (2019). The Design, Implementation, and Audit of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. CRC Press.

Morrish, C. (2017). Incident prevention tools-incident investigations and pre-job safety analyses. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 27(4), 635-640. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095268617303476

Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2015). Human resource management. Gaining a Competitive.

Canham, A., Jun, G. T., Waterson, P., & Khalid, S. (2018). Integrating systemic accident analysis into patient safety incident investigation practices. Applied ergonomics, 72, 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000368701830098X