Essay on Hazard Communication Program in a Workplace

Introduction

Working environments are characterized by risks that tend to endanger the lives of workers. Successful prevention of these risks can be achieved by early intervention of the conditions that cause them. If risks have already occurred, management is encouraged to minimize the extent of damage caused by such hazards. Control banding refers to a valuation procedure that is aimed at managing risks in various working environments (CCOHS, 2017). This procedure involves the introduction of safety measures that guarantee the safety of workers (United States Department of Labour, 2018). Some of the measures include ventilation, safety clothing, and containment. Most of these measures are aimed at reducing the effect of hazards such as irritation that may occur as a result of the spread of toxic gas (CCOHS, 2017).

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HazCom program was introduced to improve the knowledge of employees concerning different hazards that may occur in their working environment. This program dictates that all workers should be appropriately trained on how to prevent the occurrence of such risks. They should also be trained on how to react to the occurrence of a hazard at their workplace to protect their health and that of other workers. Control banding can be used to improve the effectiveness of a HazCom program since workers can be trained on how to handle various assessment procedures (CCOHS, 2017). Once they are trained, they can understand the various measures that they can take during the occurrence of a hazard at their workplace. Control banding can also be used to create awareness among workers concerning various hazards and their effects on their health.

The effectiveness of a hazard communication program depends on language. Members involved in the program must understand the language used in different activities such as training. Culture is also a determinant factor since the employees involved in the program must be able to appreciate the practices involved. Sometimes, employees may be requested to practice activities that are against their cultural beliefs. This tends to interfere with the effectiveness of a hazard communication program since the people involved in it are not sure whether to be part of the program or not (Haight, 2012). Language barrier tends to extend the period of the program. This is because the individuals involved in the program must be taught how to communicate with the language first before being involved in the program. A hazard communication program involves terms that might confuse some of the individuals involved in it especially if they have never heard such words before (Haight, 2012). Both culture and language barriers can, therefore, affect implementation of an effective hazard program.

One of the practices that can be used to overcome these barriers include effective training. By stressing the importance of a hazard communication program, the individuals involved can learn how to accept it despite their cultural diversity (Haight, 2012). Training employees on the appropriate language to be used in the program can also take care of language barrier. The second practice that can be used to take care of these barriers involves the formation of groups with leaders who understand the nature of the members involved in every group. These leaders can be tasked with the activity of communicating the program in a language that can be understood by the members of the group (United States Department of Labour, 2018). The leaders must also be aware of the culture of every group for them to understand how to deal with the members in it.

The elements chosen in this case include training records of a workplace. These records are essential since they provide details concerning the progress of employees. Such progress can be based on an understanding of the chemicals used in an organization and how to handle them. The training records that would be measured for compliance and effectiveness must be complete. These records contain different sections such as the example that has been provided above. The other example of a section that would be considered involves an understanding of employees concerning protective equipment. Such sections can provide clear details concerning the progress of a hazard communication program (United States Department of Labour, 2018).

To measure compliance and effectiveness of a HazCom program, understanding of the two terms is necessary (Haight, 2012). This is because, despite the assumption of many people that the two terms have the same meaning, their definition proves that they are different. Compliance is associated with the standards of a program. If the minimum required standards in a HazCom program have been met, then compliance is achieved. In other words, compliance is a measure of how employees react to the standards of a hazard communication program. Compliance can be determined from the results of how workers react to the training of how to handle various chemicals (United States Department of Labour, 2018). If the results suggest that such employees understood the risks involved, then it can be concluded that compliance has been achieved. This section can be determined by a thorough inspection of the entire working environment to analyze any changes that have been introduced by the program.

The effectiveness of a HazCom program can be determined as the result that is obtained after completion of the activity (United States Department of Labour, 2018). This result analyzed from the workers that have been involved in the program. The staff can be interviewed separately to understand whether the training in the program has been effective or not. Apart from the interview, the employees can also be supervised to determine whether they have developed any new information concerning the treatment of different chemicals in the workplace. Their caution while handing toxic chemicals can also be used to provide an understanding of the effectiveness of a hazard communication program. The ability of workers to complete a risky activity effectively through teamwork can suggest that the HazCom program has been effective.

Conclusion

Both compliance and effectiveness can, therefore, be used to analyze the results of a hazard communication program in a workplace. This is because the two provide results of training records and it becomes easy for an organization to understand the nature of its employees and how to deal with them. Workers who are slow learners based on the results of the training records can be provided with different tasks that do not involve contact with toxic chemicals (Haight, 2012). Those who understand the requirement of the program quickly can be made leaders since they have the ability to pass the knowledge to their fellow workers in a way that can be understood without much struggle. Compliance and effectiveness are therefore essential sections that should be determined in a HazCom program. The major aim of this program is to improve the knowledge of workers and their experience concerning different hazards in a workplace and how to react to such hazards, and these factors can be used to determine whether the program fulfills its purpose in a workplace.

References

CCOHS. (2017). Control Banding. Retrieved from https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/control_banding.html

Haight, J. M. (2012). Hazardous material management and hazard communication. Des Plaines, IL, USA: American Society of Safety Engineers.

United States Department of Labor (2018). Hazard Communication. - 1910.1200 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10099