Essay Sample on Family History of Workplace Safety and Health

Introduction

Most of the work conditions pose several risks that need to be understood; additionally, the visitors and employees are protected accordingly. Under the health and safety legislation, the employer should provide the employees with appropriate and adequate welfare facilities rest and changing facilities, a clean place to eat and drink during breaks, washing, and toilets. Additionally, the employer has legal constraints regarding floor condition, windows, escalators, room dimensions, lighting, temperature, workstations and seating cleanliness, translucent and transparent doors amongst others (Vinokur et al. 2011).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

In the analysis of my family that includes my grandfather, father and me, I will analyse the health and safety issues encountered in the workplace and their long-term effect on the family. My grandfather worked during the Vietnam War, and my father worked in the construction industry. However, in 2012 I worked in a warehouse in New Jersey, and the warehouse manager got his finger cut off by forklift.

Some of the health and safety issues encountered by my grandfather, my father and myself include noise pollution, long-term illnesses, minor and major injuries acquired at workstations due to slips and falls amongst others. It is apparent that no workstation that does not pose a risk to both the employees and the employer. However, the most important thing is how to manage those risks.

During the Vietnam War, my grandfather was a veteran since he was working there by then. As such, he was exposed to a range chemical and environmental hazards that transmitted probable health risks not only to him but also to his family. Additionally, he was at risk of hepatitis C and noise from machinery and equipment usually experienced during service. Also, he was exposed to occupational hazards due to exposure from working with machinery, paints, and chemicals during service.

The complicated political situation in Vietnam was a significant issue. There were no safer regions to defend. This war was a 360-degree where soldiers mainly Westerners and American encountered ambush attacks and booby traps at any time and place. The political loyalties were unclear. My grandfather was traumatized by this battle and acquired a physical disability that shattered his life. The various moral, social and psychological conflicts that my grandfather encountered in battle negatively affected his life. Moreover, he was exposed to herbicides during the Vietnam War which resulted in long-term health effects such as lung cancer and other deadly diseases (Pinto, Nunes and Ribeiro 2011).

On the other hand, my father was working in a construction industry facing potential hazards such as recurring motion injuries, failure to make use of the correct protective gears, trench collapse, scaffold collapse, walls, arc blast, and electric shock. Additionally, my father was exposed to various wood dust, toxic fibres, asbestos, and dust that in the long run resulted in breathing problems and lung damage. Asbestos did not only cause harm to my father but also to mum and other family members that he came across after work due to the dust that he carried from work causing harm to the respiratory system. During material handling, my father acquired injuries such as punctures, bruises, and broken bones and the soft tissue damage that took time to heal. My father also suffered from noise pollution which could ultimately result in long-term hearing problems such as deafness and also result in countless accidents if proper precaution measures are not undertaken. Moreover, my father also suffered non-fatal injuries from trips, slips, falls, and moving objects.

To avoid such incidences in the future, it is crucial for the construction industries to offer safety equipment and training to its employees. Additionally, employees should wear proper work wear, safety gears and foot ware and the company ensure that there are signposts to reduce slips and trips. Furthermore, machines used should be well maintained to avoid noise pollution that arises from friction in moving machines (Matthews 2015).

In my workstation in a warehouse in New Jersey, I was exposed to several risks. This is because, as pointed out by Javidi and Yadollahie (2012) warehouse are dangerous environments to work in due to potential hazards and associated risks. I was exposed to several hazardous materials and fire which created long-term illnesses in my body such as difficulties in breathing. There was high lighting that affected my eyes resulting in the use of glasses as well as accidents. Noise pollution caused by vehicles that walked in and out of the warehouse which affected my hearing as well as causing constant headaches. I regularly acquired minor injuries due to trips and slips caused by unsuitable floor services, inappropriate footwear, and poor lighting, working at heights whereby at times I slide and fell. I also suffered injuries from falling objects and manual handling of items in the warehouse continuously. For instance, the manager even got his finger cut off by a forklift during manual processing of goods at the warehouse.

For purposes of avoiding risks and injuries in a warehouse, the manager should ensure that all his staff is trained in safe lifting techniques. Fully trained operators should use well maintained mechanical devices. Additionally, loads should be broken to manageable sizes. Adequate staff should be employed to ensure no overworking to avoid exhaustion. Working platforms heights should be raised to minimize the need to twist or bend (Rozenfeld et al.2010).

Political and analytical analysis assists the deep-seated challenges in the work setup. Regarding the political economy outlook, this can help in the formulation of greater clarity about forces that promote and impend better development results and to concentrate in the necessary contributions to be made to strengthen the current drivers of progress. The economic and political elite is meant to generate more and better job opportunities as well as prepare for more severe impacts of changes in climate (Boyle 2015).

Conclusion

Health and safety are the apparent concerns across all work settings. This is because some of the workers suffer disproportionately from work-related long-time injuries and fatalities. However, almost all the deaths and injuries are preventable via the use of personal protective equipment, adequate access to information and the measurement technologies. Additionally, staff should be well trained on how to handle types of equipment used at work and the importance of correctly using protective working gears. The goal of every employer is to ensure to foster a healthy and safe work environment for themselves, their customers, employers, family members and anyone else who can be affected by the workplace environment.

References

Boyle, T., 2015. Health and safety: risk management. Routledge.Javidi, H. and Yadollahie, M., 2012. Post-traumatic stress disorder. The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 3(1 January).

Matthews, G., 2015. Pesticides: health, safety, and the environment.

John Wiley & Sons.Pinto, A., Nunes, I.L. and Ribeiro, R.A., 2011. Occupational risk assessment in the construction industry-Overview and reflection. Safety science, 49(5), pp.616-624.

Rozenfeld, O., Sacks, R., Rosenfeld, Y. and Baum, H., 2010. Construction job safety analysis. Safety science, 48(4), pp.491-498.

Vinokur, A.D., Pierce, P.F., Lewandowski-Romps, L., Hobfoll, S.E., and Galea, S., 2011. Effects of war exposure on air force personnel's mental health, job burnout, and other organizational related outcomes. Journal of occupational health psychology, 16(1), p.3.