Health and safety

1.0 Introduction

Health and Safety is a prime concern in every field.

Health and Safety is the prime importance to every Air Freight Services, who will seek to conduct its business in such a way as to avoid harm to its employees and all others who may be affected directly or indirectly by its activities. Every Air Freight Service have a separate department for Health and Safety and in some big Air Freight Services research on Health and Safety is done once in year to ensure that all the employees are happy from the point of Health and Safety or not even customs inspect the every Air Freight Service once or twice in a year. This project is all about the Health and Safety management system. Main aim of this research is to help the employees to work safely and avoid accidents by finding main issues of Health and Safety occurred in Air Freight Services and solutions to remove those issues. Responsibilities of management and employees toward Health and Safety in Air freight Services should also be investigated in this research.

Main aim of this research is to improve the health and safety in airfreight services by improving the Management system of health and safety and as researcher working as a Ware House Operator in Scanwell Freight Services (SFS), so I choose this organisation for my research. This organisation is ready to help me in my research.

As we know no one becomes perfect but at least we can try to become perfect. There is lot of issues in every air freight services and everyone wants to resolve these issues. To resolve the big issue it will require lot of investment. But at least we can resolve the small issues because small issues sometime give birth to big issues. In this research I am trying to find all the small and big issues and put forward to company directors just as recommendations. In Scanwell Freight services there are lots of small issues which are ignored and can solve very easily by just understanding and cooperating with each other. Some issues are big which require wealth of company but as the manager of company Mr Naresh Nandani gives me permission for this research to find out all the issues regarding Health and Safety in company. It will help the company to become perfect in Health and Safety. For Health and Safety everyone wants to be perfect because the safety of employee is the prime concern of every company.

This research will help an Air Freight Services to improve the Health and Safety Department and responsibilities of management and employees towards Health and Safety. Every person on this earth work only to live the life happily and calmly, if person dies in accident while working then it's a big shame on a company who take the work from the employees but not considered their safety while working. So this research will help Air Freight Services and employees of Air Freight Services to take care of health and safety precautions while working.

This research also helps me to get the experience and also create my good image in front of managers and directors of the company. The issues which are considered in this research are small and big issues. Small issues can be removed by just understanding and cooperation but big issue requires time and wealth of company. It all depends on the management of Scanwell, how they react for these issues. Directors have the responsibility for the health and safety in every organisation.

1.1 Background of Research

The Management system is based on nationally and internationally agreed principles, defined and developed to provide the necessary strength, flexibility and appropriate foundation for the development of a sustainable health and safety culture throughout the all air freight services.

The practical recommendations of the procedures and arrangements with in this research can be used by all those who have a responsibility for managing Health and Safety activities in Air Freight Services. The outcome of this research can be used by Air Freight services as a practical tool to achieving continual improvement of health and safety performance.

While working as a warehouse operator in S.F.S researcher found lots of small and big issues of health and safety which can be easily removed by just co-operating and understating between employees and management. Researcher wants to avoid the accidents to him and other workers that's why this research is conducted with the help of employees, management and managers permission.

1.2 Importance and Motivation of the Study

Every person on this earth work only to live the life happily and calmly, if person dies by accident while working then it's a big problem of a company who take the work from the employees but not considered their safety while working.

Topic of research or motivation of research always comes from authors desires. As researcher already mentioned that he is working as a ware house operator in Scanwell Freight Services, so while working researcher found lots of issues regarding Health and Safety then researcher discuss some issues with my managers and operational managers as well of organisation and ask them that researcher want to do research on health and safety information for this organisation and they motivate researcher by saying a very good words “We appreciate your idea and we are with you” and by finding the issues and solutions for the issues researcher can help my workmates too. Importance of this research is that this research is not only for S.F.S every organisation can take advantage from this research because Health and Safety is a major issue in every organisation.

1.3 Objectives

1.4 Research Question/Hypothesis

1.5 Research Questions

1.6 Scope of the project

Every freight services want to improve the health and safety within the organisation. As I am doing this research on Scanwell Freight Services, it will help our organisation to become perfect in Health and Safety.

Scope of this research is very wide. This research will help an Air Freight Services to improve the Health and Safety Department and responsibilities of management and employees towards Health and Safety. This research also can be used by other organisations to maintain the Health and Safety in organisations. When customs investigate the organisation we can show them the new research and removed issues regarding Health and Safety. This thing also improves the organisation image in market and everyone wants to work with this organisation because of name in market and name in customs regarding Health and Safety. This research also shows the ways of improving management responsibilities regarding Health and Safety and channels of communication with employees.

1.7 The outcomes of this project are

There are following techniques researcher identify from academic literature and will be able to develop research methodology for this project.

1.8 Research approach

Qualitative research approach will be use for this research based upon face to face interview with close ended and open ended questions with employees and management. From literature and discussion on various traditions and approaches to good research, there are 4 strategies considered (Denzin and Lincoln, 1994; Johannessen, 1992).

1.9 Research philosophy (Positivism and phenomenology)

Easterby- Smith (1999) says that there are three main reasons why this whole mental exercise regarding the research philosophy you should follow in your research is important:

In this research positivism and phenomenology philosophy will use. Positivism promotes a more objective interpretation of reality, using hard data from surveys and experiments, while phenomenology is concerned with methods that examine people and their social behaviour (Gill and Johnson, 1997).

1.10 Research method (Qualitative and Quantitative)

In this research the Qualitative and Quantitative methods will use but the main method used is qualitative. In Quantitative research data can collect from case studies, other researches, internet, pie charts, ghant charts and books etc. Means old data on the other hand qualitative method contains data collected from face to face interviews, telephonic interviews, questioners etc. Means new data (Best and Khan, 1989: 89-90). In this research qualitative approach will use because every freight services have different types of issues and all these issues occurred while working, so only employees and management can find the issues. For collection of data and to find issues of health and safety face to face interviews requires with employees and management which shows that the approach should be qualitative. Qualitative research requires time and money.

1.11 Research strategy

Research strategy refers to the general approaches and goals of a research study. The selection of research strategy is usually determined by the kind of question you plan to address and kind of answer you hope to obtain- in general terms, what you hope to accomplish. Research strategy use in this research is descriptive research strategy. Descriptive strategy means intended to answer question about the current state of individual variables for a specific group of individuals (Authors Frederick J. Gravetter, Lori-Ann B. Forzano, 2008) e.g. this research is made on health and safety of Scanwell freight services and on every single field which require health and safety.

1.12 Primary and secondary data (Qualitative and Qualitative)

In this research Primary and Secondary both research will be done but according to need. Firstly research starts with secondary and then primary will be done like by interviews employees and management.

1.13 Sampling

Random and systematic sampling will use in this research. First employees are selected randomly from different fields and interview will be done and the identified issues put in the system according to the priority.

1.14 Data Collection

Qualitative and Quantitative data both methods of data collection will use for this research like face to face interview with close ended and open ended questions with employees or other relevant respondents like managers, experts of health and safety. Direct face to face or telephonic interview will be done to collect the information from management and employees by using video phone in this way researcher will be able to identify the respondent is the right person and the same person which has been chosen as it is the ethics of research and through this researcher will be able to develop the validity and reliability of the research..

1.15 Data recording

Complete moral thought will be done. All the data will record very safely to avoid leakage. To record data Microsoft office tools will be used. Evidence of data also will be saved and Harvard reference method will be used.

1.16 Target groups

For this research Scanwell Freight Service UK is taken as an example and research will be done on Scanwell Freight Service UK .Health and Safety of employees while working inside Scanwell Freight Service UK will be studied and analyzed. Main target is employees of Scanwell Freight Service UK.

1.17 Resources used for the research analysis

As I am working as a Ware House Operator in Scanwell Freight Services UK, so main resource will be

Scanwell Freight Services

Shambu House

Amberley Way, Hounslow

TW4 6BH

1.18 Research Limitation

From my point of view there is no limitation of this research but the issues which I am considering in this research are big issues which require a wealth of the company. But to remove all the small issues of this company it requires no wealth just require the understanding and cooperation of all the employees.

If company wants to remove the big issues it also require long time because I am considering some construction issues too in this research. So for construction it requires a time. These issues cannot solve by understating it requires wealth and time.

Chapter 2 Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

Literature review is a secondary data. For this research all the secondary data comes from internet and mentor health and safety services which contain all the safety information and responsibilities of management regarding health and safety. In freight services its compulsory for everyone who works with the organisation should know all the information about Health and Safety. This literature review considers all the safety information which is necessary to knows by everyone. Literature review is an examination of scholarly information and research based information on a specific topic. In other words it's a review of what's known, not suspected or assumed, about a specific subject. Its goal is to create a complete, accurate representation of the knowledge and research based theory available on a topic.

An integral part of a research process, then, is gaining an understanding what is and isn't known about the reality of a situation, event, or circumstances. One simple explanation for the need to work toward that understanding is this: if people don't know reality, then how can they develop a research study or a plan to address a problem or concern with any effectiveness? An understanding of reality is essential to avoid creating a plan that addresses fiction rather than reality. So, researchers, regardless of academic level or professional position, use appropriate quality literature to accomplish the goals. If it is applied review, it will to survey known information about a topic and help identify information that is not yet known so the best decision for action or for further examination of a situation can be made. In other words, filling a gap in the literature isn't the main goal. The main goal is to understand the missing and existing knowledge. The question or questions used should guide that kind of applied knowledge acquisition. If it's a simple review, the question will be more general, as will the survey of literature conducted. The question will be one that dedicates an overview of the information provided in numerous sources on the topic being considered. It will also be one that lays groundwork for future research of greater depth. In other word, it will provide insight into areas that will each be reviewable in greater depth in future research.

2.2 Literature Review

2.2.1 Management Responsibilities towards Health and Safety

The main responsibility regarding safety and health is always at the highest level of system which is the Director of the organisation, but still the duty is divided into all the levels according to the needs and control.

These Responsibilities also includes:

Employee Responsibilities towards Health and Safety

Employees responsibilities towards health and safety should be must because the duties are given according to experience and qualifications. They have to do their job only because work in air freight services is very dangerous, only that's why everybody have their own duties e.g. one person whose duty is only off loading the PMC'S and BINS from the lorries only do the offloading because one wrong step can take the life away. Forklift connects to the Lories and rollers are picked up PMC which is appx 3 to 4 ton heavy comes with a high speed towards fork lift. If inexperienced person sitting on forklift, forklift shakes with the weight and PMC fall downs. It may give birth to a huge accident which can easily take the life away of the person who picks the roller up and forklift driver too. All the duties should be under section 7 and 8 of the health and safety at work. In Scanwell freight services all the employees have different duties there are 5 drivers, 2 forklift drivers drives only inside building for handling pallets and raking the palletized vegetables, one off loader and 2 person for breaking the PMC'S and BIN'S and floor manager makes the tickets and keep eye on every employee to make sure that all the health and safety precautions to be taken care or not. Others are office staff. One very good thing I like in this organisation is that the director physically comes every night to make sure that no body miss use their duties. He always says precaution and safety first. Employees should have to take care of the following steps:

2.2.3 Health and Safety Organisation Chart

Normally the system is same in all the air freight services but some time depends upon the size of the organisation.

Scanwell Freight Services flow chart for Health and Safety System

2.2.4 Assignment of Individuals

For effective arrangements of health and safety the duties of folks and tasks should be very visibly identifies. For policy making director should be delegated and day to day safety issues goes to a line manager or floor manager. Management can develop polices and give recommendation for issues comes in organisation but the last decision is of the directors of the company. If the issues are urgent and small then it can be easily solve on the basis of the mangers and assistance managers. Because managers have the right to spend specific amount of money on the organisation by own. Responsibilities should be divided into two categories

General

Specific

General Responsibilities

According to rules and policies the general responsibilities goes to

Director

Employees

Director responsibilities are as follows:

Employees' responsibilities are as follows:

Specific Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities will be given to specific persons at specific levels like Director responsibilities is to be check and sign the principles and policies of health and safety. Operational mangers have to check whether all the resources required for work available or not. Floor managers have main duties regarding health and safety because employees are working on floor in front of floor managers. All individuals have to control their responsible areas. Health and Safety responsible employee have to check and control all the safety equipments and make sure that all the standards meant for Health and Safety controlled and maintained by employees and all the employees working according to tasks assigns.

2.2.5 Sign up Assistance for Health and Safety

For assistance in Health and Safety there are lots of organisations and qualified peoples, they got the certificates for Health and Safety. So every organisation hires certified peoples for Health and Safety or tie ups with organisations work for Health and Safety services. These organisations assist freight services to maintaining the health and safety in organisations. Scanwell Freight services also sign up NewWest Mentor Services for consulting to take guidance and advice regarding Health and Safety. NetWest Mentor services are designed to take care of all the laws of Health and Safety in organisation. It includes premises, tools, machines, safety equipments and most important is employee's safety while working.

2.2.6 Communication of Health and Safety Policies and principles within the organisation

So frequently we hear of a breakdown in communication being the cause of Health and Safety incidents, some with devastating consequences. The sad fact is that often these situations could have been easily avoided by implementing simple procedure to improve communications between working parties.

An incident at West Coast Traincare in 2004 illustrates only too well the devastating effect of poor communication and the price is paid. The situation arose when employee Mr Birch was replacing the brake pads underneath a set of carriages at deport in Oxley, Wolverhampton. Two colleagues also working on the train conducting brake tests on the attached locomotive. During the course of testing, one of them released the train's breaking system causing the train to move forward. Mr Birch right hand was subsequently crushed by one of the carriage wheels, causing injuries that resulted in the amputation of all his fingers and two knuckles. HSE Investigation inspector, Steve Turmer, commented at the time,”Very simple steps could have prevented this accident. The staff was not adequately protected and there is lack of communication between the various groups”. West Coast Traincare pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of Health and Safety at work etc. Act 1974 in that it did not ensure the safety of persons in its employment or operate under the safe system of work for staff undertaking maintenance activities. The company was fined £13,000 with cost of £3500. Effective Health and Safety is not a just paper exercise and companies must refrain from a ‘tick box' system of compliance. General communication and awareness exercise can help to ensure that the intentions laid out in Health and Safety policy and supporting procedure are implemented and adhered to.

There is no legal requirement to communication in set fashion and it is down to the employee to choose the right method according to the need. However there are a certain pointers which will improve the impact of any chosen communication method. In other words of poet William Butler Yeats,”Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people”. This is echoed by workplace law's Health and Safety Consultants Bill Scholes who suggests, “Understanding your audience is the key to delivering the Health and Safety message and the key to identifying the right mode of communication.”

John Bartlett says that “Appreciating the general concept of the need for good health and safety is very different from understanding how the specifics apply to the dynamic of a particular workspace”, Workplace law's Safety and Health Practitioner.” Therfore in order to communicate risk management effectively it's got to be made relevant and pertinent to the industry”.

The laws also needs to be interpreted sensible, Chris Streatfeild of Greenstreet Breman”The key principle in communicating health and safety is proportionality. It shouldn't go over the top so that we're condemning every activity as unsafe. You need to conduct a risk assessment but what u need to do as a result of that needs to be proportionate to the risk identified”

Diana Wright says that”within the communication message, employees need to remind that down to them as well”. It is essential to promote individual ownership so employees avoid the ‘it's not my department altitude all the commonly found within the workplace'.

A very similar view point is taken by John Bartlett who reminds us, “It is important to engender a feeling of responsibility when communicating Health and Safety as this empower peoples. It's not about wrapping employees in cotton wool but giving people the information and confidence to make sensible decisions about how they work”.

The main types of communication are formal (including health and safety meetings, trainings and newsletters) and informal (walkabouts, one to one unofficial chats and open forums); the HSE recommends a mix of both. The size and structure of an organization, diversification of roles and geographical location of employees will all have an effect on determining the best communication.

2.2.7 Safety Information

Operational control procedures and Safety Information in air freight services are as follows:

General Health and Safety rules are as follows:

Working environment

It's a duty of all the employees to take care of the working environment because only employees can make the working environment perfect and accident free. Employees have to take care of the following things:

Fire

Very important health and safety thing is a Fire hazards not only in Freight services in every working organisation it will requires badly. The things which every single employee know about fire safety.

Fire extinguisher chart and some safety signs are given below:

Safety require on Transports or Forklifts on work place

For maintaining the safety on transports company have to make the proper road layouts and design, Pedestrian sign should be there, parking area should be there, loading bays should be there, proper lightning should be there, road signs should be there, training programmes should be there. Most of the accidents occur in freight services while loading or offloading or parking of Lorries and other vehicles. For safety while loading or offloading following points should be taken care:

Some pictures showing rollers, PMC and offloading

First Aid and Accident reporting and recording

Workers at work can suffer from accidents and illness, so it is very important that first aid should there before reach of an ambulance. It can saves lives and prevent minor injuries to become major. This charge should be taken by only the appointed person for first aid and that person also take care of first aid medicines and equipements. Employees have to know who is the appointed person and where is the first aid box. The person which is appointed for first aid should be trained and qualified as a ‘First Aider' and training should be given by the St John Ambulance, St Andrew's Ambulance or Red Cross. First Aid kit should included Scissors, Gummy tapes, Bandages, Aprons, eye solutions, blankets and other medicines. Recording for the accident should be must in every air frieght services. It is a duty of a appointed person to record the accident in an record book. This book is checked and updated by management regularly which helps them to remove the causes of accidents.

Scanwell freight services ltd first aid box contains the following:

Work Equipments

Work equipments should be provided to employees used in daily needs while working. In air freight services these tools are circular saws, drilling machines, photo copy machines, dumping trucks, pressure pumps etc. Hand tools are like knives, saws and screw drivers etc. Lifting equipments like pump trucks, forklifts, lifting slings etc. Other equipments like water pressure cleaner, ladders etc. Its responsibility of employee to use the equipments at required place and properly and don't leave these equipments in working place. Before using the machines likes pump trucks and forklifts proper training from master and license should be required, don't use big equipments without proper training it cause injuries. Work equipments should be operate and clean according to safety hazards. It is illegal to remove any part of machine which provides safety interests and even it may become dangerous. Disconnect the power after using the machines. Clean the machines when power is switched off and make sure that machine should be stationary and cannot be restarted, it's better to lock the controls like hand brake of fork lift.

Manual handling

Workers who lift or carry weight should have to take proper guidance and training. Method to lift weight

Practical things while lifting

Practical things while pulling or pushing PMC'S and BIN'S from Lorries.

DSE (Display Screen Equipment)

Display screen equipments are equipments like computers, laptops or machines etc. Peoples who work on these equipments have complaints about eyes sights, back bone problems and obesity problems. These workers use the DSE in a regular manner sometime more than 2 to 3 hours. There job is on DSE no they totally depends on it, so it require to have a training while using DES equipments. They have to go for proper eye check up and back bone checkups regularly. Following points should be considered while working on DSE equipments.

PPE (Personal protective equipments)

Clothing

Never use jewellery while working, otherwise cover it first. Use loose clothes and safety gloves, safety jacket and safety shoes while working. If working under noise you can use air phones to cover ears. All these equipments should be issued to individuals. Never use PPE of others. It's a duty of the workers to wear the PPE issued to them. Some examples of PPE are given below:

Head Protection

Eye and face protection

Protection of foots

Protection of hands and arms

Body Clothing

Electricity

Very dangerous thing while working is electricity which can burn you seriously and damage others too. So while using electric equipments take care of following things:

Use the following visual checks before using electrical appliances:

Appliances

Leads

Plugs

Hazardous Substances

Hazard chemicals should be used by authorised persons only. No one other have a permission or right to touch hazard substances. Before using hazard substances proper training should be taken. Never mix the hazard substances without reading instruction because it may cause reaction.

How to store these types of substances

Hazard substances should store in containers and the levels of warning should be there on hazard substances which should be in readable form.

Hazard Data sheet

One sheet should be maintained which shows which hazard substance is placed where and what is use of that hazard substance. Keep it update and also maintain the sheet which shows type of reaction will occur after mixing hazards substances. Also record the sheet which shows how to dispose the hazard substances buckets and how to dispose the chemical, this sheet follow the instruction of suppliers for disposing. These substances are used for cleaning, washing, healthcare, transport fuels and printing inks. It's a duty of the person who buys and make sheet for hazard substances to make sure that suitable substances should be used with a suitable purpose. If these substances not use in proper way it may cause health problems like irritation, asthma, discomfort and may even burn the skin. So it's a duty of employees to use these substances in proper way like putting safety gloves while using, follow the instruction sheet before using, never mix without reading a hazard data sheet and report the defects to managers as soon as possible. If u feels any doubt while using hazard substances ask first.

Violence and Aggression

From last some years violence and aggression reduce in air freight services because now every air freight company gives the first priority to health and safety. Only that's why accident limits decrease according to report of Scanwell Freight Services research. The employees who work alone should follow:

Alcohol and Drugs

One of the worst things which give birth to accidents is influence of alcohol and drugs while working. Worker which uses alcohol and drug while working puts their life in danger and others too. In freight services work is not easy; it's hard so some workers take drugs and alcohol for work and some worker work over time under the influence of alcohol and drug which is a very bad from point of health and safety. Drivers of forklift and Lorries have to take more attention about alcohol and drug. Drugs can cause lot of accidents, some points which cause accidents:

Safety Signs and Signals

In every air freight services signs safety signs should be must. Because any visitors any new joining person can judge easily that where is way to fire exit, where fire extinguisher is, where is forklift operating, first aid sign, road traffic sign, Toilets etc. All these signs should be in a readable condition. If signs are dirty make sure it will clean regularly to ensure a health and safety in an organisation. This is a duty of the manager and employees to tell the new worker about all these safety signs, so if any accident happen that worker can easily take over it and it is a duty of the manager who selects the new person to give the copy of safety signs information to him/her.

Using Mobile phones while driving is strictly prohibited

Mobile phone should be strictly prohibited while driving forklift and Lorries because it may cause serious accident. If a forklift person using a phone while offloading or loading the pallets inside Lorry and his/her mind is in phone then there will be a chances for serious accident which can be injured others helping hands. So safety signs of mobile phone is prohibited should be there where mobile phone is prohibited. Hand free device must be available in every Lorrie of the organisation which helps drivers to have communication with company or others while driving.

Dangerous substances

Dangerous substances are like flammable gases, natural gas, LPG, Hydrogen etc. Where these types of gases are released make sure no ignition of fire take in that areas and safety signs must be there. These flammable gases are very dangerous; risk of explosion is always there. Some examples of gases are given below:

Compressed gases

As compare to flammable gases compressed gases more dangerous e.g. Carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and argon. Equipments which used compressed gases should be repair or maintain by only authorized and trained person. Never keep oxygen gas with other flammable gases. Equipments which runs on compressed gases is used only by trained persons, no other worker should have right to work on these equipments. Turn off the equipments if not in use. Never apply heat to compressed gases. If any accident occurs by explosion of compressed gas the treatment should be done by the authorized medical person or doctor.

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