Demonstrate an understanding of the theory relating to organizational management and demonstrate an understanding of Health and Safety Legislation and its application
Discuss the necessary qualities needed for your site supervisor to ensure that the "storage/compound facilities" meet the demands of the Health and Safety Executive. Provide examples of the legislation that may be covered in the installation or maintenance of the facilities
Discuss which organization model would be suitable for the delegation in the Management of H&S on the site, identify the needs to be considered in terms of roles and responsibilities citing suitable references from the CDM Regulations 2007
Using management motivation theory, explain how this site could ensure compliance with Health and Safety Legislation
Health and safety has become an intrinsic part of all activities in all work sectors. Particular focus is concentrated on the Construction sectors due to the high risk and wide range of activities carried out. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 sets out the roles and responsibilities of Employers & Employees to ensure the Health and Safety while at work.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 defines its self as:
"An Act to make further provision for securing the health, safety and welfare of persons at work, for protecting others against risks to health or safety in connection with the activities of persons at work, for controlling the keeping and use and preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of dangerous substances, and for controlling certain emissions into the atmosphere; " (The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974)
With the above act in place a requirement was highlighted to have separate provision for the construction industry. With this, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM2007) came into force from 6 April 2007. The key aim of CDM regulations 2007 is to integrate health and safety into the management of a project and to encourage everyone involved to work together to:
Improve the planning and management of projects from the very start;
Identify risks early on;
Target effort where it can do the most good in terms of health and safety; and
Discourage unnecessary bureaucracy.
Also the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (the Management Regulations) generally make more explicit what employers are required to do to manage health and safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Like the Act, they apply to every work activity.
With these regulations in place, management of Health and Safety has become an integral part of all construction projects. Construction projects that fall within the regulations are subject to planning and management of Health and safety throughout the construction project, from design concept onto completion and beyond. Health and safety considerations should be treated as an essential, but normal part of a projects development - not an afterthought or bolt on extra. This has meant that instilling a good attitude towards health and safety from employees and contractors has been essential. This can be achieved through effective management and communication.
Most construction sites have storage or compound facilities, which may also include the welfare facilities for construction employees. Ensuring these facilities function efficiently and also meet the requirement of Health and Safety regulations is essential. Storage or compound facilities are generally tasked with providing support to tradesmen with regard to consumables, tools, equipment, hire equipment, waste and deliveries / traffic arrangements.
All these activities are covered by legislation set out by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure Health and Safety at work is effectively managed. The following are the main regulation pertaining to the duties carried out by the supervisor of the storage or compound facilities on a construction site however others may apply: -
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995
The Control of Noise at Work regulations 2005
The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Conveying the requirements of these regulations to the operative who looks after the stores facilities would be the responsibility of his site supervisor. These responsibilities would need to be conveyed by way of effective training and introducing systems & procedures to ensure items are ordered, checked in and out, stored and disposed of correctly, maintained and managed effectively.
In order for the site supervisor to ensure the storage compound is operated in a manner that adheres to the health and safety regulations he must employ a leader ship style which brings the best out of the employees. In 1939 Kurt Lewin identify different styles of leadership Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Faire.
Autocratic leadership style takes decisions without consulting with others,
Democratic leaders offer guidance to, but they also encourage participation and allows input from other members
laissez-fair leadership minimizes the involvement of superiors and allows people to make their own decisions
A democratic style has been identified as the most effective. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Democratic leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. If we compare this with Maslow's hierarchy of need it stands that engaged people will prove to be more productive as the Esteem needs are fulfilled with more ownership, increased responsibility and recognition.
The Myers Briggs Type indicator is a system of assessment to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Looking at this theory it states that
"Individuals are either born with, or develop, certain preferred ways of perceiving and making decisions. The Myers Briggs Type indicator arranges these psychological differences into four opposite pairs, with a resulting 16 possible psychological types. None of these types are better or worse; however individuals naturally prefer one overall combination of type differences."
This means that if a site supervisor had a good grasp of their own "Type" and could assess others to determine their type, a more effective line of communication could be set up. When working in group situations or delegating responsibilities: recognizing your own strengths and understanding the strengths of others can be very helpful. Also the type may indicate how a person best receives information. While one person prefers to receive the overall picture other would be concerned only with information relating their involvement.
With regards to the storage and compound facilities if the site supervisor could assess the employee's type he may be able to communicate roles and responsibilities and the requirements of Health and Safety in an appropriate manor best suited to the individual.
When working toward a common goal with other employees, you might realize that certain members are skilled and talented at performing particular actions. By recognizing these differences, the tasks can better assigned and work together on achieving their goals.
The Matrix Organizational model would best suit the requirements to delegate roles and responsibilities for Health and Safety. A matrix model provides the following advantages: -
The project has a single point of responsibility - the project manager
The project can draw on the entire resources of the company
Good flow of information
Teams of experts are kept together and problem solving can draw on a much wider knowledge base
Good training ground for project manages working in multifunctional environments
