Download the Virus Containment Plan👈

A Virus is an infection consisting of a nucleic acid surrounded and protected by a protein coat. A virus can't replicate itself, hence it needs to host cell to infect and use for making copies to spread.

Viruses can spread rapidly and the disease can transmit from one body to another e.g., the Corona Virus outbreak which was discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019 and spread all over the world caused hundreds of thousands of death over the world, crippling the whole world, which leads to a recession, industrial destruction, and increase in the poverty.

Since the work patterns have changed, so the likelihood of existance of the workplace diseases have also increased. The workers can be exposed to the multiple viruses and bacterias at the workplace, hence it is mandatory that all kind of virus, bacterias and diseases are contained at the workplace in case of exposure.

Download the template and use it as per need.

Download the Facility and Building Lights Inspection Checklist👈

Workplace Lighting Arrangements is a mandatory requirement of safe workplace provision to the employee. It is imperative to know that due to poor arrangements, the probability of accident increases due to poor vision. Furthermore, due to too much lighting, glare can prevent the worker from working in a safe environment without watching things clearly. Working in a dark environment where lighting arrangements are not good, workers can not see things clearly, hence he/she can get harm.

The hazards associated with the lighting at the workplace are listed below;

1. Headache
2. Eyestrain
3. Neck, Back, and Shoulder strain
4. Fall, Trip, and Slip
5. Glare due to too much light causes headache, eyestrain

Follow the link mentioned above to download the document in editable form and edit it as per your own need.

Purpose of Health and Safety Monitoring👈

Monitoring something is part of the routine life to ensure the subject task or activity is being performed as per the requirement so that any mistake is identified, and corrected so that the correct product is delivered. 

Health and Safety performance measurement is a cardinal part of the management system of an organization. Checking that risk is being managed, and correct standards are implemented to meet the legal requirements is mandatory.

In occupational industries, many incidents take place of the various types and severity which can harm the worker, the production, and impact the environment leading to the severe consequences. Hence it is mandatory for an organization engaged in an activity to monitor the respective health and safety performance to ensure;

1. Implemented health and safety objectives and standards are effective in terms of both;
• Hardware - Plant, Machinery, Tools, Equipment
• Software - Procedure, Methods, People
2. Identification of loopholes and mistakes in the management system;
3. Use identified loopholes as a basis for making improvement recommendations;
4. Maintaining and improvement of the health and safety management system performance;

Benefits of Performance Measurements

1. Providing information on management system practice in the operational phase;
2. Assistance in identifying the areas where remedial
3.  action is necessary;
4. Providing a basis for continual improvement with the passage of time;
5. Provision of feedback and motivation;

Monitoring Methods

Distinct Between Performance Measures

• Active vs Reactive

Active Monitoring

Reactive Monitoring

Reactive Monitoring is performed when something has gone wrong so that the root causes are identified, appropriate measures are adopted, and implemented to the maximum level to prevent the recurrence.

Note: As mentioned above, to correct something, you don't have to wait for it to go wrong, and shortcomings should be corrected timely.

• Objective vs Subjective

Objective

Objective means that it is not associated with the PERSONAL JUDGEMENT of anyone, e.g., any question in the audit can be asked which is not subject to personal judgment as mentioned below;

How many enforcement notices have been issued to the organization by the legislative body in the last 12-months?

Subjective

Subjective means the judgment is associated with someone's personal judgment, and in return, the person will influence the outcome of the judgment., e.g.,

Is the housekeeping is sufficient?

In this situation where standards are not defined, different auditors will give a different response. 

•  Qualitative vs Quantitative

Qualitative

The data used in the qualitative measure is not presented numerically e.g., reports, and commentaries, which are useful but difficult to use as an accurate measure.

Quantitative

The data employed in the quantitative measure is presented in the numerical form e.g., accidents that occurred at the workplace are represented in numbers. Additional examples of quantitative data are;

• Ill-health Data
• Audits
• Inspections
• Safety Tours
• Behavioral Measures
• Safety Surveys
• Training
• Emergency Drills
• Benchmarking

Monkeypox & Prevention

Introduction

Type: Viral Disease

Virus Genus: Orthopoxvirus

Virus Family: Poxviridae

First Discovery: First discovery was made in 1958 when two pox-like diseases outbroke in monkey colonies were kept for research, hence the scientists named it Monkeypox. Later, in the 1970s, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first case of monkeypox was recorded in humans amid intense efforts of eliminating smallpox.

Since then, in many Central & Western African countries, the monkeypox cases in humans are reported  while the majority of cases are reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) while other countries include;

• Cameron
• The Central African Republic (CAR)
• Cote D'Ivoire
• Gabon
• Liberia
• Nigeria
• Republic of the Congo (RoC)
• Sierra Leone

In countries outside the African continent, like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, cases of monkeypox are reported linked to international travelers, as well as imported animals.

Host: The natural reservoir of the Monkeypox virus is still unknown, however African Rodents, and non-human primates e.g., monkeys may harbor the monkeypox virus.

Signs & Symptoms

In humans, the symptoms of monkeypox are similar but milder than smallpox. The main difference between monkeypox and smallpox is that the lymph nodes swell in the monkeypox, the smallpox disease does not cause the lymph nodes to swell.

Monkeypox disease starts with Fever, followed by muscle ache, headache, and exhaustion. A list of possible symptoms is listed below;

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle Ache
• Back Ache
• Swollen Lymph Nodes
• Chills and Exhaustion

Illness Duration: The whole illness lasts for 2 to 4 weeks.

Death Rate: In the African continent, monkeypox has caused 1 death in 10 people who contracted the virus.

Virus Transmission

In humans, the virus spreads when he comes in contact with the human or animal carrying the virus or touches the surface contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the human body through;

1. Broken skin even if not evident to the naked human eye
2. Respiratory system
3. Mucous Membranes (Eye, Mouth, Nose)

Human to Human: Human-to-human transfer is possible through the respiratory droplets, though the droplets don't travel more than a few feet of distance, hence prolonged face-to-face contact is mandatory.

Other Methods: Other human-to-human methods include;

1. Direct contact with the human body fluids
2. Indirect contact with the lesion material including the bed linen or clothing used by the patient

Note: It must be remembered that the virus source (main disease carrier) is unknown so far, the African Rodents are suspected to play part in spreading and transmitting the virus. There are 2 instances when the virus which causes the monkeypox has been recovered from the animals.

1. In 1985, the virus was isolated from the ill African Rodent, in the Equator region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
2. In 2012, an infant dead Mangabey body in the Cote D'Ivoire's Tai National Park was found carrying the virus that causes Monkeypox.

Preventive Measures

Since the virus is likely to spread and cause too many problems in society, there are myriad control measures required to adapt to prevent infection with monkeypox.

1. Maintain a safe distance from the animals suspected of carrying the virus that causes monkeypox.
2. Avoid going near the animals that are ill, or found dead in the areas where the monkeypox virus is likely to exist.
3. Avoid establishing contact with the ill person suffering from monkeypox disease.
4. Don't touch the material contaminated with the monkeypox virus or used by the patient e.g., bed linen.
5. Isolate the infected person or animal to prevent further spread.
6. Post contact with the virus-infected animal, or human, wash hands, and body parts with an antiseptic substance, e.g., soap, hand wash, or hand sanitizer.
7. Maintain good hygiene standards.
8. Since the risk of contamination still exists despite all measures, the usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) is mandatory as a last resort weapon against viruses integrated with other preventive measures.

Treatment

Since there is no proven or specific treatment to deal with the Monkeypox outbreak, the usage of the smallpox vaccine, anti-virals, and other medicines can be used in the light of physicians' advice.

Download the Job Safety Analysis (JSA) vs Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) Training👈

Job Safety Analysis also known as the Job Hazard Analysis is used to identify the hazards associated with an activity, and to ensure the minimum safety arrangements are adapted to control the hazard associated risk.

The process consists of the steps listed below;

1. Selection of the task;
2. Division of tasks in sub-tasks
3. Evaluation of each task for associated hazards and corresponding risks
4. Identify if the existing controls are sufficient or need more controls
5. Communication and Implementation of new controls

Download the HSE Declaration or NOC Form👈

HSE Declaration form is used to declare the commitment by the involved parties to ensure that they will comply with the regulatory requirements and take all imperative actions to save their workers, protect the environment, and fulfill the legal requirements.

Download the document, click on the link mentioned above, and edit as per need.

Download Employee Misconduct Warning From👈

Employees do misconduct amid their routine work activities accidentally or deliberately leading to productivity and fiscal loss, even reputation as well.

It is imperative to warn the worker not to repeat the same mistake again, thus Misconduct Warning Form is used. Click on the link mentioned above, and download it in an editable format.

Failure in the Duty of Care & Compensatory Schemes

If any worker who is working gets injured or contracts any sort of disease, this may result in a loss that may include the pain, suffering, as well as a doomed future, with no further income. In many cases, the worker often loses their life, hence the dependents of the worker will suffer the major financial problems in a bitter life ahead.

Since there is no power that can bring a deceased person back to life who lost his life during work, hence, there a few mechanisms evolved over a period of time to compensate the injured person, dependents of the deceased person, as well as those who might be affected due to negligence in the duty of care.

Through these mechanisms, the worker can be compensated, but it must be remembered that these mechanisms have a few imperative requirements which need to be abided. In some mechanisms, the injured person/ or dependents of the deceased one has to prove that the accident occurred due to the negligence of another e.g., an Employer who showed negligence in his duty of care, whereas in other mechanisms it doesn't require anything to prove.

Few of the compensatory schemes devised to fulfill the worker, protection of his basic rights are elaborated below;

1. No-Fault Compensation Claim
2. Fault Compensation Schemes
3. Damages

Scheme 1: No-Fault Compensation Claim

In this type of compensatory mechanism, there is no need to prove someone's fault, instead, it is necessary to establish that the harm was caused as a result of the person's employment. Mostly, the No-Fault Compensation Schemes fall into two broad categories;

1. The employer provides the Insurance Cover and pays the premium to the insurance companies, who in return pay the insurance money to the injured person.
2. The government or a government agency provides the benefits. The system consists of Social Insurance operated by the government or an agency of the government.

• Employer Scheme - Insurance

The legislation imposes the obligation on the employer to provide the Insurance Scheme, The scheme is operated by the insurance company, which is paid a premium by the employer. It must be remembered in some countries, the Employer Scheme (Insurance) is a legal requirement. When the claim is established by the worker or his/her dependents, the initial response is usually made by the insurance company or sometimes by the employer. The decision may be to accept or reject the worker's claim, although it is common for there to be some negotiation between the two parties concerned.

• Social Insurance Schemes

These schemes are administrated by the government and funded by compulsory contributions made by employers, workers, or both, with possible further contributions made from general tax collection. These contributions can be either Fixed-Rate or Earning-Related. This compensatory scheme requires a medical examination to establish the facts like;

1. Nature of the injury
2. If recovery is likely

Normally a person with 14% disablement can receive the benefits while those with respiratory disease and deafness, can get benefits at 1% disablement and 20% respectively.

Scheme 2: Fault Compensation Claim

Most countries including the UK, USA, & Australia, have legislation that makes an employer liable for causing harm to the employer or anyone else, as a result of their occupational or activity. A Civil Action is brought against the employer and the need to establish fault on the part of the employer, or one of his or her workers. The claimant has to prove that harm or illness was caused by the negligence of the employer or one of his employees or that has been a breach of health and safety legislation. The liability of the employer comes in 2 ways;

1. The employer is responsible for his or her own acts of negligence - termed Primary Liability.
2. The employer may be Vicariously Liable for the negligence of his/her workers committed in the course of their employment.

1. The statute places the obligation on the defendant;
2. The statutory duty was owed to the claimant;
3. The injury was of a type contemplated by the statute;
4. The defendant was in breach of that duty;
5. The breach of statutory duty caused the injury;

Scheme 3: Damages

Economic Damages represent economical losses, while non-economic damages are those which are related to pain, suffering, or loss of companionship.

Damages can be compensatory and punitive as their names suggest, compensatory damages compensate the claimant, whereas punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer. 

The compensatory damages represent the loss sustained by the victim, hence the court decides the amount of compensatory damage. It is further divided into 2 categories termed Special & General Damage.

Special Damage: The key feature of the special damage is that they can be relatively easily quantified because they relate to known expenditure up until the trial, such as;

General Damage: The future expenditure and issues which  cannot be precisely quantified, such as;

• Punitive Damages

Download the Truck Mounted Concrete Pump Inspection Checklist👈

Truck Mounted Concrete Pump is used to shift concrete from the ground surface to the height where it is needed. The pump and boom are mounted on a truck, while the operator operates it from the ground. The pump is capable of shifting the material from the ground to the top of the boom where through a nozzle, it is dispersed at the desired location. Furthermore, the vehicle comes with multiple hazards as listed below;

• Toppling sideways
• Collision with obstructions, buildings, etc.
• Working near the overhead power lines
• Hit by moving equipment equipment
• Electrical Shock from faulty circuits etc.

Download the Concrete Pump Inspection Checklist👈

The concrete pump is an essential part of the construction industry where it is used to mix and pump the concrete to the desired location for pouring. The concrete is poured into the bucket and an internally built mixer mixes it further. Later, the pumping mechanism pumps it to the desired location using the pipes attached to the discharge point.

Furthermore, the law requires the employer/ operator to ensure the work equipment is safe for use and well maintained. For this purpose, a checklist should be used to inspect the equipment. Use the link above to download the form in editable form.

Role, Function, Benefits & Limitation of Legislation

Preamble

It is not realistic to expect that all organizations will adopt the good health and safety standards voluntarily because the benefits of the good standards will not be immediately obvious to all employers, since good standards will incur the cost.

To ensure that minimum standards are met whether they relate to health and safety in the workplace or other matters to do with the regulation of society, the government will introduce legislation to regulate the organizations. For example introduction of health and safety legislation has set minimum standards for employers to meet. Few are listed below;

1. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) of the United Kingdom
2. Occupational Safety & Health Act 1970 (OSHA) of the United States of America
3. Work Environment Act 1977 (WEA) of the Government of Sweeden

The legislation introduced by the government can either lead to civil or criminal consequences. Firstly, understanding the meaning of LEGISLATION is mandatory, hence defined hereunder.

Legislation is statutes, and other legal instruments that have been enacted by the government of the country. 

In Criminal Law, a CRIME is an offense against the state, and violation of state rules can lead to prosecution of the culprit/ offender, and as a consequence, he/she can be punished with either a fine, imprisonment, or both at a time.

Contrary to that, a CIVIL ACTION is concerned with an individual who has suffered losses such as being injured when performing a work activity and met an accident. In a civil action, the victim (claimant) will seek financial compensation from the defendant (employer) for wrongdoing.

Limitations

As the legislation helps the government to implement good standards, there are limitations associated with the introduced legislation. For example;

• The organizations will comply with minimum standards defined by law, instead of complying with its spirit and going beyond what the law defined.
• Organizations adopting these good standards might be at a competitive disadvantage, due to the high costs of good standards.
• The introduction of legislation comes with a requirement of ENFORCEMENT, hence it is also mandatory to identify those who don't comply with minimum standards. Accordingly, enforcement officers who are hired to inspect, identify, and investigate must be trained.
• A proper and well-defined procedure for prosecution and punishment of organizations and individuals is necessary who fail to comply.

Goal Setting Legislation vs Prescriptive Legislation

Two different models are adopted by the government bodies, Goal-Setting & Prescriptive to define and set the minimum acceptable standards. The former sets an Objective to achieve and leaves it to the duty holder to decide on the best way of achieving the defined goal. The latter defines the standard to be achieved in far more explicit terms. Both are defined below for better understanding.

1. Goal-Setting Legislation

Goal-setting legislation as the name suggests defines and sets an achievable objective, and now its duty holder's responsibility to decide on the best way to achieve the objective. The duty holder is the one on whom the legal duty is imposed e.g., individual, employe, organization, etc.

A splendid example of goal-setting legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 of the United Kingdom. The law defines the duty imposed on the employer as;

It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work off all his employees.

The law has set a goal of "health and safety at work" but the Act doesn't define how this should be done. It is the duty holder's duty to identify and evaluate the different ways of meeting this requirement and choose what is most reasonable in existing circumstances.

2. Prescriptive Legislation

Prescriptive language as the name suggests defines the standard in far more explicit terms. For example, in the United Kingdom (UK) a law is enforced titled Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998. Regulation 26 is concerned with the information & instructions provision to equipment users.

In practice, legislation shouldn't be thought of as being entirely goal-setting or entirely prescriptive. For example, Regulation 8 of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 states that;

Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have availale to them adequate health and safety information and where appropriate, written instructions pertaining to the use of the work equipment.

The above-mentioned statement requires the employer to provide adequate information to users of equipment, it has an element of prescriptive legislation however, what constitutes "Adequate" needs to be decided by the employer. 

Benefits & Limitations: Goal-Setting Legislation vs Prescriptive Legislation

Download the Grit & Sand Blasting Inspection Checklist👈

Grit and Sand Blasting also known as Abrasive Blasting is a surface treatment method using the abrasive material and propelling it against the object surface under high pressure. The only difference is the use of abrasive material used for the work method. The abrasive material is blasted through the nozzle aimed at the object's surface under high pressure.

The Health and safety regulation requires the work equipment should be in good condition, fit for use, and well maintained. Use the link above to download the document and modify it according to the needs of the work activity and equipment.

10 Steps To Create A Project Plan

Project Planning is a discipline addressing how to complete a project in a certain time frame, usually with defined stages and designated resources. This article provides a 10-steps critical to planning a project before execution, establishing a roadmap for project managers to follow in the future to achieve the project goal. These 10-critical steps are listed below to provide an overview conducive for project managers.

Step 1: Explain the Project Plan to Key Stakeholders & Discuss Key Components

One of the most imperative living documents in Project Management is the Project Plan which can be expected to change over the life of the project. Like a roadmap, it provides the direction for the project, and like the traveler, the project manager needs to set the course for the project, which in project management terms means creating the project plan.

A common misconception is that the Project Plan means Project Timeline, which remains only one of the many components of the plan. The project plan is a prime work product from the entire planning process, hence it contains all of the planning documents for the project.

Many project key stakeholders are those who don't understand the full nature of the project plan and are affected by both the project and corresponding results. The first step is to explain the planning process and the project plan to all of the key stakeholders, hence their familiarity with the documents set and related consent is mandatory, and later they have to review, sign and approve the documents pertaining to them.

Step 2: Define Roles and Responsibilities

Defining roles and responsibilities is an imperative component of an organization hence establishing the communication lines is mandatory so that there is an organized work execution and people are held accountable for their job activities.

Since all key stakeholders will not review all documents so it is necessary to determine their roles and responsibilities and nominate who will approve which parts of the plan and any ambiguity is averted. Some of the key people in the organization who are part of the project as well are mentioned below;

• Project Sponsor: Anyone who owns the funds and sponsors the whole project. A sponsor needs to review all project aspects and give approval accordingly. The sponsor can be a single person, organization, or group of pre-described elements, together.

• Designated Business Experts: Business experts will define their requirements and justify their end product, so they will develop the project scope baseline, and approve the documents relating to the project scope.

• Project Manager: The Project Manager (PM) will create, execute, and control the project plan, directing the involved parties to execute the job activities accordingly so that the end product is achieved. Hence he/she developed the project plan, so he doesn't need to approve it.

• Project Team: A Project Team needs to participate in the development of various project aspects as listed below;