HEALTH & SAFETY

Health & Safety

Health & Safety

1)Explain with reference to relevant case law the statutory responsibility placed on Acme Hydrocarbons Ltd and the Contractor Flow Systems Ltd with respect to 'Item 1' of the HSE Letter

In Acme also they should follow these rules & regulations regarding the safety & heakth issues. Since 1970, OSHA has become a dominant and contentious agency within the government and from the view of U.S. businesses. Through research and the implementation of standards approved and supported by business and labor organizations, OSHA has helped change the workplace through setting ergonomic standards, establishing permissible exposure limits, implementing machine guards, using “lockout/tagout” (a maintenance procedure where workers must put the machine in the off condition or “lock out” the machine before performing maintenance), and implementing the application of the Right to Know Standard (a hazard communication standard that compels employers to develop ways to communicate workplace chemical hazard information) (Ballam, 1988, p. 1-27).

On December 29, 1970, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which led to the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor whose strategic and operational activities are the responsibility of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor. OSHA's aim is to “develop and enforce workplace safety and health regulations” (Cherrie, John, et al, 2010, p. 48-54).

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2007, approximately 4.6 of every 100 employees experienced a workplace-related injury or illness—the lowest reported job injury rate since 1973. The federal agency responsible for setting workplace safety standards, conducting workplace inspections, and imposing employer fines is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA is housed in the Department of Labor, with the secretary of labor having the primary accountability for the agency. OSHA has more than 2,000 employees, including 1,100 people who served as the inspectors responsible for inspecting 38,579 workplaces in 2006. While OSHA is regularly in the news whenever workplace safety issues erupt, the full range of its activities and responsibilities may be less well-known, among both those who write the news and news consumers. This entry provides background on OSHA's history and role (Ballam, 1988, p. 1-27).

The signing of the act occurred among growing alarm at then-current occupational health and safety statistics; 14,000 health and safety fatalities, 2.5 million work-related disabilities, and 300,000 emerging reports of work-related illnesses. Both domestically and internationally, these figures were considered morally unacceptable and reflected badly on the administration at that time (Cherrie, John, et al, 2010, p. 48-54).

2)Critically analyse the data provided in 'Document 3' and with reference to other information provided and researched, draw conclusions to the current risk of exposure to legonnela bacteria.

OSHA is recognized throughout the United States as “the resource” for occupational safety and health issues. Its mission is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of working men and women by issuing enforcement standards as specified within the act. In addition, the agency provides occupational safety and health information, education, training, ...