Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: An Overview

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: An Overview Substructures are anything constructed below DPC or ground floor level for example foundations or cellar floors on social housing or even tunnels for commercial use. Substructure legislations include the town and country planning legislation, Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 and COSHH. The Town and Country Planning legislation means that the towns and developments will be planned appropriately and safely bearing in mind fellow housing owners that may be affected by any developments. Planning is necessary to ensure that the buildings and the environment is safe, secure and happy amongst the public. Local authorities are responsible through their planning committees to decide whether a new building or an alteration to an existing building is needed and suitable. Planning permission is not always required, for example internal alterations or work which does not change the appearance of the outside of a property does not require planning permission. Extending or altering the shape of a building, planning permission will be required and if failed to apply for or have a planning application you may risk having the building demolished by the council or planning committee. Some developments even make sure that other property owners are happy by keeping fencing a certain he ight and shape for them not to contact planning permission. Some old fashioned houses may also be affected by this legislation as you may not be legally allowed to put a new, modern, contemporary house in an old, vintage village or near any other old existing houses as it does not fit in or the neighbours may have objected. This legislation applies before construction as you have to apply for planning permission before a building is built to see whether it fits in, it is safe and suitable for the location and the public however during construction it also applies as housing developers apply for planning permission on site for temporary roads or compounds to help planning committees keep the existing properties safe and happy too. The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 means that you should promote, stimulate and encourage high standards of health and safety in places of work. It protects employees and the public from work activities that may cause danger to them in that very moment or in the future. Everyone must abide by the act or you may be prosecuted for not doing so if someone has an injury because of you. The act means that the employers have a duty of ensuring that there employees are safe and secure within the work place. Depending on the type of work place you must wear protection, for instance if the job is construction related the employer must provide you with PPE like a hard hat, steel toe cap boots and a hi-vis. They must also ensure that all your equipment and materials are safe, handled well and have had recent services and lastly they must provide you with training, supervision or simply a site induction which includes details of your job, the health and safety on site and the site rules. Site managers or your employer must provide a written safety policy or risk assessment and depending on your age a young persons risk assessment. Employees objectives are to take care of their own health and safety, and that of others, cooperate with their employer and not to interfere with anything provided in the interest of health and safety. A HSE is a health and safety executive, this person observes and monitors the site under strict instructions and guidelines under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. If the HSE are unhappy they are allowed to shut the site down completely. They have the right to have entry, close the site, see documents and take copies, size substances and ask questions. They even produce an improvement or prohibition notice. Both employers and employees may face prosecution if the site is unfit by the HSE. This act applies before construction as the employer has to provide everyone with PPE, inspect the site to see if it is safe before construction star ts and set up risk assessments and first aid boxes however during construction this applies as the employer doesnt want any accidents or illnesses on site, they would like the PPE to protect their workers, the equipment to be safe, serviced and used well, the fences to protect the public and the vehicles have reversing sirens to protect everyone. COSHH stands for the control of substances hazardous to health. COSHH covers any chemicals used on site for instance adhesive glues or paint thinners. Every chemical that is used on site must have a risk assessed by the site manager on behalf of the COSHH act. The regulations recommend that you do a risk assessment, decide what precautions are needed for example PPE, prevent or control exposure for example dust masks or gloves, ensure that control measures are maintained and used, monitor exposure through measurements, carry out regular health tests for example blood tests, prepare plans and procedures if an accident was to occur and ensure the employees are properly informed and trained usually by the HSE. A prime example of a hazardous substance is asbestos which is now banned due to the harm it does to your body when inhaled. The fibres within the material are the parts of the asbestos that are dangerous. Some products require careful control like the extraction of asbestos like s ome foam product instillations. This act applies before construction as the site manager needs to know if there is any products already on the site that may need to be removed or a risk assessment done for them however during construction it still applies as the chemicals and materials brought on site during the build may be hazardous too and may need to be risk assessed. Superstructures are all the elements visible above the substructure level for example a multi storey building, a social house or even a sky scraper. Superstructure legislations include Building regulations, RIDOR and Construction design management regulations 2008. Building regulations apply in England and wales and these promote standards for most aspects of a buildings construction process, energy efficiency in buildings, the needs of all people even including the disabled. The regulations apply to most new buildings, and many alterations of existing buildings, whether domestic, commercial or industrial. The types of work that do need to comply with the building regulations is the erection or extension of a building, the installation or extension of a service or fitting which is controlled under the regulations, an alteration involving work which will temporarily or permanently affect the on-going compliance of the building, service or fitting with the requirements relating to structure, fire, or access to and use of buildings, the insertion of insulation into a cavity wall and the underpinning of the foundations of a building. All buildings within this list must meet the requirements as they are for danger purposes for example a fire escape and air supplies for the combustion for some appliances. The main requirements come in 14 parts: Part A Structure Part B Fire safety Part C Site preparation and resistance to moisture Part D Toxic substances Part E Resistance to the passage of sound Part F Ventilation Part G Hygiene Part H Drainage and waste disposal Part J Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems Part K Protection from falling, collision and impact Part L Conservation of fuel and power Part M Access to and use of buildings Part N Glazing safety in relation to impact, opening and cleaning Part P Electrical safety This regulation applies before construction as the planning department need to put in the fire escapes e.t.c.. however during construction it still applies as the building regs managers or the HSE may test the products to see if they meet the standards. RIDDOR stands for reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations. RIDDOR covers deaths, major injuries; accidents resulting in an over-three-day injury, diseases, dangerous occurrences and gas accidents. If an accident did happen an accident investigation must be done as it is a legal requirement under the RIDDOR regulations. If a member of public is hurt or killed the HSE must be informed. Over three days injuries must be reported to the HSE too. When you report the injuries under RIDDOR you must issue the date and time, a brief description of what happened, put the name and address of the person injured and the date and method of reporting. The injuries listed as RIDDOR are fractures other than fingers, thumbs or toes, amputation, dislocation of shoulder, hip, knee or spine, loss or sight temporarily or permanently and chemical or hot metal burns to the eye that is penetrating. This regulation applies before construction as the site manger may need to write o ut methods of what to do in the event of certain injuries however during construction this will carry on as the site manager may need to write a report after an injury or inform the HSE. Construction design and management regulations 2008 aim to reduce the large numbers of serious, fatal accidents and cases of ill health which occur in construction. CDM places responsibilities on key members such as the design and management teams to keep the projects running safely and smoothly. CDM duties are to select and appoint a planning supervisor and principal contractor that will both allocate adequate resources for health and safety, be satisfied that the designers and contractors arrange for work to be done smoothly and safely, provide the planning supervisor with information on health and safety and ensure the health and safety files are up to date and construction starts and ends well. This regulation applies before construction as the planning, contractors and site managers need to organise whos doing what and when however during they must all make sure it is running as they planned without any health and safety risks.

Conflict Resolution Styles in Organizational Behaviour Essay

Conflict is a process that every one of us has experienced throughout our lifes. There are various definitions of conflicts as described by different authors but generally, conflict is a process whereby one individual’s interests is opposed or negatively affected by the other party (McShane et al. 2010). Workplace and organisational conflicts are usually more complex. Isenhart and Spangle (2000) points out that at the beginning the conflict may start because of improper placement of workers and their responsibilities in a workplace, but it may get worse if they faces unfair rules, ineffective management, unclear responsibilities or too much work assigned. Organisational conflicts can result in many possible outcomes, the negatives ones such as damaged employee relations, violence, increased tension between bosses and employees but it can have positive outcomes too such as increased employee-cohesiveness and increased motivation. How it will be achieved will be discussed throug h the elements of conflict and will be listed in greater details. Ways in which people approach conflict Avoiding Avoiding is probably the fastest way of resolving a conflict but at the same time it is not the best way because most of the time the avoider will remain unhappy even after the conflict. It does not permanently resolve the conflict (McShane et al. 2010) and in my opinion it is just ‘postponing’ the problem to have it solved at a later date. McCollum et al. (2009) states that the person who is avoiding thinks that confronting the conflict will bring more trouble than it is worth. The avoider also decides to not deal with the conflict because he or she might not have the confidence to do so. This seems like the more popular choice amongst the five ways in which people approach conflict based on my experiences because people simply do not want unnecessary trouble or aggravate the problem, especially if it is a minor issue. Avoiding pays no attention in concerns of either self or others (Kotthoff & Spencer-Oatey 2008). This is the least-sought option amongst the five approac hes but however, McCollum et al. (2009) suggests that avoiding can be a tactical approach when the other party has more strength and authority over you; and/or the avoiding the conflict will bring little or no devastating consequences. Problem-Solving I deemed this to be the most effective way in resolving organisational conflicts because both parties will benefit if they manage to find a double-win solution to the problem. This is considered to be the most desirable approach to conflict as there are no negative impacts at all. Only positive results will surface. Runde & Flanagan (2009) suggests that there might be a link between avoiding and problem-solving. Because many people tend towards avoidance, they often rush through problem solving and immediately use the first solution that they can think of so as to quickly get over the conflict, without any beneficial solutions. The key in using problem-solving as an approach to resolve conflicts lies in having patience to create multiple potential solutions. Careful reflection and consideration will progress into agreements that are both satisfying and successful (Runde & Flanagan 2009). Therefore when undergoing problem-solving, both parties must not rush to a solution immediately o r else the solution may backfire or do not satisfy both parties’ needs. Three strategies that help people manage conflict Before discussing about the three different strategies that help people to manage conflict, the strategies used are basically divided into three categories and they are interest-based, rights-based and power-based (Jameson 2001). Three different strategies from the three categories will be discussed respectively. Jameson (2001) advises that all resolutions of disputes and conflicts should start with a interest-based strategy, and if it does not resolves the conflict, it is followed by a rights-based strategy and if conflict persists, power-based strategy is then applied. Mediation (Interest-based) Jameson (2001) suggests that mediation is a form of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Research has shown that interest-based strategies such as mediation had the best long-termed results such as improved relationship between parties, greater commitment to solutions and reduced future conflicts from happening. This is why involved parties in a conflict should use this approach as it reaps the most benefits. Even though there are many theories and various methods underlying mediation, it is generally defined as an intervention by a neutral third party which facilitates the process but allow participants in the conflict to control the outcome (Jameson 2001). Depending on the severity of the conflict, the mediator is to provide useful information in legal issues, help the participants into perspective thinking, provide a guide in finding the most satisfying and realistic settlement, help to improve the working/personal relationship between participants, or engage in some combination of the above methods. Inquisitorial Intervention (Rights-based) This describes intervention by a person of a higher authority; in most cases is the manager, who will make a final decision. Managers who adopt this strategy allow employees more or less control over presentation of their arguments before deciding on an appropriate solution (Jameson 2001). Because the third party(manager) listens to every party’s arguments before making a judgment, the manager acts as a ‘judge’ and this usually results in a win-lose situation, unlike Mediation which results in a win-win situation most of the time. Employees are given the opportunity to present their arguments and influence the final decision and this result in higher amount of fairness and satisfaction with outcomes. Employees involved in the conflict usually agree that the outcome decided by the third party is fair, but it could be better if they are able to retain the outcome control. Restructuring (Power-based) This is the more realistic popular method amongst power-based strategies because they are efficient (at least in the short run) and it follows a problem-solving procedure that is actually part of the managerial role (Jameson 2001). A powerful third party restructures the work and responsibilities of employees in order to solve problems. For example if employees does not see eye-to-eye with one another and it affects efficiency or quality of work produced, restructuring may simply solve this issue even though parties involved are not satisfied but at least they will not be able to see each other, proving restructuring to be a efficient method in the short run. This method may be efficient if time issues are being involved, such as the organisation needs to achieve a certain target by a certain date. Influence of culture in conflict resolution styles The three cultural values dimensions that are popularly discussed are individualism-collectivism, power distance and high-low context (McShane et al. 2010). Low/high context: refers to the amount of information contained in a clearly-expressed message versus implied message (Adair et al. 2004). Low-context culture is direct and negotiations are analytical and fact-based, while high-context culture is indirect and high-context negotiators tend to use an indirect communication method with usually contains implied meanings. An example of a low-context culture would be the United States of America and a high-context culture will be Japan (Adair et al. 2004). Individualism/Collectivism: Individualism refers to a society where the relationships between people are loose and they are expected to look after themselves or their immediate families only. Collectivism which is the opposite, refers to a society that people focus on being harmonious and emphasize on cohesiveness within themselves. In organisational context, individualism means individuals only care about their own goals and prefer to work alone and collectivism means working harmoniously in a teams and it emphasizes on teamwork. Power distance: McShane et al. (2010) defines power distance as the degree of importance that people place on status and power to control. Basically it means that human inequality may occur in many fields such as status, wealth, power, rules etc. In organisational settings it refers between superiors/managers and employees mainly. In a high power distance working environment, employees tend to just do their work without raising doubts or question their bosses, due to fear in the difference of their power, low power distance means otherwise, where employees and their superiors work hand in hand to resolve issues. A few decades ago, managers can spend up to twenty percent of their time in resolving conflicts. Nowadays, conflicts are generally much more complex and take up more time to resolve due to technological advances, world’s exponential growth rate and globalization which led to increase contacts between people of many different cultures (Kotthoff & Spencer-Oatey 2008). This suggests that our modern world has an increase of numbers of cultural conflicts and they are usually hard to resolve due to the extreme range of differences in thinking, values, ethics etc between individuals of different cultures. To further elaborate on this point, Brigg (2008) states that most experts in this field now come to an agreement that culture frames the experiences of conflict of people, their reactions and responses to other people in conflict, and the types of strategies they might consider to manage or otherwise address disputes. Therefore when facing against a cultural conflict issue, one must understand that the other party does not grow up in the same environment as him/her, had not been taught the same teachings and values since young. To put in simpler terms, the definition of what is right and what is correct might not be the same between the two parties. This also explains why it is so difficult in applying conflict resolution styles when it comes to cultural conflicts because it is hard to accept the other party’s â€Å"correct† values which may be the â€Å"wrong† values of one as both of them have been gorged those values since young in their growing up environment. Conclusion Two ways of conflict-handling styles were discussed and avoiding can be a good approach sometimes despite many of its negativity and although problem-solving is the best approach, it cannot be rushed and many potential solutions must be raised in order to finding the best solution. Three strategies from three different categories of conflict resolution styles were discussed and despite the major differences in terms of popularity of usage and way of handling, all the three strategies can produce effective results in organisational settings if they were applied in the correct circumstances. Three cultural values dimensions were discussed and it was also explained that influence of culture in conflict resolution styles remains fundamentally significant and it is currently the most challenging in conflict resolution.

Power breakdown in Pakistan

With drying of sea water, touching of oil prices to its peak, damaging of roads and streets, disappearing of electricity in cities is clearly giving idea of present condition of Pakistan. According to revolutionary Russian leader Lenin defined socialism as, â€Å"the electrifician of the whole country and the transfer of power to the people’s representatives† (cited by Kabir, 2002). For revolutionary development of any country, it is important that the country should be electrifying. As all industries and business which help to rise economy of country depends on energy in one form or another. Since many years, the looming energy crisis in Pakistan has covered us like spider net but, in recent months it has been increased and got a massive shape that could damage the economy and autonomy of the country. According to one report in The News, â€Å"this summer, the country faced an electricity deficit of over 2,500 megawatts (MW) †¦ it is feared that by 2010 the gap between demand and supply could reach up to 8,000 MW† (Asif, 2007). Breakdown of power supply to cities has devastating effects on economical and social aspects of country, which could reduce by some strategies and principles. According to environment report given by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (2005), â€Å"Pakistan has 18 gigawatts of electric generating capacity. † This power generating capacity has been increased in few years with aids of foreign investors. Blackouts and transmission losses are still in tradition in some areas due to inefficient quality of infrastructure, illegal power supply (Kunda system), water shortage, poor co-ordination between power supply agencies, extraneous electricity decoration. There are only two main state-owned power sector in Pakistan i. e. Water and Power Supply Authority (WAPDA) and Karachi Electricity Supply Cooperation (KESC). Cooperation of these two sectors makes electricity able to transmit and distribute in all region of Pakistan.

Bullying Essay - 1640 Words

Bullying is an action that is very serious and can be very hurtful. Bullying can happen at any age, anywhere. Bullying is not a joke and it should always be taken seriously. Bullying causes a lot fair amount of problems that are in the world today, and matters just seem to get worse. It needs to be brought to the worlds attention the truths about a bullies mind, types of people that are bullied, and who is the one at fault. Bullying needs to be brought to a minimum, it is ruining society as a whole. Bullying is a major issue that has been around for years. Bullying is abuse and mistreatment of someone vulnerable by someone stronger, more powerful, etc. People also can be bullied because the other person is jealous of the others†¦show more content†¦With no doubt a bully always wants to be better than anyone else, they hope to make others feel insecure and doubt their own abilities so the bully themselves can feel more powerful. They should not let their past effect their fut ure, they should learn from being bullied in the past to become stronger in the future. Instead they get the urge to take out their anger on others, and make the feel equal to as they once did. It is sad to see how much their past can have a burden on them. For example, when dogs have a rough â€Å"childhood†, they tend to be mean to their new owner or anyone that reminds them of their past. That is similar to how people are, if something brings up anything that upsets them, it could go wrong very quickly. It is not something good to do because the other person has never done anything wrong to them, and they do not deserve it because they do not know what their doing wrong. In reality there are other options the bully can do besides harm others. They could go talk to someone who they can trust to solve their issues, instead of taking out their own pain on others. 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