Term Paper on "Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace"

Term Paper 5 pages (1329 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

OSH Mcdonalds

McDonald's Australia and OS&H

The fast-food industry is one in which adherence to occupational safety standards is absolutely essentially to the health and well-being of workers. Additionally, such compliance is essential in preventing injury, mortality or the assessment of fines or even closures due to lapses in identifying and eliminating risks. This is a condition which applies in different legal contexts according to existing legislation such that multinational firms much be particularly cognizant of nuances between said standards. For McDonald's Australia, an American fast-food giant operating in Australia, compliance to the standards unique to Australia is necessary to protect the company from liability, the employees from risk of injury and personnel on the whole from the array of risks produced by poor training and policy review. The discussion here considers the responsibilities placed in a company such as McDonald's as it attempts to operate safely and responsibly in Australia.

Part I

OHS Act & Regulations:

Specific elements of the Occupational Health & Safety Act which apply to the fast food industry must be given consideration as McDonald's pursues its internal policy orientation. According to Work Safe Victoria (WSV) (2000), it is incumbent upon those managing facilities with inherent risks such as heating elements, cooking machinery and fry ovens to ensure that proper hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control have been implemented. A specific element of importance is that identified in Code of Practice No. 20, 1996, which refers to Confined Spaces. This applies most certainly to the kitchen space, refrigerator space and restaurant area of many McDonald's restaurants and advises of the need for proper ventilation, for necessary fire safety conditions and training, for availability of emergency and first aid treatment and the prevention of obstructed walkways, exits or work areas. (WSV, p. 1)

OHS Industry Expectations:

Industry expectations produced by the OH&S legislation largely center on the responsibility for self-monitoring and, as the Victoria State Government (2005) indicates, proper cooperative efforts with Health and Safety Representatives (HSR). Accordingly, OH&S provides "a basic understanding of the role and powers of health and safety representatives, (HSRs), WorkSafe inspectors and authorized representatives of registered employee organizations." (VSG, p. 2)

Common OHS Risks and Hazards:

Among the common risks and hazards that OHS describes in relation to an operation such as that stewarded by McDonald's, those relating to work with food stuffs including the protection of employees against hazardous materials and those related to food service facilities such as kitchens, heating and cooling spaces, storage areas and waste disposal areas are most pressing. According to WorkSafe Victoria, it is imperative that "all hazards (potential to cause injury or illness) associated with work in a confined space are identified; an assessment is made to determine whether there is any risk (likelihood of injury or illness) associated with the identified hazards; and any risk is eliminated, or if that is not practicable, reduced so far as is practicable." (VSG, p. 1)

Part II

OHS Policy and Management Support:

McDonald's Australia has shown an active willingness at the level of company management and in the deliberation of its policies to work toward total compliance with the terms of OH&S. Its policy centers on an array of methods designed to reduce the risk of accident. Among these, McDonald's reports that personnel at the employee and managerial level are trained to "ensure that we comply with OHS, Workers Compensation and Injury Management Legislation, associations regulations and standards across Australia." (McDonald's, p. 58)

Its adherence to these legal conditions are underscored by its own internal commitment to managing risk through effective monitoring, reviewing, investigating and improving its standards and procedures as these relate to safety, health and procedural norms. (McDonald's, p. 58) The responsibility for these assurances runs from upper management through employees at the crew level. Accordingly, McDonald's states explicitly that it is primarily the responsibility of management to ensure that all policies relating to health and safety are implemented and adhered to fully. Management tasks relating to this… READ MORE

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