Occupational Safety and Health
A. Safety and Health Professionals’ Role in Ethics
The lockout/tagout program is one of the most important aspect of occupational safety and health of any organization. It is a program that deals with the process of controlling the energy such as the electrical, chemical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal as well as other potential energy that will help to prevent different accidents and injuries that can be caused by energy and other aspects that are related (Spellman, 1998, p. 91).
The situation where in the safety manager is insisting that the report must be revised in order to become less specific can be considered as a violation in the professional ethics of safety and health professionals. This is due to the fact that first, the primary obligations of the occupational safety and health professional are to protect the life as well as the health of the workers in any organization. It was violated by the safety manager because, primarily, he is protecting his self from knowing that there are many flaws that are associated with his current management with regards to safety and health aspects of the company. It is also a violation for the professional safety ethics that they must provide competent advice to the employer and must honestly the workers on the protection as well as promotion of health with connection to work (Stellman, 1998, p. 19.27).
The primary solution that can be done in order to handle the situation is to write the senior management executive regarding the issue of safety and health of the company. This can be done by stressing the needs of the company for taking into account scientific knowledge and eventually applying applicable health protection standards such as the exposure limits. It is also important to focus on the obligations of the employers regarding the laws and regulations in protecting the health of the workers (Stellman, 1998, p. 19.27).
References
Goetsch, D. (2007). Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers, 6th Edn., Prentice Hall
Spellman, F. (1998). Surviving an OSHA Audit: A Management Guide. CRC Press
Stellman, J. M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety, 4th Edn., International Labour Organization
B. Hepatitis B (HBV) in the Workplace
Although AIDS epidemic is considered as one of the most important public health and occupational health and safety challenges, Hepatitis B or HBV is considered as more serious compare to AIDS and HIV. The primary reason behind the said situation is that the risk of the transmission of infection of AIDS from one person to another is low, when compared to the HBV (Jeyaratman & Chia, 1994, p. 165). HBV can be transmitted by contact with blood and other body fluids such as tears, saliva and semen (Goetsch, 2007, p. 564).
This can be seen in the growing cases of HBV, there are about average of 43,000 new cases, compare to AIDS having 30,000 new cases (Goetsch, 2007, p. 564). The fact that HBV can be easily transmitted than AIDS shows that it is more serious and must be given adequate attention by the employers and the organizations.
In addition to that, those people who are already infected with the HBV have greater risks to have chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver as well as the primary heptocellular carcinoma. In addition, they are 300 times more possible to have primary liver cancer than those who are not infected. Another important aspect that must be considered is that, it is possible to be infected and not known it because the symptoms changes from one person to another (Goetsch, 2007, p. 565). In addition to that, there are about 500,000 up to 700,000 people who died each year because of the HBV. The said number of death shows that HBV is serious.
The said growing statistics as well as the growing awareness of many organizations and employers regarding the seriousness of HBV compare to AIDS lead to a more serious management and plan regarding HBV vaccine. The said situation is primary applied in most of medical and other occupation that in great risk of transmitting blood and other body fluid.
References
Goetsch, D. (2007). Occupational Safety and Health for Technologists, Engineers, and Managers, 6th Edn., Prentice Hall
Jeyaratnam, J. & Chia K. S. (1994). Occupational Health in National Development, World Scientific
Stellman, J. M. (1998). Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety, 4th Edn., International Labour Organization
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