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Essay: Health and safety in the workplace

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Published: 12 October 2015*
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Accidents and mishaps are unforeseen circumstances that can affect individuals and groups at any time and in any place. Most accidents are preventable, but the carelessness or negligence of the involved individuals leads to major injuries and grievances. Accidents can also occur in the workplace and seriously affect the ability and health of the involved workers.

The objectives of this essay to discuss the safety and wellbeing of all workers are necessary for the organization not only for consistent productivity but also due to regulatory requirements. Workers and human resources are the necessary components of all organizations due to their role in the effective accomplishment of objectives. Corporations cannot achieve long-term success and sustainable growth in the absence of motivated, safe, healthy, and effective workers. The health and safety of all workers are necessary to ensure the enhancement of productivity and efficiency at all levels and areas. Lack of safety measures can create havoc for the organization and negatively affect the working criterion of an organization. The management has to devise and implement effective safety procedures to reduce hazards and prevent accidents in the workplace. The can motivate the employees through this perspective as employees admire working in organizations that prefer safe working conditions. Employees believe that safer working conditions enhance their ability work because they do not feel scared in troublesome situations. The management should coordinate with all the related stakeholders when they devise policies about safety at workplace, as this would enhance a positive change in an organization. Different legislations also depict that organizations should focus on these perspectives and they should attain self-sufficiency in providing workplace safety.

Introduction

Corporations in the current era focus on the development of employees and they believed in the ideology of benefiting employees through different approaches. Safety at the work force is an important aspect that many organizations of today’s world disregard. Many people face mishaps and accidents in various situations especially due to negligence, recklessness, and carelessness. Many accidents and serious injuries are avoidable and preventable by taking effective safety measures and reducing hazards. For example, drivers and passengers can avoid serious injuries and death by wearing seatbelts while traveling in cars. However, many people fail to realize the importance of seatbelts and face a variety of consequences in the event of an accident. Mishaps and accidents are unforeseen occurrences that can lead to several adverse consequences in the absence of effective safety measures and precautions. Accidents, disasters, and mishaps can also occur in the workplace and affect several employees in the absence of precautions and safety procedures. Certain mediocre organizations do not regard this aspect as important and they do not focus on safety at the workplace. The owners and management of the organization need to implement rules, regulations, procedures, and systems relevant to safety and health. The management also needs to ensure that all workers have ample knowledge and information regarding safety procedures, prevention of accidents, and safe working practices.

Human resources

Human resources are one of the most important assets of the organization with respect to success and growth. The success and growth of the organization depend on the effectiveness and efficiency of the human resources. However, the inefficiencies in human resources caused by any circumstances, occurrences, and events can hinder the accomplishments of the organization. Organizations take all necessary measures to ensure the productivity of all workers and employees to maximize profits and achieve organizational objectives (Blair, 2013). The wellbeing, safety, and health of all employees are among the highest priorities of all organizations. Organizations cannot take risk for their respective employees because an occurrence of a negative event would tarnish the credibility of an organization. Safe and healthy workers are more productive as compared to injured or sick employees. Employees that cannot work in safe conditions feel suffocated because of the risks associated with their respective work. Risks and hazards associated with a specific job or organization adversely affect the morale and motivation level of employees. The unsafe or hazardous working conditions have several long-term psychological and physiological consequences for the workers and the organizations. When a negative event occurs in an organization, it sets up the mindset of an employee. Employees would feel that this event would occur again and this would create hurdles in their effective working process. Organizations need to create a safe and healthy working environment for all workers to ensure high levels of motivation and enhancement in efficiency (Stricoff & Groover, 2012).

Safety at Workplace

Workplace safety refers to the prevention of illness, injury, and hazards in the workplace for all employees. Workplace safety involves the creation of a safe and healthy environment for all workers to evade hazards, injuries, and illnesses. Organizations can ensure the efficiency of all workers and circumvent a considerable amount of costs by ensuring workplace safety and health. Organizations develop different strategies through which they set up different work place safety policies and benefit the workers through this. Workplace injuries and illnesses lead to compensation benefits, health insurance costs, hiring temporary replacements, lost work hours, and lawsuits. Lack of concentration would cost severe damage to an organization and they should sort such issues in order to attain proactive benefits. Business can save a considerable amount of costs by creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all workers. Safeguarding the interests and wellbeing of the employees allows organizations to circumvent costs relevant to injuries and illnesses (Legg, Laird, Olsen, & Hasle, 2014). On the other hand, workplace safety instills a sense of commitment and dedication among the employees due to the safety assurance of the organization. The morale and motivation of the workers increase due to the implementation of rules that safeguard the health and interest of the employees. Employees feel that they are safe to work in this place, and through this perspective, they would perform well.

Purpose of Workplace safety

The primary objective of safety in the workplace is to create a safe, healthy, and risk-free environment for all workers. Workplace safety involves the evaluation, analysis, prevention, and elimination of hazardous and dangerous elements from the workplace. Workplace safety programs evaluate and remove the risks and hazards relevant to the safety, well-being, and health of workers and other relevant individuals. Organizations develop health and safety standards due to several reasons including laws, regulatory requirements, organizational policies, and historical occurrences. Certain industries and their associations bind organizations to work for the benefit of their employees and they force organizations to focus on different safety related perspectives. Workplace injuries and illnesses caused by working conditions or environment can lead to lawsuits, high costs, and deterioration of the corporate image. There are instances when employees at times die because of sever working conditions. Employees might got injured because of certain safety and the lack of safety would be the only probable reason of this. Enhanced safety measures and appropriate quality of these measures can reduce this perspective to a considerable level.

Safety at the workplace enables organizations to comply with regulatory requirements and prevent high costs resulting from injuries and illnesses. Several corporations can consider the fact that these safety measures would save their health and medicinal costs that would arise when an employees would hurt him. They should take proactive measures earlier through which people can benefit from these perspectives. The management can maintain high levels of productivity and efficiency by creating a safe and healthy working environment. Conversely, the employees work with dedication due to their perceptions regarding the commitment of the organization with respect to the wellbeing of the workers.

Importance of safety at workplace

Legislative and legal requirements are the most prominent cause of health and safety policies in most organizations. The Occupational and Safety Health Act is the primary law for the assurance of health and safety of all workers throughout the United States. The Occupational and Safety Health Act (OSHA) necessitates the dissemination of standards, rules, and regulations relevant to the safety and health of workers. The government establishes and enforces the standards for the safety and health of all workers and their families through the Act. All public and private organizations have to comply with the rules, regulations, and standards prescribed in OSHA (Jung & Makowsky, 2014). They would face legal complications if they do not comply with such policies and measures taken by the decision makers. However, many organizations develop and implement health and safety procedures to safeguard their interests relevant to organizational objectives rather than legal requirements. The financial and moral aspects of workers’ health and safety have a greater influence as compared to regulatory compliance. Corporations can save considerable costs by avoiding high insurance expenses, lawsuits, and employee replacement costs in the event of injuries and illnesses (Barling & Frone, 2003).

Manpower and Management

The primary objective of all managers is to enhance and promote productivity and efficiency in all areas and functions. However, the managers cannot uphold efficiency and effectiveness in the absence of a safe workplace. The managers need to create a safe working environment and increase the awareness and knowledge of all employees with respect to safe working practices. The employees and workers also need to understand the importance of workplace safety and reduce personal injury through attentiveness and removal of hazards. These safety hazards are negative for the effectiveness of organizations and create a long-term negative impact. The attitude of the employees, management, and employers plays a vital role in preventing accidents and creating a safe working environment. The negligence on the part of the employers and employees can cause a variety of hazards and accidents (Rahim, Ng, Biggs, & Boots, 2014). However, the diligence and commitment of all stakeholders regarding safe work practices leads to the prevention of major accidents and injuries. The employees and management can create a safe workplace through a shared responsibility model for workplace safety and cooperation. Organizations should own this perspective and they should realize the fact that it is their managerial responsibility to focus on this perspective so that employees can remain safe.

Conclusively, a safety plan is necessary and it comprises of certain steps that would develop a safer workplace. Organizations should make sure that everyone else in the workplace is aware of the core problem. People should notify their respective supervisors and they should file any reports if there is a problem. An important aspect is that people should realize that there is a problem as sitting back and holding the problem for a long time would not solve the problem.

Barling, J., & Frone, M. (2003). The Psychology of Workplace Safety. New Jersey: Amer Psychological Assn. Blair, E. H. (2013). Building safety culture. Professional Safety , 58 (11), 59-65. Cobb, E. (2013). Bullying, Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and Stress: Emerging Workplace Health and Safety Issues. New Jersey: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Jung, J., & Makowsky, M. D. (2014). The determinants of federal and state enforcement of workplace safety regulations: OSHA inspections 1990’2010. Journal of Regulatory Economics , 45 (1), 1-33. Legg, S., Laird, I., Olsen, K., & Hasle, P. (2014). Creating healthy work in small enterprises – from understanding to action: Summary of current knowledge. Small Enterprise Research , 21 (2), 139-147. Mathis, T., & Galloway, S. (2013). Steps to Safety Culture Excellence. New Jersey: Wiley. Rahim, A. N., Ng, H. K., Biggs, D., & Boots, K. (2014). Perceptions of safety, physical working conditions and stress between Malaysia and United Kingdom. International Journal of Business & Society , 15 (2), 321-338. Stricoff, R., & Groover, D. (2012). The Manager’s Guide to Workplace Safety. New York : Safety in Action Press.

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Importance of Health and Safety at Workplace, Essay Example

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Both the employer and the employees are responsible for health and safety of the workplace. The most important responsibility of an employee is taking reasonable care of their own safety and health this means you are you own keeper. The employees should use properly any material provided to them for safety purposes, health and safety. For example protective clothes like gloves, protective masks and laboratory coats should always be worn as required. An employee should also ensure that they understand and adhere to what they are trained on concerning the health and safety policies of the company they are working for. For example they should understand all the technical aspects of the machine they operate to avoid accidents and should also observe safety precautions as far as operation of machines is concerned. In operation of machines, loose clothing, long hair, jewellerly which can get entangled by moving parts of the machine. This can be achieved by avoiding such clothing and jewellerly when operating machines and wearing head scarf incase of the long hair.

In any working environment, employees should also be responsible for their colleague’s health and safety by ensuring that what they do does not pose risk to other workers and the environment (Dalton, 98). For example when mixing chemicals in laboratory poisonous gases might be released and so safety precautions – working in a fume chamber- must be taken to avoid their release to the environment because they can produce hazardous effects to the environment in which case the near surrounding is your colleague and also members of the public. Another example is when working in a microbiology laboratory the dust coats and any other protective clothing worn should remain in the lab to avoid contaminating other environments with microbes some of which are a health hazard.

The employer has also responsibility towards the health and safety of his employees. The very vital role is to ensure that the employees get the best training in understanding safety procedures of the work place and providing sufficient protective measures and materials to their employees. For example they should have measures to cater for any emergencies like in case of fire exits should be available. For the disposable protective material like gloves the employer must ensure constant supply. Employers should also change their employee’s jobs if they report any strains resulting from the kind of job they do or if under any medication that reduces their working ability or even in case of pregnancy. Employers have also the duty of ensuring a comfortable work place for their employees’ their duties include ensuring providing the right work equipment and ensuring proper maintenance ensure that ventilation, washing and rest facilities are up to standard as per health safety and welfare requirements. (Directgov.uk)

Addressing health issues and safety in the workplace does not only help the employer save money but also increases business value. This is because when workers sty healthy and whole the business saves costs which would have been spend on occupational injuries which of course come directly from company profits. Direct cost-savings to businesses include: reduced medical expenditures; lower insurance costs used to compensate workers’; reduced costs incurred in job accommodating workers with injuries; reduced expenditures during return-to-work programs; less expenses for overtime benefits and reduced numbers of faulty product.

Health and safety at workplace also result into decreases in costs incurred indirectly due to: increased productivity, production of products of higher quality which means increased sales. Safe workplace also fosters good labor or management relations and hence employees re motivated consequently there is increased production of high quality products s well s decreased turnover.

Employees and their families benefit from safety health and safety also have benefits to the employees and their families because it minimizes stress and they are able to protect their income as well as protecting injuries from hampering the families. It is very clear that health and safety add value not only to businesses, but also to the workplaces as well s lives and therefore protecting people in the workplace should be in our economy, our families, colleagues, and the community at large best interest(Cogwell Anderson R. & Kaczmarek B., vol.4 )..

OSHA and Its Basic Requirements or Provisions

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an Americans agency under the Labor Department whose responsibility is assuring the health and safety of workers in America by providing education, training and outreach; setting and enforcing standards; encouraging continued improvement in terms of health and safety in the workplace and establishing partnerships (Summary Guide of OSHA Regulations and Requirements).

Requirements or Provisions

OSHA is assigned two main functions by The OSH Act .these re setting standards and inspecting workplace to ensure employers compliance with the standards and provision of a healthful and safe workplace. The OSH Act applies to employees and employers in varied fields like, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, long shoring,, medicine, law, disaster relief and charity , private education and organized labor. Fields not covered by OSH ct include work conditions under the regulation of other federal agencies and statutes like nuclear energy, mining end many parts of the transportation industry, people who re self employed and local government end states employees(Summary Guide of OSHA Regulations and Requirements).

Federal OSHA Standards

OSHA standards my require that employers adopt some means, processes and practices necessary for protecting workers t work. It is the employers’ responsibility to familiarize with standards required by their establishments as well as complying with the standards and to ensure hazardous free conditions to their best capability. Employees must also comply with rules and regulations applicable to their own conduct and actions.

OSHA Standards are divided in four categories: General industry, agriculture, Maritime (long shoring, shipyards, marine terminals and construction. Each of these classes of standards imposes requirements that are aimed to the specific industry except in some instances where they are similar in all industries. Standards that impose similar requirements on all industrial sectors include standards for access to medical records, communication of hazards, access to records of exposure and personal protective equipment.

Equipment for personal protection standard require employers to provide cost free equipment for person protection against certain hazards. Such equipment include goggles, helmets for head protection, eye and hear and gauntlets for iron workers. This standard is separately added to standards for every industrial sector with the exception of agriculture. Access to medical and records of exposure standard requires employers to grant their employees access to all the records they maintain of employees exposure to hazardous substances and medical access. Hazard communication standard require both importers and manufactures of materials that re hazardous to carry out hazard evaluation of the products they import or manufacture and have the containers of the product labeled appropriately if it’s confirmed to be hazardous under the standards terms. In addition safety data sheet should also accompany the material on the first shipment to a new customer. Employers who use the safety data sheet must also have the employees trained on how to follow the safety instructions in the sheet and avoid the present hazardous material.

Reporting, posting and record keeping is imposed by OSHA regulations not a standard. Record keeping regulation require all employers under OSH cover with more than ten employees to maintain specified OSHA records of illnesses and injuries related to job. The regulation has n exception for low industries of low hazards like finance, real estate, some service industries, insurance and retail. The OSHA record keeping requires two forms be filled. form 200 is a log for illnesses or injuries with a separate entry for serious injuries which need recording .These include deaths related to the job, serious illnesses which require hospitalization and medication, restriction from work or motion or which led to transfer from one job to another .the form has also another section where all the injuries for the past year re recorded and posted in the work place every February. The other form is form 101 which provides additional report bout every workers recordable illness or injury. Despite the business category or employee numbers each employer must give reports to the OSHA office in the nearby if any accidents occur and cause hospitalization of more than three employees or cause fatalities. OSHA carries out investigations into the cause of the accident and whether it was s result of violation of standards.

Generally all employers must maintain hazard free workplaces to protect their employees from deaths or serious physical harm regardless of whether OSHA does not give a specific requirement or standard addressing such hazards. in such areas where OSHA has not given a standard to address a certain hazard, its employers responsibility to comply with the “general duty” clause for OSH Act which states that every employer “shall furnish a work place which is free from recognized hazards that are likely to or are causing serious physical harm or death to his employees” (Summary Guide of OSHA Regulations and Requirements).

Works Cited

Cogwell Anderson R. & Kaczmarek B. : The Importance of Promoting Health in the Workplace . The Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants. 2004 Volume 4 Number 1

Dalton A,P. Health and Workplace Hazards . London: Cengage Learning.1998.

Employers’ Health and Safety responsibilities . Web. 9 Oct. 2008 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/HealthAndSafetyAtWork/DG_4016686

Summary Guide of OSHA Regulations and Requirements . Web.4 April 2008 http://www.ehso.com/oshaoverview.php

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Short Essay on Safety First [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF

In today’s session, you will learn to write short essays on the popular term ‘Safety First.’ There are going to be three individual sets of short essays written on the topic covering different word limits.

Feature image of Short Essay on Safety First

Short Essay on Safety First in 100 Words

Safety is the most important measure to take in our lives for any kind of emergency. We are often told about safety first. Safety means protection. We always try to avoid dangers or stay away from any harm. We work very carefully so that we do not get harmed by any problem.

Danger can come at any moment and any place. We are unaware as to when it will attack us. So having safety is our first and foremost priority. Whenever we are at home or outside, we must remember about it. We must never hurry into anything because that can cause us lots of risks. Also, we must keep a safety kit or a first aid box handy. This will help us to tackle any emergency when needed.

Short Essay on Safety First in 200 Words

Safety means any kind of protection that we observe regularly. And safety first also means making safety our biggest priority. Maintaining safety is extremely important to us. It will keep our family and society safe and sound.

The country must have responsible citizens who can maintain safety. So being safe is for the good of everyone. We must always maintain safety measures. Be it in our home or outside, it will help us to live much better. Today we observe how difficult it is to walk peacefully on the roads. It is because people do not follow safety measures.

Some bike riders drive very rashly. They do not care about the pedestrians or people walking on the road. Often it creates accidents. These accidents are fatal and can kill them as well. The drivers do not consider driving safely and slowly. They drive the car or the bus at full speed. As a result, many people daily meet accidents on the roads.

Even animals are not free of these dangers. Little kids and aged people feel scared to go alone on the roads. Even in our homes, we forget to follow safety measures. So we face several problems and are hurt severely. The dangers can become serious if we ignore our safety. So safety first is our greatest duty to everyone in our country.

Short Essay on Safety First in 400 Words

Safety means protection from any sort of danger. The term safety first is, at present, a frequently used term. Safety is something that we prioritize first. Whenever there is danger, we must take an immediate measure of safety to survive the situation. Thus keeping safety as our biggest priority is the best task to do in our lives. We will stay prepared for any hazards that may arrive on our way.

Unfortunately, people nowadays do not consider safety as the primary need. As a result, we often face severe disasters. The biggest danger takes place outside our homes when we are on the road. The bike riders dive their bikes at high speed. They drive rashly over the roads and highways. Hence it becomes very difficult for the aged and the pedestrians to walk on the roads.

Anytime they can meet an accident, and can also die on spot. Similarly, for other vehicles like a bus or a car, we observe the same picture. The buses collide with other trucks and cars while breaking the traffic rules. It is a bad habit to violate the traffic rules and traffic signals for personal benefits. Maintaining safety on roads is for the benefit of everyone. We must follow the signals and use a zebra crossing while moving to a different route. Walking in between vehicles in a hurry or jumping down a bus while it’s moving can cause serious harm.

Even on rail lines, we must be cautious. It is always advisable never to cross a rail line while a train is approaching. Similarly, standing near the door while the train is running at full speed can cause tremendous destruction. Some people often take selfies while standing on railways and even use them as fun places. However, it is stupid to take such things lightly. Everyone should remember the safety that can help them to live better.

Safety first applies to our household as well. If there is a little child or an aged person in the house, then these safety measures become very important. One must keep away all sharp objects, fire, oil, and other poisonous goods from their reach. Burners and cylinders should be switched off to avoid any danger. The doors should be closed so that babies cannot crawl outside the house.

Also, basic hygiene is a part of safety. Keeping the house clean will make it safe. Keeping a first aid box and some emergency medicines will protect us from any immediate need. Hence these basic yet important tips can enable us to live better.

If you have any doubts regarding today’s lesson, kindly let me know through the comment section below. To read more such sessions, keep browsing our website.

Join us on Telegram to get all the latest updates on our upcoming sessions. Thanks for being with us. All the best.

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OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages provide regulatory and enforcement information, hazard identification and controls as well as best practices and other resources to assist employers, workers and safety and health professionals ensure safer workplaces.

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To find a specific Safety and Health Topics Page:

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Are you interested in web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics? Try OSHA's eTools, eMatrix, Expert Advisors and v-Tools ! For other training material, visit OSHA's Training web page . If you are an employer or a small business, visit OSHA's web pages for employers and free services to small businesses . For other General Safety and Health Information, visit the General Safety and Health References page.

Report a Fatality/Severe Injury

All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. A fatality must be reported within 8 hours. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.

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Guest Essay

What the ‘Rust’ Shooting Case Is Really About

A building on the set of the film “Rust” along with an image of Alec Baldwin.

By Kaj Larsen

Mr. Larsen is a military technical adviser, documentary producer and stunt performer who served for 13 years as an officer in the Navy SEALs.

In my first job as a military adviser on a film set, I witnessed the stark contrast between the gun safety culture of my Navy SEAL days and the cavalier attitude toward firearms that permeates Hollywood. During a break in filming, the lead actor, fresh off a stint as a teen heartthrob, picked up a gun and began waving it around, joking with the cast. Instinctively, I leaped toward the actor, grabbed the gun and gave him a hard thump to the chest, admonishing him for “flagging” the entire crew — using the military term for aiming a firearm at someone.

Later, I pulled him aside and drilled into him the cardinal rules of gun safety, rules that become second nature to anyone who handles firearms professionally: Always treat a gun as loaded. Never point it at anything you don’t intend to shoot. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. These aren’t optional guidelines but ironclad laws. If you’re going to handle firearms, even those loaded with blanks, I explained, you have a duty to master these principles.

The disregard for basic gun safety I witnessed that day wasn’t an isolated incident. It was emblematic of a problem in the film industry, and a symptom of the profound contradictions in Hollywood’s attitudes toward firearms.

On movie sets, real guns, often modified to fire blanks, are commonplace. Gunfights and shootouts are staples of blockbuster entertainment, and the characters wielding those weapons, from James Bond to John Wick, are glamorized and idolized. Violence — often stylized gun violence — has long been a lucrative part of the Hollywood ecosystem. At the same time, Hollywood is perceived as a bastion of liberal politics and a leading voice in the push for gun control. After mass shootings, many actors and executives make impassioned pleas for stricter regulations on firearms. They use their influential platform to turn public opinion against American gun culture.

It’s a jarring contradiction, one that the industry has long ignored — but one that I believe it can no longer avoid confronting. The tragic shooting on the set of “Rust” in 2021, which claimed the life of a cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, has cast a harsh spotlight on the consequences of a cavalier attitude toward guns. The details of the episode paint a picture of an environment where basic gun safety protocols were neglected. Live rounds were mixed with blanks. Firearms were handled with shocking nonchalance. The result was a cascading series of errors that culminated in a preventable death.

The conviction last week of the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, for involuntary manslaughter, and an assistant director’s plea of no contest to a charge of negligent handling of a deadly weapon, underscore the systemic nature of the problem. It’s not just about individual lapses in judgment but about a broader culture of laxity and disregard for the lethal potential of firearms on set.

The “Rust” tragedy should be a wake-up call for Hollywood. It demands a top-to-bottom re-evaluation of how guns are handled in the entertainment industry. The industry needs stronger safety protocols and more rigorous training, in conjunction with experienced and qualified armorers. It needs actors to educate themselves and respect the deadly power of guns, even those firing blanks. It needs producers and directors to prioritize safety over expediency. And it needs a system where anyone can speak up about unsafe practices without fear of reprisal.

Since Ms. Hutchins’s death, some in the industry have begun to take action. Guy Ritchie, a veteran action movie director known for films that prominently feature firearms, announced he would no longer use real guns on his sets, instead opting for airsoft pellet weapons. The actor Dwayne Johnson, whose production company is behind action films like “Red Notice,” committed to avoiding real firearms on his sets, even if it meant increased visual effects costs. Over 200 cinematographers also signed an open letter calling for a ban on functional firearms in filmmaking and refusing to work on sets that use them.

These are encouraging steps. But these actions need to be part of a fundamental cultural shift — one that brings to film sets the seriousness and respect for firearms that are drilled into military and law enforcement professionals.

The very language Hollywood uses, particularly the term “prop gun,” is emblematic of the problem. The phrase “prop gun” suggests something inauthentic, a harmless facsimile of a real weapon. This is a dangerous misnomer. The guns used in films are typically real firearms, often modified to fire blank rounds or to be nonfunctional. By referring to them as mere props, the industry perpetuates a false sense of safety, downplaying the genuine risks these weapons pose.

The military’s approach to gun safety is a stark counterpoint to Hollywood’s complacency. In the military, every round, whether blank or live, is treated as potentially lethal. Any exercise involving firearms involves multiple, meticulous safety checks. The final responsibility rests with the individual pulling the trigger, who must confirm the weapon’s safety before firing. It’s a culture of uncompromising discipline and accountability, where the consequences of complacency are well understood.

The most important lesson Hollywood can learn from the military is an ethic of shared responsibility — that everyone, regardless of rank, has a duty to ensure safety. In the Navy, if a young sailor crashes a ship while the captain sleeps, both are held responsible. In 2023 alone, the Navy relieved 16 commanding officers, some almost certainly due to the actions of their subordinates. That accountability is what’s sorely lacking in Hollywood.

The path forward is clear, if not easy. Hollywood must adopt a new ethic, one that treats guns with the seriousness they deserve. It must foster a culture where safety is paramount, where no one is too important or too busy to follow basic protocols. It must train its talent, its crews and its leadership to view gun safety not as an optional extra but as a core competency and a moral imperative.

The film industry has a unique power to shape culture, to lead society in grappling with complex issues. But it can’t authentically take on the debate around America’s relationship with guns until it resolves its own internal contradictions. It can’t advocate responsible gun laws while simultaneously glamorizing reckless gun use. And it can’t demand accountability from others while avoiding it on its own film sets.

Kaj Larsen is a military technical adviser, documentary producer and stunt performer who served for 13 years as an officer in the Navy SEALs.

Photographs by Gabriela Campos/AFP, via Getty Images, and Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

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Protecting Confidentiality in the Digital Ecosystem of Humanitarian Aid

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INTRODUCTION

Social media, news headlines, and podcasts implicitly and explicitly remind us of the digital misinformation maelstrom we navigate every day to understand the truth of current events. Misinformation feeds off the topics that impact our lives and draw our attention – war, health, politics, identity, fear, and empathy. Misinformation has a digital reach faster and wider than true information based on its nature of novelty and emotional instigation. [1] It draws from data leakages, twists the truth, incites emotional responses, and can undermine real efforts to protect and aid vulnerable communities. Many of the places and events targeted by misinformation are sites of humanitarian crises such as Gaza, Yamen, and Ukraine among many others. Humanitarian groups conceived to provide relief to vulnerable communities are susceptible to personal harm and impeded aid because the organizational structure is not equipped for misinformation and data security breaches. While propaganda and misinformation did not emerge in the contemporary, their scope, speed, and impact have exponentially increased as the world’s use of digital media for communication developed. The current state of misinformation and data leakages are threats to humanitarian efforts, especially the vital and nuanced task of humanitarian medical aid that now simultaneously relies on the digital information ecosystem.

Humanitarian efforts center on the four main principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. The United Nations Refugee Agency specifies that ‘humanity’ refers to addressing human suffering wherever it is found to ensure health and respect, ‘neutrality’ is to not engage in political, racial, religious, or ideological controversies, ‘impartiality’ is to provide aid based on need alone without bias and priority, and ‘operational independence’ is to conduct aid autonomous from agendas or actors in sectors such as political, economic, or military. [2] Medecins Sans Frontieres explicitly states neutrality, impartiality, independence, bearing witness, and accountability in their code of principles. Their statement on medical ethics is much more vague. It aims to “carry out our work with respect for the rules of medical ethics, in particular the duty to provide care without causing harm to individuals or groups. We respect patients’ autonomy, patient confidentiality, and their right to informed consent.” [3] Confidentiality is mentioned, but in the nondescript sense that could refer to confidentiality outlined in any number of medical ethics contexts.

Three most commonly referred to ethical codes in Western medicine are the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont Report, and the Code of the American Medical Association (AMA). The Declaration of Helsinki places confidentiality in the context of research and was written pre-digital age in the 1960s. [4] The Belmont Report does not mention confidentiality or patient privacy in its summation of medical ethics from 1978. [5] Lastly, the AMA’s Code of Medical Principles upholds that physicians “shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the law.” [6] This AMA principle was adopted in 1957 and revised in 2001, still before the onset of widely accessible digital media. These three medical ethics codes are the standard of Western medicine, and yet they are decades obsolete when facing the harm of digital misinformation and data leakages. Humanitarian aid organizations cannot afford to rely on outdated medical ethical codes amid digital misinformation and data leakages.

Medical humanitarian relief groups such as Medecins Sans Frontiers, the International Medical Corps, the WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, rely on the medical ethics defined in the aforementioned guides in addition to their humanitarian foundation. These codes, while useful, were written prior to the digital age. And, as our methods of communication, medical delivery, and global action have evolved and digitized, the ethics guiding medical practice should be updated to reflect this dramatic change. Humanitarian medical organizations need the digital ecosystem to store metadata for medical services such as patient history, blood type, metrics on locations in need of aid, missing person searches, and funding. The levels of data vulnerable to misconstruction and hacking exist on the personal and organizational levels. Individual providers and the organizational body should prioritize confidentiality. Thus humanitarian medical ethics should adapt to the reality of the digital age to not endanger the populations receiving aid and to not propagate harm.

Misinformation and data leakage can lead to microtargeting, defamation, provider endangerment, and other harms preventing medical service. The European Data Protection Supervisor details how the personal information collected by organizations, such as medical, can be stolen or misconstrued to affect microtargeting, placing individuals in the direct path of echo chambers, digital tracking, and manipulation. [7] The International Broadcasting Trust released a report in 2018 detailing the extent to which misinformation was impacting the humanitarian aid groups it broadcasts to. [8] For example, the report shared that rumors spread by right-wing political groups in 2017 falsely circulated that humanitarian groups in the Mediterranean were collaborating with child trafficking rings. [9] After causing defamation, the right-wing group sent a boat to block and detain the humanitarian group’s search and rescue boat. This was one incident among many where providers and patients were put in harm’s way through misinformation and the misuse of location data. Other disinformation campaigns can be carried out by governments as well; in Syria and Ukraine, the Russian government has been specifically targeting Red ross and White Helmets. [10] Beneficial medical services cannot be delivered if providers and patients are targeted. In January of 2022, the International Association of the Red Cross was hacked. Approximately 515,000 vulnerable persons’ data was leaked and became inaccessible to the IARC providers. [11] If an organization cannot protect access to its digital ecosystem, humanitarian medical aid efforts can be rendered ineffective.

Additionally, misinformation and breached data cause the less immediate but more widely impactful harm of distrust. Stakeholders and funding sources can withdraw from supporting medical humanitarian aid organizations. Beneficial medical services cannot be offered if there is no monetary backing. Providers and patients also have their own digital devices and means of communication which can lead to sensitive information being shared online or with non-neutral parties. If a patient cannot trust their provider or the organization a provider acts in the name of, medical services can be refused. Beneficial medical service cannot be conducted if the trust of the patient is compromised by humanitarian groups failing to prioritize patient confidentiality. Confidentiality should be prioritized in humanitarian medical aid to safeguard against the extended harms of data leakage, misinformation, and malintent.

Some critiques may postulate that due to the uniqueness of each community aided by medical humanitarian organizations, over-standardization from rigid ethical codes may occur, that standardization can lead to inflexibility with communities and render aid strategies ineffective. However, the reality is that ethical frameworks make sure that individual actors are not monolithic – they allow for collaboration and joint work. The WHO Global Health and Peace Initiative’s recent adoption of conflict sensitivity, along with other organizations’ additions of similar language, ensure that there is a feedback loop incorporated into the ethical code to mitigate unintended harm. Thus, ethical codes are helping providers to respond in unprecedented situations with consciousness to harm propagation. In events of limited time and of crisis, comprehensive ethical codes are especially beneficial because we rely on habits and pre-established information banks.

Humanitarian medical ethics should include a specific guide for confidentiality. Without forethought and the integration of traditional and digital confidentiality as a main tenant, medical humanitarian organizations will continue to act retrospectively. Trust in stakeholder-provider-patient relationships will continue to disintegrate. The current status quo of medical ethics in the humanitarian aid sector poses multiple risks for providers and patients whereas adopting stronger confidentiality language is a tangible step towards the protection of vulnerable communities from the harms of digital misinformation and data leakage.

[1] Vosoughi, Soroush, Deb Roy, and Sinan Aral. “The Spread of True and False News Online.” Science 359, no. 6380 (2018): 1146–51. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aap9559 .

[2] “Conflict Sensitivity and the Centrality of Protection.” The Global Portection Cluster , March 2022. https://www.globalprotectioncluster.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/220318_gpc_-_conflict_sens.pdf .

[3] “Our Charter and Principles.” MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES - MIDDLE EAST. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://www.msf-me.org/about-us/principles/our-charter-and-principles#:~:text=We%20give%20priority%20to%20those,of%20governments%20or%20warring%20parties.&text=The%20principles%20of%20impartiality%20and%20neutrality%20are%20not%20synonymous%20with%20silence .

[4] “WMA - The World Medical Association-WMA Declaration of Helsinki – Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects.” The World Medical Association. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/ .

[5] Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). “ The Belmont Report.” United States Department of Health and Human Services , September 27, 2022. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/regulations-and-policy/belmont-report/read-the-belmont-report/index.html .

[6] American Medical Association . “The Code .” AMA principles of Medical Ethics. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://code-medical-ethics.ama-assn.org/principles .

[7] “EDPS Opinion on Online Manipulation and Personal Data .” European Data Protection Supervisor. Accessed December 24, 2023. https://edps.europa.eu/sites/edp/files/publication/18-03-19_online_manipulation_en.pdf .

[8] Robin. “Faking It: Fake News and How It Impacts on the Charity Sector.” International Broadcasting Trust, March 13, 2020. https://www.ibt.org.uk/reports/faking-it/ .

[9] Reed, B. “Charities Colluding with Traffickers? Fake News.” The Guardian, February 15, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/feb/15/charities-aid-agencies-fake-news-says-report .

[10] Sant, Shannon Van. “Russian Propaganda Is Targeting Aid Workers.” Foreign Policy, August 1, 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/08/01/russia-disinformation-ukraine-syria-humanitarian-aid-workers/ .

[11] International Committee of the Red Cross. “Hacking the Data of the World’s Most Vulnerable Is an Outrage.” International Committee of the Red Cross, October 27, 2022. https://www.icrc.org/en/document/hacking-data-outrage .

Editor’s pick in Voices in Bioethics' 2023 persuasive essay contest.

Disclaimer: These essays are submissions for the 2023 essay contest and have not undergone peer review or editing.

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What The Conviction of a Parent of a School Shooter Could Mean

Stephanie Desmon

The manslaughter conviction of Jennifer Crumbley, whose son shot and killed four students at his school, is unprecedented. But will it be a watershed moment for gun violence in schools? In this Q&A, adapted from the March 1 episode of Public Health On Call , Tim Carey , JD, a law and policy adviser at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions , talks about the unique facts of this case, its larger implications, and why child access prevention laws are an important part of the conversation.

Tell us about this unprecedented case. The case of Jennifer Crumbley is truly unprecedented.

Never before in the history of this country has a parent been charged for the offenses committed by their child in a school shooting, which is saying something in America, where we have the highest rate of school shootings among peer nations.

To get a sense of why this case is so important, let's look at the facts. There was a hearing in a Michigan criminal court in February 2024 where [Jennifer Crumbley] the mother of the Oxford High School shooter was tried and found guilty on four counts of manslaughter, one for each child that her son murdered in the Oxford High School shooting on November 30, 2021. The rationale behind these charges was that she was so negligent, so reckless in how she handled firearms, how she allowed her child to have access to firearms, and how she failed to see or act upon all the warning signs that led up to the shooting, that the court actually found her criminally liable.

To understand the gravity of how the court reached this finding, we should look back to the shooting itself. On that day, school officials brought the shooter's parents into school to discuss their son's mental health and well-being after he depicted a gun and bloodshed on a school assignment. His teachers were very worried and called his parents that same day, but the parents opted to not take their child home. Hours later, the child began shooting fellow students and school staff with a gun that he had in his backpack that his parents had bought for him a few days before.

This child [Ethan Crumbley] killed four students and wounded seven others, including a teacher. He was 15 at the time he committed this crime and was later found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in his own criminal case. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole last year.

So his mother gifted him this gun at 15 years old?

Yes. In Michigan, youth under age 18—can possess guns legally in certain circumstances. Typically they revolve around hunting, being at a shooting range, or otherwise being under the supervision of someone older than 18. In this case, though it is technically legal in Michigan for this child to possess the gun, the context in which the child used the gun was not legal.

To me, these facts are egregious, and this seems like the perfect case to find the parent responsible. Do you think there will be other cases where the parent is found liable?

It's definitely been buzzing around in news cycles recently, but was this case a watershed moment for other parents to be held criminally liable for the actions of their children? It's unlikely, in large part because of just how extreme this particular case was. The parents gave their troubled child a firearm days before the shooting and ignored flagrant warning signs of violence that were clearly evident to the school to the point where they brought the parents in.

The facts are so clear in this case that I could see readily how a jury would find the parents’ conduct to be worthy of criminal negligence and recklessness. The majority of school shooting cases aren’t this clear cut—it’s sometimes unclear how the child got access to the gun or how visible the warning signs were.

I think this case is very important in terms of accountability, and it’s bringing attention to the critical issue of youth firearm access. But there's still much to be done in terms of mitigating the risks of further gun violence in schools, and I don't think this case will solve all of that.

Ethan Crumbley's father is also scheduled to be tried for the same crimes.

Yes, that's right. Due to the unprecedented nature of the rulings, we expect to see appeals, which could take years. But at least at this moment, it has shown a new avenue, a different treatment toward school shootings and accountability.

About three-quarters of school shooters in recent years got their guns at home. What does this mean in terms of liability?

Comprehensive investigations of school shootings between 1999 and 2018 found that around 80% of school shooters obtained the guns they used in the shooting from their home or from the home of a friend, which implies that unsecured, readily accessible firearms are part of what enables youth to harm themselves and others with guns.

This brings us to evidence-based policy that the Center for Gun Violence Solutions has advocated for in many states: safe storage laws.

Safe storage laws provide clear guidance for how firearms should be stored: in a locked container, unloaded, and otherwise inaccessible to people not authorized to use them—largely minors and children, but also home invaders, friends, guests—essentially anyone who doesn't own the gun.

Among the safe storage laws is a subsection called child access prevention (CAP) laws. CAP laws require that there be safe storage of firearms, and if a child accesses those firearms, there are additional levels of criminal penalties in most cases or civil liability in some states.

I n light of what happened in Michigan, I understand you testified before state legislators about safe storage laws?

Yes. Michigan had a landmark legislative session in 2023 regarding firearms laws and policies. One critical policy they introduced and later passed was a CAP law that was in large part inspired by this case, as well as by seeing this law being used and implemented across the country.

CDC data from the past several years has shown that firearms were the leading cause of death for youth ages 1–19 in the U.S. in 2020, 2021, and 2022. And though we're still analyzing data from 2023, it's unfortunately expected for that trend to remain the same.

There's been a lot more focus on how to prevent youth from accessing firearms and using them to harm themselves or others, and CAP laws have shown to be an effective means of doing so.

We almost never see charges against the parents in the case of school shootings. Is that because the laws aren't in place, or is it because prosecutors don't choose to pursue the parents?

Part of the issue, and why we see fewer court hearings on these cases in particular, is that they are tragedies. Often in these cases, the child takes their own life, which can be painful. For prosecutors, sometimes it's difficult to imagine trying a parent who is mourning the loss of their child. However, this case was different. The negligence and recklessness on the part of the parents in the Oxford High School shooting case are at an entirely different level than the majority of school shooting cases.

But still, there's a general discomfort or unwillingness to bring charges in these cases, if the facts are even clear enough to bring a case at all. This is why instead of applying punitive measures after the fact, preventative and educational measures such as CAP laws help put parents on notice about how firearms should be safely stored. It also establishes the gravity of what it could mean if a child were to access these guns and makes it less likely that youth will access them and use them.

So, even though the case in Michigan is unique, it does open parents’ eyes to what could happen if they aren't more careful.

Exactly. This is a tragic situation, but it does at least raise awareness that this is a serious issue.

But for his [Ethan Crumbley] parents buying him a gun, he would not have had one. But for parents leaving their firearms unlocked, loaded, and in readily accessible places, a child would not have been able to get them and use them to commit a shooting. Again, a lot of our focus here is on prevention: how we can see the risks in front of us, calculate the measures, and then try to find ways to mitigate them. And this is where CAP laws really shine.

Note: Since this podcast was recorded, a man in Michigan became the first person to be charged under the state’s new firearms storage law. The law requires gun owners to store firearms unloaded and secured with a locking device or in a lockbox if a minor lives at or is likely to visit their property.

Stephanie Desmon is the co-host of the Public Health On Call podcast. She is the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs , the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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The hand of a person with a pulse oximeter on their finger, with an illustration of the coronavirus in the background

UK report reveals bias within medical tools and devices

Experts say action needed as report finds minority ethnic people, women and those from deprived backgrounds at risk of poorer healthcare

Minority ethnic people, women and people from deprived communities are at risk of poorer healthcare because of biases within medical tools and devices, a report has revealed.

Among other findings, the Equity in Medical Devices: Independent Review has raised concerns over devices that use artificial intelligence (AI), as well as those that measure oxygen levels. The team behind the review said urgent action was needed.

Prof Frank Kee, the director of the centre for public health at Queen’s University Belfast and a co-author of the review, said: “We’d like an equity lens on the entire lifecycle of medical devices, from the initial testing, to recruitment of patients either in hospital or in the community, into the early phase studies and the implementation in the field after they are licensed,.”

The junior health minister Andrew Stephenson said: “Making sure the healthcare system works for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, is paramount to our values as a nation. It supports our wider work to create a fairer and simpler NHS.”

The government-commissioned review was set up by Sajid Javid in 2022 when he was health secretary after concerns were raised over the accuracy of pulse oximeter readings in Black and minority ethnic people.

The widely used devices were thrown into the spotlight due to their importance in healthcare during the Covid pandemic, where low oxygen levels were an important sign of serious illness.

The report has confirmed concerns pulse oximeters overestimate the amount of oxygen in the blood of people with dark skin, noting that while there was no evidence of this affecting care in the NHS, harm has been found in the US with such biases leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment, as well as worse organ function and death, in Black patients.

The team members stress they are not calling for the devices to be avoided. Instead the review puts forward a number of measures to improve the use of pulse oximeters in people of different skin tones, including the need to look at changes in readings rather than single readings, while it also provides advice on how to develop and test new devices to ensure they work well for patients of all ethnicities.

Concerns over AI-based devices were also highlighted by the report, including the potential for such technology to exacerbate the under-diagnosis of cardiac conditions in women, lead to discrimination based on patients’ socioeconomic status, and result in under-diagnosis of skin cancers in people with darker skin tones. Concerns over the latter, they say, is down to the fact AI devices are largely trained on images of lighter skin tones.

The report also noted problems with polygenic risk scores – which are often used to provide a measure of an individual’s disease risk due to their genes.

“Major genetic datasets that polygenic risk scores use are overwhelmingly on people of European ancestry, which means that they may not be applicable to people of other ancestries,” said Enitan Carrol, professor of paediatric infection at the University of Liverpool and a co-author of the review.

However, attempts to correct biases can also be problematic. Among examples highlighted by the report are race-based corrections applied to measurements from devices known as spirometers that are used to assess lung function and diagnose respiratory conditions, have themselves been found to contain biases.

Prof Habib Naqvi, the chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, welcomed the findings, adding the review acknowledged the need for immediate modifications, equity assessments and tighter guidance and regulation around pulse oximeters and other medical devices.

“Access to better health should not be determined by your ethnicity nor by the colour of your skin; medical devices therefore need to be fit-for-purpose for all communities,” he said.

“It’s clear the lack of diverse representation in health research, the absence of robust equity considerations and the scarcity of co-production approaches, have led to racial bias in medical devices, clinical assessments and in other healthcare interventions.”

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Health and Safety Legislation and Compliance Essay

Introduction.

The high speed of modern life aimed at improving productivity, intensity, and quality of work lead to the premature ageing of the human body, to the growth of the frequency of psychological and physical diseases, the number of industrial accidents along with occupational diseases. In this regard, the need for compliance with health and safety legislation of workers focused on preserving their health in the workplace becomes evident. This paper reflects two approaches concerning the above theme, in particular, strict punishment, including sanctions and enhancement of the self-awareness of employees resulting in the concise analysis of their benefits and disadvantages.

Employees’ Responsibility

The importance of health and safety legislation is determined by plenty of organizations and scholars. According to Taylor and Emir, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 forms “the cornerstone of the criminal arm of the health and safety law system” (2015, p. 470). First of all, it seems necessary to point out the principal objectives of any company in the field of health and safety at work:

ensuring healthy and safe working conditions for employees;
providing the availability of reliable information about occupational safety and health in the company;
raising the level of responsibility of each employee regardless of his profession or position;
ensuring an appropriate level of competence in the field of occupational health and safety by providing high-quality training;
permanent improvement of workplace safety through the introduction of new technologies and the use of modern means of individual protection;
continuous improvement of occupational safety and health management system in order to maintain it in a form corresponding to the current needs of society.

Therefore, the enforcement of rules, procedures, criteria, and standards established by the labour legislation procures the preservation of life and health of workers in the workplace.

In their turn, employees are required to:

comply with the requirements of health and safety legislation;
utilize means of individual and collective protection;
be trained according to appropriate methods and techniques for safe execution of work and provision of first aid in the workplace, instructions on occupational safety training in the workplace, and verification of knowledge;
immediately notify the manager of every accident that occurred in the workplace that threatens life and health;
mandatorily undergo preliminary and periodic medical examinations as well as medical check-ups as per employer’s request (Griffith, & Howarth, 2014).

Violations of the health and safety legislation not only entail the administrative responsibility of the employer and the particular attention of the supervisory authority but also, most importantly, increase the risk of injury and even death of workers.

Established Standards and Implementing Harsh Punishment as a Means of Health and Safety Legislation Security

The first approach is related to enforcement. In order to ensure the compliance of the health and safety legislation, plenty of organizations apply the economic sanctions to employees based on regulatory requirements of the labour legislation. Violation of health and safety legislation could be considered as a violation of labour discipline. For instance, for a disciplinary offence that is the non-performance or improper performance of work duties of an employee assigned to him, the employer might use the following disciplinary sanctions: observation, reprimand, and dismissal. Disciplinary responsibility involves the imposition of disciplinary sanctions on workers provided by the internal labour regulations (Backhouse, 2013).

Taking into account the gravity of the offence, circumstances of its commission as well as the previous behaviour of the employee, the employer chooses the corresponding recovery. The refusal or evasion of medical examination without the valid excuse and the employee’s refusal to perform during working hours of special training or examinations of labour protection are considered a violation of labour discipline. In addition, the employee is subject to criminal liability in the case if the act negligently caused grave or medium-gravity damage to human health resulting in human death or other grave consequences in case of accidents, fires, and other incidents (Branson, 2015). It shows the greatest extent of the possible punishment.

Consequently, legal means to enhance health and safety at work include specific legislative and normative acts while a special role is given to the labour law. Regulating sources for preventive supervision are standards of safety, sanitary, and other regulations. Among the most important measures promoting health and safety legislation, there are requirements concerning safe work practices. Besides, periodic medical examinations provide health surveillance and detection of early warning signs of diseases. Thus, regulatory requirements are essential in the creation of healthy and safe working conditions.

Encouraging Self-reliance to Monitor and Enhance Safety in the Workplace

The second approach of encouraging seems to be more humanistic. It consists of the majority techniques aimed at enhancement of employees’ self-awareness of the health and safety legislation.

The scientific and technical progress that opens up new possibilities for improving occupational safety and health, creating healthy and safe working conditions and allowing eliminating occupational injuries and diseases is of great importance. In spite of the fact that the progress of science and technology might be a new dangerous and harmful production factor that would pose new challenges connected with labour protection, it is very significant to acquaint employees with it by means of training (Papadopoulos, Georgiadou, Papazoglou, & Michaliou, 2010).

In this connection, the employer or manager should convince workers of the need for security measures, to help them in the development of a conscious attitude to rules and regulations, to get interested in the implementation of corresponding activities, in other words, to promote the compliance with health and safety legislation (Hughes & Ferrett, 2016).

The structural elements of employees’ training and reliance system include the following information facility: sources, methods, institutions, information, and technical tools; media instruments brochures, memos, posters, instructions, and requirements. All the components are interconnected. Training methods should be based on methods and techniques of explanation of the influence on the consciousness, feelings, and actions in order to develop a culture of safety. The organizational forms of training might consist of lectures, seminars, or conferences.

Appropriate Balance between Enforcement and Encouragement

This part of the paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and points out the possible solution of their balanced compliance.

Among benefits of the enforcement approach, one might mention its high productivity conditioned by fear to lose a part of income and rigorous inspections. However, fear cannot provide the long-term success of the company and compliance with the health and safety legislation as all the employees would feel suppressed, and their enthusiasm for work would steadily decrease. As for the encouragement approach, it contributes to job satisfaction and good relationships within the company as well as to the ethics of the profession. Nevertheless, people tend to relax in such convenient conditions of work. That is why the employer cannot utilize only the approach of encouragement. As a result, it becomes apparent that the adequate balance of approaches would be the best decision.

With the above analysis in mind, it seems appropriate to suppose the health and safety legislation promotion steps. In my point of view, both approaches are rather considered to achieve the essential goals of the company and the general welfare of employees. However, only their balanced application would contribute to success. Precisely speaking, I recommend educating and training employees, giving them some time to learn the required information and practice and check their knowledge by means of tests or oral examination. It should be stressed that the examination should clarify the knowledge of health and safety laws and regulations. After that, in the case of violation of the legislation, strict sanctions would be a justifiable measure of punishment.

In order to avoid violations, it is also important to inform employees of conditions changes and occupational safety and health in the workplace, the risk of damage to health, and their rights to compensation and personal protective equipment.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the health and safety legislation is a system of preservation of life and health of employees in the workplace that includes legal, socio-economic, organizational, technical, and other measures. It was stated that employees should possess the necessary amount of knowledge and its application in the workplace. In addition, it is necessary to apply adequate sanctions for those failing to meet the established standards.

Backhouse, J. (2013). Essential health and safety study skills . New York: Routledge.

Branson, D. (2015). An introduction to health and safety law . New York: Routledge.

Griffith, A., & Howarth, T. (2014). Construction health and safety management . New York: Routledge.

Hughes, P., & Ferrett, E. (2016). Introduction to international health and safety at work (6th ed.). New York: Routledge.

Papadopoulos, G., Georgiadou, P., Papazoglou, C., & Michaliou, K. (2010). Occupational and public health and safety in a changing work environment: An integrated approach for risk assessment and prevention. Safety Science, 48 (8), 943-949.

Taylor, S., & Emir, A. (2015). Employment law (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

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IvyPanda. (2020, September 9). Health and Safety Legislation and Compliance. https://ivypanda.com/essays/health-and-safety-legislation-and-compliance/

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Challenges to DOL’s Contractor Rule: Mounting Lawsuits Explained

By Rebecca Rainey

The US Department of Labor’s new worker classification rule is facing at least four lawsuits alleging the regulation is illegal, with less than a week before the new policy is set to go into effect.

Freelance writers, a trucking company, and groups representing construction, financial services, and tech companies have filed four separate legal challenges in federal district court in Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana contending the new standard , which will make it harder for businesses to use independent contractors, violates the Administrative Procedure Act and departs from the text of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The growing pile of lawsuits threatens to disrupt the Biden administration’s implementation of the new rule due to take effect March 11. The DOL says the regulatory update will better protect workers from misclassification, but the business community warns it could have major consequences for industries that rely on independent contractors to operate their services—like Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., as well as the trucking, construction, and other sectors.

And the multi-district nature of the litigation also could lead to splits among the district and appellate courts, inviting potential US Supreme Court review.

1. What does the DOL rule do?

Whether a worker is classified as an independent contractor or an employee can present a host of legal and tax responsibilities for a business.

Workers who are considered employees are protected by most federal labor laws, including the minimum wage and overtime rules policed by the DOL. Independent contractors, on the other hand, are considered to be in business for themselves and aren’t covered under those rules.

The latest DOL rule is expected to generally make it harder for workers to be considered independent contractors, but the Biden administration has vowed it won’t result in widespread changes to worker classification across the economy and instead relies on historic case law.

The new rule issued by the Labor Department in January outlines six non-exhaustive factors that the agency will consider in the relationship between a worker and a company when determining how a worker should be treated for purposes of the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA.

It also would cancel a more business-friendly contractor standard finalized by the Trump administration in January 2021 that outlined a simpler classification test focusing more on how much control workers have over their duties and their opportunities for earnings.

The agency has defended the new rule as “aligned with the Department’s decades-long approach (prior to the 2021 IC Rule) as well as with federal appellate case law,” and one that “is more consistent with the Act’s text and purpose as interpreted by the courts,” compared to the Trump administration’s classification rule.

2. What are the legal challenges against the rule?

Freelancers and businesses that rely on independent contractors have filed four separate suits against the DOL rule, arguing that the new standard is an arbitrary and capricious policy change that violates the APA.

“In practice, the 2024 Rule will force freelancers to enter undesirable employment relationships or to refrain from working at all,” according to a complaint filed by Nashville, Tenn.-based freelance writers Margaret Littman and Jennifer Chesak in federal court in Tennessee Feb. 21.

That lawsuit contends that the DOL ran afoul of the APA because it “failed to provide a reasoned explanation” for changing its approach to worker classification. The new rule also “deviates” from the meaning of the FLSA, and thus goes beyond the agency’s statutory authority, the freelancers’ complaint said.

Nearly identical arguments were made against the rule in a legal challenge filed by Frisard’s Transporation LLC in a federal court in Louisiana Feb. 8, and a separate lawsuit filed by another group of freelance writers in a Georgia federal court in January.

The Nashville freelancers also argue that the new rule violates the US Constitution’s non-delegation doctrine, which prohibits Congress from delegating its lawmaking powers to other entities and has become a common argument lodged by opponents of agency regulations.

3. What about previous litigation?

Business groups have been successful in blocking the Biden administration’s attempts to regulate on worker classification in the past.

In 2022, a Texas federal judge agreed with arguments made by Coalition for Workforce Innovation, Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., and the Financial Services Institute that an earlier 2021 Biden rule on worker classification was invalid because the agency failed to consider alternatives to the rulemaking. Like the 2024 contractor rule, the 2021 rule sought to cancel the Trump classification standard.

That legal challenge had been paused in the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit while the DOL developed the new rulemaking, but the business groups have since been given the green light to update the case with their fresh legal concerns in the wake of the 2024 rule.

The Fifth Circuit in February granted the group’s uncommon request to renew their lawsuit in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, putting the case before the same venue that sided with the coalition in 2022.

While the business groups haven’t yet amended their complaint, their request for remand suggested that the new 2024 rule also creates fresh legal questions under the APA.

The groups said the rule “fails to provide any meaningful analysis of alternatives to wholly replacing the 2021 Independent Contractor Rule,” and should be reviewed to see if the DOL complied with the APA when issuing the 2024 rule.

4. What’s next?

Notably, not one of the plaintiffs in the four cases so far has requested to delay the effective date of the rule, which is set to go into effect March 11.

Instead, the groups have requested the courts issue injunctions to prevent the DOL from enforcing the rule and to issue a ruling setting aside the rulemaking as unlawful.

While the groups have noted the approaching effective date and requested that the courts consider their requests expeditiously, it’s possible the rule will go into effect before the courts can weigh the merits of those legal arguments and cause some regulatory whiplash if a court were to block the agency from enforcing the rule later down the road.

The cases are Littman v. DOL , M.D. Tenn., No. 3:24-cv-00194; Frisard’s Transp., L.L.C. v. DOL , E.D. La., No. 2:24-cv-00347; Coal. for Workforce Innovation v. Walsh , E.D. Tex., No. 1:21-cv-00130; and Warren v. DOL , N.D. Ga., No. 2:24-cv-00007.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rebecca Rainey in Washington at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Genevieve Douglas at [email protected] ; Laura D. Francis at [email protected]

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We have a crisis of police recruitment and retention in Suffolk County and elsewhere

As policing becomes more complex, there is a need to raise the qualifications and standards to become an officer. Credit: James Carbone

While issues like migrant crime, fentanyl overdoses, and gang murders grab headlines, the greatest threat to public safety is the plummeting rates of police recruitment and retention.

We're nearing crisis levels, and without properly staffed and experienced police departments, crime rates will spike in every category and public safety will decline.

In 1996, the Suffolk County Police Officer Exam had 41,504 applicants. The most recent exam application period in 2023 yielded just 13,455 applicants — a 67% drop.

The SCPD is not alone in this trend. After declining applicant turnout, New York City waived its test fee, reduced physical standards, and eliminated the requirement that applicants complete a timed 1.5-mile run. Los Angeles relaxed physical standards, made the written exam less difficult, and ended the process of disqualifying candidates for having financial issues. And Detroit is recruiting applicants even if they have outstanding low-level arrest warrants.

As policing has become increasingly complex, we should be raising the qualifications and standards needed to become an officer. Instead, we’re overlooking drug use, disregarding criminal history, and dumbing down written tests.

From our Editorial Board, get inside the local, city and state political scenes.

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy .

The job has always been dangerous, but it's not fear of risking your life that is driving people away. It’s risking your life for a society that seems to have turned its back on you. After years of demonization of police, who would want to be a cop?

Policing in America has never been tougher, as evident by recent spikes in violent crime and mental health issues. Then there’s our own mental health — suicide rates are a staggering 54% higher among law enforcement personnel than the general population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has impacted us especially hard in Suffolk, as we lost four law enforcement officers to suicide within the past two months.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice convened a meeting of law enforcement and community leaders from around the country to talk about the crisis. The resulting report made several recommendations, like improving benefits and compensation incentives, eliminating caps on pensions and overtime, creating retention bonuses, and increasing time off.

In New York, we can make positive changes by rolling back pension tier reform, giving our recruits the same benefits as the generations that came before them.

We need to restore control to our communities that elect local district attorneys and end the practice of giving local oversight of police interactions with citizens to the state attorney general.

Craft laws that serve the people, not a woke agenda. Repeal bail reform so the justice system isn’t a revolving door of crime. Establish a National Police Bill of Rights and give officers protection against bogus complaints.

We must make suicide prevention training an essential part of the job, while also expanding tools like mental health peer groups that will improve public safety and protect our officers.

Most importantly, elected officials should stop caving to the anti-police agenda. Policing is an honorable profession, one of service and sacrifice to the same communities that raised these officers. All parts of our society should start treating law enforcement officers with respect and stop defining police by the actions of a few. Instead, acknowledge the reality that 99% of our police do a phenomenal job.

We need to recruit the best and brightest into the next generation of law enforcement. If we fail to do so, it will be a peril to public safety.

This guest essay reflects the views of Louis Civello, president of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association.

IMAGES

Health and Safety Argumentative Essay (400 Words)
HealthSafety Policy
Occupational Health and Safety Policy
How the Health and Safety Act Applies to Your Workplace
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Health and safety requirements

VIDEO

Introduction to Health and Safety at work
An overview of health and safety law
How to write a health and safety policy
Understanding the difference between Occupational Health and Safety and Process Safety
Moral Arguments for Health and Safety
Safety Attitudes at Work

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