The safe mindset of managers, shiftbosses and miners on a platinum mine in South Africa
- Authors: Jansen van Rensburg, Nicolaas
- Date: 2010-10-26T07:21:12Z
- Subjects: Organizational change management , Employees' attitudes , Employee empowerment , Platinum mines and mining , Platinum mines and mining safety measures , Industrial safety , Industrial relations , Mine safety in South Africa
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3451
- Description: M.Phil. , The mining industry in South Africa is in a process of transformation, which can be ascribed to various influences. First and foremost is the process of the conversion of mineral rights, employment equity and black economic empowerment. The ethnic distribution of mining employees at the time of the study reflected that Managers were predominantly white, the majority of Shift bosses were white and Miners were predominantly black. Central to the transformation process is maintaining and improving production output in a safe manner. Leadership in addition also impacts on health and safety in the workplace and the process to transform the organisation to world- class status commences with leadership. Transforming health and safety in the organisation to world-class status is a leadership imperative. The fatality rates in South African mines are continuously being addressed not only through initiatives from the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, but also through the various mining houses. The introduction of the Mine Health and Safety Act and Regulations 29 of 1996 made a profound impact on health and safety management on South African Mines. The introduction of blasting certificate holders replaced the scheduled person (contract miner). Various mining houses grasped the opportunity and trained their own miners from previously disadvantaged communities. This also assisted in achieving transformation objectives. The fatalities on platinum mines in South Africa since 1995 have remained constant up to 2007 although a slight decrease is reported. Nevertheless, injuries and fatalities in South African mines are attracting negative attention from society and the investment community. This is not in the interest of the mining industry. Research indicates that unsafe behaviour contributes 87% and more to incidents and injuries (including fatalities) on mines. The study of behaviour as a contributing factor in organisational safety is a relatively young science since the first reported studies in the 1980's. Research in this domain strives to develop an understanding of behaviour as a contributing factor in organisational safety.
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Influence of construction clients on health and safety performance
- Authors: Lopes, Martin
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Construction site safety , Industrial safety , Construction industry
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2382 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4837
- Description: M. Tech. , Relative to other industries in South Africa and construction industries worldwide, the South African construction process generates a disproportionate number of fatalities, injuries and disease, the direct and indirect cost of which contribute to the cost of construction. Serious accidents and injuries resulting in personal injury and wrongful death occur with alarming frequency at construction sites in the U.K. The majority of accidents are not caused by careless workers but rather by failure to control. According to the Health and Safety Executive report published in 1988 out of the 90% of all construction accidents leading to death 70% could have been prevented by positive management actions and interventiion. Clients influence construction health and safety performance. Architects and design engineers often disavow responsibility for health and safety issues associated with the construction of their work. Arguably, this denial will only change if clients insist that construction health and safety is addressed on their projects. Health and safety begins with the attitude that accidents are preventable and that requirements for healthy and safe work practices must be followed. Health and safety should not be left solely under the control of the workers if injuries are to be curtailed or diminished, because the health and safety environment consists of many factors over which workers have little or no control. An underlying belief is that the majority of accidents are not caused by careless workers but by failure in controls. Although the best site management of health and safety cannot prevent all accidents, entities other than those actually performing the work do have an important role to play in enforcing proper safety standard measures : It is possible to prevent accidents from occurring. Success in health and safety has a great deal to do with people, especially those who will be responsible for ensuring that the project will be delivered safely. There is some evidence that the importance of health and safety is being realised by clients. Costs associated with worker injuries and fatalities are borne ultimately by the client and insisting that health and safety be included in design and construction considerations will prevent the occurrence of injuries and ultimately reduce the construction costs. Clients mostly set health and safety culture during the construction phase. Health and safety prequalification criteria to design approval post the design phase that shows that clients would prefer their involvement to be in specific phases. Clients do not realise that they can make significant contributions to improve health and safety performance during the early stages of a project. Clients who have to pay for construction work do not make specific cost provision for construction safety. Clients need to afford health and safety the same status as other project parameters. It is widely accepted that contractors should bear the responsibility for health and safety during the construction phase. The study found that clients regarded the construction and maintenance phases as the most important to address health and safety. Again clients do not realise the significance of placing health and safety importance in the initial phases of a project.
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Awareness levels amongst unskilled employees on their health and safety responsibilities
- Authors: Mudenha, Wellington Farai
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Industrial safety , Industrial hygiene , Employees - Health and hygiene , Unskilled labor - Health and hygiene
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/285690 , uj:30900
- Description: Abstract: On a daily basis, there are 7,700 fatalities globally in the workplace. In order to protect the health and safety of workers in South Africa, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) was passed into law in 1993. Under this Act, health and safety responsibilities for employers are outlined in section 8 and all workers too must be aware of five employee health and safety responsibilities outlined in section 14. For many organisations, employees can broadly be categorised as skilled or unskilled workers. According to Investopedia (2017), unskilled workers have limited education and perform work without the need for specialised skills or experience. The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness levels amongst unskilled employees about their health and safety responsibilities which are outlined in section 14 of the OHS Act. The research was a cross-sectional study. Cleaners employed by outsourced contract cleaning companies were selected as the study sample. Data was collected through a questionnaire that was distributed to 118 cleaners employed by five contract cleaning companies operating in Johannesburg. The study established that cleaners were unskilled workers with high literacy but low skill levels and work experience. Cleaners were predominantly women and young workers aged between 20-30 years. Although cleaners had access, read and knew about the OHS Act, their level of awareness on health and safety responsibilities was low with cleaners largely aware of only one of the five responsibilities. Over 60% of cleaners received in-house training but 85% of them still wanted more training. Chemicals were the most common hazard but 67% of cleaners had never been injured. Common injuries that were encountered among cleaners were cuts, lacerations, sprains or strains and the frequency of injuries among them was almost equal among all age groups. The study also found no statistical association between awareness of the responsibilities to training, sex or level of education. It was recommended that employers make use of interactive training methodologies to improve skill levels and awareness of the five health and safety responsibilities. Employers must monitor and measure the impact of the training, identify and control occupational hazards and look after the safety of all workers (young and elderly). , M.Tech. (Environmental Health)
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Factors influencing employee safety in the workplace
- Authors: Naidoo, Uresen
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Industrial safety , Work environment - Safety measures
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/414271 , uj:34933
- Description: Abstract: Leaders within organisations need to cope with a constantly changing business environment and increased competition for resources. In addition to this, organisations need to provide employees with a safety working environment to ensure zero harm to their employees and other stakeholders. There are various strategies that are implemented to prevent injuries to employees in the workplace, however there are numerous employees who are injured frequently across the world. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the factors that influence employee safety in the workplace. A qualitative study was conducted at Company A, a South African petrochemical organisation. The research data was gathered for the study through the methodology of a case study, solicited documents from the organisation, and unstructured interviews. Content analysis was utilised by the researcher to analyse the data and identify themes that emerged from the unstructured interviews and solicited documents. The researcher also used descriptive statistics in the research study to highlight summaries of the key observations made and the data collected. The following were identified as factors that influence employee safety in the workplace: a) Leadership b) Supervisor support c) Behaviour based safety d) Complacency e) Remuneration f) Job security g) Job attitude and satisfaction h) Hazards and risks i) Work pressure j) Planning k) Training and competency l) Respect m) External/Personal Factors and n) Communication. A conceptual model for workplace safety was developed from the identified themes and compared with the integrative model of workplace safety developed by Christian, Bradley, Wallace and Burke (2009). Limitations within the study were identified and recommendations were made for the organisation and for further research. , M.Com. (Business Management)
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Analysis of key contributors to process safety incidents in chemical process industry
- Authors: Nekhwevha, Rialivhuwa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Hazardous sustances - Safety measures , Industrial safety
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/417797 , uj:35398
- Description: M.Phil. (Engineering Management) , Abstract: Process safety incidents involves the release of hazardous chemicals from primary containment, which are potentially catastrophic to personnel, assets, and the environment. The severity of process safety incidents are determined by the rate of release, and the quantity of hazardous chemicals released. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed fourteen Process Safety Management (PSM) elements, with the objectives of reducing catastrophic process safety incidents in the chemical process industry. This research aims at investigating the key contributors to process safety incidents in the chemical process industry. The research study results would assist chemical process industry to ascertain key contributors to incidents across the world. It remains crucial for organizations to understand process safety incidents root causes, and share the learnings from previous incidents. Sharing of learning from previous incident remains critical in the incidents prevention efforts. In this research paper, a multiple case studies approach is selected for critical evaluation to determine incidents root causes. The identified root causes are further analysed using the process safety incident evaluation framework to determine PSM element failures. The case studies are obtained from several process safety incidents databases such as the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), Health and Safety Executives (HSE), and Chemical Safety Board (CSB). Based on the results the key contributors are identified to be operating procedure (21% of total process incidents), process hazard analysis (17%), mechanical integrity (16%), management of change (14%), and training (11%). In depth, analysis on individual PSM element are made for better understanding of element failure causes.
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Risk management approach for the life cycle of a lined tailings dam
- Authors: Otto, Hendrik Johannes Hertzog
- Date: 2012-06-04
- Subjects: Tailings dams , Risk management , Risk assessment , Fault trees , Industrial safety , Mine safety
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2357 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4812
- Description: M. Ing. , Managing the risks to life and limb and to the environment due to potential accidents and structural failures during the lifecycle phases of a TD is a complex, intricate and dynamic process, because of the sheer number of hazards that are involved. Fault and event trees enable one to systematically identify these hazards within the context of their intricate relationships. An internationally accepted qualitative scale enables one to assign probabilities in terms of engineering judgement to the sub-causes in the fault trees and the probabilities of the top faults to be calculated. Mine and industry accident statistics enable one to assign relevant frequencies to the subtended event trees and to determine the resulting probabilities of fatal injury or environmental damage. An internationally accepted relationship between lifetime probability of failure causing death and the potential number of fatalities enables one to determine whether the resulting probability of fatal injury is acceptable. If such resulting probability of fatal injury is not acceptable, the biggest contributing subcauses in the underlying fault tree can be identified and mitigating measures considered on an optimal cost benefit basis. The fault trees for the different life cycle phases of the TD also enable one to take cognisance of the dynamic changes in the frequencies of the sub-causes in the various phases and how the risk management focus may change over the life of a TD although the overall threat may not necessarily vary very much. During investigation of the causative modes for personal injury due to mine accidents/hazards at or on the TD it was found that the probabilities associated with fatal injury during the life cycle phases considered were acceptable. The sensitivity of the factors was however investigated further to provide confidence, and event and consequence trees were developed for TD road accidents which were identified as having the highest probabilities of occurrence. The most efficient risk management intervention measure evaluated was found to be increasing compliance with the mine’s road traffic safety regulations. Investigation of the causative modes for personal injury due to structural failure of the TD determined that the probabilities associated with fatal injury were acceptable and no risk mitigation measures were thus required. The causative modes for environmental damage due to mine accidents/hazards were examined next and the probabilities associated with environmental damage were found to be unacceptably high for the life cycle phases considered. Risk management intervention 57 measures were thus required to lower the associated risks to acceptable levels based on relevant and realistic environmental protection guidelines. No mitigation measures were developed as part of the study. Causative modes for environmental damage due to structural failure of the TD were investigated last. The probabilities associated with environmental damage during the life cycle phases considered were also found to be unacceptably high. Risk mitigation measures were thus required but none were developed as part of the study. Fault and event tree methodology as employed in this study can thus be used as valuable supporting instruments for investigating the causative failure modes of a complex system, the identification of potential risk mitigation measures, and for evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed risk management measures.
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Promoting safety in the work environment: the role of internal marketing
- Authors: Steyn, Mariëtte
- Date: 2009-04-30T09:24:31Z
- Subjects: Marketing , Industrial safety
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8328 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/2455
- Description: M.Comm. , The process of creating a safe working environment for all has proved to be one of the most complex facets within an organisation. This may be attributed to the fact that there are so many elements involved in ensuring occupational safety. Not only has the individual employee a responsibility towards safety, including his or her attitude and risk-taking behaviour, but also does the organisation contribute towards this hazard-free environment in providing a culture where safety is regarded as a priority or not. Furthermore, the role of internal marketing will have an impact on whether employees will buy into the concept of occupational safety. Internal marketing may be conveyed through management and how they communicate the importance of a safe workplace through elements such as training and motivation. From the above it is clear that both individual and organisational factors play a crucial part in ensuring a hazard-free environment. The challenge is to link these factors together ensuring cooperation from both the employee and employer. If the idea of a safe working environment is not effectively marketed inside the organisation, the factors involved will be negatively influenced, leading to an unsuccessful implementation of safety in the organisation. The purpose of this research study is to determine whether occupational safety can be promoted successfully through internal marketing. Unless there is an understanding of all the concepts related to a safe working environment, the benefits as a result of the implementation of occupational safety will not be fully grasped.
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'n Kurrikulum vir beroepsgesondheid en veiligheidsopleiding
- Authors: Van der Watt, Heinrich Collen
- Date: 2012-08-17
- Subjects: Industrial safety , Adult education -- Curricula -- Planning , Curriculum planning -- Case studies
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/364542 , uj:2606 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6054
- Description: M.Ed. , The building and construction industry is currently hampered by an unacceptably high number of incidents (accidents) which occur in the industry yearly. This results in huge financial and labour losses. Training of workers in occupational health and safety could address some of the causes of these incidents (accidents). In order to provide relevant and effective training for this industry their training needs regarding occupational health and safety training need to be determined. Based on these needs guidelines could be set to ensure the development of applicable training. In this study the needs of the building and construction industry is determined from which the researcher provides guidelines for curriculum development. The first chapter provides an introductory orientation to the study and provides an overview of incidents (accidents) in the building and construction industry. Chapter two is devoted to a literature study of occupational health and safety. Chapter three consists of a literature study with the aim to provide parameters for the empirical research component in the study. In chapter four the empirical data, collected by means of qualitative research, is analysed. Chapter five relates the findings of the study to the theory of curriculum development. In conclusion chapter six consists of conclusions and recommended guidelines for the development of an occupational health and safety curriculum for the building and construction industry, which forms the product of this study. The value of this study is that the guidelines provided are the result of empirical qualitative research conducted with various role-players in the building and construction industry. Therefore the results are the perceptions and opinions of the role-players in the industry and not the direct assumptions of the researcher.
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Exploration of psychosocial risk and the handling of unsafe acts and misconducts in the workplace
- Authors: Visagie, Jan , Ukpere, Wilfred I. , Swanepoel, Jacquelene
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Occupational risks , Industrial safety
- Type: Journal
- Identifier: uj:5473 , ISSN 2039-2117 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13449
- Description: The aim of this article was to investigate the psychosocial risk environment influencing employee behaviour, and subsequently the trust relationship between employer and employee. The unique nature and commonness of negative acts, such as unsafe behaviour, human errors, poor performance and negligence (also referred to as unsafe practices) are explored in this article. Pertinent literatures were reviewed on the nature of negative acts or unsafe behaviour. The findings of this study were used to draw comparisons between unsafe behaviour/misconduct and accidents in the workplace and finally recommendations were made on how the problem can be addressed from a labour relations perspective. The results indicate that a relationship between unsafe practice/misconduct and occupational injuries and accidents exist, owing to system flaws, human error or psychosocial risk.
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