Work Health Safety Assessment of Tourism Australia
[Name]
[Institute]
[Date]
Tourism Australia
Introduction
Tourism Australia is an agency of the Australian government and its aim is to attract visitors to Australia for business and leisure purpose. The organization is highly active in 15 market areas and its activities including media programs, industry programs, consumer promotion and research (Tourism.australia.com, 2019). The organization has benefited the economy of the country by increasing the annual expenditure generated through tourism (Colin Michael Hall, 1991).
Tourism Australia is responsible to provide a healthy and safe environment for its employees. This can be achieved by properly managing the risk factors through employment collaborations. Health and safety programs are being designed and those safety measures are reviewed and, audited and monitored regularly. Changes are made on the bases of those reviews and the policies are implemented on every individual working in any department of the organization (Tackman, 2018).
Work health and safety or occupational health is an assessment of risk mitigation of the risk factors that might impact the works of the Tourism Australian’s worker. Under the work health and safety act 2011, every organization should make it sure that the health and safety of the employees would not be compromised by the act of the business (Hughes & Ferrett, 2011). Whereas risk is a state in which an individual has the potential to get harm by environmental hazards or by the defensive resources (Bokhoree, et.al, 2014).
The types of injuries that are common in the workplace of Tourism organizations are the trips, slips, and falls which result in injuries. It mainly occurs to the employees on the field where they have to guide the tourists. The employees who are working at offices might have the risk of minor health issues that are managed by giving first aid. The on-field employees have cut bruises, dislocations, and fractures. 23% reported claims are done by environmental factors (Wundersitz, 2017).
The Aim of the assessment is to minimize workplace injuries and risks because the assessment will help to understand that the organization is providing a safe environment for the employees. The assessment notes down all the dangerous incidents, death, illness or injuries that have happened in workplace and the report of the assessment will be presented to the manager who will call for a policy development to address that issue. The report will highlight the responsibility of the organization in protecting the health of its employees and it will make sure whether health service should be provided by any regulatory body. The main aim of the assessment is to minimize workplace health risks or injuries and to have a pleasant work environment.
Tourism Australia
In Australia, this network consists of national Tourism organization, tour operators and regional tourism organizations. The RET department of Resources, Energy and Tourism is involved in managing the tourism company. The Tourism Agency of Australia has a highly experienced management which focuses on the enhancement of the tourism market. It also focuses on regional and national tourism. The stakeholders work for the betterment of the tourism incorporation with the government (Smaranda, & Daniela, 2012).
Each year Tourism Australia boosts the economy of the country. It supports more than 16000 jobs employing 13% of the Australian people. The industry consists of various businesses and other services (Mason, 2015).
The Risk Assessment:
Risk assessment is making decisions in order to identify the intensity of risk or the injuries caused by the risks the risk assessment matrix is displayed in Appendix X.
Tourism Australia ensures a safe working environment. The organization does a risk assessment to control the risk factors. For each risk, the impact needed to be observed and evaluated and the likelihood of the risk is being identified as well. But some of the catastrophic risks such as the fire need to be planned even if it is not occurred (Quintal, Lee, & Soutar, 2010).
Tourism Australia is focusing on the management of identified health issues and the health and safety standards are maintained by:
Well, documentation is done in order to report potential hazards. Secondly to implement a well-defined risk management program which involves inspections in the workplace, job safety, and development of risk-free work procedures. Positional hazards should be identified by consulting with the managers and other staffs. Lastly, regular training will be conducted to let the employee know how to apply the processes of WHS risk management (Zhang, Lingard, Blismas, Wakefield, & Kleiner, 2014).
Hazard Management procedures
The Australian Tourism Organization implements the following strategies to minimize the risks.
Manual handling procedures should be replaced with mechanical handling equipment. Through workplace inspection, the manual handling tasks should be identified. Then workers should be trained in areas where manual handling will be risky. Appropriate supervision will be done and equipment will be provided for manual handling like trolleys.
Ergonomic guidelines should be provided for workstation designs. Workers will be trained about the correct work designs and a risk assessment will be done in that regards.
Tourism will make it sure that the mull functioning electrical equipment will be removed. The existing workplace electronic equipment will be regularly hacked.
The organization will take care of the footwear of the staff so that they will not have injuries due to falling down or slipping. They will be provided with fast-aid facilities (Ritchie, 2004).
The employees should take care of their personal security by taking care of themselves if they are in the office or on-field duties. They need to have the essential staffs like cell phones, medication etc with them. They should be able to report accidents if they have faced any. They should avoid hazardous substances while conducting field duties. The organization will develop procedures for Emergency Management and those emergency or unplanned event will happen due to external factors so those factors should be noted down. Fire, gas leakages, chemical spill, natural disasters, power failure, bomb threat, and violence could be the cause of emergency situations. Emergency rescue procedures will be displayed everywhere in the workplace (Scott, Laws, & Prideaux, 2008).
Incident Investigations
Depending on the situation the incident reported should be investigated by the help of the following steps.
If the incident is very minor and either inside outside the organization then no action will be taken on it but the incident will be recorded. Manager investigation is necessary to prevent it from happening again in the future. The reports will be provided to the HSC investigation. That is a very formal procedure of investigation that generated the report and gives recommendations as well (Macrae, 2016).
A committee of the special investigation will be made and it will include the policies and guidelines of WHS. The regulatory authority will be doing all this type of investigations and specifically, the People and Culture are involved in such investigations (Chua & Goh, 2004).
The goals of health and safety office:
The Sixth World Health Assembly has drafted a global plan of action for marinating occupational health. It includes the recalling of the world summit about sustainable development which is used for sustaining WHO actions. It also includes the recalling of the framework for occupational safety. It says that the health of the workers is not only affected by occupational hazards but by factors that would be individual. It also emphasizes on the fact that the health of workers is essential for economic development.
Sustainable development is the usage of the current resources or services in a way that it will not be finished completely in the future. The goal to keep a healthy and safety office standard is to increase the spread of jobs on an international level so that new technologies could help to mitigate workplace health risks. A plan of action should be designed that will include the prevention of primary hazards. All the health components should be involved in a system that will monitor the health needs of the working population. The traveling zones should be well kept so that the can be used for future visitors and this concept is called sustainable tourism (Buckley, 2012)
The key agencies/ institution that governs work health safety in Australian Tourism Organization
Local government is responsible for maintain work health safety in the Australian Tourism organization .the local government public health responsibilities are given under the Health Act 1911 which says that Standard for drainage and sanitation should be kept and prevention of infection should be focused. The Public Health Bill released in the year 2014introduced the plans of local government (Eagles, McCool, Haynes, & Phillips, 2002) The provision of the 2008 Food Act has included tourism application and says that fish catching and cooking is a part of tour and restaurant and bars are also the part of tourism (C. Michael Hall & Lew, 2009).
Globalization and the Social, Economic and Political Determinants of Health Influence Disease
Globalization is a key context for the study of social determinants of health (SDH). Broadly stated, SDH are the conditions in which people live and work, and that affect their opportunities to lead healthy lives (McMurray & Smith, 2013).
However, Globalization is a basic Context to study the determinants of health (SDH). SDH is a condition where an individual lives and perform work-related duties. This lessens down their opportunities to have a healthy life. Globalization could be defined in multiple terms, it is a process of mixing up with the greater economy through trade or other means (Labonté & Schrecker, 2007).
The recent economic and political development has brought changes in current health conditions. The health deliveries and the elements of social care have to lead the managers to understand the importance of the connection between the problem solving and decision-making skills (Goryakin, Lobstein, James, & Suhrcke, 2015)The Tourism organization is extending its market globally which will lead to getting the technological or another development mechanism to minimize work health risks. The vulnerable groups the stakeholders who are being affected by demography, political and economic changes. They generally include the working strata of the community. The social determinants that influence health are the changing working environment and the vulnerable groups are the particular employees working there (Admin, 2010).
Ethical elements relevant to Environmental Health protections, Policies, and Industry
Practices, from global to local scale.
Environmental ethics is a discipline that studies the moral relationship between a human being and the surrounding. It also discusses the status of environmental and non- human content (Hargrove, 1992). The concept came into being due TO the introduction of chemical and nuclear materials in the business process. So international major industries have taken the ethical elements in mind before using just toxic elements. They have to design environmental friendly policies that mitigate climate changes. The policy like the “Carbon plan “has been introduced by the Climate Change Act 2008 in order to reduce pollution (Crawford & French, 2008). This act is applicable for higher level and the local level industries or organization will be taken control by the municipal departments of the local government.
The relationships between Environmental risk factors and Social, Economic and Political Determinants of illness and injury from global to local scale.
The population health can be improved by keeping in mind the social, environmental and political processes. The environmental risk factors such as climate change are affecting the health of individual and it is making them economically deprived (Swinburn et al., 2011). Like the increase in the surface temperature of earth could cause skin cancer and it takes huge money to cure that disease. Environmental factors affect the larger group of people if they are sharing a common working place. The social strata could also affect the health of an individual like the different socio-economic positions have different health facilities in local as well as global scale. Access to healthy food in an environment plays a major role in maintaining once health. So such determinants affect the health of an individual (Marmot et al., 2008).
Conclusion
The Company is trying its best to mitigate workplace health risks. The organization takes a safety audit regularly and brings policy reforms to address workplace health issues. The Risk Assessment matrix includes hazards caused by physical, environmental, natural or chemically causes. The workplace environment is very diverse. Some employees will be affected by physical causes of hazards like the staffs who perform filed duties always feel fatigued and dehydrates. So every employee has a unique health risk and the company is addressing the health needs of each and every employee through a risk assessment matrix.
Tourism Organization of Australia wants it, employee, to be healthy so that it will be able to contribute to the economic development of its country. It will also want to have a health and prosperous work environment so the company is implementing various health improvement processes of WHO.
Appendix A
Task or scenario
Hazard/s
Associated harm, e.g. what could go wrong?
Existing Risk Controls
Current risk rating
Use the Risk Matrix
Any additional controls are required?
Residual risk rating
Use the Risk Matrix
Physical
Limited physical strength h, and distracted
It is mainly the risk associated with the health of driver so vehicle
Collisions could occur
Taking care of the diet
Med
Low
Environment
Hot temperature , unfenced road, distractions of the driver
Heat stroke, dehydration, illness vehicle collision, Fatigue.
Tour should be arranged on morning timings and the day tours need to be rescheduled
High
No
Low
Slip strip and
Fall
Hiking in rocky terrain, walking on slippering roads
Potential falls will occur, serious injury or death.
Administration should provide footwear with les slippering soles
Med
No
Low
Chemical and Biological
The employee mat get exposed to any chemical or he she will be stinged by any insect during on field duties
Allergies and pain
Administration should provide anti-allergic medications, insecticides should be used before trips
High
No
Low
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