Introduction
The aspect of corporate compliance identifies the importance of an organization adhering to the various standards and laws set to protect employees, agents, and relevant stakeholders from the risks present at the workplace. All types of business organizations are expected to meet such standards. Failure to uphold the set regulations or even a slight violation of these laws usually results in the enforcement of penalties, suspensions, or a possible end of the firm. It is evident that business owners have a tough time ensuring the safety of all staff members in their respective workstations in adherence to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (SHRM.com, 2015). The following report will provide an integral breakdown of the various strategies that organizations may employ when they are potentially in violation of numerous policies in accordance to the evaluation of the compliance officer.
Health Strategies
The compliance officer provided a formal complaint that alleges that workers are exposed to hazardous concentrations of metal fumes in welding areas within the plant. In response to this, it is important that the organization shows its concern for the health and safety of all of its employees (SHRM.com, 2015). The plant will demonstrate that workers in the plant who come into direct contact with the metal fumes are provided for with appropriate medical attention including tests to catch the early onset of disease (Maguire, 2015). The organization should also provide a detailed report of the procedures involved in safeguarding the health of the workers. For instance, the company has not received complaints from the employees regarding their personal health and the numerous checkups have not shown signs of deteriorating health (Maguire, 2015). It is clear that the firm has well defined procedures to report the incidence and onset of diseases that are a direct result of the working conditions.
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Heavy Haze in the Welding Area
The major complaint cited by the compliance officer during the visit was the heavy haze that was present in the welding area. The citation while it is true will always contain haze due to the kind of work conducted in the setting. To prevent heavy penalties, the plant will consider providing adequate ventilation and a local exhaust in the working station (Maguire, 2015). The provision is particularly important to the workers as it will aide in the eradication of the fumes from the room and allow entry of fresh air. The ventilation will prevent the hazardous gases from spreading throughout the breathing zone. The use of fans in the room would be particularly useful in eliminating the dangerous gases and help in keeping the air fresh (Maguire, 2015). Removable exhaust hoods enables the gases and fumes to be removed at a quicker rate to ensure that there is a minimal chance for the poisoning of the workers.
Employment of a Safety Inspection Officer and Committee
During the walk-through of the facility, the compliance officer was able to point out numerous incidences that indicate the lack of appropriate consideration for employee safety. For instance, numerous workers were wearing half-mask air-purifying respirators while still having full beards. In this case, although the staff members did put on personal protective equipment, the toxic gases are able to attach themselves to the beard of the workers (SHRM.com, 2015). Therefore, it is likely that the worker would experience secondary poisoning as they inhale the fumes captured by the beard while outside of the plant. The employees were using chemicals that were potentially injurious to the eye, but did not have emergency eyewash close-by. Although, there was eyewash in the facility, it seemed to be covered in dust (SHRM.com, 2015). The evidence made it clear that the organization lacked a safety inspection officer. The plant will demonstrate its intent to keep the workplace safe and less hazardous to the workers by employing a safety manager. The new personnel will help in developing clear procedures and instructions that help in identifying appropriate behavior accepted by workers while working in the plant.
Setting up a group of worker to participate in a committee of safety management would be the next step. In this case, the organization would demonstrate its ability to provide the affected workers the autonomy and control to keep their working environment safe and free of potential hazards (Maguire, 2015). The visit by the compliance officer shows that the workers have been secretly dissatisfied with the nature of their environment and needed to make immediate changes. The organization will show that it has set aside significant funds that are essential for training and improving the skills of the workers in regard to safety and health standards (SHRM.com, 2015). The training will help prevent cases such as employees performing maintenance in a press without a tag-out. They will also receive training such that they can discern the chemicals that are dangerous to their health and how they pose the threat. The improved skills will prevent cases of handling chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin without the use of gloves.
Conclusion
The compliance officer has been able to highlight numerous instances that clearly violate the occupational and safety standards set by OSHA. The company is set to face numerous penalties and charges following the breaking of the rules. Therefore, the firm must attempt to minimize the penalties to a minimum. There issues that the compliance officer points out that could receive a quick fix during walk-through. The first is the rectifying of hazardous haze in the facility, the compliance officer will be alerted that ventilation will be st up almost immediately. The firm will also enforce the health strategies that are already in place as a measure of potential health risks on the workers. Additionally, employing a safety inspection manager and encouraging workers to participate in the inspection committee will prevent the involvement of the OSHA in future.
References
Maguire, A. (2015). The Dangers of Non-Compliance for your Business . Retrieved from https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/hr-laws-and-regulation/the-dangers-of-non-compliance-for-your-business/
SHRM.com. (2015). Health Care Reform: Penalties: What are employer requirements and penalties for noncompliance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/penaltiesforfailingtocomply.aspx
