To provide the administrative procedures and outline responsibilities to implement the Government service occupational health and safety program established by Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Resolution No. 3, 20th September 1981.

All government functions, projects or other activities will be accomplished under conditions that provide protection from hazards to health and safety. Hazards will be practically eliminated and, where this is not possible, protective equipment will be provided and its use enforced. All accidents will be reported promptly. All levels of management and all employees are to observe and promote occupational health and safety. Standards will be established together with the provision of regular training and information in furtherance of the occupational health and safety program.

1. Civil Service Bureau:

   1. Establish an occupational health and safety function for the promotion, inspection and regulation of occupational health and safety for all positions in government after coordination with the safety section in Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs and Occupational Health section in Ministry of Health.

   2. The Civil Service Bureau will establish appropriate standards for occupational health and safety, and control and monitor the application and observance of such standards, after coordination with safety section in Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs & occupational Health section in Ministry of Health

   3. Establish accident and injury reporting systems to provide management information.

   4. Make or require investigations to be made of reported or observed hazards to health and safety.

   5. Promote an under-standing and awareness of the occupational health and safety programme

   6. Provide staff assistance to management officials in the development and implementation of ministry occupational health and safety programmes and evaluate those programs when needed.

   7. Establish programme evaluation guidelines and conduct evaluations and develop management reports.

2. Ministries:

   1. Issue a programme support statement of the organization and special arrangements for implementing the government health and safety policy within the ministry and by delegating specific responsibilities to directorates.

   2. Maintain the required structures for both the overall coordination and direction of occupational health and safety and for the fostering of its development within Directorates, including the regular inspection of places of work, activities and procedures, processes, plant and equipment.

   3. Require that tenders for government work projects identify both the health and safety hazards involved in the project and the requirements for their control.

   4. Require a management information report to be prepared, and provide a copy to the C.S.B., prior to the construction, installation and commencement of any operation or process, or any other form of work activity, involving; the storage, use or transportation of toxic, flammable, explosive or radioactive material; the use of powered machinery; the production of effluent or noxious gases, dust, smoke, heat, noise, vibration, or, any other similar form of potential health and safety hazard.

   5. Provide and maintain safe plant, equipment and systems of work together with arrangements to promote safety and the elimination of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage, and transport of articles and substances.

   6. Provide information, training and supervision to promote health and safety, and monitor specific job fitness safety Criteria. This will include making known to employees the job health and safety hazards, the precautions to be Observed, and the system for notification, investigation and remedy of accidents.

   7. Provide protective equipment and devices, including notices and signs to identify areas of hazard and the existence of special hazards.

   8. Participate with the C.S.B. in the development of necessary safety standards.

   9. Ensure that violation of safety practices, requirements or standards are administered in accordance with the Regulation on Discipline, No. 471, as a means of eliminating avoidable risk and ensuring the health and well-being of the workforce.

   10. Ensure that supervisors: know, understand, accept, promote and observe, health and safety practices, requirements and standards; issue and enforce the use of protective equipment and devices; monitor daily work activities and ensure that hazards to health and safety are eliminated or controlled, and counsel workers regarding precautions for specific job tasks.

   11. Ensure that employees: use protective equipment and devices provided; follow all safety rules and safe work procedures, and co-operate and provide support in respect of any occupational health and safety duty or requirement; refrain from interference with, or misuse of, anything provided in the interests of occupational health and safety.

3. MEDICAL COMMISSION:

   The Medical Commission authorities of the Ministry of Health will inform the Civil Service Bureau of all cases notified to them of occupational accidents involving government employees. A copy of such notification will be sent immediately to the C.S.B. for the attention of the Occupational Health and Safety Specialist.

Any Occupational Health and Safety program must be mainly preventative and deal with the health and safety of employees in relation to their work. Directors must determine the extent of occupational health and safety preventative maintenance programs at each work location. Management has a valid interest in preventing loss of work time and work efficiency resulting from accidents and ill health, and, the greater the interest the management takes in occupational health and safety, the greater will be the benefits it yields. The induction and periodical training of employees must include occupational health and safety. Management should demonstrate that it supports the safety program by providing ample publicity and positive assistance.

MANAGEMENT SUPRORT

Active management support should take the form of assuring that supervisors and employees know the importance of their individual roles in respect of safe working and the protection of health.

New employees should be informed about occupational safety and health as part of their initial orientation, and all other employees should be reminded from time to time of the importance of safety.

ROLE OF SAFETY COORDINATORS

While supervisors and managers have specific program responsibilities for the safety and health of their employees, there is a need to identify the required number of employees to perform regular and routine training; promote and implement health and safety requirements; assist in the inspection, reporting and effective monitoring of safety requirements and the implementation of safety standards.

The number of coordinators as well as the type and kind of safety standards will depend on the risk level associated with the work of the Directorates and Ministries. All work situations involve some degree of risk, and the need for safety inspections on a regular basis. Even sedentary work organizations have need for regular safety checks and exercises so that people react properly, for example, in the case of fire or whatever else might turn up during safety inspections. In some Ministries it may be necessary in order to cope with the higher risk levels of work, to establish a safety committee structure to actively promote and monitor health and safety. The establishment of the committee and the degree of involvement will depend on the organization and nature of the work activities. When a committee structure is required, the members should meet regularly with an established agenda and minutes for the record. Senior managers need to be represented on this committee to ensure effectiveness and compliance with the established objectives.

In certain high risk organizations, it may be necessary to designate a Compliance Safety Officer to do such things as monitoring the elimination or control of hazards, and issuing improvement notices in connection with safety violations.

TRAINING OF SAFETY COORDINATORS

Safety coordinators must be knowledgeable about safety objectives and have the ability to conduct training. A continuing program of self development activities is. recommended. It is mandatory that Safety Coordinators attend training sessions set up by the Civil Service Bureau and Ministries.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Making the program visible improves the awareness of safety. This is vital to prevent, reduce and control injuries and death. Program coordination is important to prevent and avoid duplication of expenditure, and for making sure that mutually relevant training materials are shared. Some training material such as training films will be gradually built up in the Civil Service Bureau for loaning to the Ministries. Also Ministries may acquire training material that they will be willing to share on a loan basis with other Ministries. For this reason the Civil Service Bureau’s Occupational Health and Safety unit will maintain a list of active Safety Coordinators in all Ministries for the communication channel and for exchanging and dispersing program information.

Each Ministry will forward the names, job titles and telephone numbers of key coordinators to the Civil Service Bureau, Occupational Health and Safety unit.

Prevention rather than cure, characterizes the Occupational Health and Safety Program. Essential preventative maintenance activities to attain the objectives are:

MAINTENANCE OF A HEALTHFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT

This should be ensured by systematic inspection, evaluation and reporting procedures. Where necessary the assistance of professionals should be enlisted to participate in the inspection and evaluation process.

ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDS AND SAFETY AND HEALTH INSPECTION CHECKS

While specific safety standards must be developed to fit unique work situations in the Ministries, there are certain basic standards applicable to any work situation. It is required that all Ministries provide as a minimum:

• clean and hygenic facilities
• uncrowded and ventilated areas
• reasonable temperatures
• sufficient and suitable lighting
• clean and adequate toilet and washing facilities
• safe drinking water
• first aid facilities
• insulated electrical appliances
• adequate fire extinguishers and alarms
• fire department telephone numbers posted
• periodic fire drills
• evacuation routes posted
• safe exits
• safe elevators
• facilities for disabled personnel

Among the management benefits of a good Occupational Health and Safety Program are:

REDUCTION OF ABSENTEEISM

Any effort which stresses prevention of lost work time will make a tremendous contribution. This should be a matter for increasing concern to every manager.

REDUCTION OF LABOR TURNOVER

A safe and pleasant working environment helps to keep employees in their jobs. A considerable investment is made in the training and instruction of each employee. This investment is completely lost when the employee leaves and the manager must undertake duplicate training for a replacement.

CONTRIBUTION TO GOOD EMPLOYEE-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS

It is well established, from research studies, that an employee’s productivity, the quality of his production and his response to management are generally determined by morale and basic attitudes. There is a positive corollary that improved morale and attitude of employees will naturally follow improvements in health and safety practices.

REFORTING OF ACCIDENTS

All accidents are to be reported by using the form attached to this Regulation. The reporting should be processed through the Ministry to the Civil Service Bureau. A system should be setup in each Ministry for recording all accidents in a register maintained by the Ministry. The Civil Service Bureau will monitor Government-wide trends and statistics. This information will be used in determining where priority emphasis will be placed in the development of preventative maintenance programs.

The development of a meaningful evaluation system is important for identifying results and determining program effectiveness in terms of satisfying stated needs, reaching objectives, as well as measuring accomplishments, costs and efficiency in the use of staff resources.

The subject of the occupational health and safety program will be covered in the personnel program evaluations of Ministries, to be Conducted by the Civil Service Bureau. Ministries should provide for internal evaluation of the adequacy of their occupational health and safety activites, and request staff assistance from the Civil Service Bureau when required.

This Regulation provides the broad general and uniform framework of responsibilities essential for effectively implementing the health and safety operation throughout the Government service. It takes into consideration the fact that the scope of the program will vary according to the nature of the work activity. For this reason, safety standards, training guidelines and other supplementary material of a specialized nature will be developed as the need arises. All supplementary material, either from the Civil Service Bureau or by the Ministry, for internal application, will contain mandatory provisions.