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Moral and Ethical approach in the Occupational Health & Safety Management : An Introduction

What do you mean by "employer moral responsibility"?

Every employer has a moral obligation to keep their employees or workers safe from any harm, hazard, or risk at the workplace on humanitarian grounds and social justice.

ILO emphasis on Social Justice (Moral Obligation upon Employers) :

The driving forces for the ILO's creation arose from security, humanitarian, political and economic considerations. The founders of the ILO recognized the importance of social justice in securing peace, against a background of the exploitation of workers in the industrializing nations of that time.

The following ILO figures show the magnitude of the problem: (statistics on accidents, incidents, and illnesses):

An estimated 270 million workplace accidents occur each year.
Each year, almost 160 million occupational disease occur.
Around 2 million people per year pass away from occupational diseases and accidents.
Almost 4% of the global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is impacted by losses and accident-related expenses.
A total of 3,55,000 fatal accidents occur each year, the majority of which are in the agricultural or finishing industries.
According to the figures above, the majority of people who travel to work for a living, die as a result of their line of work. So, an employer has a moral obligation to protect a worker's safety.

Following Moral Obligations are to be fulfilled by the Employers in H&S :

Moral expectation is based on Humanitarian ground.
Every employer has the moral obligation to eliminate or reduce the pain & suffering of the workers.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by providing the safe place to work.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by providing the Safe Equipment and Machinery.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by providing the Safe working Environment/Conditions
Every employer need to take reasonable care by ensuring the Safety of their Worker/employees.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by developing Safe working conditions.
Every employer need to ensure Right way to do the things rightly.
Every employer need to follow the Right attitude and Positive approach towards H&S.
Every Employer need to ensure Zero Lost time accidents for workers.
Every Employer need to ensure the safe preparation of the plant for contractors/Workers.
Every employer need to ensure Risk free area.
Every employer need to provide adequate PPEs free of cost .
Duty of Care (Concern for others) to be followed by the Employer.
Every Employer need to implement the Control measures like Engineering Control, Administrative Controls etc. for Risky activities.
Deep sense of commitment to be followed by the Employer.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by providing the Safe system of work .
Every employer need to take reasonable care by Safe Working Procedures .
Every employer need to take reasonable care by ensuring the PTW system for workers and contractors.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by providing freedom to workers to raise the Safety Concerns/complaints/Issues.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by Following Legal Compliances/requirements by the employer (Following HSW Act 1974, MHSWR1999 , ILO , RIDDOR etc.).
Every employer need to take reasonable care by fulfilling OH&S commitments and OH&S Promise-keeping.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by dissemination of OH&S information to all workers ( e.g. Informing/instruction the H&S information to workers by displaying on Notice boards, signages, through training etc. ).
Every employer need to provide Moral awareness through OH&S Training to its workers ( like induction training , Job specific Training, Refresher Training etc.).
Every employer need to take reasonable care by fulfilling their Responsibility & accountability towards OH&S.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by Applying collective OH&S control measures for all workers.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by ensuring the emergency arrangements.
Every employer need to take reasonable care by developing the Safety Protocols for specific processes and implement the OH&S Rules and regulations .
Every employer need to Develop, Implement, Maintain and Review the OH&S Policy.
Every employer need to Set the OH&S Objectives, Targets, Aims and Goals.
Every employer need to develop , implement, maintain and review OH&SMS like ISO-45001.

Workers and employees may suffer from terrible diseases that can have a massive impact on them, their dependents, families, relatives, friends, and colleagues, such suffering shall not be acceptable morally or socially in managing good OH&S.

The moral reasons emphasize freeing all workers from any occupational accident and disease at the workplace so that everyone returns home happily and in healthy condition.

In various organisation, the Employer or Management is not fulfilling their Moral Obligations:

Contravention of moral responsibilities by the employer:

Examples of contraventions:

Humanitarian ground not followed.
Not taken reasonable care to eliminate or reduce the pain & suffering of the workers.
Not Taken reasonable care by providing the safe place to work.
Not taken reasonable care by providing the Safe Equipment and Machinery.
Not taken reasonable care by providing the Safe working Environment/Conditions
Not taken reasonable care by ensuring the Safety of their Worker/employees.
Not taken reasonable care by developing Safe working conditions.
Not ensured Right way to do the things rightly.
Not followed the Right attitude and Positive approach towards H&S.
Not ensured Zero Lost time accidents for workers.
Not ensured the safe preparation of the plant for contractors/Workers.
Not ensured Risk free area.
Not provided adequate PPEs free of cost .
Not followed Duty of Care (Concern for others)
Not implemented the Control measures like Engineering Control, Administrative Controls etc. for Risky activities.
Not followed the Deep sense of commitment
Not taken reasonable care by providing the Safe system of work .
Not taken reasonable care by Safe Working Procedures .
Not taken reasonable care by ensuring the PTW system for workers and contractors.
Not Taken reasonable care by providing freedom to workers to raise the Safety Concerns/complaints/Issues.
Not taken reasonable care by Following Legal Compliances/requirements by the employer (Following HSW Act 1974, MHSWR1999 , ILO , RIDDOR etc.).
Not taken reasonable care by fulfilling OH&S commitments and OH&S Promise-keeping.
Not taken reasonable care by dissemination of OH&S information to all workers ( e.g. Informing/instruction the H&S information to workers by displaying on Notice boards, signages, through training etc. ).
Not provided Moral awareness through OH&S Training to its workers ( like induction training , Job specific Training, Refresher Training etc.).
Not taken reasonable care by fulfilling their Responsibility & accountability towards OH&S.
Not Taken reasonable care by Applying collective OH&S control measures for all workers.
Not taken reasonable care by ensuring the emergency arrangements.
Not Taken reasonable care by developing the Safety Protocols for specific processes and implement the OH&S Rules and regulations .
Not Developed, Implemented, Maintained and Reviewed the OH&S Policy.
Not set the OH&S Objectives, Targets, Aims and Goals.
Not developed , implemented, maintained and reviewed OH&SMS like ISO-45001.