The term occupational
hazard anyone who may affect the safety and health of workers as a result
of the work, machinery or tools that handle and place in which they find
themselves doing their job.
Measures for preventing
occupational hazards are all aimed at eliminating or reducing risks to the
health and safety of workers.
The government regulation on
the prevention of occupational hazards is on the Law 31/1995, on
November 8, which aims to promote and enhance security measures at the
workplace and to reduce the number of victims.
Public Bodies
In addition to the Ministry
of Labor, there are other state government agencies that have responsibilities
in this area:
· National Institute
of Occupational Safety and Health at Work: body that specializes in the
study of occupational hazards that affect workers.
· Inspection of
Labor and Social Security: body responsible for ensuring compliance with laws on
the subject. It is responsible for informing the companies and workers on how
to avoid risks to their health and safety.
· National
Commission on Safety and Health at Work: help in creating prevention
policies. It is composed of representatives of the government, the regional
governments and trade unions and business.
Business Organizations
In addition to these
government bodies within the companies themselves must exist teams and aid
organization of accident prevention regulations. These may be formed by
employees of the company, organization or outside it by the employer when the
company has fewer than six workers.
Delegates Prevention are responsible
for representing workers within the company on matters of job security. In
addition, companies with more than 50 workers will be mandatory formation of a Health
and Safety Committee.
Obligations of the employer
The employer is obliged at
all times to care for the health and safety of their workers by adopting
such steps as may be necessary at a given moment and those stipulated by the
law, including:
· Create a prevention
plan and have the necessary means for its implementation and development.
· Know and analyze
the risks that may arise from the activity performed by their employees and try
to avoid or reduce.
· Subjecting workers
to the health controls necessary with their consent, depending on the activity
performed.
· Have contingency
plans against fires or other risk in order to prevent damage in case of any
unforeseen developments.
· Always inform
their employees about the risks, preventive measures and appropriate behaviors
to avoid.
· Providing the
necessary training to their employees on how to prevent occupational
hazards, using equipment that can entail risks and other actions designed to
improve their safety and health conditions within the work.
Obligations of worker
The obligations of Health
and Safety at Work affect not only businessmen but also to the workers
themselves to be met under the law as follows:
· Taking reasonable
care of their own safety.
· Comply with the
standards of prevention which have been communicated.
· Respecting the
rules prescribed for use of machinery, transfer of goods or carrying out any
other activity that could pose a danger.
· Use protective
equipment assigned to them.
· Inform if it
detects any danger.
Worth noting
Failure by employers of their
obligations to prevent them working entail various penalties that range
from administrative to criminal, depending on the severity of the rules and
damage that negligence may have caused.
Remarks
The competent labor
authorities conducted an inspection to assess the safety and health of the
industrial facilities available in a single company. If there are obstacles, it
gives the company a certificate of risks.
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