Name: Score: Yeat/Section: Date: Directions: Interpret these signs. Make also a list of places where you can see these signs. SA0K Learning Objectives lal=|> At the end of the unit, | am able to: Understand the concept of health and Safety 2. Know the safety measures applied and to make students understand the importance of human resources 3. Understand how to manage stress and nurture good physical and mental health 4. Understand what employee welfare and team spirit is. Lesson Proper Introduction ‘A large number of employees spend great deal of their time in work place; their work environment is not always good for their healthy life. Stress, Strains, Mental and Psychological Conditions, Poor working conditions, Long hours of work, Poor ventilation insanitation, malnutrition and others spoil their health. Efficiency in work place is possible only when an employee is healthy. On the other hand industry exposes workers to certain 113hazards which affect his health. The symptoms of bad health are high rate of absenteeism and turnover, industrial discontent and indiscipline, poor performance and low productivity. Modem industry is characterized by complicated mechanisms, intricate job requirements, and fast moving production lines. One of the important consequences of all this is increased dangers to human life, through accidents, To avoid this, safety programs like industrial health programs like industrial health programs are introduced, both for employers and employee benefit Meaning and Definition of Health The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Industrial health refers to a system of public health and preventive medicine which is applicable to industrial concerns. According to the joint 1.L.O/W.H.O Committee on Organization Health, industrial health is: 1. The prevention and maintenance of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; 2. Prevention among workers of ill-health caused by the working conditions; 3. Protection for workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors adverse to health, and 4. Placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physical and psychological equipment. Physical Health and Mental Health Physical health implies prevention of disease or health conversation and prevention of occupational disease. Health is the outcome of the interaction between the individual and his environment. Health not only depends on the employee but also on the environment. Efficiency in work is possible when the worker is healthy physically and mentally. Industries exposes employees to certain hazard which they would not meet elsewhere and which may affect his health. Both physical and mental health is essential for the satisfaction and improved morale, discipline, performance and productivity of the employees. According to World Health Organization, Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. Safety Measures Safety measures deals with prevention of accidents and with minimizing the result loss and damage to persons and property. Five basic principles must govern the safety program of an organization. They are as follows: 1141, Factors resulting to accidents have to be traced out, analyze and eliminated. 2. Identify potential hazards; provide effective safety facilities and equipment take prompt remedial action. 3. The top management must continuously monitor the safety performance. 4, Management and supervision must be fully accountable for safety performance in the workplace. 5. All employees should be given training in safety methods of work and should receive continuing education and guidance on eliminating safety hazards and on prevention of accidents. There are three E’s of safety to prevent accidents, namely; + Engineering + Education * Enforcement for safety rules Stress Management Stress is a state of mind that shows certain biochemical reactions in the human body and is projected by a sense of anxiety, tension, depression, fiustration and irritation, Such reactions are caused when the demands of the environmental forces or internal forces are not met by the resources available to the person. Situation produce stress in the form of bio-chemical, functional and structural changes in the human organism. These situations could be fear, pain, fatigue, emotional arousal, humiliation, frustration, lack of concentration, blood pressure, drugs, loss of loved one, non-occurrence of an expected events and even unexpected successes that require a change in the operational style. High level stress damages the physical and psychological well being of a person and extremely low levels of stress are equally undesirable for they cause boredom, and result in lack of stimulation, innovation and challenges. Thus moderate level of stress is necessary for higher level of performance. Meaning and Definition of Stress The tem stress refers to the body’s physical, mental, and chemical reactions to circumstances that confuse, endanger, frighten or irritate the individual. 1. According to Gutierrez, stress is the nonspecific response of the body to any demand. 2. Stress is a discrepancy between an employee’s perceived state and desired state, when such a discrepancy is considered important by the employee. Stress influences two behaviors, namely; (a) the employee's psychological and physical well-being; and (b) the employee's efforts to cope with the stress by preventing or reducing it. 1153. According to S.P. Robbins defined stress as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, constraint or demand related to what he or she desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Sources of Stress ‘There are two sources of stress namely; ‘* Organizational Sources ‘+ Personal Sources 1. Organizational Sources The extent and ratio of stress that people experience in job place are influenced by the following factors; a) Nature of job The nature of job itself can determine the type and degree of stress that can be induced. Some jobs lead to more stress-related responses than other. b) Role Ambiguity Role is the set of activities associated with certain position in the organization. When there is a lot of uncertainty regarding job definitions or job expectations, then people experience role ambiguity. Role ambiguity is high in managerial jobs where responsibilities are more and role definitions and task specifications are not clear. Role ambiguity produce psychological strain and dissatisfaction, leads to under utilization of human resources and leads to feeling of futility on how to cope with the organizational environment, ©) Role Conflict Role conflict occurs when two or more persons have different and sometimes opposing expectations of a given individual, Role conflict occur when contradictory demands are at the same time placed before an employee. 4d) Responsibilities assigned to employees Any type of responsibility can be a burden on an employee. Holding a person responsible for anything going wrong can create stress and it can be more if the manager has limited degree of control over his subordinates. e) Lack of Participation When the employee's are allowed to participate in the decision making process of the organization, the employee's develop high morale, work more efficiently and feel that they have to control over the work environment thereby reducing the extent of role conflict and role ambiguity which are the causes of stress. 1) Interpersonal Relations The efficiency, performance and effectiveness of an organization is mapped by the degree of relations that the people enjoy on the work place. Harmonious, cordial and congenial relation result in peace. When the interpersonal relations are poor there is stress, tension and anxiety. Under such crisis full situation, the superior and subordinate relations keep deteriorating. 1162. Personal Sources a) Job Concern Job variables can become stressors when they become sources of concern, anxiety and frustration to an individual. Lack of job security, prospect of losing a job with family depending on the individual, job recession, low status of job, lack of career progress and all factors resulting into stress. b) Relocation Transfer or promotions resulting into change of place geographically, disturbs the routine daily life of individual causing stress. ©) Change of life structure Structure of life and process of living has many facets like socio-cultural factors like religion, race, education, family. As a person grow older responsibilities also grow up, and therefore stress develops. The extent of stress is also determined by the ability to cope with stress. Coping with Stress Organizational Strategies a) Preventive management: Preventive management can be conducted by surveys and employees/group interviews Managers can identify potential problems of serious stressors and take steps to reduce them b) Maintaining a productive culture Maintenance of positive organizational environment and satisfied employees set the right direction. ©) Management by Objectives ‘A management by objectives or similar performance appraisal techniques that identify employees goals, role and responsibilities and strengthen communication can reduce stress by eliminating uncertainty in critical aspects of employee's jobs 4) Controlling the physical environment Reducing stress in the physical environment requires that management undertake one or two different strategies. First by reducing noise, better control of temperature, second by protecting employees by improved safety equipment. 2. Personal Strategies a) Meditation Transcendental meditation gives mental and physical relaxation. Meditation reduces anxiety and improves work performance and gives job satisfaction. 17b) Exercise One of the least expensive and effective stress reduction strategy is exercise like jogging, sports, fitness classes, cycling, swimming etc. This improves mental and physical health ©) Entertainment Watching a favorite movie or listening to music can release stress 4) Removing the cause of stress Sometimes one can easily check the cause of stress, for example a confrontational supervisor, difficult support staff, no possibility for advancement ete. e) Seeking Counseling Stress is a common psychological problem. Counselors can offer helpful insights and stress-reduction techniques that may remove the problem. Employee Welfare Employee welfare depends on overcoming personal crisis, family problems and work place problems. Removal of these problems leads to healthy and more productive years of service to the employees. Organizations try number of approaches to address rising problems of the employees. One such approach is the establishment of wellness programs. Wellness is defined as a free chosen lifestyle aimed at achieving and maintaining and individual’s good health. This program can bring behavioral changes in employees. More broader and comprehensive approaches are adopted by organization to solve problems of employees. Job security, Voluntary participation, accessibility, insurance coverage can boost the morale and efficiency of the employees. Assessing Learning Nam Dats Section: Score: EXERCISES 9.1 INSTRUCTIO! Identification: Identify the following statements by writing the answer on the space provided 118