Environmental safety Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Environmental safety - Assignment Example The purpose of both these entities is to measure the harmful impact of such mishaps resulting from accidents causing loss of property, blocking supply of essential services and causing interruption in the routine working. The UK government offers suggestions to business organisations for risk verification and assessment so that any impending accident may not come in the functioning and performance of such business by initiating emergency planning and business continuity management processes through the National Risk Register for reducing the impact of such loss (Cabinet Office 2010). The Scottish Parliament has passed an Act in 2007, named the Right of Relatives to Damages (Mesothelioma) (Scotland) Act 2007, reserving the right to damages in case the affliction is caused by Mesothelioma as per the amendment of Section 1 of the Damages (Scotland) Act 1976 including subsection (2) and (3). The subsection (2) inserts an except to the ruling that damages need not be paid to the relative if the deceased has relieved the accused from the responsibility of paying damages to the relative before the death of the diseased. The subsection (2b) becomes applicable if the injury or death is caused due to Mesothelioma. The damage payment is conditioned to occurring the liability and death on, before or after the date with the coming into force under Section 1 of the Right of Relatives to Damages (Mesothelioma) (Scotland) Act 2007 (Legislation 2007). The above figure indicates that deaths due to the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma are rising on a yearly basis. In the year 2008, out of 2249 mesothelioma deaths, 1865 were men and as per the rate of yearly increase, it is forecasted to cross the figure of 2000 by the year 2016 (HSE 2010). Considering the data pertaining to Scotland regarding ill-health, injuries and enforcement in the previous 12 months, self-reported ill-health reporting rate was 3700 out of 100 000 for 2009-10. The reportable injury rate was 880 workers in 2008-09 while fatal injuries in 2009-10 numbered 23. On the other hand, major injuries to workers counted 2548 in 2009-10. Considering the offences prosecuted in Scotland by HSE in 2009-10, they were 93 in number while local authorities carried prosecution on 7 reports (HSE 2010, 14). Further, if we consider rate of self-reported work-related illness and reportable non-fatal injury in manufacturing and other sectors, data is not sufficient to depend upon regarding ill-health and injury for the latest period but for illness it is below 2000 per 100 000 on an average while injury reporting has been below 1000, as per the Labour Force Survey (HSE 2010, 17). Although workplace fatalities are reducing but such accidents are happening in â€Å"low risk† industries such as retail, hospitality and financial companies to the extent that they have become a challenge for the employers; they have to face government questioning. Media also follows such accidents arduously. The near and d ear ones of the affected employee feel the loss the most. An employer has to face all these ordeals erupting from the catastrophe. Therefore, it is the foremost responsibility of the employer to get ready to know beforehand the emerging workplace tragedies before they happen. No employer can totally succeed in controlling such mishaps but must be ready with an emergency plan at the shortest notice (Foulke 2009). Whenever such a fatal accident at a workplace occurs, first priority is to deal with the emergency situation by arranging