Workplace Health and Safety

Workplace Health and Safety Safety Engineering TMA 1 At the start it is fair to surmise that health and safety was never at the forefront of any business or company. But over many years it can clearly be seen and noted that a company cannot flourish without it. This being said it was not until the early 1930’s that the first formal Health and safety text book was introduced by H.W. Heinrich which speaks volumes of how poor the health and safety situation was coming up to this time. Moving forward through the ages it can be seen that things where moving in the right direction from the emergence of more responsible and co-ordinated attitudes in the 50’s to the all powerful Health and Safety at Work Act in 1974 to our current day Acts that protect workers in every which way imaginable. Companies that work hard and invest in overall workplace health and safety should experience reductions in illnesses, injuries and fatalities. This will return financial savings in a number of the companies sectors, such as reducing employees compensation fees and medical costs, avoiding preset penalty fines, and reducing the amount of money used to train new/replacement staff and the cost of conducting accident investigations. Overall, employers commonly find that improvements to workplace health and safety can mean substantial improvements to their companies’ financial performance and productivity. By investing in health and safety a company can improve business and must see that complying with health and safety should not be looked at as a regulatory load that has been forced upon them as it offers significant opportunities. Benefits can include: Cut costs; Lower risks; Reduce employee sickness/absence and staff turnover; Less accidents; Smaller risk of lawful action; improved status with suppliers and partners; Greater reputation for business responsibility among investors, customers and communities; More productivity, because employees are happier, fitter, healthier and more motivated. HSE figures show the personal and economic cost of failing to meet health and safety standards each year: Masses of working days and hours are used up because of work-related illness and injury. Thousands deceased from occupational diseases/illness. Over a million employees have self-reported distress from a work induced illness. As much as one worker is fatally injured every working day. It is clear to see that without an adequate health and safety setup within a company no matter how big or small they may be that they cannot compete or even exist without Safety. From a purely financial business mind the risks are far too great to waver safety and from a humanist perspective the loss of life should never be something to be risked against. 2A. What caused the event By what route(s) or mechanism(s) did the deviation or hazardous event occur? What should be done to prevent its recurrence or, if it is not technically or economically possible to prevent repetition, how can its probability be reduced to an acceptable level? Can the knowledge gained be applied elsewhere? 2B. The quantitative approach to health and safety simply put can be defined as a set of equations used to determine levels of safety. Quantitative safety levels are data and numbers put forward in order to try and estimate achievable levels of safety and measure how well they perform in quantitative results. It should be made clear that if a quantitative safety performance level has been set, it must be able to be measured or estimated in quantitative terms. Quantitative data does give a very clear picture of a system and should be applied if possible. Setting up a reliable quantitative system for safety target levels helps and enables companies to measure and record all achieved levels of safety, and could help provide a sound basis for managers and directors to make decisions. The desired target safety outcome should be presented in either relative or absolute terms. Mathematical models are the common practice used to define quantitative safety target, for example to make an estimate of a target rate of safety occurrences of a stated severity. It is also very important to note that it is often impractical or even impossible to quantify all factors. 3A. What is a hazard? The meaning of a hazard is often very misleading and can be very confusing as many dictionaries do not give specific definition and at times combine the term â€Å"risk† causing great confusion between the two. Most describe a hazard as a danger or a risk which explains why many substitute one for the other. The way that I feel best describes a hazard is- any source of potential harm, damage or ill health effects on someone or something under normal working conditions. Realistically it is something that can cause harm or ill effects to either individuals (health effects) or organizations (property damage or equipment loss). For example any working system whether it is mechanical, electrical or chemical can reach its potential to destruct through use by any amount of means i.e.; fire, explosion, mechanical fault. It would not be good practise to measure a hazard confidently against size or severity. What is risk? Risk can be foreseen as the probability or the chance of ill effect that someone may experience an adverse health effect or even be caused harm by being exposed to a hazard. It can also very easily apply to a companies, property or equipment loss or damage. An example of risk could be: the risk of developing lung cancers from smoking could be shown as – â€Å"smokers are 10 times (for example) more likely to contract and die of cancer than non smokers†. An alternative way of reporting risk is by using a number or lettering system i.e. â€Å"a number X, of smokers per 100 smokers will have a chance of developing lung cancer† (dependent on age and the amount of years they had been smoking). This type of risk is expressed a likelihood or probability of a person developing a disease or incurring an injury. These differ to hazards because they refer to the likely or possible consequences (e.g., emphysema, lung cancer and heart disease from cigarette smoking.) 3B. Ordinary (industrial) Ordinary risks are a common in all industry related businesses and are caused predominantly by employee’s everyday work and activity whilst carrying out their jobs. Classic examples of these can range from; slipping and tripping hazards, objects falling on personal from heights, personal falling from heights, physical injuries caused from lifting, physical injuries causes from interference with industrial equipment. All of the above risks are only applicable to staff working in an industrial environment and not the general public Residual A danger or risk of an event or action irrespective of being in line with science and fact can be seen as a residual risk, residual risks can and will conceive dangers, even if all possible measures of safety are theoretically applied. An example could be of a water tank or pump failing and the residual risk being flooding. Process Process risk can be seen as the result of a risk differing from predicted estimates based on the pure random chance of an event. For example if a die is thrown 6 times. It could be estimated that it will land on the number 1 once every 6 throws if the nice is fair. Process risk can be explained that the number of one’s thrown could be more or less than once due to the randomness of chance in the dice throwing process Societal risks Societal risk, as its name suggest is the risk to the society or local group of people that may be subject or exposed to a major hazard. The risk is best surmised and worked out by area and location ranging from factors like blast radius, flood radius, predictable wind direction when measuring a gas release. An example where societal risk would need to be factored in would be when any company plans to build or produce something that could/would hold some kind potential societal hazard. This can be plotted and calculated using a FN curve to determine the full risk of the set up. 4. Classify the following situations in terms of type of risk and complete the risk table by assigning probabilities between 0 (not possible) and 1 (certain) with 0.1 – 0.3 (low), 0.4 – 0.6 (average), 0.7 – 0.9 (high) for injury and equipment damage for each hazard. State concisely the reasons for your choices and any qualifications you feel are required. Factors such as weather, location and population density should be considered and stated. (i) Object falling from scaffold. (ii) Tripping over a low level pipe in a petrochemical plant whilst on nightshift. (iii) Electric shock from overhead cable/line struck by lightning. (iv) Radioactive leak into a river from nuclear power station. (v) Electricity supply interruption in an equipment store with emergency lighting. (vi) Not replacing a walkway grating on an oil rig. (vii) Hydrogen sulphide release from pocket in the end of a blanked off pipe in a crude oil fractionation plant. (i). I have selected the object falling from a scaffold as an ordinary risk and scored the probability of risk as 0.5 as is the nature of the risk there will always be the risk of objects falling from a height when working at height, I have not scored it to high as safety measures are always in place when working at heights to prevent and limit this type of risk. I have scored the probability of damage higher as generally anything falling has the potential to cause damage and at 0.8 this highlights that fact. (ii) I have categorised the tripping situation as a ordinary risk as well as a process risk, ordinary because tripping situations are overly common and happen day to day in industry and a process risk because process risks can be seen as the result of a risk differing from predicted estimates based on the pure random chance of an event i.e. tripping over a low level pipe that you may or may not have passed over safely 100 times before. I have scored the probability as low because if it was a pipe that has always been there it should be clearly marked as a danger and known to employees working around it and scored the risk of damage as low to reflect the low risk of probability of falling over the pipe and causing injury or damage to equipment. (iii) I have selected residual risk, process risk and societal risk to cover this as all 3 risks or at least parts of them can be seen. Residual as all risks and dangers can be covered and measured but not account for a lightning strike, process risk as the chances of lighting striking are extremely low but the pure chance and randomness of the event prove the process risk element and societal risk as the local area may be affected be power cuts and disruptions to their everyday functions. I have scored the probability as low as the chances statistically of lightning striking are low but have scored the risk of damage as extremely high as damage to life and equipment could be irreversible. (iv) I have selected the radioactive leak as a societal risk as the potential ecological damage to the surrounding area would be detrimental, not only affecting local wildlife but also human life and in fact any other business or being that depended on the river. I have scored the probability as low as current nuclear Power stations operate under extremely strict safety laws and practises. This being said I have scored the probability of damage as 1 the highest possible as this sort of incident could not happen without massive amounts of damage. (v) I have scored this event very low on both damage and risk probability as the only risk present would be ordinary and since safety measures are in place i.e. emergency lighting I could not foresee a high risk or probability of danger. (vi) I have scored this risk as high as the risk is very high that damage or injury will occur. I have classed it as a ordinary industrial risk as it would be caused by employee’s everyday work and activity whilst carrying out their jobs or negligence thereof. (vii) A danger or risk of an event or action irrespective of being in line with science and fact can be seen as a residual risk, residual risks can and will conceive dangers, even if all possible measures of safety are theoretically applied. An example could be Hydrogen sulphide released from a pocket in the end of a blanked off pipe in a crude oil fractionation plant, and the societal risk would be placed on anyone in the direct area. 5. The incident in my opinion could very easily been avoided, to look at the reasons why I will discuss measures that I feel should have been in place and followed, and as a result of them not being followed the incident occurring. What where the operators training and skills? Was the operator fully trained to operate is this kind of hazardous environment? Could the operator have been trained but simply forget a crucial step by not replacing the man hole cover and put it down to human error. What was the HS culture like in the workplace? His own and the companies? Could this be to blame, was there a permit to work in operation? Safe system of work in operation? Had the operator read it and signed on. These are all vital steps that need to be taken into account when working in hazardous areas and are often over looked. These would have highlighted what he could do and how to complete the task, including replacing the manhole cover when not in use. Had the operator carried out this task before? If not should the operator been supervised by someone with experience of the job at hand? And should the operator been working alone at all? Should the vessel have been charged again with nitrogen before work began again to ensure/minimize low chance of ignition? As the manhole had been left open allowing air to fill the chamber. Could an intrinsically safe scraper rod have been used? One not causing a spark? Risk Assessment/COSHH assessments? Were any done? Had the user Followed â€Å"Safe working with flammable substances† regs and abided by the five principles of control; Ventilation Ignition sources Exchange of a flammable substance for a less flammable one Separation. Without knowing the answer to any of the questions above any of them could very easily caused the incident. In my personal opinion I would have put the incident down to not following safe working practise on the job, i.e. not replacing the manhole cover and not re-charging the vessel with nitrogen to minimise the chance of ignition.

Padre Island

Jose Esquivel Professor Matthew Mayo English 1301 12 December 2012 Padre Island To catch a glimpse of the color wheel of flowers that is blossoming in the cool, brisk wind with the essences of freshness in the air. This can mean one thing, that spring has arrived and it is now that times to take the long awaited getaway to an island of fun in the sun. A place where memories are made, and worries are forgotten, the magnificent Padre Island. Padre Island extends roughly 130 miles along the South Texas coast; from Corpus Christi to Port Isabel, and has seen its share of Indians, pirates, hurricanes and many shipwrecks.You might have heard of South Padre Island or perhaps heard of Padre Island, but who is the Padre, and what connection does he have with the island? Padre Island got its name from Jose Nicolas Balli a Catholic priest from Spain who owned it for nearly thirty years. Padre is a word defined as a traditional form of address for Catholic priests. After being granted the island by King Carlos III Padre Balli established a ranch on this island raising over one thousand longhorn cattle, horses’ mules and sheep with his nephew Juan Jose Balli as foreman by his side.Aside from ranch raising Padre Balli also established cathedrals and missions to Christianize the Karankawa Indians and to serve the people who worked on the ranch. In 1821 Mexico won their Independence from Spain. During the revolution all of Padre Balli’s letters and exclusive right documents that gave him title to the island were lost or destroyed. Therefore, Padre Balli had to reapply this time to the Mexican government to confirm the titles of the island to him, only now he names his nephew Juan Jose Balli as partner. His request was granted December 1829.However, Padre Balli had died on April 15, 1829, eight months before his petition was approved due to a rupture cerebral artery. His nephew Juan Jose Balli continued to operate the ranch with his family. The saga started around 1938 when Gilbert Kerlin a graduate fresh out of Harvard law school was given a task that would change the course of history for the Balli’s. Mr. Kerlin arrived in South Texas with the instruction from his uncle, Frederic Gilbert, to purchase the barren stretch of sand that has since become a popular Texas beach Resort.It was then, when Mr. Kerlin received a tip that it may be possible to purchase the land from the Balli’s. He came across an individual by the name of Primotivo Balli who did not speak any English but was paid $750 to sketch out a family tree and to assist in rounding up the signatures of the island heirs. It was called to mind that the Padre Island heirs carefully copied down their addresses, and waited for a check that they were promised. In doing so Mr.Kerlin promised that he will give the Balli’s money from all the royalties and minerals that is hiding beneath the island, but Kerlin never handed the money over nor was he ever seen again by th e Balli’s. Meanwhile, Kerlin leased drilling rights to Padre Island and sold its sandy surface to developers. While Mr. Kerlin was earning millions the Balli’s struggled to make ends meet. Kerlin walked away with 61,000 acres and the Laguna Madre which is a band of water between the island and the mainland. For many decades the Balli’s have tried to get back what was rightfully theirs to begin with.Kerlin never came through on his promise to the Balli’s. The Balli’s have their theories as to why so many different lawyers all of the sudden would stop representing them. The Balli’s believe that Kerlin would pay the lawyers off so a trial would not take place. Of course there was no proof of this, however, it was always very coincidental how the lawyers would back out and not represent the Balli’s as it would get closer to trial time. Finally, in 1983 a San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli told Fred Balli of Ponca City, Okla. hat he was v ery interested in the case and wants to send them documents related to their claim. It is now year 2000 and descendants of the early owners of Padre Island gathered in the courtroom waiting for justice to be served. This long awaited lawsuit will determine whether or not they were scammed out of their land and riches. When Gilber kerlin now a 90-year-old retired lawyer took the stand he defended his decision not to give the Balli heirs any shares of the mineral royalties after his 1938 purchase. Kerlin stated on the stand, â€Å"The Balli’s did not own Padre Island when they sold it. Kerlin was speaking of when Santiago Morales bought the land form Juan Jose Balli, but what Kerlin did not know is that Morales suffered from buyer’s remorse and sold the land back to Juan Jose Balli, and there is documentation that can prove this fact. After many days of deliberation the jurors awarded the heirs $1. 2 million in lost property and oil royalties. The juror also found that Kerlin owes decade’s worth of income to about 300 Balli descendants for fraud and conspiracy. The battle is won but the war has just begun.Even though the jury’s verdict was in favor for the Balli’s this is just the first step in the final process of winning a lawsuit. Kerlin can very well appeal the decision and ony until that solution is exhausted nothing will be paid out to the family. After winning the decision in 2000 now it is five years later, and the time limitation of an appeal is over. It seems like a deja vu back in the Brownsville courtroom waiting for the jurors to release their decision. Waiting anxiously, in the courtroom filled with over 300 descendents of Padre Nicolas Balli.The Texas appeals court has upheld a decision to award mineral royalties from land on Padre Island to the balli heir compensation exceeding $50 million. At first glance it seemed that this battle to get the land back was unwinnable, but as the truth comes out the Baliiâ€⠄¢s won the war by simply out gunning their enemy with evidence proving that the Balli’s are the rightful owners to Padre Island. Throughout the trials and tribulations history had been made and the Balli’s were very happy that the courts had ruled in their favor.The Balli’s knew all along what the truth was and was glad others saw it too. This popular vacation spot has so much history behind it that no one ever thinks about what this island was really meant for or what went someone went through to get back what was taken from them. It is an honor to have met and known my wife’s grandfather Fred Balli the sixth generation Balli and was the last living heir of Padre Island. It is a privilege to know firsthand the Balli family and share in their successes with the sixty five year trial that was long overdue.My wife’s family is Balli and to hear the stories about Padre Island from Trudy Balli Morin a seventh generation Balli and the daughter of Fred B alli that at one point was a paradise lost, but then returned to its rightful owners is unbelievable. I leave you with this the ending of the chant that made history possible. â€Å"Across the valley, and across the sea, the bells will ring, Viva Balli! † Work cited Balli, Cecilia. â€Å"Return to Padre. † Texas Monthly Jan. 2001: 99+. Web Balli Morin Trudy â€Å"Who is Padre Balli and What Connection Does He Have with you? † Personal interview. 28 Nov. 2012 .

Points of Concern in the Company’s Evaluation Form Essay

The evaluation form currently being used by the company has many points of concern. First, it takes a look at the personal characteristics of the employee such as friendliness and attitude towards work. These criteria must be taken into account, however, results / accomplishments of the employee must be considered. It must be noted that assessing characteristics of the person in relation to the job may not be very credible since the rater can be very subjective. The fact that the manager discontinued the evaluation to give it a thought is a proof that the manager has little confidence that the evaluation process is credible and acceptable to all. It must also be noted that the engineer himself is not confident about the process, claiming that no one is qualified to evaluate him since he is the only trained engineer in the company. Value of Common sets of Evaluation Criteria Having a common set of evaluation forms for all employees can post problems especially when employees compare the results of their performance evaluation. It is best to set realistic targets first and then come the appraisal period; these will be checked if they were accomplished excellently. The form can be common but the measures will be varied based on the position of the employee and the function. On the other hand, using common sets of evaluation criteria also have advantages. First, it would be easy for the managers and employees to understand since evaluation forms are similar across positions or functions. Second, come promotion or lateral employee transfer, raters in the evaluation procedure won’t have any difficulty in going through the process since nothing has changed even if employees delivered varying results. For employees, even if they adjust themselves with the demands of the new job (lateral transfer or promotion), what is expected of them has not changed as stipulated in the evaluation forms. What Should be Evaluated? Given the company’s evaluation form, the Balanced Scorecard developed by Kaplan and Norton can be adopted. The Balanced Scorecard takes into account all perspectives that contribute to the accomplishment of the job. â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard translates mission and strategy into objectives and measures organized into four perspectives: Financial, Customer, Business Process and Learning and Growth. † (Kaplan and Norton). The Financial perspective is the ultimate indicator of whether the strategies being implemented contribute to the achievement of the company’s objectives and goals. This can be measured through percentage in savings, return on investment, actual sales versus sales target, etc. For the Customer Perspective, â€Å"the core outcome measures include customer satisfaction, customer retention, customer acquisition, customer share, etc. † In the Business Process Perspective, results are being taken into account. The measures should answer the question: What processes / transactions should the employee be good at? These processes include everyday transactions of the employee. The measures under this perspective should have a direct impact on how the company takes care of the customers. For example, a Marketing Associate must be good at conceptualizing and delivering good marketing programs. The Learning and Growth Perspective focuses on the development and competencies of the employee. Competencies such as attitude towards work, teamwork, integrity, timeliness, etc can be taken into account. For some companies, they require employees to submit reviews of prescribed books, articles and movies to build a culture of learning within the organization. The four perspectives developed by Kaplan and Norton are inter-related and must all contribute to the achievement of the Financial objectives. The relationship can be two-pronged, which means a focus on one perspective will have a significant effect on the other perspectives. Ideally, when the organization takes care of the people and make them equipped with the necessary skills (Learning and Growth), they will excel in the workplace and can do their jobs well (Business Process). If they can do the job well, customers will be delighted because quality products and services are delivered to them (Customer). If customers are delighted, they will be loyal to the company’s products and services, thus, will translate to revenues or profit. Involving Other Raters in the Appraisal Process Aside from the Balanced Scorecard, the company can also use the 360 degree feedback. Involving different persons in the evaluation process or multi-rater feedback is beneficial for developmental purposes (Madigan, 1999). The ratee can have an idea on the different things that he has to improve on. As Madigan (1999) quoted Mark Edwards, co-author of the book 360 Degree Feedback: The Powerful New Model for Employee Assessment & Performance Improvement, â€Å"Single-source feedback is not very credible to managers and employees. When people get feedback from a boss, they often just don’t believe it. Whereas, if they get the same feedback — saying the same thing — from multiple sources, they believe it. † Drawbacks of Involving Other Raters in the Appraisal Process However, multi-rater feedback or 360 degree feedback has not been validated as a tool for performance appraisal. This is especially when the raters are not consistent on what they say about the ratee. Survey fatigue can also be a factor (Madigan, 1999). Employees may find exhausting to rate a lot of their colleagues in their company. Also, raters have a natural tendency to become subjective in the appraisal process. -Edwards, as again quoted by Madigan (1999) said that his favorite use of the 360 degree feedback is for talent assessment and promotions as the method gives the management an overview of who will succeed in the organization. As Madigan (1999) says, â€Å"Legal concerns can arise when a 360-degree instrument, valid only for development purposes, is used for performance appraisal. The Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit, educational organization, sells 360-degree instruments, but they are not for appraisal (due in part to the group’s policy of dealing only with leadership development). Dalton explains, â€Å"Anytime you are going to use something that calls itself a test, or a measurement tool, it has to be validated to show that the score means something and that what you are going to use it for is an appropriate purpose. If someone takes you to court, your validation strategy has to be such that you can say, ‘Yes, your honor, we have validated this tool, and it is perfectly acceptable for me to give Carol a 20 percent raise and Maxine a 5 percent raise based on what we understand about this test. ’ Our instruments have not been validated for appraisal purposes, and so we tell people when we sell them, that, in essence, if they use them that way, they will be in court alone. † Errors in the Appraisal Process that are Caused by Bias Also, it must be noted that performance appraisal methods are affected by several factors that can disrupt the whole process thus, neglecting the true purpose of the Performance Evaluation System. In organizations where managers or superiors usually rate employees, de Koning (2004) says that they are usually subjective in evaluating employees especially when the evaluation rating is linked to a performance bonus or an increase in pay. De Koning (2004) even noted that in one organization surveyed by Gallup, employees refer to the performance appraisal as â€Å"the form you need to give out to give a person a raise. † With this culture in the organization, managers will be pressured to control the performance appraisal to give everyone a raise. In some cases, this control can even be used by the rater to deliberately disqualify a ratee from a raise, especially when they are not in good terms. For the employees’ side, they would tend to currying favors for their superiors rather than focusing on excellently performing their respective business processes. There is also the HALO effect. This is when one performance criteria influences the rating in another. For example, if an employee is often absent, other factors will be lower than normal. Citing of critical incidents are also factors for biased because these may be isolated cases only. Consistency in these incidents must be established so that appraisal results would be credible. A culture of feedback must also be developed so that members of the organization will take the performance appraisal process seriously. In many organizations, the HR units usually send notices reminding everyone to beat the deadline for submission of results of performance appraisal. This is an indicator that the organization crams about the process and not interested to it. Whenever this scenario happens, both raters and ratees would always hustle the ratings just to submit on time, thus to receive a raise. Timing is also a factor. Performance Appraisal periods must not coincide with other company projects, events or busy period of the year so that the employees’ attention will be focused on the process. If employees are busy delivering business results, they might not have enough time to do the appraisal process and thus, cramming about it just to beat the deadline. Performance appraisal must be given time such that the employees’ exemplary results and points for development can be properly highlighted. Other Performance Appraisal Techniques There are a lot of performance appraisal methods that can be adopted by the company. Methods include the Critical Incident Method where the rater lists down incidents that had an impact to the performance of the employee. The Weighted Checklist is a list of effective and ineffective behavior on the job. Essay Evaluations are narratives prepared by the rater about the performance of the employee. However, this method is highly dependent on the ability of the rater to articulate his thoughts into writing. Another technique is the Management by Objectives (MBO) method. In this method, the managers set objectives for the employee. MBO focuses on what is accomplished rather than how it is accomplished (Ngo, D. , 2009). It must be noted that the Critical Incident Method and Essay evaluations tend to be subjective and focus on the behavior or competencies while the Weighted Checklist and the Management by Objectives measure results. Results look at the expected outputs of the job while competencies are sets of skills, behavior and knowledge that drive the delivery of outputs. However, these methods may work for if fit for the type of organization (e. g. MNC, NGO, GO, etc. ) As stated in wikipedia. org, there is also the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales that are used to report performance. It is an appraisal method that seeks to combine the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified ratings by securing a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good or poor performance (wikipedia. org). How to Improve the Evaluation Form The company can evaluate the above methods and study which is the most appropriate and acceptable to the employees and management. Company culture and practices must be taken into account when adopting a particular method. The company must also take into account that their strategies must be linked with the appraisal method. However, every company can adopt a generic method that has three phases. Phase 1 is setting of expectations. Usually, management set these expectations during Strategic Planning Sessions where it stipulates what should be delivered within a given period. Phase 2 is monitoring. Delivery of results must be monitored so that appropriate interventions can be implemented to drive the results. The last phase is the evaluation and follow through. This is the evaluation proper and when next steps are identified for the development of the employee. To determine the appropriate evaluation form, the question of what is expected by management must be answered. If management expectations focus on competencies such as customer orientation, decision-making, teamwork, etc. Whatever the case is, the above techniques can be used. For the case of the engineer, the Balanced Scorecard can be used since it can integrate both results and the competencies. A balanced weight for both will add credibility to the appraisal process. The weight can be based on what is more important for the company, results or competencies? Whatever the case is, results of evaluation must be justified or can be explained well by the rater. Also, appraisal must be about performance and not the importance of the job. Usually, organizations benchmark with others regarding their performance management systems. Also, HR Consultants can be hired to help the organization improve the appraisal system. It is suggested that the company do an organizational diagnosis first. An organizational diagnosis will give the company the necessary data that will improve the performance management system. After the organizational diagnosis, they should develop a framework that will link the performance appraisal rewards. It must be noted that linking performance with rewards will make employees more motivated in their job. After this, the company can develop their system. As stated above, planning sessions must be done to communicate to the employees their key result areas (KRAs). Once KRAs are identified, a per division or department meeting must be done to identify how these KRAs will be measured. For example, it is a KRA of a manager to send his or her subordinates to training. This can be measured by the number of employees sent. A 100% attendance of subordinates can be the â€Å"outstanding† while 50-99% is â€Å"satisfactory. † This must be done to all positions. Once the employee knows how exactly he or she will be measured, he or she can easily determine if the job is being done well or not. Doing these steps can make the evaluation process in the company more credible and objective to employees. References: De Koning, G. M. J. 2004. Evaluating employee performance (part 1). Retrieved June 14, 2009, from (http://www. whatmakesagoodleader. com/Employee Performance-Evaluation. html) Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. 1996. Translating strategy into action: the balanced scorecard. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Massachusetts. Madigan, C. O. 1999. Full-circle feedback. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://businessfinancemag. com/career-hr). Ngo, Davi. (2009). Performance appraisal methods. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://www. humanresources. hrvinet. com/performance-appraisal-methods/). Wikepedia. org. Behaviorally anchored rating scales. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Behaviorally_anchored_rating_scales).

Public Policy Analysis Gun Control Essay - 1246 Words

Public policies are developed in response to the existence of a perceived problem or an opportunity. The analysis delves into a public issue or problem and assesses a set of proposed government action for addressing the issue. The job of the analyst is to describe the background and status of an issue and then, using research and analysis, determine a proper government action to resolve the issue. By comparing options and weighing their expected benefits, the analyst should conclude with a recommended course of action or inaction to addressing the issue. During the problem definition stage, one must realize that â€Å"a condition is not a social problem unless it is seen as violating certain fundamental values and beliefs about how society†¦show more content†¦The analyst can also find research reports, identification problems, recommendations for new programs or reform to existing programs, and requests for lobbying activities. Agenda setting has raised the following questions: Who recognizes the issue as being a problem and why is it seen as a problem? The Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the lobbying force of the NRA. â€Å"The institute works vigorously to defeat restrictive gun control legislation, pass pro-gun reform legislation, and to educate the public about the facts concerning the many facets of firearms ownership† (NRA, 2011). Is the issue looked at differently by groups with different values? Are public officials interested in responding to the problem and can a public policy be formed to address the problem? Do public officials have the means necessary to carry out a policy response? Has something recently happened to make this issue a problem? How pressing is this problem? How long will it take to respond to the problem? Policy formulation develops policy proposals and goals to resolve the issue and restructure problems. It determines those barriers that may be incurred and what is needed from other agencies or the private sector. Also developed, are methods in which to evaluate how success will be judged and theShow MoreRelatedGuns Dont Kill People, Criminals Kill People Essay1476 Words   |  6 Pages In America, gun control has been a source of debate for decades. Recently, an increase in the frequency of mass shootings has caused the country to become extremely polarized in relation to the issue. America is often described as having a gun culture as a result of firearms being engrained in its history and perhaps, consequently, has among the highest rates of gun-related crime as well as gun ownership rates, among developed nations. There exists an abundance of scholarly work done in an effortRead MoreThe Issue Of Gun Control1714 Words   |  7 PagesInterestingly pro-gun groups identify the reason for increased gun crimes as tightening laws and putting more restrictions on guns. According to Wooster College and a research that they conducted, many individuals who are pro guns believe â€Å"Gun control doesn’t protect people from violent crime, it increases it. Every region where gun control is high, there is a higher instance of gun violence and crime in general. In regi ons where there are less restrictive gun laws, you’ll see lower instances ofRead MorePolicy, Then It Is Not Likely To Pass In Either Chamber1611 Words   |  7 Pagespolicy, then it is not likely to pass in either chamber of congress. Therefore, the policy should have some sort of precedent, such that its implementation is feasible, even if it is not plausible. Role for Government As a public health crisis, the government is not only justified in taking action to curb the problem, but they should also feel obligated. Over 10,000 Americans die due to gun violence each year, and tens of thousands more are injured (Brady Campaign, 2017). Aside from protectingRead MorePros And Cons Of Stricter Gun Control1357 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Guns are designed to kill. They have no other function† (Bowman and Newton). Today, there is a major debate whether or not guns should be legalized. Gun control is a firearm regulation which sets laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, or possession of firearms. The Second Amendment was ratified in on December 15, 1791 that allowed people the right to bear arms, but many people disagree with that and to express their opinions, both sides protest. Guns have a long history in the UnitedRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Sandy Hook School Shooting1520 Words   |  7 Pagesexplanation, the media emphasized variou s social issues such as mental health, violent video games, and gun control as possible catalysts. In the end, the Sandy Hook massacre became a highlighted example of why gun control should be accepted, otherwise known as a symbolic crime. This essay will provide a critical analysis of what happened in the Sandy Hook School shooting, the media’s role in public opinion, and the arguments laid forth by claims-makers as associated with this symbolic crime. The SandyRead MoreGun control1657 Words   |  7 Pages Does gun control reduce crime rate? Abstract Over the past few months, people across the nation have been debating about gun control. Topics ranging from firearm restrictions to background checks have been heavily discussed by both emotion and logic, by both gun supporters and gun control activists, and it seems like there is no middle ground for both parties to agree on. Crime rates influence guns demanded for self-protection, and guns demanded by criminalsRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Sandy Hook Shooting1328 Words   |  6 Pageshappened and how could we have prevented this heinous crime. In looking for an explanation the Media emphasized various topics such as mental health, violent video games, and gun control as possible catalysts. This essay will provide a critical analysis of what happened in the Sandy Hook Shooting, the media’s role in public opinion, and the arguments laid forth by claims-makers as associated with this symbolic crime. The Sandy Hook School shooting took place in Newtown, Connecticut, an upper-middle-classRead MoreThe University Of Alabama s Police Department s Gun Policy1074 Words   |  5 PagesA major issue in the United States is gun control. Due to multiple mass shootings in schools and public areas, restrictions regarding guns have been implemented across the United States. Andrew Parks, a student at The University of Alabama, wrote an article against gun restrictions. His article, â€Å"The University should allow concealed carry,† supports the idea of college campuses like The University of Alabama, allowing students to conceal carry firearms. In an article written by Jennie Kushner, theRead MoreEssay on Canadian Firearms Program1321 Words   |  6 PagesCase Study: Individual Preparation Report Name: Maruf Hashem Date: January 30, 2013 Case Title: Canadian Firearms Program Introduction Gun violence is serious social problem and Canada has a long history of firearms control. However, increasing costs to the Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) has made it a lightning rod for criticism from both pro and anti-gun advocates. Reports out of the media and Auditor General Sheila Fraser paint a picture of inefficiency, incompetence and mismanagement. ThisRead MoreThe Effects Of Stricter Gun Control On The United States1352 Words   |  6 PagesEffectiveness Statistical analysis about states in the U.S. proves the correlation between strict gun control policies and deaths related to firearms to the least extent. According to an article published by Richard Florida on CityLab, a research shows that states with stricter gun control have fewer gun-related fatalities. The study in the article was conducted by researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health. Researchers measured â€Å"legislative