Accountability and Control
A basic rule for developing accountability is that a person should be held accountable only if they have the control, the authority, and the ability to meet the stated performance standard.
If managers, supervisors, and employees are held accountable for performance they can't control, they will attempt to gain that control. That attempt may include inappropriate strategies.
For instance, if a supervisor is evaluated solely based on the accident rates in their department, they might threaten to fire any employee who fills out an OSHA 301 Incident Report.
OSHA believes the employer has ultimate control of the operations and employees that make up the day-to-day work environment. As a result, OSHA only measures employer performance and administers appropriate consequences if the employer fails to meet the standard. OSHA does not cite employees.
Although employees may have very little control over their responsibilities, they can choose to work safely or to take chances.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-6. When should a person be held accountable for an assigned responsibility?
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