Costco's Commitment to Employee Safety and Health Standards

Surname: 1 Student’s Name Instructor Course Date Safety and Health at Work at Costco Introduction Costco (Cost Company) happens to be United States largest Membership-only warehouse club and has a huge selection of merchandise. It is as well one among the leading retailers across the world today. The company’s has its headquarters at Issaquah, Washington. It opened its 1 st warehouse in the year 1983, however, its history dates back to the year 1976 when Price Club, its competitor was founded in California. Currently, the company has more than 700 warehouses in various countries including the U.S, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Japan, UK, Spain, Taiwan, and Australia. Today, Costco employs approximately 174,000 full and part time workers. Under the leadership of Jeffrey H. Brotman, the company was ranked 1 st by the American Customer Satisfaction index (ACSI) in the specialty retail store industry after scoring 84 in the year 2014. Safety and Health at Work The code of ethics for Costco lists three elements that the company puts first. These include:  Obedience to the Law  Taking care of the members of the organization

Surname: 2  Taking Care of the employees of the organization, and  Respecting suppliers of the organization ( Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.) Cusco declares in its code of ethics that its employees happen to be on among the most important asset of the organization. In addition, the company believes that its employees are the best hence; it is willing to offer tem rewarding challenges as well as plenty of personal and career development opportunities. In its code of ethics, the organization pledges to offer its workers:  Competitive wages  A safe & healthy work Environment,  Great benefits  Challenging & fun work  A workplace free from discrimination or harassment  Career opportunities,  Opportunities to pride back their societies by way of fundraising and volunteering  An open door procedure allowing access to ascending management levels for issue resolution ( Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.) In one way or another, all these contribute towards a favorable working environment which positively affects the health of employees. The company is ethically committed to providing its workers with a safe work environment. Health Benefits for Employees

Surname: 3 Costco ensures its employees that their safety as well as good health is significant to the organization, on the other hand, it advices them that their recovery depends on them, as it begins with their participation and commitment to their recovery process. Employees at Costco are supposed to report any injuries to their respective managers with an immediate effect. In addition, Costco is clear and provides time for any employee to clearly communicate with his or her healthcare provider, attend all scheduled appointments, as well as follow up with each and every authorized medical treatment, diagnostic test, as well as physical therapy. Such employees are supposed to inform their managers on any changes in work status. They should provide updated written work abilities to the managers (Costco Wholesale ) . Costco compensates it employees after cases of injuries at work place. It has in place a third party administrator to administer workers compensation claims. It is through such third parties that employees can claim and receive the injury compensations. Injury issues are easily resolved because the open door policy. Employees are provided with nurses to asset them in the course of their injuries (Costco Wholesale) . The program also allows employees to their prescriptions faster and free of charge. Employees are entitled to a paid medical leave. Costco complies with the law and regulations in various countries from where it operates from to provide employees with necessary benefits including paid sick leaves, medical leaves and other forms of benefits. The organization will as well pay for transitional return to duty or modified duty. Other important benefits include insurance cover, disability plans, and employee & family assistance programs, and dental care (2016 Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd) . The organization does not only comply with laws just because they are in place but has committed itself to do so in its code of Ethics. This is because it feels that provisions by the law are necessary for employee motivation.

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Surname: 4 As far as productions concerned, Costco does not push its employees to overwork them to gain more productivity, but it cares about their health more. Hourly full time employees are health benefit eligible after working for 190 days (Costco Wholesale Corporation) . On the other hand, those who are highly motivated to work harder con become eligible after working for 450 hours. Hourly part-time employees become health benefit eligible after working for 180 days or 600 hours whichever comes first (Costco Wholesale Corporation) . This means one can work for three hours a day and become eligible after 180 days or work for 8 hours a day and become eligible after 75 days only. Salaried employees, on the other hand become eligible for health benefits the organization offers on the 1 st of the month following the date they are hired. Warehouse Benefits Costco complies with required warehouse regulations in efforts to ensure safety for its workers. In order to reduce injuries at warehouses, the organization provides training for its employees on ways to protect themselves from any danger. Training involves appropriate utilization of forklifts, avoiding leaving improper stacking products, utilization of protective equipment, following appropriate tag out/lockout procedures, handling fire safety provisions and hazard communication among other things. In addition, the organization provides its employees with appropriate equipment to use in the warehouse for safety including safety boots, helmets, as well as firefighting equipment. Through training, the employees learn safe lifting techniques, label hazardous zones clearly, and utilize safety equipment at all times (OSHA) . Costco observes the rules and regulations governing warehouse safety in different countries. For instance, it adheres to OSHA standards in the U.S in maintaining warehouse safety. Safety Equipment

Surname: 5 Costco provides its employees with safety equipment for use at all times. The company understands that its employees can be injured at any given time and takes necessary precautions to keep them safe. They provide safety clothing for all industry employees. The organization ensures that vehicles, tractors, forklifts, and other machines as well as conveyors are well maintained for the safety of employees (OSHA) . Equipment are inspected regularly, pinch points are well guarded while the working space is well lit. Forklifts and vehicles have their tires replaced regularly, haulage equipment are properly maintained, and drivers are supposed to wear safety belts whenever driving. Conclusion and Recommendations Costco is considered a great company which in turn, considers its employees as great too. The company shows this y the way it highly respects and values its employees as it claims that they are its most significant asset. The company has plenty of benefits for its employees, which include suitable health compensation, generous healthcare coverage and a working environment which is conducive to work in. The organization observes rules and regulations put in place by different governments in more than the 8 countries from which operates. The fact that the company does business in various countries as made it learn how to comply with regulations in place for ensuring employee safety. In addition, the company trains its employees and provides them with safe equipment for utilization at work. Again, employees who suffer injuries are well taken care of including free medical services, paid medical leaves, medical insurance and other benefits. As a result, the company is internationally recognized as one with most favorable working environments. Though accidents can happen anytime or even anywhere, the company should do more about training. More training of employees in efforts to improve their safety is the best way the company to ensure a more secure environment for them.

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Surname: 7 Works Cited Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. The Costco Story . 2016. 21 10 2016 <http://www.costco.ca/about-us.html>. 2016 Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. Your future is bright at Costco . 2016. 21 10 2016 <http://www.costco.ca/career.html>. Costco Wholesale . Workers' Compensation . 2016. 21 10 2016 <https://www.costcobenefits.com/cms/more-costco-benefits/workers-comp/index.shtml>. Costco Wholesale Corporation. Costco has Great Benefits . 2016 . 22 10 2016 <http://www.costco.com/benefits.html>. OSHA. "Worker Safety Series Warehousing." OSHA Pocket Guide (2004): 15.

Safety and Health at Work at Costco

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