MSc Safety, Health and Environmental Management

University of South Wales

This module focusses on the importance of legal aspects of business law to underpin studies in corporate social responsibility (CSR). The module reviews the importance of ethic global supply chains, director's duties in relation to CSR responsibilities, sensible business dispute management and conflict resolution. Environmental obligations of UK Companies and human rights issues relating to the environment form a strong component in this module. Whilst the main focus is the law of England and Wales there is ample opportunity for students to undertake comparative studies with their own jurisdiction.

This module considers a wide range of inter-related topics that bear on the management of any business, including awareness of management systems, communication, influencing and financial considerations and in depth understanding of ?risk? at both strategic and operational levels.

ISO 26000 guidance on social responsibility is the international standard developed to help organisations effectively assess and address those social responsibilities that are relevant and significant to their mission and vision; operations and processes; customers, employees, communities, and other stakeholders; and environmental impact. This module will look in detail at how ISO 26000 guidance can be applied and the issues surrounding such implementation as part of a wider integrated management system.

The Environmental Management module will give you a better understanding and awareness of current and established environmental management issues and practice. The module focuses upon the well-known and globally-used ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard and guides and enables you to critically evaluate strategies for business improvements. You will study the following topics: organisational context; corporate environmental leadership; environmental planning within an EMS context; support, competence and communications; operational issues; performance evaluation; Key Performance Indicators ? e.g. energy use; audits; management review.

This module serves to provide students with essential core knowledge, understanding and skills to be able to create and develop an effective management system fully compliant with legal and statutory requirements and capable of certification against a number of management system standards or maturity models.

The dissertation is your chance to work on a piece of research focused upon your course. Firstly you will be shown what research is, and how to do it, through a series of lectures. Then you will be encouraged and guided by your individual supervisor to use appropriate resources to undertake a major, comprehensive, innovative piece of investigative research, relevant to you. You will be helped to develop and demonstrate your ability to gather extensive evidence, carry out a thorough and in depth critical analysis, produce sustained argument/s and synthesise the findings of the research in a professional manner. You will also be asked to provide a presentation of your findings.

This module provides a systematic and effective risk analysis methodology around a number of risks and hazards subject to legislative control to enable the student to fully appreciate the role and competence of the legislation and to be able, where necessary, to go beyond the prescribed legislative requirements in ensuring a safe and healthy workplace.