How To Manage Health and Safety in the Workplace ? ... Must read
Occupational safety and
health is an area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of
people engaged in work or employment. All work exposes people to hazards such
as loads which have to be manually handled; dangerous machinery; toxic
substances; electricity; risk of fire; working with display screen equipment or
even psychological hazards such as stress.
It may seem obvious but
management of health and safety in the workplace is extremely important, not
only because it protects employees, but also because productivity increases
when workers are happy and healthy. Safety does not come about by accident:
most accidents happen because they have not been prevented. Occupational safety
and health (OSH) management in organizations is important for moral, legal, and
economic reasons.
It is morally right to
protect a fellow human being from harm. All organizations have a duty of care
to ensure that employees and any other person who may be affected by the
companies undertaking remains safe at all times. Families and friends would
expect their loved ones who go out to make a living to come back home safe. The
pain, suffering and grief of individuals who are hurt or have their health
affected, whilst working for their companies, are not only felt by the
individual workers but also by their families. Most people would not wish to be
responsible for someone else's injury or illness. This is a clear moral reason
why accidents should be prevented. There is also an impact on the family and
friends of someone who has suffered an injury, such as the loss of a limb or
ill health, where the person might need additional support and care to carry on
their life. The press and media coverage of a serious accident can also have a
massive effect on how an organization is perceived in a town, city or region.
There are sound economic
reasons for reducing work-related accidents and ill-health. Besides reducing
costs, effective safety and health management promotes business efficiency.
Work-related diseases and ill-health result in many days lost at work.
Accidents and ill-health disrupt normal operations and is a potential addition
to an organization's operating costs. Ill and injured employees will be absent
from work for days or even months. This could affect the productivity of the
sections where they work. These employees will still be paid as they recover.
The stress and strain on the remaining employees may lead to more accidents and
could de-motivate them, affecting their productivity even further. In addition,
the medical costs incurred by ill and injured employees in hospitals will be
borne by the organization. The total effect has a potential to affect the
organization's income and profitability. Increased insurance premiums as a
result of accidents will also increase the organizations costs.
Legal reasons for
occupational safety and health management practices relate to the preventative,
punitive and compensatory effects of laws that protect worker's safety and
health. Occupational Safety and Health legislations require all employers to
ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of
workers and to manage and conduct all work activities in such a way as to
ensure their safety, health and welfare. This requires all who have this legal
responsibility to be proactive in managing their safety, health and welfare
responsibilities and deal with them in a systematic way.
Employers must ensure that
the workplaces, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are safe
and without risk to health. Any employer who fails to abide by this law commits
an offence and can face prosecution. All organizations should abide by the law..
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