The resilient workforce of an organisation guarantees a strong foundation for an organisation to sustain and flourish not only when the sailing is smooth but also in adversarial times. Organisations realise that being accountable towards workplace health and safety can significantly result in increased benefits. They are also mindful that the failure to effectively address health and safety risks and performance entails human and business costs.
Many reports, such as The State of Workplace Safety, which cited unresolved workplace safety issues resulting in 41% of employees leaving a workplace (Forbes, 2021), prompt organisations to rethink their workplace health and safety standards. The Governments, in contrast, have acted quite swiftly to promote workplace safety and health by imposing stiff penalties on companies with poor workplace safety (Channel News Asia, n.d.). The UN acted as a catalyst to ensure safety and health gained more traction by designating 28th April as world day for workplace safety and health (United Nations, n.d.).
Workplace health and safety is an innocuous topic of discussion, but many organisations (Huffpost, 2022) have repeatedly found themselves on the wrong side of the law. They have seemingly had a tough time inculcating it in their set-up, necessitating delving deeper into its realm.
Workplace Health and Safety
There’s no better policy in society than pursuing the health and safety of its people.
– Ralph Nader, American Political Activist
Workplace health and safety gives impetus to primary hazard prevention. Its role is extensive and not confined to only workplace health and safety aspects. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) took due notice by identifying the following hazards under its ambit.
- Safety- Includes any kind of substance, condition or object that can injure workers.
- Chemical- Exposure to chemicals in liquids, gases, vapours and fumes.
- Biological- When working with other people, animals or with communicable things, employees can get exposed to blood, fungi, mould, viruses and animal droppings.
- Physical- It can injure workers with or without contact, including radiation, working in extreme heat or cold, spending hours under the sun or being exposed to loud noises persistently.
- Ergonomic- They occur when repetitive work, the type of work or a fixed position strains the body. These are the most difficult to spot because problems build up over time.
Of late, many organisations (Gulf Times, 2021) have been able to attain their goal of providing better workplace health and safety to their workforce.
Role of the Employees
When the employees feel safe and secure in an environment, they can discharge their duties and responsibilities to the best of their abilities. They feel empowered when their voice gets heard, and their engagement is much more, guaranteeing a safe workplace for their colleagues and associates. Employees should-
- Report about safety concerns.
- Thoroughly update themselves with workplace health and safety policies.
- Volunteer for safety training.
- Address their workplace stress.
- Use technology to better health and safety standards (Forbes, 2021).
Role of the Management
The leadership at the helm determines the organisational culture and could be a matter of life and death when it pertains to workplace health and safety. One of the starkest examples in recent history is that of BP (Gallup, 2016), repeatedly in the news because of its infamous safety records. These incidents, in addition to many more around the globe, have compelled organisations to look inwards.
As the management’s purview is far-reaching and all-encompassing, it entails the responsibility to safeguard employees’ health and safety, which is critical for an organisation as it assists its workforce in becoming resilient. It is also vital for the continuity of an organisation’s business. The management should-
- Encourage quality work.
- Maintain a purpose-driven culture.
- Encourage and listen to employee opinions (Gallup, 2016).
Advantages of Integrating ESG
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and the Global Reporting
Initiative are two ESG Frameworks that seek reports from organisations on job-related health and safety management systems and the amount and rate of work-related injuries. It has been found that businesses with good employee well-being programmes pointedly outdo companies listed on the S&P 500 index. Forty-five companies that received high scores on a health and wellness assessment appreciated by 235%, compared to the S&P 500 Index appreciation of 159% over a six-year simulation period (Deloitte, n.d.).
The management’s role is crucial in ensuring a conducive workplace environment for its workforce. For the management to attain this steadfast goal, the employees must join hands by alerting the leadership about issues when they arise and watch out for one another because an engaged workplace has a better chance at impeccable workplace health and safety.
Bibliography
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