The Importance of Occupational Health and Safety

What is Occupational Health and Safety?

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is the practice that deals with the safety, welfare, and social well-being of workers in all occupations. Hence, providing a safe working environment for the staff is a legal and human responsibility.                 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that every year, around 2.3 million workers around the world face fatal circumstances due to work-related accidents, that is why public and private sector organizations throughout the world are increasingly concerned with improving occupational health and safety in both developed and developing countries.         

The rapid pace of technological and natural changes, combined with the persistence of unsafe and environmentally threatening working conditions, has served to focus attention on the requirement to make a secure, healthy operating environment, and to push a coherent safety culture within the workplace.

Whether you are an employee, a manager, or a business owner, you share a common goal, to create a safe workplace.                                                                                                                           

As was stated in a prior article ISO 45001 can be used entirely or partially to systematically improve the Occupational Health and Safety management system. But until an organization's OH&S Management System complies with every provision of the standard, without exception, claims of conformity to this standard are not valid.

Why is Occupational Health and Safety important?

In several working environments, multiple factors may play a role in the employees’ health risks, whether it is a highly regarded risk or not, it should never be overlooked. Some of these factors are more trivial than others, but they are present nevertheless.     

In a wide range of jobs and settings, occupational health and safety experts offer knowledge in the prevention of injuries and diseases. A multidisciplinary team that is working on environmental or wellness initiatives, managing people with disabilities, adhering to regulations, and other things might include you.                                                                                     

The implementation of occupational health and safety standards helps organizations to:

Reduce workplace incidents

Organizations can use the framework provided by ISO 45001 to find possible safety concerns before they cause an accident. Your business will experience fewer unpleasant surprises if you address hazards in your operations. However, risk is just one aspect of ISO 45001. Employers can discover possibilities to improve safety and productivity by recognizing possible dangers.

Reduce absenteeism and staff turnover

By managing Health and Safety hazards in the workplace more effectively, we can better protect employees, which lowers absenteeism and staff turnover rates.

Increase productivity

Productivity suffers whenever a worker is hurt and unable to work again. Hiring and training a successor takes time away from you. Additionally, you might need to temporarily halt operations if any equipment was destroyed in the event.

Reduce the cost of insurance premiums

By merely implementing ISO 45001, an organization can establish a foundation for attracting lower insurance premiums by demonstrating that it is taking great precautions to manage and safeguard its people.

Create a proper health and safety culture

Whereby employees are encouraged to take an active role in their own occupational health and safety management system.

Reinforce leadership commitment to proactively improve occupational health and safety performance

This specific ISO standard guarantees that top-level management or safety management people bear accountability and ownership. The occupational health and safety of employees is continuously enhanced over time by having senior leadership involved and a clearly articulated approach for detecting danger.

Enhance reputation

Your company will be viewed as a top-tier industry player and gain international recognition if you adopt the most modern occupational health and safety standard. It is a standard of quality that is recognized across the world and will assist to distinguish you from your rivals.

Improve staff morale

Instead of quality management of the employed workplace systems and equipment, the emphasis is largely on the physical and mental health of the personnel. When attempting to adopt ISO 45001 into your organization, it is critical to understand this component since it raises employee morale, which has a big influence on attrition and retention rates.

How to implement Occupational Health and Safety procedures in the workplace?

Every workplace is posed to different risks, which means that each occupational health and safety policy is drafted differently in each organization. As such, it is important that organizations ensure all possible concerns are addressed in detail before finalizing and publishing the policies within the organization.                                                                    

An occupational health and safety obedient organization should meet legal standards with the help of trained professionals. Like any other business implementation, an occupational health and safety system can also benefit from a thorough project plan and a well-appointed team. For an appropriate function of the system, all employees within the organization need to provide regular feedback and input on the occupational health and safety system.                                                                                                           

Hence, regular reviews and upgrades are necessary to monitor the system’s progress and possible flaws. Keeping the system up-to-date ensures employees that their needs are handled in reliable and considerate hands.  

Occupational Health and Safety careers

If you are looking for a career where you can make a real difference in people's lives then occupational health and safety is the way to go.                                                                                                                

Organizations increasingly seek occupational health and safety professionals who can catalyze these processes, and it is not always easy to find such professionals with the right skills.

With an ISO 45001 certificate provided by PECB, you can support your career growth in a range of industries, such as; hospitals or healthcare providers, mining, forestry, construction, transportation, and more. This certificate can lead to a career in roles such as: health and safety assistant, occupational health and safety administrator, coordinator health and safety officer, and so on.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to implementing ISO 45001 no matter the size of your organization. Organizations are better able to comprehend the interests of their employees when they have a greater understanding of the significance of workplace Occupational Health and Safety.  

The system's implementation offers a number of advantages, including decreased incident costs, increased company effectiveness, increased employee productivity, and more. In terms of service delivery, workplace safety and health should not be neglected. The motivation and job satisfaction of employees, which affect productivity and retention, are significantly influenced by their health and well-being. 

Overall, ISO 45001 the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety aims to provide a safe, healthy workplace and prevent the likelihood of injuries and ill-health arising. By consulting with employees and letting them engage, performance at work should be improved.