Wednesday, 8 December 2021

Occupational Health and Safety

 Occupational Health and Safety



                                                        Figure 01(Edet, 2021)

Human resources are regarded as an organization’s most significant asset. As a result, safeguarding workplace health and safety is a critical responsibility of the HR manager. A healthy workforce is a necessary condition for a productive and long-term industry. Many organizations continue to struggle with issues of safety and physical health. Workplace accidents could incur medical fees, hospitalization expenses, increased insurance premium costs, lower productivity, expenses required to acquire and train new personnel, management time, and compensation paid directly in connection with the accident. All of these could be incurred as a result of workplace accidents. Hence, it is the responsibility of the personnel who are managing people to ensure that the workforce is healthy-physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational health refers to the physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of employees both in and out of the workplace. Employees working in an environment free of hazards and risks could lead to accidents and occupational diseases. An injury or accident can occur as a result of different job dangers and risks.

Factors that affect Health and Safety at Work

Every job comes with its own set of dangers and risks. To keep accidents, injuries, and work-related diseases to a bare minimum, it’s critical to recognize these health risks and reduce their risk.

· Physical: Heat, cold, light, noise, vibration, pressure, radiation

· Chemical: Gasses, fumes, solids or liquids, dusts

· Biological: Bacteria, virus, fungi parasites, insects

· Psycho-social: Work stress, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, frustration

· Ergonomics: Anatomical, anthropometrical, psychological mismatches

Personnel Protective Equipment

Personnel protective equipment is equipment that is used to reduce risk ad protect people from injury.

E.g. Goggles, gloves, face masks, safety helmets, safety belts, ear studs/mufflers, over coats



Figure 02: (Worker with Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Icons)

 

Causation of Accidents



Figure 03: Caution of Accidents

How to reduce Accidents?

· Check for and remove unsafe conditions.

· Try to screen out employees who might be accident-prone for the jb in question.

· Establish a safety policy.

· Set specific loss control goals.

· Encourage and train employees to be safety conscious.

· Enforce safety rules.

Conclusion

Human resource professionals are expected to make a significant contribution to improving employee health and safety. Employee health and safety are crucial issues that must be addressed in order for the organization and its people to thrive and develop effectively.

References

Edet, U. (2021, March 29). Health and Safety Articles. Retrieved from HSEWatch Website: http://www.hsewatch.com

Worker with Personal Protective Equipment and Safety Icons. (n.d.). Retrieved from ShutterStock Website: http://www.shutterstock.com

3 comments:

  1. An important article. Employees are the biggest asset an every organization. Therefore it is more important that take reasonable care for the health and safety of employees. Valuable article with good explanation. Interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Occupational health is an area of work in public health to promote and maintain highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations.
    Occupational accidents and diseases have an impact not only on the lives of affected workers and their families, but also on the productivity of their enterprises and ultimately on the welfare of the entire society. In here nicely explain. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful work ,however Benefits of Safety in the Workplace
    As per workforce is truly dedicated and comes together to help create a safe working environment, this will contribute to less injuries and illnesses on-site, which will in turn offer myriad benefits.

    Let’s take a closer look and can explain further.

    ReplyDelete

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