Why is Safety Important at the Workplace

8/3/2019 Why is Safety Important at the Workplace

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Why is Safety Important at the Workplace?

What is workplace safety? Why is safety at work important? To know why, you must read on.The key to employee productivity is to keep them motivated. Employees can remain

motivated if they feel safe and happy at their workplace. This says a lot about theimportance of workplace safety. Workplace safety is important for the very reason

of improved productivity. It is only when the employees feel safe at work that they

can invest the fullest of their capacities and exploit the best of their potentials to

work.

Workplace safety is the employer's and management's responsibility. It involves the

formation and implementation of safety programs. Employee insurance schemes

and employee safety policies help cover the risk an employee might suffer at work.

Jobs, which require the employees to travel or stay out of their city or country,

should cover the risks involved in the journey and the on-site stay. Certain jobs

require the employees to engage in life-risking work; they require the employees to

be part of dangerous industrial processes. Jobs, which put the safety of their

employees at stake, should also provide the employees with the safety costs.

Workplace safety involves training programs that are meant to teach the employees

to handle risks. Employees need to be trained to react to impending dangers, if any.

They should be trained to fight risks and deal with accidents at work in case they

occur. It is important for the management of a company to cater to the safety needs

of its employees through risk covers as well as training programs aimed at

minimizing risk costs.

At the time of the formation of a company, its safety goals, safety programs,

policies, plans and procedures need to be documented. The management should

ensure the health and safety of the employees by the means of safety education

programs. The importance of office safety can be promoted through the formation

of a safety committee that is given the responsibility of employee safety. Safety

committees are helpful in increasing employee involvement in the process.

Violence at workplace gives rise to serious issues pertaining to office safety. Acts of

violence eclipse the atmosphere in the organization and can leave a permanent

scar on the company's image. Violence at the workplace is sure to lead to frustrated

employees in turn leading to a decline in their productivity. The management

should implement strict measures to prevent acts of violence at work. It should

implement policies that safeguard the employees against harassment, torture or ill-

treatment from other employees.

Safety is important at a workplace, also because human resources are the most

important resources of an organization. Safety at a workplace, also known as office
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safety refers to the safety of this valuable resource of an organization. Satisfied

employees can earn for a company what money can't buy. Human life is priceless. It

cannot be made up for, by monetary compensations. An employer might be able to

substitute an employee by another. But, not necessarily his dedication and

expertise. That's why it's important for organizations to understand that human

resoures are its assets. This is also a reason why employers should cater toworkplace safety, and moreover, to the employees' lives.

Here are some questions whose answers can lead you to know whether proper

safety measures are being implemented in a workplace.

1. Is a fire extinguishing or suppression system in place and in working condition?

Do employees know how the system works or the procedure to operate it? Are they

aware of the immediate action to take, in case of a fire?

2. Has the organization identified the risks to employee safety? Are employees

aware of the degree of each risk and safety measures to take? Are employees

aware of the risks in the processes they work in? (Applies to certain industrial

processes which involve working with harmful substances or when the process

execution involves risk.)

3. Are the employees associated with such processes (where hazardous substances

or heavy machinery is involved) given the right safety gear and training to fight the

danger?

4. Is there a threat to electric safety? Is the electrical equipment maintained and

serviced? Are the employees working with electrical equipment given the training

and gear to prevent electric shocks?

5. Has the organization analyzed the risk of accidents? Are the employees aware of

the risk areas? Are their accident risks covered?

6. Does the arrangement of furniture and the seating layout in the organizationcater to employees' comfort? Has ergonomics been given due consideration?

7. Do the employees feel secure, physically? Has the organization taken measures

to eliminate threats to the safety of its employees and their belongings?

8. Are the employees insured against risk to life or risk of accidents in the

workplace?

9. Are all the safety and security threats identified and documented?

10. Do employees feel safe at work?

Ideally, the answer to all the above questions should be a 'yes'. Organizations

should understand the importance of safety at the workplace and take all themeasures to ensure it. The whole idea of workplace safety actually rests on a

unanimousyes from employees, to the last question in the list - do they feel safe at

work?


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I. Introduction

What is occupational health and safety?

Occupational health and safety is a discipline with a broad scope involvingmany specialized fields. In its broadest sense, it should aim at:

the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical,mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations;

the prevention among workers of adverse effects on health caused bytheir working conditions;

the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting fromfactors adverse to health;

the placing and maintenance of workers in an occupationalenvironment adapted to physical and mental needs;

the adaptation of work to humans.

In other words, occupational health and safety encompasses the social,mental and physical well-being of workers, that is the whole person.

Successful occupational health and safety practice requires the collaborationand participation of both employers and workers in health and safetyprogrammes, and involves the consideration of issues relating tooccupational medicine, industrial hygiene, toxicology, education, engineeringsafety, ergonomics, psychology, etc.

Occupational health issues are often given less attention than occupationalsafety issues because the former are generally more difficult to confront.However, when health is addressed, so is safety, because a healthyworkplace is by definition also a safe workplace. The converse, though, maynot be true - a so-called safe workplace is not necessarily also a healthyworkplace. The important point is that issues of both health and safetymust be addressed in every workplace. By and large, the definition ofoccupational health and safety given above encompasses both health andsafety in their broadest contexts.

Poor working conditions affect worker health and safety

Poor working conditions of any type have the potential to affect aworker's health and safety.

Unhealthy or unsafe working conditions are not limited to factories they can be found anywhere, whether the workplace is indoors oroutdoors. For many workers, such as agricultural workers or miners,


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the workplace is outdoors and can pose many health and safetyhazards.

Poor working conditions can also affect the environment workers livein, since the working and living environments are the same for manyworkers. This means that occupational hazards can have harmful

effects on workers, their families, and other people in the community,as well as on the physical environment around the workplace. A classicexample is the use of pesticides in agricultural work. Workers can beexposed to toxic chemicals in a number of ways when sprayingpesticides: they can inhale the chemicals during and after spraying,the chemicals can be absorbed through the skin, and the workers caningest the chemicals if they eat, drink, or smoke without first washingtheir hands, or if drinking water has become contaminated with thechemicals. The workers' families can also be exposed in a number ofways: they can inhale the pesticides which may linger in the air, theycan drink contaminated water, or they can be exposed to residues

which may be on the worker's clothes. Other people in the communitycan all be exposed in the same ways as well. When the chemicals getabsorbed into the soil or leach into groundwater supplies, the adverseeffects on the natural environment can be permanent.

Overall, efforts in occupational health and safety must aim to preventindustrial accidents and diseases, and at the same time recognize theconnection between worker health and safety, the workplace, and theenvironment outside the workplace.

Why is occupational health and safety important?

Work plays a central role in people's lives, since most workers spend at leasteight hours a day in the workplace, whether it is on a plantation, in an office,factory, etc. Therefore, work environments should be safe and healthy. Yetthis is not the case for many workers. Every day workers all over the worldare faced with a multitude of health hazards, such as:

dusts; gases; noise; vibration;

extreme temperatures.

Unfortunately some employers assume little responsibility for the protectionof workers' health and safety. In fact, some employers do not even know thatthey have the moral and often legal responsibility to protect workers. As aresult of the hazards and a lack of attention given to health and safety, work-related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the world.


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Costs of occupational injury/disease

How muchdoes an

occupational diseaseoraccidentcost?

Work-related accidents or diseases are very costly and can have manyserious direct and indirect effects on the lives of workers and their families.For workers some of the direct costs of an injury or illness are:

the pain and suffering of the injury or illness; the loss of income; the possible loss of a job; health-care costs.

It has been estimated that the indirect costs of an accident or illness canbe four to ten times greater than the direct costs, or even more. Anoccupational illness or accident can have so many indirect costs to workersthat it is often difficult to measure them. One of the most obvious indirectcosts is the human suffering caused to workers' families, which cannot becompensated with money.

The costs to employers of occupational accidents or illnesses are alsoestimated to be enormous. For a small business, the cost of even oneaccident can be a financial disaster. For employers, some of the directcosts are:

payment for work not performed; medical and compensation payments;


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repair or replacement of damaged machinery and equipment; reduction or a temporary halt in production; increased training expenses and administration costs; possible reduction in the quality of work; negative effect on morale in other workers.

Some of the indirect costs for employers are:

the injured/ill worker has to be replaced; a new worker has to be trained and given time to adjust; it takes time before the new worker is producing at the rate of the

original worker; time must be devoted to obligatory investigations, to the writing of

reports and filling out of forms; accidents often arouse the concern of fellow workers and influence

labour relations in a negative way;

poor health and safety conditions in the workplace can also result inpoor public relations.

Overall, the costs of most work-related accidents or illnesses to workers andtheir families and to employers are very high.

On a national scale, the estimated costs of occupational accidents andillnesses can be as high as three to four per cent of a country's grossnational product. In reality, no one really knows the total costs of work-related accidents or diseases because there are a multitude of indirect costswhich are difficult to measure besides the more obvious direct costs.

Health and safety programmes

For all of the reasons given above, it is crucial that employers, workers andunions are committed to health and safety and that:

workplace hazards are controlled - at the source whenever possible; records of any exposure are maintained for many years; both workers and employers are informed about health and safety

risks in the workplace; there is an active and effective health and safety committee that

includes both workers and management; worker health and safety efforts are ongoing.

Effective workplace health and safety programmes can help to save the livesof workers by reducing hazards and their consequences. Health and safetyprogrammes also have positive effects on both worker morale andproductivity, which are important benefits. At the same time, effectiveprogrammes can save employers a great deal of money.


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Points to remember

1. Occupational health and safety encompasses the social, mental andphysical well-being of workers in all occupations.

2. Poor working conditions have the potential to affect a worker'shealth and safety.

3. Unhealthy or unsafe working conditions can be found anywhere,whether the workplace is indoors or outdoors.

4. Poor working conditions can affect the environment workers live in.This means that workers, their families, other people in thecommunity, and the physical environment around the workplace,can all be at risk from exposure to workplace hazards.

5. Employers have a moral and often legal responsibility to protect

workers.6. Work-related accidents and diseases are common in all parts of the

world and often have many direct and indirect negativeconsequences for workers and their families. A single accident orillness can mean enormous financial loss to both workers andemployers.

7. Effective workplace health and safety programmes can help to savethe lives of workers by reducing hazards and their consequences.Effective programmes can also have positive effects on both workermorale and productivity, and can save employers a great deal of

money.

II. Extent of the problem worldwide

A. Accidents

In general, health and safety in the workplace has improved in mostindustrialized countries over the past 20 to 30 years. However, thesituation in developing countries is relatively unclear largely because ofinadequate accident and disease recognition, record-keeping and reporting

mechanisms.

It is estimated that at least 250 million occupational accidents occur everyyear worldwide. 335,000 of these accidents are fatal (result in death). (Sincemany countries do not have accurate record-keeping and reportingmechanisms, it can be assumed that the real figures are much higher thanthis.) The number of fatal accidents is much higher in developing countriesthan in industrialized ones. This difference is primarily due to better health


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and safety programmes, improved first-aid and medical facilities in theindustrialized countries, and to active participation of workers in thedecision-making process on health and safety issues. Some of the industrieswith the highest risk of accidents worldwide are: mining, agriculture,including forestry and logging, and construction.

Identifying the cause of an accident

In some cases, the cause of an industrial injury is easy to identify. However,very often there is a hidden chain of events behind the accident which led upto the injury. For example, accidents are often indirectly caused bynegligence on the part of the employer who may not have providedadequate worker training, or a supplier who gave the wrong informationabout a product, etc. The consistently high fatal accident rates in developingcountries emphasize the need for occupational health and safety educationprogrammes that focus on prevention. It is equally important to promote the

development of occupational health services, including the training ofdoctors to recognize work-related diseases in the early stages.

B. Diseases

Exposuretohazardsin theworkplace

can leadto seriousillness.

Some occupational diseases have been recognized for many years, and

affect workers in different ways depending on the nature of the hazard, theroute of exposure, the dose, etc. Some well known occupational diseasesinclude:

asbestosis (caused by asbestos, which is common in insulation,automobile brake linings, etc.);

silicosis (caused by silica, which is common in mining, sandblasting,etc.);


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lead poisoning (caused by lead, which is common in battery plants,paint factories, etc.);

and noise-induced hearing loss (caused by noise, which is common inmany workplaces, including airports, and workplaces where noisymachines, such as presses or drills, etc. are used).

There are also a number of potentially crippling health problems that can beassociated with poor working conditions, including:

heart disease; musculoskeletal disorders such as permanent back injuries or muscle

disorders; allergies; reproductive problems; stress-related disorders.

Many developing countries report only a small number of workers affectedby work-related diseases. These numbers look small for a variety of reasonsthat include:

inadequate or non-existent reporting mechanisms; a lack of occupational health facilities; a lack of health care practitioners who are trained to recognize work-

related diseases.

Because of these reasons and others, it is fair to assume that in reality, thenumbers of workers afflicted with occupational diseases are much higher. In

fact, overall, the number of cases and types of occupational diseasesare increasing, not decreasing, in both developing andindustrialized countries.

Identifying the cause of occupational disease

The cause of work-related diseases is very often difficult to determine. Onefactor is the latency period (the fact that it may take years before thedisease produces an obvious effect on the worker's health). By the time thedisease is identified, it may be too late to do anything about it or to find outwhat hazards the worker was exposed to in the past. Other factors such as

changing jobs, or personal behaviours (such as smoking tobacco or drinkingalcohol) further increase the difficulty of linking workplace exposures to adisease outcome.

Although more is understood now about some occupational hazards than inthe past, every year new chemicals and new technologies are beingintroduced which present new and often unknown hazards to both workersand the community. These new and unknown hazards present great


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challenges to workers, employers, educators, and scientists, that is toeveryone concerned about workers' health and the effects that hazardousagents have on the environment.

Points to remember aboutthe extent of the problemworldwide

1. There are at least 250 million occupational accidents every yearworldwide, at least 335,000 of which result in death.

2. Developing countries have more fatal accidents than industrializednations, emphasizing the need for health and safety educationprogrammes that focus on prevention.

3. Some occupational diseases have been recognized for many yearsand affect workers in different ways. Such diseases are still

problems in all parts of the world.4. The numbers of work-related diseases in developing countries are

much higher in reality than the numbers that are reported.5. The numbers of cases and types of occupational diseases are

increasing in both developing and industrialized countries.

6. It is often difficult to identify the cause of both occupationalaccidents and diseases.

III. The range of hazards

There is an unlimited number of hazards that can be found in almost anyworkplace. There are obvious unsafe working conditions, such as unguardedmachinery, slippery floors or inadequate fire precautions, but there are alsoa number of categories of insidious hazards (that is, those hazards that aredangerous but which may not be obvious) including:

chemical hazards, arising from liquids, solids, dusts, fumes, vapoursand gases;

physical hazards, such as noise, vibration, unsatisfactory lighting,radiation and extreme temperatures;

biological hazards, such as bacteria, viruses, infectious waste andinfestations;

psychological hazards resulting from stress and strain; hazards associated with the non-application of ergonomic principles,

for example badly designed machinery, mechanical devices and toolsused by workers, improper seating and workstation design, or poorlydesigned work practices.


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Most workers are faced with a combination of these hazards at work. Forexample, it is not difficult to imagine a workplace where you are exposed tochemicals, unguarded and noisy machines, hot temperatures, slippery floors,etc. all at the same time. Think about your own workplace. Are there varioushazards there that you can think of?

Hazards areoften builtintoworkplace.

Workprocessescan bedesigned topreventaccidentsandillnesses.Existinghazardsshould beremovedfrom the

workplace.

Workers do not create hazards - in many cases the hazards are built into theworkplace. The trade union position on occupational health and safety is toensure that work is made safer by modifying the workplace and any unsafework processes. This means that the solution is to remove the hazards, notto try to get workers to adapt to unsafe conditions. Requiring workers to


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wear protective clothing which may not be suited or designed for the climateof your region is an example of forcing workers to try to adapt themselves tounsafe conditions, which is also shifting the responsibility from managementto the worker.

It is important for unions to maintain this position because many employersblame workers when there is an accident, claiming that the workers werecareless. This attitude implies that work can be made safer if workers changetheir behaviour or if employers only hire workers who never make mistakes.Everyone makes mistakes it is human nature, but workers should not payfor mistakes with their lives. Accidents do not stop simply by making workersmore safety conscious. Safety awareness may help but it does not removeunsafe work processes or conditions. The most effective accident anddisease prevention begins when work processes are still in thedesign stage, when safe conditions can be built into the workprocess.

Points to rememberabout the range of hazards

1. There is an unlimited number of hazards that can be found inalmost every workplace. These include both obvious unsafe workingconditions and insidious, less obvious hazards.

2. Hazards often are built into the workplace. Therefore, trade unionsmust ensure that hazards are removed, rather than trying to get

workers to adapt to unsafe conditions.

3. The most effective accident and disease prevention begins whenwork processes are still in the design stage, when safe conditionscan be built into the work process.

IV. Importance of management commitment


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Asuccessfulhealth andsafety

programme requiresstrongmanagementcommitment andworkerparticipation.

In order to develop a successful health and safety programme, it is essentialthat there be strong management commitment and strong workerparticipation in the effort to create and maintain a safe and healthyworkplace. An effective management addresses all work-related hazards, notonly those covered by government standards.

All levels of management must make health and safety a priority. They mustcommunicate this by going out into the worksite to talk with workers abouttheir concerns and to observe work procedures and equipment. In eachworkplace, the lines of responsibility from top to bottom need to be clear,

and workers should know who is responsible for different health and safetyissues.

Points to remember about theimportance of management

commitment


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1. Strong management commitment and strong worker involvementare necessary elements for a successful workplace health andsafety programme.

2. An effective management addresses all work-related hazards, not

only those covered by government standards, and communicateswith workers.

V. The importance of training

Effectivetraining isa keycomponen

t of anyhealth andsafetyprogramme.

Workers often experience work-related health problems and do not realizethat the problems are related to their work, particularly when anoccupational disease, for example, is in the early stages. Besides the othermore obvious benefits of training, such as skills development, hazardrecognition, etc., a comprehensive training programme in each workplacewill help workers to:

recognize early signs/symptoms of any potential occupational diseasesbefore they become permanent conditions;

assess their work environment; insist that management make changes before hazardous conditions

can develop.


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Points to rememberabout the importance of training

A comprehensive health and safety training programme ineach workplace will, among other more obvious benefits, helpworkers to recognize any early signs/symptoms of potentialoccupational diseases before they become permanentconditions, to assess their work environment, and to insistthat management make changes before hazardous conditionscan develop.

VI. Role of the health and safety

representative

Health andsafetyrepresentative

As health and safety representative your role is to work proactively (thismeans taking action before hazards become a problem) to prevent workersfrom being exposed to occupational hazards. You can do this by making suremanagement eliminates hazards or keeps them under control when theycannot be eliminated.

Steps to help you reach your goals are:


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1. Be well informed about the various hazards in your workplace and thepossible solutions for controlling those hazards.

2. Work together with your union and the employer to identify and controlhazards.

3. Although these Modules have been developed for the protection ofworkers, you may occasionally need to share some of this information withyour supervisors and employer in the process of working towards a safe andhealthy workplace.

Being a health and safety representative is not always easy, buthelping to protect the lives of your fellow workers is worth all thetime and effort you put into the job.


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Use avariety ofsources forinformatio

n aboutpotentialor existinghazards inyourworkplace.

VII. Summary


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Workers in every occupation can be faced with a multitude ofhazards in the workplace. Occupational health and safetyaddresses the broad range of workplace hazards from accidentprevention to the more insidious hazards including toxic fumes,dust, noise, heat, stress, etc. Preventing work-related diseases

and accidents must be the goal of occupational health andsafety programmes, rather than attempting to solve problemsafter they have already developed.

Hazards in the workplace can be found in a variety of forms,including chemical, physical, biological, psychological, non-application of ergonomic principles, etc. Because of themultitude of hazards in most workplaces and the overall lack ofattention given to health and safety by many employers, work-related accidents and diseases continue to be serious problemsin all parts of the world. Therefore, trade unions must insist that

employers control hazards at the source and not force workersto adapt to unsafe conditions.

Management commitment to health and safety and strongworker participation are two essential elements of anysuccessful workplace health and safety programme. The mosteffective accident and disease prevention begins when workprocesses are still in the design stage.

Exercise. Identifying hazards in the

workplaceNote to the instructor

For this exercise, ask trainees to work in small groups of two tothree people. Give several of the pictures in your text to eachgroup. You will also need a flipchart (or some large sheets ofpaper taped to the walls) and markers or a chalkboard andchalks.

Instructions

The pictures below show different workplaces where a variety ofhazards can be found. Ask trainees to look at the pictures andimagine what sort of problems might exist in each workplace.Write the trainees' responses for each workplace on a flipchartor chalkboard. Some of the major hazards associated with eachof these jobs are given below.


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When you finish discussing the jobs shown in the pictures,discuss the hazards in the trainees' own workplaces. Traineesshould discuss the questions listed in the section In you ownworkplace below.

Discuss the hazards that may be associated with these jobs

1. Welder A welder can be burnt from the sparks and there is always thedanger of the work process starting a fire. There is the problem of theintense light which can cause permanent eye damage as well as the fumesgiven off by the process which can damage the lungs.

2. Mechanic - Dependingon the precise nature of amechanic's duties, theremay be safety problemsfrom cuts and falls, etc.,and exposure to chemicalhazards: oils, solvents,asbestos and exhaustfumes. Mechanics can alsohave back and othermusculoskeletal problems

from lifting heavy parts orbending for long periods.

3. Port worker - Again hazardsdepend largely on the nature ofthe job and in particular the cargobeing handled. Port workers oftenhave no idea of the dangerousnature of the cargo; there may bea sign on the side of a box ordrum, but the information maynot be in their language or inwords that make much sense tothe average worker. Thecondition of the cargo is alsoimportant as leaking drums or


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split bags can be very hazardous for the handlers. Other risks include falls,cuts, back and other musculoskeletal problems as well as collisions with fastmoving vehicles such as fork-lift trucks or delivery trucks.

4. Textile worker - The textileworker faces a variety ofproblems. First there is theproblem of safety with manymachines around that are oftenunguarded, as well as the risk offire with so much combustiblematerial in the workplace. Thenthere are the hazards of noise

and vibration. There is alsoexposure to dust from thematerial which can seriously

affect the lungs. Exposure to cotton dust can lead to the occupationaldisease known as byssinosis.

5. Tractor driver - One of the mostserious problems with tractors is

that they often overturn and, ifthey have no safety cab, thedriver can easily be crushed.Other problems include noise,vibration and exposure tochemical herbicides andpesticides when being sprayed bytractor.

6. Agricultural worker - Whenspraying crops the worker may beexposed to hazardous chemicalscontained in the spray. Manypesticides and herbicides thathave been banned in somecountries because of their toxic


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effects are still used in many developing countries. If spraying takes place ona windy day, the spray can be breathed into the lungs and blown on to theskin where it can cause damage. It can also be absorbed into the bodythrough the skin.

7. Electronics assembly worker -An electronics assembly workercan suffer eye problems fromdoing close work, often in poorlight. Because such workers sitstill for long periods withinadequate seating, they can alsosuffer from back and other

musculoskeletal problems. Forsome workers there are thedangers of solder fumes or solderflecks in the eye when theexcess solder is cut off withpliers.

8. Office worker - Many people

may think that office workershave no health and safetyproblems; this is far from true.Stress is one of the most commoncomplaints, as well as exposureto chemical hazards from officemachines such as photocopiers.Poor lighting, noise and poorlydesigned chairs and stools canalso present problems.


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9. Construction worker -Construction workers face a

variety of hazards, particularlysafety problems such as falls,slips, trips, cuts, and being hit byfalling objects. There are alsodangers from working high up,often without adequate safetyequipment, musculoskeletalproblems from lifting heavyobjects, as well as the hazardsassociated with exposure to noisymachinery.

10. Miner - The hazards of miningare well known and include theever present danger of dusts, fire,explosion and electrocution, aswell as the hazards associatedwith vibration, extremetemperatures, noise, slips, falls,

cuts, etc.


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Note to the instructor

Now that trainees have begun to consider the possible hazards in different

workplaces, ask them to consider and discuss the hazards in their ownworkplaces. Trainees should answer the following questions about their ownworkplaces.

(1) Describe the job you do.

(2) What hazards do you know exist in you workplace?

(3) Are there other conditions at work that you suspect may be hazardousbut you are not sure about?

Why is Safety Important at the Workplace

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