Having a safe and healthy workplace is an essential aspect of every business. It goes beyond making the workplace better, healthier, and safer for workers, customers, and other stakeholders. It helps boost your employees’ morale, build a better image for your brand, and ensure good business.
However, occupational health and safety(OHS) study the trends of illness and injuries in the workplace and develop creative strategies and regulations to prevent their reoccurrence in the future.
Initially, the emphasis of OHS was on manual labor related occupations. However, the field now covers every career in the United States. And when implemented correctly, it will reduce short term and long term hazards in the workplace.
The concept of occupational health and safety encompasses and addresses the following workplace hazard; chemicals, physical hazards, biological agents, psychological fallouts, ergonomic issues, accidents, etc.
However, as impressive as the occupational health and safety (OHS) concept seems, most Americans still take safe and healthy workplaces for granted. Sadly, it has caused several preventable illnesses and injuries at work.
Again, workplace injuries and illnesses come with the loss of wage compensation, more insurance expenses, hiring replacement workers, damaged equipment, and possible loss production. Regrettably, they constituted additional cost to your business and the economy in general.
Statistics of Fatal Workplace Injuries in the United States
Failure to adhere to workplace safety and health standards could lead to several fatal incidences and cost your business a fortune. In 2016, due to occupational and health safety negligence, a total number of 5.190 fatal workplace injuries were recorded, and an average of 14 died every day in the United States.
2016 reported fatal workplace incidences were 7 percent more than the reported cases in 2015. It was also the highest since 2008. Sadly, the report also revealed that most reported fatalities were caused by transportation, workplace violence, falls, equipment, toxic exposures, and explosions.
Tips for Achieving a Safe and Healthy Workplace
Most work-related injuries are preventable if you adhere to the following safety tips;
- Understand the Risks: it’s easier to reduce the risk of work-related injuries if you know the hazards related to your job.
- Reduce Workplace Stress: Employees tend to be less focused when they are stressed. And some of the common causes of workplace stress are; long hours of work, heavy workload, conflicts with a co-worker, job insecurity, etc.
- Taking Regular Break: It’s essential to allow your employees to take regular breaks while at work. And ensure that they carry out some of the most challenging tasks first thing in the morning. That’s when their concentration will be at the peak.
Always ensure that all your employees adhere strictly to occupational health and safety protocols. And make it a dismissable offense if anybody compromises your company’s safety procedures. Trust me, the cost of safety negligence is very expensive.
