World Day For Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day. This day was first established in 2003 for people to reflect on how the workplace can prevent any occupational injuries, diseases, and deaths in the workplace, and to remember those who have died because of a workplace injury or illness. In 2020, Safe Work Australia reported that 194 people were fatally injured while at work. Every person has the right to feel protected and safe while working. This day raises the importance of awareness of how the workplace can be dangerous, and how it must become a safer and healthier place to work at. Here are three strategies you can implement in the workplace to improve the health and safety of your colleagues. 

Develop a Strategy

One of the key components to creating a successful workplace environment that is safe and promotes good health for your colleagues is by implementing a health and safety strategy. It’s important to understand that by demonstrating this strategy, it will establish that your colleague’s health and safety are vital, and will create a workplace atmosphere that is safe for everyone. There are many benefits to promoting a health and safety strategy in the workplace, such as promoting staff loyalty, creating positive views about the company by both the workers, clients, and customers, and greatly improving workplace productivity. An example of this strategy can be developed from the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy from Safe Work Australia, which is a detailed document on how to promote safety and health in the workplace. This particular strategy, or a strategy your company develops, can be implemented by creating awareness among all of your colleagues that there is a commitment to their health and safety, and that this strategy is to protect them from any workplace injuries or illnesses. 

Establish a Risk Management System

To develop a safe and healthy work environment, it is crucial to identify and assess any hazards and risks in the workplace that may potentially cause a workplace injury, or poor mental health. Once identified, this can inform the development of a risk management system. Risk management in the workplace is about thinking about what could potentially happen to a colleague if they’re exposed to a hazard, and how this may occur. Hazards in the workplace are things and situations that could potentially cause harm to a colleague. Developing a risk management system would include implementing a workplace risk policy, identifying potential risks, analysing and evaluating any risks, managing any risks, communicating to your colleagues about any risks, and monitoring and reviewing any risks on an ongoing basis. Establishing a risk management system in your workplace may support positive change in the work environment by eliminating and controlling potential risks, such as workplace injuries or illnesses, and improve the health and wellbeing of your colleagues, and enhance workplace productivity. 

Create Safe and Healthy Work Conditions

According to the National Australian Bank, over the past 12 months in 2021, one in five Australians resigned from their job due to poor work conditions, and the impact it was having on their health. A crucial aspect of promoting health and safety in the workplace is providing healthy work conditions for your colleagues. It is essential that in order to provide safe and healthy work conditions, that the workplace include benefits that encourage a work-life balance, which would minimise any risk of a physical injury, or mental illness in the workplace. The work conditions that would promote this include providing regular rest breaks throughout the day, limiting overtime or an excessive workload, providing breaks between shifts, offering flexible work hours (including part-time hours), supporting study leave or professional development, and offering colleagues to have the chance to input on potential positive workplace changes. By supporting your colleagues to have a healthy work-life, you are creating a safe and healthy workplace environment. 

Workplace health and safety has a sustainable cost at the end of the day when not implemented. If health and safety is not implemented in a safe and diligent manner, the costs may be injuries or incidents for your colleagues. By achieving and improving safe and healthy standards in your workplace environment, not only are you improving compliance, but you are also pushing for a company that values health and safety, and are committed to protecting your greatest source, your colleagues. If you would like to get further involved in this year’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day,  you could watch the International Labour Organisation’s Global Webinar for this year, attend a virtual Workers’ Memorial Day event, or educate yourself and your colleagues on the importance of workplace health and safety.

While the Ascent team are passionate about supporting people recovering from workplace injuries and illness, we aspire for a world where our services are not so in demand.