Workplace Health And Safety - Your Online Source for Information on Workplace Health And Safety
Workplace Health and Safety Is Everyone’s Business
We often read in magazines about working conditions in various places in the world where workplace health and safety does not appear to be a high priority. Poverty is often a reason, lack of education and training another, and corporate or government indifference a third. Even in the United States, where we can take a certain amount of pride in the strides that have been made towards steadily improving workplace health and safety conditions, we only need to go back a couple of generations, to find ourselves in a time when practices were lax or non-existent in many work areas. It wasn’t all that many years ago that we worked in smoke filled offices, and woe to those who had the audacity to complain. They could of course go into the boss’s office, where more than likely he was in the midst of enjoying a good cigar.
Workplace health and safety standards have improved dramatically over the years, partially through enforced legislation, partially due to enlightened management, and occasionally through the actions of whistle blowers and organized employee groups. Today, we have ample standards, guidelines, and laws providing protection, and it is often just ignorance of these, or indifference to them, which is where we fall short. Look at the factory floor today and you are apt to see an area where cleanliness appears to be the rule and everything is in its place. Office areas have become more open, less cluttered, and designed so that one can wander around the area without danger of tripping on cords or hitting sharp objects. This has happened slowly over time, but those who were in the workplace 50 years ago can certainly note major changes.
A century ago, you would show up for work, even when feeling you had one foot in the grave. No matter how ill you were, missing a day of work could have bad consequences. Little thought was given to the fact that your ailment might be contagious, and the whole workforce could suffer. Even today, workers occasionally show up with a bad cold or with flu symptoms. As important as their work may be, and there’s no denying that once in awhile we all become nearly indispensable, it’s often better in the long run if that person would have stayed at home.
Our safety and well being is influenced by activities at several levels. At the federal level, the Department of Labor plays the role of seeking legislation and providing guidelines for workplace health and safety. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enforces this legislation as well as providing training programs, tools, and literature promoting workplace health and safety issues. Most large companies today have an officer or manager who has the responsibility of tracking OSHA policies, and seeing that these policies are being followed in the workplace. State offices are also involved , often addressing specific situations unique to that particular state.
Management is certainly more enlightened that was the case 50 to 60 years ago. At times, company officers have learned the hard way, by disregarding legislation placing specific requirements on them. Others have taken a more proactive role towards making certain their employees work in a safe and healthy environment.
Good workplace health and safety practices are often established within the workplace itself, usually under the guidance and leadership of a supervisor or manager. Individual employees may decide to take an active role, being on a constant lookout for safety hazards, and maintaining an awareness of the general health environment. As a supervisor or employee, you should take it upon yourself to be aware of the health and safety environment where you work. Take notice of such things are air quality, physical hazards, chemical or radiation hazards, cleanliness in the office, and in the cafeteria. Take note if a co-worker seems to be having a work related health problem. A particular allergy to something like a chair cushion, can make life miserable for one person while not bothering anyone else. Don’t just let the higher ups bear the burden, they’ve dropped it on occasion. Make it your business to work with employees or co-workers, to see that you are spending 40 hours a week in a safe and healthy environment.