What is Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)?
Occupational health and safety is defined as a comprehensive field that focuses on the welfare, safety, and the health of individuals in a working environment.
It is generally defined as a subset of public health that focuses on improving safety standards in the workplace to mitigate any major incidents. Occupational health and safety focuses on the institution of different programs to improve employee health and safety.
Companies carefully review data to determine any health or safety risks in the workplace. Then, the employer is responsible for making sure that employees carry out all the work while following all relevant safety and security protocols.
The Importance of Occupational Health and Safety
There are many risks that employees are exposed to in the modern workplace. Certain work environments are more dangerous than others, making it necessary for companies to enforce safety standards and to develop occupational health and safety programs.
OHS programs are primarily designed to reduce the occurrence of safety incidents and events in the workplace. Without a formal safety program, employees might find it difficult to understand different processes and procedures to follow.
The importance of occupational health and safety can’t be understated, as it requires companies to account for different risks in the workplace. Companies must plan to mitigate, substitute, or eliminate identified risks in the workplace.
Most occupational health and safety programs generally focus on eliminating risks while operating heavy machinery, but others also provide guidelines about improving ergonomics in an office setting and first aid provision.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act
The Occupational Health and Safety Act was passed in 1970, and is enforced by OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. OSHA conducts inspections of workplaces, and has the power to issue fines and penalties.
OSHA is responsible for providing guidelines to workplaces on how to enforce safety standards. It continues to update its guidelines as new research comes to light.
How to Improve Occupational Health and Safety
There are several steps that a company can take to improve occupational health and safety in the workplace. Here are a few.
Safety Training
Employees who are at an increased risk of injury or harm must undergo proper safety training. It’s important for companies to offer regular safety training to their employees and to make them understand the different risks and hazards they face.
Using PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an important requirement when operating in risky environments. PPE is often used to eliminate or mitigate certain hazards in the work environment.
It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that they provide appropriate PPE to their employees. PPE includes, but isn’t limited to, the following:
- Hard hats
- Masks
- High-visibility vests
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Fall protection devices and harnesses
It’s also important for organizations to regularly test PPE and replace if it’s not up to the safety standards.
Using AI to Improve Occupational Health and Safety
A number of organizations are now embracing modern technologies to enforce safety standards. The use of AI is becoming increasingly popular in workplace safety, and it can play an important role in monitoring safety protocols.
For instance, AI software can be used to connect with existing CCTV networks to detect any safety breaches and send warnings to individuals in case it detects an anomaly.
For instance, the AI cameras can automatically detect when a user isn’t wearing proper safety equipment, and warn them to do so before they start working.
Regularly Inspecting Machinery
It’s important for employers to regularly inspect machinery, including power tools and other machines to ensure that they are working properly. In case any safety issues are detected, they should be reported immediately.
Observation and Surveys
Reporting safety incidents or events in the workplace is critically important, and employers should generally work to foster such a culture.
Safety managers must observe different work environments and record any risks or hazards that they come across. Similarly, the company can also send surveys to employees and ask them to report any risks or hazards.
Because workplace risks continue to change, it’s important for companies to regularly conduct surveys and use ethnographic approaches to identify any new risks and account for them.
First Aid Training
Employees should also be given first aid and CPR training in case of an emergency. Immediate medical attention can prove to be the difference between life and death.
If employees have first aid training and know CPR, they can administer immediate medical care and then call for emergency help.
Use Protex AI to Improve Occupational Health and Safety
Protex AI is a safety monitoring tool that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to improve safety reporting. The platform connects with your existing CCTV network, and automatically identifies any safety events.
These events are recorded, allowing your safety managers to review and prepare reports that include data-driven insights. Ultimately, this helps improve safety performance in the workplace and promotes better decision-making.
