Why Is Compliance with Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines Vital & the Role of HR Managers for their Execution?

Managing Occupational Health and Safety at work is imperative for employers. They have to ensure that their work environment complies reasonably with the health, safety, and welfare laws of the land so that all of their employees feel safe and secure working there.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Compliance and Employers’ Responsibilities Include:

• providing and maintaining safety equipment and safe systems of work
• ensuring materials used at work are properly stored, handled, used, and transported
• providing information, training, instruction, and supervision to ensure employees are aware of instructions provided by manufacturers and suppliers of equipment
• providing a safe place of employment
• providing a safe working environment
• providing a written safety policy/risk assessment
• looking after the health and safety of others, for example, the public
• talking to safety representatives
• having site inspection done from time to time

In order to ensure Occupational Health and Safety guideline compliance, employers cannot charge their employees for any measures that the employers are required to provide in the interest of health and safety, for instance, personal protective equipment.

Occupational Health and Safety compliance is the responsibility and duty of employers. They should show strong leadership and commitment to it in their organizations, and bring in appropriate arrangements to set up an OHS management system. For this, safety awareness programs can be conducted from time to time to help staff understand its importance and minimize workplace injuries, thereby being able to rein in employee compensation costs and medical expenses associated with injuries. It can also help employers avoid liability for negligence, increase employee morale and productivity, and cut absenteeism.

Occupational Health and Safety Setup Benefits:

• Reduced workplace injury and employee compensation costs
• Help employers avoid liability for negligence
• Increase employee morale and productivity
• Lower absenteeism

How do Employers Set up and Execute OHS Policy?

In consultation with HR managers and employees, employers usually set up OHS policy for their organization, and that policy is communicated to all associates within the organization. HR managers perform a greater role from setting up OHS policy to safety compliance and site inspection by experts.

What is an HR’s Role in Setting up & Execution of OHS Policy?

In order to ensure that the workplace is free from hazards, HR plays a key role. HRs develop workplace safety programs that usually include risk management, training, etc. They also assist in the development of programs to cut injury reports, thereby cutting down workers’ compensation claims. Another strategic area for HR is reducing accidents through the development of safety management programs.

Safety Management Programs Include:

• Employee involvement
• Management commitment
• Site inspection and analysis
• Policy for hazard prevention and control
• Safety awareness campaign and employee training

In all phases of safety management program execution, site inspection and analysis is definitely vital to identify existing or potential hazards of a worksite. HRs on behalf of the organization help experts inspect and identify them through inspection and analysis of planned and new facilities, processes, materials, equipment, and routine job hazards. Regular site inspection is also important to identify new or previously missed hazards and failures in hazard controls.

Employees’ Responsibilities

That an organization has to set up Occupational Health and Safety environments is sure. Safety compliance is imperative for employers but at the same time, there are employee responsibilities as well. They must:

• cooperate with their employers
• not interfere with anything provided in the interest of Occupational Health and Safety measures
• take care of their own health and safety and that of other persons (employees may be liable)

To Conclude:

The goal of Occupational Health and Safety is to prevent harm to people, property, and the environment. However, the results depend on how well OHS is executed and their effective practices. Management support and involvement are crucial for making staff aware of the setup and guidelines and training them and encouraging them to abide by the OHS rules.

At Promise Training & Consultancy, the Occupational Health and Safety training courses provide employees with the required knowledge to ensure their safety at work. Participants will learn safety and loss prevention, process risk assessment and risk management, emergency response management, and many others. For more details, click here