This Friday, we’ll be celebrating the annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work organised by UN agency, International Labour Organisation (ILO).
The awareness-raising campaign promotes the prevention of occupational accidents and fosters a healthy and safe environment worldwide. This year’s campaign focuses on the critical need for countries to improve their capacity to collect and utilise reliable occupational safety and health (OSH) data to reduce the number of work-related accidents.
Employers should work safely to protect themselves, protect others, know their rights and participate in the implementation of precautionary measures. Employees should take care of their own health and safety. You can do this by using and caring for protective equipment provided, reporting any hazardous situations and complying with company statutory obligations.
Accidents, fatalities and ill health can be prevented through company management systems that control hazards and risks in the workplace. It’s important that government bodies, employers and employees share responsibility and take an active role to improve working conditions. With this in mind, we’ve shared a few top tips to help everyone remain safe and healthy at work:
Employees:
- Take some time to come up with those big ideas! It’s no secret that work breaks improve concentration and productivity. Make sure you’re getting out in the fresh air and taking full breaks to get that much needed energy boost!
- Set yourself time each week to tidy your workspace. Dirty office equipment, air ducts, and refrigerators are common causes of work illnesses. Additionally, cluttered workspaces and misplaced equipment can often lead to accidents e.g. open drawers and cluttered walkways.
- Book regular eye examinations and set your workspace up in a way that fits your size, shape and height. Employees may experience temporary eye fatigue, causing symptoms such as failing to see clearly, sore eyes and migraines, which can often lead to uncomfortable postures, discomfort and unnecessary stress.
Employers:
- As an employer, you are obliged to provide employees with a desk assessment or training session on how to set up their workspace to meet their individual needs. If a company doesn’t have an in-house occupational health department they can arrange for a specialist to come in and provide training.
- Encourage your workforce to get active and exercise together. Whether it’s a weekly gym class or signing up to a local fitness challenge, embracing a corporate wellness programme can improve staff wellbeing, teamwork, health and morale!
- Whether your employee’s work in a high-hazard or low-hazard environment it is important that workers are trained to deal with any kind of work related injury. First aid and fire monitor programmes allow you to tailor training to your specific workplace and industry providing a better work environment that improves staff happiness and wellbeing.
Do you have any top tips? Share them with us @flowcrete using the hashtag #worlddayforsafetyandhealthatwork.
