Health and Safety Culture Articles | Health and Safety

By: Janno G. C. Damgaard Janno G. C. Damgaard

It should be every person's objective to maintain the highest standard of health and safety in the workplace. There are rules and regulations that govern this issue. Each employee should be made aware of them. More often than not, once the employee reads through the regulations they realize that most of them are common sense. The important thing is for them to know how to react if there is a crisis. An employee who has a home which keeps up standards of health and safety will very easily understand the same concept at work.

Giving the health and safety rules and regulations to employees to read is not enough. A culture that respects health and safety as a necessity must be nurtured and encouraged. Very often the best way to get this across is by example. If this attitude starts right from the top such as the owner of a business or the chairman of a corporation it filters down to all the employees. The work place must be kept clean in order to comply with health regulations. This is important for the well being of the workers. Safety could mean anything from proper bundling of wiring and cabling to good lighting.

Make Health And Safety Easy

Health and Safety is good for the workers and also the company. If workers are getting sick or injured this could result in time and money being wasted. If the business has the means then the employment of a health and safety expert will ensure that workers and environment are kept in order. If the business is too small offer the appointment on a part time basis to a current employee. Make the offer of a special bonus for this extra responsibility. Often a group of workers need to have someone to lead the way when it comes to health and safety. But it does make an added impact for the owner to show an interest.

A very necessary task is to hold regular meetings. The meetings can take place every week or perhaps once a month. This is a health and safety forum where workers can feel comfortable talking about anything they are worried about. It is important for the company to get feedback from their employees. The employees are usually the first ones to notice anything that may be out of order regarding health and safety in their surroundings. A very good tactic is to place the health and safety regulations in a variety of areas where the workers can read them and often.

Once employees realize that the health and safety regulations are for their benefit and wellbeing they will be more willing to comply. Pretty soon being aware of health and safety will be automatic. This means that the company has been successful in cultivating a culture of health and safety. These regulations are a necessity in the workplace because it is required by law.