Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational health and safety is not only a concern to various governments across the world including the Australian government but responsible employers, Trade Unions, international organizations and employees themselves. This concern is out of realisation that different occupations present different dangers and risks, some immediate and some long-term that impact negatively on the health of employees.

Various governments including the Australian government have enacted various occupational health and safety regulations to ensure that employees in different occupations undertake their work in environments that do not pose danger to their health. Government agencies responsible for laborer health and safety do send their health and safety inspectors to workplaces with the aim of ascertaining whether health and safety regulations are adhered to or not. Workplaces without minimum health and safety measures are in most cases closed for a duration for the essential safety measures to be put in place. In extreme cases, a working area may be closed down and business licenses withdrawn.

Under Australian occupational health and safety regulations, employers are required to install minimum health and safety measures as required by law. Some responsible employers have in fact installed safety measures far and above those prescribed in the regulations. Although installing additional safety measures is definitely costly to an employer, such employers know the benefits that they are bound to achieve over time. It is a fact that employees who are assured of their health and safety at their workplace are bound to be more productive, enabling a business to realize increased profits. Incidents of injuries are also bound to be reduced to the minimum, resulting in a business incurring reduced expenses on medical expenditure and injury claims.

For an employer to realize increased benefits by way of reduced injury incidents at a workplace however, training of employees on occupational health and safety hazards and risks is vital. Although it is a requirement in law for all employers to organize such training for their employees, responsible employees undertake to do it for the benefits that accrue. Such responsible employers form health and safety committees with membership drawn from amongst the employees. Such a committee is charged with the duty to constantly be alert to any risks and hazards that may come up at a workplace and decide the best way of handling the same.

As umbrella bodies of all laborers, trade unions have come out very strongly in support and promotion of occupational health and safety measures at workplaces. Trade unions do liaise with government agencies responsible for employee health and safety, employers and international organizations including research institutions for the latest and acceptable occupational safety measures that employers need to have in place for the benefit of their employees.


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