In different work places, there are several issues that could surface which could be either an internal issue or an external issue. These issues are what will be considered in this article “What Are Safety Issues In The Workplace“.
However, what determine these issues is what is stipulated in the ISO 45001:2015 clause 4.1 – Understanding the organization and its context.
4.1 Understanding the organization and its context
The organization must understand the internal and external issues that can impact in a positive or negative manner on its health and safety performance including, inter alia, organizational culture and structure, and the external environment including cultural, social, political, legal, financial, technological, economic, market competition and natural factors of significance to its performance.
The company will be required to identify all relevant internal and external issues including conditions, characteristics or changing circumstances that can affect its occupational health and safety management system and then address those that require further attention.
External issues include the following:
- The cultural, social, political, legal, financial, technological and economic conditions in which the company operates, whether at international, national, regional or local level;
- The legislative framework in which the organization operates including statutory, regulatory and other forms of legal requirements;
- Competition and market conditions;
- Relationship with contractors, suppliers, partners and other external interested parties;
- Key drivers and trends of relevance to the industry or sector in which the organization operates.
Internal issues include:
- The size and complexity of the organization and the nature of the activities carried out therein;
- The strategic direction of the organization, its policies and objectives;
- Organizational governance and structure, roles and accountabilities;
- The capability and capacity of the organization in terms of resources, knowledge and competence (e.g. capital, employee competencies, processes, systems and technologies);
- Information systems: information flows and decision-making processes (both formal and informal) and the time frame within which they are accomplished;
- The process for introducing new products, materials, services, tools, software, premises and equipment;
- Organizational style and the health and safety culture of the organization;
- The form and extent of contractual relationships, including, for example, outsourced activities;
- Working time arrangements;
- Working conditions; etc.
READ: Trenching Safety Plan; What It Covers
What Are Safety Issues In The Workplace
All the individual issues is caused either by an external issue or internal determinant. Some of these internal issues are:
Health And Safety Issues Examples
- Temperature, light and air conditioning
- Harmful surroundings and hazardous substances, like asbestos
- Workstation health and safety, like computers and other display screen equipment (DSE)
- Manual handling
- Noise and sound exposure
- Slips, trips and falls
- Handling heavy machinery, tools and equipment
- Workplace violence
- Electrical danger
- Confined space
- Radiation
- Biological issues, etc.
Steps To Manage Workplace Safety Issues
Workplace Safety Issues can be managed by following these realistic steps:
Create a Plan for Improving Health and Safety: Develop a safety plan. Tell your employees what you want to achieve and what you expect from them. Draw out a plan to achieve these objectives.
Inspect Your Workplace: Conduct a regularly check in your workplace, also inspect all equipment and tools to ensure that they are well maintained and safe to use. Check storage areas and review safe work procedures.
Train Your Employees: Proper training is necessary for all employees, especially if there is a risk for potential injury associated with a job, job change, change in equipment, change in work procedure, etc. Provide written instructions and safe work procedures so they can check for themselves if they are unsure of a task or have forgotten part of their training.
Supervision: Supervise your employees to ensure that they are using their training to perform their job properly and safely. By not providing the correct training for your employees you are not only endangering the safety of your employees but you will be held liable for the incident which could have serious consequences.
Keep an Open Dialogue: Meet regularly with your staff and discuss health and safety issues.
Investigate Accidents: Conduct an incident investigation to help determine why an incident happened so you can take steps to ensure that it will not recur.
Maintain Records: Keep records of all first aid treatment, inspections, incident investigations, and training activities. This information can help you identify trends in unsafe conditions or work procedures.
READ: Immediate Cause Of Accident; Explained
In conclusion, to determine the workplace safety issues you must first understand the context of the organization as it determines the kind of issues they face.
However, the ensure safety in the workplace all issues must be properly managed.
