6: Employee Health and Safety

Health refers to the state of well-being, not just in the physical context but also in mental and emotional well-being. Employee (or) Workplace safety refers to creating a safe working environment for all employees by providing safe equipment, practices, and procedures. It's crucial to incorporate proper health and safety principles as it increases employee morale and efficiency leading to the growth and profitability of the organization. No one wants to work in an environment prone to danger, illness, and injuries. Moreover, the lack of employee health and safety policies might cause legal and financial consequences for the employer. The employee safety mandate for a company involves the following aspects.

• Safety Training
• Periodic safety inspections
• Provision of proper personal protective equipment (PPEs)

Importance of Employee Health and Safety:
Creating a safe work environment not only acts as a measure to prevent employees from injuries and illnesses but also reduces the costs incurred by various occupational hazards. Furthermore, it also boosts employee morale and reduces absenteeism. A few more benefits of employee health and safety include.

• Better employee retention.
• Helps the employer build brand value in the public eye, among customers and competitors.
• It helps the organization stay compliant with the OSHA guidelines.
• Creating a safe work environment to increase productivity.

Industry best practices

Here are some best practices employers can follow to ensure employee health and safety.

1. Providing adequate safety training

Safety training is an integral part of any workplace health and safety program. Providing adequate safety training to employees reduces the risk of occupational hazards. It’s better to train employees about first aid, cyber safety, fire safety, etc., according to industry standards. For instance, construction workers would require adequate safety training about using heavy machinery and other equipment. Similarly, a cybersecurity training program should be made available for employees working in the finance industry. New employees are more likely to be victims of occupational hazards so it's better to incorporate safety training as a part of the onboarding process for new employees. Companies focusing on industry-specific workplace safety programs experience fewer or no workplace hazards.

2. Identifying workplace hazards

To create a safe workplace environment, it's crucial to identify the potential hazards that could occur at the workplace. Identifying health and safety concerns helps companies address them effectively. Some common occupational hazards include mechanical ones, hazards caused due by electrical equipment and chemicals, etc. Mechanical workplace hazards are common in industries that require the use of heavy machinery. Construction, Oil and gas, mining, shipbuilding, and steel production are some examples of industries using heavy machinery. Similarly, chemical production industries must identify the risks and consequences of chemical workplace hazards. Harmful chemicals might poison or cause burns to employees. Electrical hazards are another common form of workplace hazard among various industries.

3. Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Safety equipment prevents employees from encountering any workplace hazards. Companies must provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to all the required employees. The type of PPE differs from industry to industry. Some examples of PPE are hard hats, gloves, ear muffs, protective eyewear, clothing, etc. The PPE provided to the employees must meet the set quality standards to ensure protection. Companies must also ensure that the employees receive training related to the use of PPE as well.

4. Reduce workplace stress

Employee health and safety are not confined to preventing physical hazards that occur at work. Companies shall consider the mental well-being of the employees too. Workplace stress can lead to various health hazards like anxiety, depression, etc. These issues can be as severe as physical health conditions when ignored. Bullying at the workplace, job security, workload, etc., are the primary causes of workplace stress. Workplace stress affects employee health and the productivity of the company as well.

5. Host regular meetings on workplace safety

It's crucial to have regular meetings to discuss workplace safety guidelines and review them from time to time. These meetings bridge the gap between the employer and employees. It also helps identify emerging safety issues at the workplace and address them accordingly. Regular meetings to discuss workplace safety with employees also boost their morale as they know that the organization cares about their well-being.

Case Study

Kunshan Explosion 2014: A deadly dust explosion

The Kunshan Zhongrong factory explosion took place on August 2, 2014, at 7 am. It was a dust explosion that occurred in the car wheel polishing workshop of Zhongrong Metal Products Co., Ltd. The factory is situated in Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, China. Out of the total 264 people present in the factory, 75 people died on the day of the accident. Later another 146 people died and almost 118 were severely injured as of December 30 post the accident date.

Founded in 1998, Zhongrong Metal Products Co., Ltd was one of the Taiwan-funded enterprises. The company was a designated supplier of electroplated alloy wheels for General Motors (United States of America). With a plant area of fifty thousand square meters, the workshop had a total of 450 employees.

Workers usually worked for eleven hours straight, and the start-up time of the workshop was also advanced by an hour on the incident day. The workshop had serious dust, with only air blowers to eliminate the dust. The lack of any dust removal equipment and dedicated personnel for dust removal were the primary reasons behind the dust. As the incident occurred on the weekend, the casualties were high as more employees were working for double pay overtime. The city safety regulator also stated that the company ignored several warnings regarding the potential hazards of the explosion. Moreover, the factory also ignored employee concerns related to the pollution problem.

Upon investigation, it was found that the explosion was caused by aluminum powder in case of fire. The company’s pre-existing safety hazards also contributed to the terrible accident that occurred on August 2, 2014. Here are some more causes that led to the Kunshan explosion.
The construction of the factory building was not in compliance with the regulations.

• Neglected supervision of the local government.
• Overtime work and violation of labor rights.
• No safety training was provided to the workers.