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A wake-up call on the profitability of occupational health and safety will come at the latest when savings are made
How to combine safety management, productive work and people's well-being - and how much to pay for it?
Safety management requires work at all levels of the organisation. But it pays to have someone at the top of the pacing stick who can keep the whole thing on track and focus on the essentials that are relevant to the objectives.
Effective implementation of occupational safety and health can be done effectively
The health and safety manager is an effectively deployed resource, acting as a close advisor and interpreter of the law on health and safety matters.
Working as a health and safety manager in different industries has reinforced the idea that, regardless of the sector, health and safety challenges often revolve around the same issues. I have had the opportunity to be involved in the work of companies and to apply my own knowledge for the benefit of the company on a practical level.
In my job, I can get inside important things that may have been left unsaid to the rest of the organisation because of urgency, situation or circumstances. As a spokesperson for the different levels of the organisation, I can filter out the relevant messages and seek solutions within the given resources, together with the rest of the organisation.
Tackling these issues has brought about small but important changes in the daily lives of workers, both in terms of safety and well-being. When workers are listened to and corrective action is taken, respect for their employer grows. When work is made smooth for the worker, productivity also improves.
The right to information and the right to do the right thing
As a duty bearer, management has a responsibility to be aware of what is their responsibility and how they can contribute to and translate safety into practice.
It is not uncommon that in a supervisory role you do not always know all the responsibilities that come with your job. For some companies, it may come as a surprise that an occupational health survey is not the same as an occupational risk assessment. Fortunately, if this is the case, it can be remedied. My job as head of occupational health and safety is to take control of the situation, correct misunderstandings and point the way in the right direction.
It's not worth worrying about liabilities alone, let alone crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. With facts and the right measures, a clear allocation of responsibilities can be organised in any company.
A comparison of accident rates gives an indication of where we are going
The main task of the head of occupational safety and health is to organise joint occupational safety and health activities. It is up to the client to determine the extent to which the outsourced health and safety manager will work within the company and how much time is to be spent on development work. An essential part of the health and safety manager's role is to set targets and monitor the development of indicators.
It is eye-opening when companies can compare their own accident rate with the average for their sector. If nothing else, the figures show the positive contribution that well-managed health and safety makes to a company's economy.
Tell us more about your company's situation and we can work together to find the most sensible way for your company to get its health and safety issues in order. Contact us!
P.S. Did you know that OHSAS 18001 will be replaced by ISO 45001:2018 in September 2021 after a three-year transition period? ISO 45001 focuses on processes and, more broadly, on the organisation as a whole and its various stakeholders. It focuses on both risks and opportunities, whereas OHSAS 18001 is more process-oriented and deals exclusively with risks within the company.
Veera Liukkonen
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