Why health and safety is so important

Health and safety at work is an essential part of any organisation’s operations. This is why the "Occupational safety and health in Europe, state and trends 2023" is a very useful tool that combines the quantitative data of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) information system with explanatory and analytical descriptions of trends that reach back between 10 and 25 years.?

But, to anyone (no health and safety specialist) who reads this european report can work with this significant OSH indicators focus the efforts on medium and sort-terms goals it is necessary to understand why health and safety is an investment for any company.

The purpose of this article is to explain to you why health and safety is so important. A very interesting topic as we are all employees, and our working conditions have powerful effects on?our health?equity. I’ve divided my article into tree main parts. I’ll begin by looking at the meaning of health and safety. Then I’ll move to the benefits of health and safety, and I’ll end with the importance of a health and safety culture.

A safe and healthy working environment is a discipline dealing with the prevention of work-related injuries and diseases, as well as the protection and promotion of the health of workers. The goal of health and safety is to reduce risks associated with working conditions by eliminating hazards or controlling them so that workers are not exposed to them.

Safety and health in the workplace do not just apply to typically dangerous jobs, such as working at height or with chemicals, but to all places of employment, including offices. It considers physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, and financial factors that may impact employee health or cause injury or illness.

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Did you know that, according to the World Health Organization , almost 2,5 million people die from occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year? And, what is even worst. most of these premature deaths are preventable. This leads directly to my next point, which are the benefits of health and safety.

Having best practices in regard to health and safety is always morally right, but there’s also a very strong business case for promoting it too. A company operating with a strong health and safety culture can:

• Boost staff morale and productivity - a safer workplace is a happier workplace!?
• Reduce risks, less paperwork, fewer staff absences.
• Improve efficiency.
• Avoid reputational damage, fines, and insurance costs.
• Encourages social responsibility.

Rather than being considered an expense, health and safety procedures should be considered an investment, as the results are just as important as any other measurable business objective.?What is really important is to build a safety culture, the last point I would like to introduce you.

Building a safety culture is an ongoing commitment. Anyone health and safety manager as me, who’s spent time working to improve the well-being of my coworkers knows that safety it’s not a line item to be checked off the to-do list and forgotten about. The best way to make sure everyone at your company stays safe is to focus on building an omnipresent culture of safety. How to do it? Set safety goals, ensure everyone is involved and committed, develop, and implement safety training programs.

With this I conclude that health and safety is about?all of us, governments, and companies.?We all have?the?duty?to act and the power to lead the change we need.