Building a culture of prevention in the workplace

28TH April marked World Day for Safety and Health at Work and the theme for this year is “Join in building a culture of prevention on occupational health and safety”. What a refreshing theme and undoubtedly a catalyst for a great work environment, healthy staff, reduced medical bills and increased productivity.

We all agree that “decent work must be safe” yet we have all not shown enough commitment; Governments, Employers and employees all have duties, rights and responsibilities to ensure the highest priority is accorded to the principle of prevention. Statistics show that where institutions invest in prevention measures over a period of time, a significant decrease in work-related accidents and occupational disease takes place.

This is an opportune time for all workplaces to start the process of ensuring their workplaces are safe and providing the appropriate information that all categories of staff can understand is the best start point. Guy Ryder ILO Director General could not have put it better when he stated; “to move forward it is necessary to close the data gap, because knowledge is the key to prevention.”

Some areas that require prompt action in most workplaces include:

• Signaling that safety is a priority

o Right from the entrance to the workplace, appropriate notices should show the commitment to safety and health.

• Appropriate markings for walkways

o Vehicles and humans should not compete for the right of way especially in places with trucks etc. there should be clearly demarcated areas for pedestrians.

• Management of extreme temperatures

o In our setting, extreme heat is a major challenge. Workplace design should place emphasis on proper ventilation and in places that are already built, structural changes may be needed in addition to industrial fans and easy access to clean drinking water.

• Fire drills and evacuation plans

o If employees are not aware of what to do in the event of a fire for instance then it needs to be tackled immediately.

o There should be a plan in place

• First Aid awareness

o What does one do in the event of an injury or other potentially fatal event occurs? Employees and even employers need to be equipped with basic first aid skills.

• Ergonomics

o Many of the aches and pains we experience are caused by poor posture at work and even beyond. This affects those seated in offices as well as those operating machinery or working on the floors. Correct techniques, taking appropriate breaks and balancing effect on the body should be taught and practiced.

• Use of PPEs

o Many employees have access to these and know its use but still fail to make use of them. Regular knowledge sharing and understanding will eventually bring a positive change.

• Managing Stress

o Stress is a window to many disease conditions and poor performance and it is important all workplaces address this.

o Time management and wellness programmes including exercises help to combat this.

• Avoiding clutter

o When your work area is messy, not only are you at risk of injury, you also feel harassed or stressed out and cause more errors.

• Other Interventions

o I believe workplaces should have happy hours for more interaction, they should also take part in programmes like DUMP where unused or expired medicines are collected safely and the appropriate agency contacted to help dispose off. Harbouring such medications has often resulted in poisoning, addictions etc

o Once again won’t it be great if your workplace actively encourages “ICE” – IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Save at least two numbers on your cell phone beginning with ICE e.g. ICE Kojo 090….. when you are not in a position to help yourself, anyone who picks up your phone will be able to contact someone who knows a lot about you.

The list is endless but let us start with the basics and work our way to a safe and healthy work environment with PREVENTION at the fore.

Employers need to be aware that provision of personal protective equipment is not the all in all. PPEs should be seen as the last line of defense for the employee. Prior to using the PPEs the employer must ensure that machines, equipment ,processes and the premises are free of risk to the health of all workers.

Employees also play a crucial role and it is expected that they will all actively cooperate with employers in the implementation of the preventive and protective measures.

It is important that workplaces have a visible occupational health and safety specialist or in the absence of one a safety officer who will coordinate all processes such as risk assessment and management, monitoring of working environment and practices that may affect worker’s health, advice on planning and organization of work, designing and implementation of preventive programmes and even appropriate referrals to healthcare and rehabilitation.

If we made a conscious effort to calculate the money drained off that is related to lost working time, treatment of occupational injuries and diseases, interruptions in production, rehabilitation and compensation, it will leave no doubt in our minds that prevention is a PRIORITY!

AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)

Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel

Moms’ Health Club/Health Essentials

(dressel@healthclubsgh.com)

*Dr Essel is a medical doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy and fitness nutrition.

Thought for the week – “Economic recession or pressure to maximize profits cannot justify cutting corners in workplace safety” – Guy Ryder. ILO Director General. (28th April 2015)

References:

• United Nations Website (un.org)

• International Labour Organization website