Safety at the Workplace in Different Countries
In Australia, like in most countries around the world, the health and safety of employees is a top priority for supervisors and business owners. Under the country’s Work Health and Safety (WHS) program, management is given not only specific goals but also detailed descriptions of ways to meet those goals. All of these goals centre on keeping employees safe in the workplace, both physically and emotionally.
In other words, management has a legal duty to protect both employees and customers from harm or injury, including psychological and emotional harm. The program is part of Safe Work Australia’s efforts to make sure all employees feel comfortable and safe coming to work each day, and there are penalties for the employers if it is discovered that they are intentionally doing something that causes danger to workers.
Most importantly, these WHS laws apply to all types of employees, from traffic controllers to CEOs and everyone in between. In addition, having other types of certification doesn’t replace taking the courses and learning what is necessary to keep yourself and others safe every time you go to work.
Work Safety Culture in Other Countries
When it comes to workplace safety, safety culture has to be established; that is, both employees and employers have to commit to making the workplace much safer. This is especially important in certain industries, such as the traffic management, where there is a lot of danger and the chances of an accident are greatly increased.
Let’s face it, road is a potentially dangerous location for a traffic controller, but WHS Australia is committed to enforcing the laws and regulations necessary to reduce the hazards and risks that go along with jobs such as these. So, how does Australia compare to other countries when it comes to this safety culture? There are some differences and similarities regarding all countries across the globe.
WHS Australia has been responsible for reducing the number of accidents on the job, and most other countries, including those such as Turkey and Russia, have similar organisations to help with the same. When it comes to the number of workplace accidents, however, the three countries are very different. From 1999 to 2007, for example, the average number of accidents (per 100,000 people) per year look like this:
Australia: 2.2
Russian Federation: 13.4
Turkey: 17.9
Does this mean that Turkey and Russia are ignoring their health and safety requirements for the workplace? Not necessarily, because although the number of accidents in Turkey and Russia are higher than for Australia, their numbers did go down with each passing year, which is a good thing.
Tips to Create Better Safety at Work
Many studies that focus on workplace safety highlight the traffic management, since it is one of the most potentially dangerous industries out there. To be able to work on a road you must meet certain requirements and pass the traffic management course. Similarly, WHS Australia sets requirements for each state and territory that both employers and employees must abide by.
Exactly how is this accomplished? Through a variety of methods, including face to face or online training, putting up posters reminding everyone of the rules, special onsite classes, and even providing incentives for employees to do their part in keeping themselves and everyone around them much safer. A good training course also goes a long way, and of course, so does continuous training and assistance so that your safety efforts are ongoing.
As you can see, it takes not only ongoing effort but also the constant attention of both employees and management to make workplace safety a success. The persons conducting the training can get all the help they need through the WHS office, which can provide everything from support to documentation and even posters and ways to monitor employees to determine which areas may need extra work.
Conclusion
Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility because it affects all of us. From physical injuries to harassment and discrimination, no one deserves to come to work in a threatening or hostile environment. Indeed, any atmosphere that is harmful in any way is a detriment to the entire organisation.
Australia’s government is fully committed to making sure all employees and anyone else who enters the premises is safe from both physical and emotional harm. Through training, reminders, classes, and the ongoing efforts of both management and employees, this is much more easily accomplished.
Does it mean the worksites will ever be 100% free of injuries and harmful situations? Of course not, but the more the numbers are reduced, the better off everyone will be in the workplace. That is the goal – to make sure employees and customers feel safe and comfortable coming to the workplace every day so that businesses can continue to grow and thrive for many years to come.
