Excessive workload has already made out lifestyle hectic. Amid this situation, ignoring the safety and health protection of the workers will be very unfair. However, talking about Occupational Health and Safety, it sounds like an intricate concept. Actually, it is all about safety and protecting the health of the workers. As an employer, it is your legal responsibility to provide safety and health protection to your workers. Now, this is where North American Occupational Health And Safety Week comes into play. Every year, people observe this event throughout the first full week of May. During this weekly event, people across North American step forward and raise public awareness about the importance of preventing illness and injuries at work.
Safety brings first aid to the uninjured.
F.S. Hughes
According to a study conducted by National Opinion Research Centre, almost 85% of workers give more preference to workplace safety over paid sick leaves, minimum wage, overtime pay, maternity and family leaves, and labor standards. Employers also understand that safe and healthy workers are an integral part of a productive workplace. Therefore, they always give top priority to the safety of the workers. Safety is, no doubt, one of the important elements of productivity for both the employer and the workers. Therefore, North American Occupational Health And Safety Week is a very important event.
There are certain factors that basically contribute to workplace injuries. These are as follows:
- Misused or poorly maintained equipment.
- Lack of certain types of protective elements such as poor environmental hygiene or poor living.
- Poor workplace lighting
- Unsafe walking surfaces
- Lack of safety training or unclear safety process
Background Of North American Occupational Health And Safety Week
It was in 1997 when the North America Occupational Health And Safety Week was launched for the first time. There was an agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada behind the launch of this event. During the NAFTA talks, government labor department representatives discussed workplace safety. The main objective of this event is to focus partners, employees, and employers on the importance of illness, injury, and prevention in the community, home, and workplace.
The American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering are inextricable parts of this event. During this event, ASSE partners with the CSSE and raise public awareness regarding workplace safety in North America. The members of ASSE host various work safety fairs in order to educate people.
Investing In Workplace Safety And Celebration Of North American Occupational Health And Safety Week
Did you know that the cost of restraining work-related illnesses and injuries is lesser than the cost of rectifying them? Organizations that are investing in workplace safety can experience a significant rise in productivity. Eventually, it will help them to set up a positive brand image; moreover, it will also enhance employee morale. In the end, the organizations can maintain a positive ambiance at the workplace.
The North American Occupational Health And Safety Week brings a golden opportunity to strengthen, reinforce and focus the commitment to occupational health and safety. There are a few ways through which you can take part in the North American Occupational Health And Safety Week. These are as follows:
- Raise public awareness about occupational safety issues.
- Fostering a very safety-minded culture
- Developing a concrete understanding of the importance of occupational health and safety
- Improving attitudes towards safety.
As we are talking about occupational health and safety, we must highlight the different types of hazards that employees are facing. These are as follows:
- Physical Hazards: Physical hazards indicate those factors that can cause various physical injuries such as cuts, falls, slips, and many more.
- Biological Hazards: This type of hazard can lead to infections, diseases, and many more serious health issues.
- Psychological Hazards: Well, this type of occupational hazard can lead to negligence, inattention, concentration problems, and depression.
Ways To Improve Occupational Health And Safety
There are certain ways through which you can improve occupational health and safety. It is very important that you have concrete knowledge about them so that you can make your awareness campaign regarding the North American Occupational Health And Safety Week more efficient.
- Maintain proper posture while lifting, standing and sitting.
- Use different types of mechanical assistance. For example, you can use pallet jacks, dollies and carts.
- The workplace should be paired with Personal Protective Equipment such as respirators, eye protection, hard hats and many more.
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Werbylo is one of the most popular online fundraising platforms. During this North American Occupational Health And Safety Week, you can do fundraising to help the people and organizations. You can actually help to improve the overall occupational health and safety. Moreover, you can help the poor workers who are suffering from occupational hazards. This platform will not take any monthly fee from you and it will add full value. So, why are you waiting? Join Werbylo today.