✦ World Day for Safety and Health at Work falls on 28th April, where we reflect on the evolving landscape of workplace safety and concerns.
As technology continues to advance, work environments shift and we continue to face global challenges, businesses also have to adapt to new paradigms to ensure the wellbeing of their employees.
Technology for safety
Technology can be used to enhance safety protocols. Whether it's AI-powered safety monitoring systems or wearable devices tracking vital signs and environmental hazards, businesses are leveraging cutting-edge technology to identify and mitigate risks.
An example is using drones for safety inspections in hazardous environments. Drones equipped with thermal imaging or light detecting and ranging can spot electrical faults or equipment that is overheating on a building site. Drones are now our 'first responders' for security and spotting hazards, leading to a more rapid response to react to the risk.
Learn about how Paul Witney of Creative Drone Services combines high end technology with intuitive natural creativity via drone photography to save animals, buildings and assets here.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
Supporting employees' mental health continues to be a key concern for companies. From mindfulness programmes, counselling services to fostering a new culture of open communication, companies are changing the benefits they offer to employees in order to more accurately address stress, burnout and other mental health issues that arise as a result of the pressures of modern work life.
See life coach Bernie Ginnane's tips on Mental Health Tools to thrive in the ever evolving workplace here.
At TG's Child Care, mental health and wellbeing is not only for everyone, it also starts young. Children learn mindfulness techniques and are encouraged and supported to talk about feelings, thanks to a lovely visit from Healthy Harold, the friendly giraffe. Educators are also well taken care of, from having a Mental Health Workplaces Toolkit with guidance material and practical resources to TG's Family First philosophy ensuring Educators have a balanced work and family life, TG's Educators appreciate these initiatives and is a contributing factor to many staying for more than ten years at TG's.
Read more about what TG's is doing here:
Remote Work Safety Concerns
Remote work has now become a norm, and just because it's home doesn't mean there is no concern for health and safety. Organisations worldwide are now tasked with providing ergonomic support for home offices, addressing cybersecurity risks associated with remote work, and promoting work-life balance to prevent employee isolation and burnout. Read about what companies in Singapore are doing to manage hybrid work for employees.
Digital wellness is an area that is increasingly important to empower employees with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate virtual work environments safely. Learn more in our blog on Business Trends 2024.
Climate Change
Globally we are seeing more and more cases of extreme weather events, rising temperatures and environmental hazards. Businesses have to contend with new occupational safety challenges as a result, and this could range from heat stress prevention measures for outdoor workers to resilience plans and crisis communication measures to mitigate the impact of disasters.
Summers in Spain can get really hot and affects workers' productivity levels. It is common for companies to implement a 'jornada intensiva' or a summer timetable where employees do not have the typical lunch break and instead, finish work at 3pm. Spaniards appreciate this timetable not just because it helps to break the lethargy of the heat, but also because it allows them more time with their children who are off for the summer break.
The different looks of workplace health and safety
With such a diversity of industries and services, workplace health and safety can look very different from business to another.
Eye injuries
Those who work with machinery or manufacturing are at risk of eye injuries such as having foreign bodies embedded in the eye, chemical eye injuries or welder's flash. Panoptic Vision is helping to care for workers in hazardous environments by fitting prescription and non-prescription safety glasses with a variety of frames and high-impact polycarbonate lenses and coatings.
Protection from machines
Machinery-related injuries can hurt a business not just due to downtime, but also with painful lawsuits and costly compensations. Workers can be caught in the moving parts of a machine or hit by ejected parts. In the manufacturing sector, machines are the leading cause of workplace injuries. Abstract Plastics helps companies by providing machine guarding applications to protect workers using the machines.
Safety for all, even trees
Accomplished Tree Management knows all about safety for everyone, from their arborists to the clients and even their trees and property. Arborists have a risky job and they undergo a multi-disciplinary training with the Australian Qualifications Framework and require a Certificate III in Arboriculture if their job includes tree climbing activities. They have regular training throughout their career. Accomplished Tree Management is QTRA accredited, which means they are able to help quantify risk for home owners as well as companies to assess tree hazards and removals.
On World Day for Safety and Health at Work, it is important for businesses and employees to stay abreast of emerging trends and concerns. By adopting preventive measures now, companies can avoid unnecessary and painful costs in the future. It is simply a sustainable act to be committed to advancing workplace safety and foster a culture of health and wellbeing for everyone. For many businesses now, workplace health and safety is a value embedded into everything they do. ❋
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