Field Safety Insights

World Day for Safety and Health at Work – 5 Reasons to Work Safe


This month we celebrated World Day for Health and Safety at Work! 

“The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003.

A national occupational safety and health culture is one in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels, where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties, and where the highest priority is accorded to the principle of prevention.” (UN, n.d.)

At Metric, we are active participants in creating/maintaining healthy and safe workplaces for everyone we work with, so we wanted to talk a little more on some of the big “Why’s?”. We all have different reasons for why we choose to do the things we do. In regards to workplace safety, making the right decision should be a daily practice. We all come from different backgrounds, so our mode of thinking varies from person to person. No matter the motivating factor, the five reasons below should be goal of ours as to why we should all work safe at all times.

Five Reasons to Work Safe:

1. Your HEALTH & WELL-BEING should be the number 1 factor as to why you decide to work safe today. Some debilitating injuries we can never recover from. It is important to really think about how a severe injury would change the rest of your life.

2. PROVIDING FOR YOUR FAMILY should also be a motivator in working safe. You can lose that ability quickly when you are injured or ill.

3. Having a stellar REPUTATION is critical in the success and advancement of your career. Working safe goes hand in hand with production. Once you are labeled a “unsafe worker” you may never be able to shake that bad reputation.

4. Your COWORKERS depend on the ability to trust your sound judgement. Taking shortcuts not only affect you, but also your coworkers.

5. The COMPANY we work for depends on our cooperation in creating a safe and healthful workplace free from hazards. The smaller the company, the more important our Experience Modification Rate (EMR) becomes in securing future business opportunities. Insurance companies use this number to analyze and forecast risk and liabilities. The higher the EMR, the higher likelihood that clients will steer clear from conducting business with the company.

It is critical to think about how the choices you make on the job not only affect you, but also how they affect the company, your coworkers, and most importantly your family. Continuously remind yourself of the consequences of disregarding safe work practices can bring. The goal is to have everyone go home safely at the end of each shift.

Reference:

World Day for Health and Safety at Work. (n.d.). United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/events/safeworkday/

Stay Safe!

Author: Kristopher Jenkins, MS, GSP, REP, CSHM
Author: Kristopher Jenkins, MS, GSP, REP, CSHMEnvironmental Health & Safety Specialist