Occupational health and safety is a serious concern for health professionals working within an organization, particularly if it is in a dangerous industry such as construction or transportation. Establishing occupational health systems which address all of the needs of an employee’s well-being should be a top priority for companies who value the contributions that their employees provide. Therefore, it is extremely important that these systems have action plans and the appropriate OHS software to ensure that they run as smoothly as possible. In order for occupational health systems to run well they should employ incident management software as well as a set protocol with which to monitor, assess, and report on the health of every employee.
Establishing the System
First, and foremost, occupational health systems must be established by the health care professional or professionals employed by the company. This means that safe working conditions must be assessed, and possible incidents that could occur must be identified so that action plans can be set in place. For example, if heavy equipment is being used by certain employees on a daily, repetitive basis, then employees should be checked for routine stress injuries at the first sign of trouble to avoid chronic conditions down the line. One of the best ways to manage an established system is to monitor each employee via occupational health software. A profile can be easily created for each employee and personalized as their health needs change or are affected by their jobs.
When Incidents Occur
Unfortunately, safety incidents do occur on the job from the minor to the major. These incidents must always be reported to the health care professional on hand, as well as the necessary Worker’s Compensation Board depending on the industry and job. As such, utilization of incident management software within your EHS system is a great way to gauge the amount, and severity of incidents over time to see if there are any trends in the workplace. If there is a rise in incidents, then it may call for a change in occupational health systems as the current one is no longer effective. It is important to assess where the incidents are occurring, their frequency, and severity. From these data points, they can then be isolated, and the system can be updated and assessed to see why there has been a rise or a decrease in certain workplace related injuries or illnesses.
Making Sure Environmental, Health, and Safety Regulations are Met
The environment also plays a huge part in employee health. Workers in chemical factories are often subject to toxic fumes and waste products which means there are very specific regulations which must be met, but also monitored as they can change. Due to this the health system in place must also actively incorporate government standards and regulations that are in place to ensure employee safety and health. This means that occupational health must actively address ergonomics (reduce stress on the body), or if air quality is important, monitor it on an active basis. Successful occupational health plans put the employee’s health first, and high productivity second, as a healthy employee will always perform better than an unhealthy one.
