Workplace is often a dangerous environment. Wether we are subjected to dangerous machinery, chemicals or both, accidents due to our workplace are a major concern.
But how can this be? despite hundreds of years of industrial revolution and progression there are still far too many accidents and fatalities due to issues of regarding our place of work.
The home is considered a dangerous place too, there are many accidents but particularly regarding DIY and cooking.
Accidents happen, but it is all our responsibility to reduce risks and make our day to day work place as safe as possible.
Bumps, cuts, falls and trips are unfortunately common place at work. Health and Safety management is of prime importance, many larger companies employ their own specialists to implement policy.
Working with noisy and dangerous equipment is a problem that has beset the workforce since industrial machinery was invented. It is fair to say that much has been done to prevent accidents and the like but it is also true that there is still much progress to be made in work place safety.
Not quiet as direct an injury as a cut would be the result of excessive noise, which is a by-product of machinery.
Over the course of many years health and safety policy has developed to accommodate safe noise levels. There are still many claims launched for Noise Induced Hearing Loss. We may have developed as a society but our work environment safety is still lacking in many areas.
Another issue regarding work place safety is vibration. When the human body is subjected to high levels of vibration of a prolonged time, it is possible to develop conditions such as vibration white finger which is commonly known as VWF but is more accurately described as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome.
It is thought that millions of people in the UK suffer various levels of HAVS at some point in their lives.
This particular condition has been frequently found in miners, road construction and building trades, however it is becoming more frequent in lots of other areas of industry.
There can however be no greater hidden threat to workers than asbestos. Exposure to asbestos can have fatal consequences to the individual.
The latency period of asbestos diseases such as Mesothelioma , Asbestosis, Lung Cancer, Pleural Thickening and Pleural Plaques can be in excess of 40 years.
The most serious asbestos related disease is Mesothelioma when the sufferer may on diagnosis have a matter of months to live.
The issues surrounding asbestos exposure in the workplace are many, but in my opinion are as serious as those that relate to our last topic of f atal accidents .
A fatal accident in the workplace can have serious implications for fellow workers. The most immediate is the psychological trauma that those who saw the accident suffer. The secondary issues are the investigations of Health and Safety executives and reports and recommendations.
The above conditions and injuries in some way, shape or form effect the day to day working environment.
The Health and Safety of employees should improve all round as we evolve, but external factors such as lack of finance, poor human resource and production expectations create environments that clearly compromise the safety of the workforce.
The key question is when does moral standards out weigh the financial decision making process. Only time will tell.
