INGENIEUR
INGENIEUR
be sent by employers to employee representatives or directly to employees which is the lowest spectrum in employee involvement practices . It is important for employers to communicate with employees regarding safety information related to policies , procedures and safe work systems . Appointing a competent person to manage OSH information will effectively ensure OSH information distribution and management . Information consists of two sources , which are internal and external . Internal source includes information and data produced from within the organisation including workplace hazard analysis reports , workplace inspections and accident investigations . While , external information is information found outside the organisation including OSH legislation and guidelines . OSH information needs to be placed in an appropriate place in the workplace and checked regularly to ensure that the information provided is up-to-date and relevant .
Consultation is the exchange of views and the establishment of a dialogue or agreement in consultation between employees ’ representatives and employers . Consultation with employees in problem-solving and decision-making on safety issues and problems increases employee participation in safety . Management must consult employees before making safety-related decisions , especially those that affect their work . Consultation is important to ensure that employees and management are involved in setting safety goals . Consultation with employees on decisions about the risks to which employees are exposed , the means of eliminating or minimising the risks and the development of appropriate procedures will have a positive impact on employees ’ safety behaviour .
Next , management must commit to removing barriers that prevent employees from engaging in safety . Management should develop a policy or programme that promotes and ensures employee engagement to demonstrate that there are no barriers for employees to engage in safety . Management should be aware that employee engagement is a long-term process that requires continuous interaction over time to create commitments and conditions of interdependence . Accordingly , employee engagement should be considered as a comprehensive organisational and cultural strategy at all levels of the company . Health and safety workload is one of the barriers to employee engagement that can be addressed by providing resources and benefits to employees to encourage high levels of engagement . Employees ’ perceptions of management lead to high levels of employee engagement , such as the protection management provides to employees who actively report unsafe acts and conditions . Management needs to provide regular feedback to show employees that OSH issues are being heard and addressed .
Importance of Leadership and Involvement
An effective safety management system relies on both management and staff roles to ensure that it works and is monitored . The role of management is to plan , manage and make decisions , while the role of staff is to provide additional information and opinions to make the final decision . Both have their own role in ensuring that safety and health in the workplace is paramount .
An effective safety management system depends on top management to develop company policy and determine resources , which shows that management commitment to safety is an important indicator for measuring safety levels in organisations . High management commitment to OSH makes safety a priority and a core value in organisations to ensure employees ’ safety at work . Management support can motivate employees to get involved and encourage them to suggest improvements in specific work aspects that need improvement . In addition , low accident rates are also associated with management showing inspirational motivation by promoting safety goals , encouraging safety and motivating employees to behave safely . Thus , management plays an essential role in influencing employee safety performance through safety participation , which in turn leads to improved safety behaviour and ultimately fewer accidents , injuries , and absenteeism in the workplace .
Employee involvement in safety can improve safety performance in the workplace because employees are best qualified to suggest improvements as they are closest to the work .
64 VOL 96 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2023