HSE People - Health and Safety Community

As-Salam-o-Alaikum Respected Readers,

Today we would like to throw light on corporate responsibility and social sustainability system. Many organizations act responsibly towards the people, their employees, and communities to contribute to social development in the areas where they live and work. They think that it is the essence of their commitment to their corporate social responsibility and they are very right but there are some organizations those doesn’t live up to the expectations even more fulfill their regulatory requirements. 

Basic life saving first aid skills is one of the subject one should consider is their responsibility to provide life saving skills to their employees and to contribute to communities where they live and work. In order to respond immediately and effectively to emergencies/disasters, which may occur during work timing or commuting to/from home to office and vice versa.

As most of the organizations collectively embrace the need to improve their impact on the society but the concept of sustainability is no longer just an investment in some of the occasional events, while I applaud increased efforts by number of organizations toward sustainable design and worker safety. There are some organizations those take responsibility of their services and products as well as invest in development of personal safety skills of their employees.

First Aid to Save a Life Pakistan’s community training programs are also one of the service where we share basic life saving first aid skills at large-scale and not for profit. At large-scale and especially at corporate sector, we should consider this and contribute/volunteer towards our community and society such program those can make difference in the lives of the families of our employees, communities and our fellow citizens.

First Aid to Save a Life Pakistan also share the same sense of responsibility and have developed community training programs and currently working on many more programs and school safety program and AED implementation program are part of those efforts. Despite the fact that many organizations neglect this aspect in their corporate social responsibility we will remain active in incorporating personal safety awareness and life saving skills, to truly protect the future, protecting the lives of workers and serve to community and our fellow citizens.

With this First Aid to Save a Life Pakistan also wishes our fellow citizens, a very happy Independence Day. Long Live Pakistan.

To Your Prosperity,
Faisal Javed Mir

Workplace safety can appear very daunting for many employers. Creating a safe work environment for workers is not only morally right, but also a legal right in this country. There are many important tools available to ensure that all of the necessary precautions are taken to avoid and reduce accidents in the workplace.

1. Hazard Assessment/Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

Hazard assessment or job safety analysis (JSA) helps identify potential safety risks in the workplace and what measures should be taken to avoid these hazards.

2. Implementing controls at work stations

Implementing safety controls and devices to work stations based on the findings of your JSA will reduce the occurrence of workplace accidents. This includes built-in safety devices, such as a chemical eyewash station, or requiring employees to wear hard hats and protective eye wear on the job. This year alone, 78% of eye injuries were due to a lack of protective eye wear.

3. Provide proper safety training to employees.

View training as an investment. The better the training your employees receive, the less likely an incident will occur. Many employers forgo educating their workers on topics that could potential save them thousands in workers’ compensation claims and lawsuits.

Today there are more choices than ever when it comes to safety training. Many employers think the only option is the traditional classroom setting, but thanks to technology – online training is the quickest, easiest, cheapest and most environmentally conscious choice. Many online safety training companies offer their own tracking systems to alleviate the administrative burden from employers and some offer free courses (www.safetyskills.com) or trials. But always make sure that your training provider is IACET certified and has the proper credentials.

Whatever type of training is chosen, setting high standards of training completion on employees is crucial and any incidents of negligence by an employee should be deemed unacceptable. This ensures your financial security as a company, as well as the safety of all of your workers.

4. Staying current.

Keeping up with the latest guidelines and trends in safety is very time consuming, but necessary. OSHA sets the standard in safety. If an employer doesn’t have time for this task, finding a training provider that does is the best route to take.

It is also important to pay attention to any news coverage about emerging workplace safety issues. For instance, incidents of Heat Stress have become more and more common resulting in heat-related illness and death. Providing training on Heat Stress is a new trend that is becoming necessary, especially for those who work outdoors.

Besides training, all gear and equipment should be regularly maintenance and replaced when it becomes outdated or a potential hazard. This is another topic that has been in newsstands across the country due to the recent metro tragedy in Washington, D.C. It was reported that the metro train that crashed needed to be replaced for a newer model, which would have saved the lives of many.

5. Refresher courses.

Like any student who finishes a class, sometimes a refresher course is needed down the road. Issues in safety are constantly changing because our technology keeps advancing. This also means that with new advancements means new problems. Giving refresher courses every year is a great way to reduce the likelihood of workplace accidents.

The summer temperature is rising by the day and so are the rates of heat-induced illness and death. The first report of heat-induced illness took place in Memphis, TN on June 24, 2009, but deaths have been occurring all season and are sure to continue. These incidents remind us to provide employees with the proper training to ensure their safety when working in these conditions.

“Working in extreme temperatures is not only uncomfortable, it can be life-threatening,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “It is important for workers and their employers to minimize the chances of heat-induced illnesses, and imperative that they recognize the signs of heat stress and take the proper precautions to reduce the chances of illness or death.”

Many employers who spend the majority of their time indoors tend to lose sight of the risks that dramatic weather conditions can have on their outdoor workers. By simply taking the time to administer safety training on this issue can save everyone involved from getting burned.

“This heat is taking a toll on everyone, but especially to those who have to work in it day in and day out. We wanted to help these employees stay safe by creating a SafetySkills™ Heat Stress course that tackles this issue and what preventative measures should be taken,” said Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com.