A Comprehensive Exploration of the Role Safety Plays in Manufacturing and Industrial Organizations
Despite advancements, workplace safety remains secondary in many firms, highlighting the need for a cultural shift and dedicated roles to prioritize it based on historical and research insights.
- By Beemal Vasani
- Mar 25, 2024
The realm of workplace safety has undergone significant transformations since governments worldwide began taking worker and occupational health seriously in the 1970s. Despite these advancements, many manufacturing and industrial organizations still relegate safety to a secondary status, often adding it as an afterthought to a manager's list of responsibilities. In this comprehensive exploration, let’s delve into the historical context and current practices.
This will include emphasizing a cultural shift towards prioritizing safety within organizations, highlighting the crucial necessity for a dedicated safety role from the upper echelons to the grassroots level of organizations. Drawing on third-party research and insights from workplace safety reports, the aim is to spotlight the critical importance of making safety a proactive and integral part of organizational processes.
Historical Perspective
To understand the contemporary challenges surrounding workplace safety, it's essential to acknowledge the historical context. Governments around the world only began prioritizing worker and occupational health in the 1970s, marking a significant shift in attitudes towards employee welfare. Examining safety's journey, it becomes evident that its position within organizations has not evolved at the same pace as technological and industrial advancements.
At the onset of the safety revolution, the focus was primarily on complying with basic safety regulations. Fast forward to the present, and safety has become a multifaceted concept, encompassing not only compliance but also a proactive approach to prevent accidents and injuries. However, the implementation of safety measures is often an afterthought in the innovation and implementation process, leading to potentially avoidable incidents and injuries.
Drawing from third-party research, workplace safety reports illustrate the consequences of neglecting safety measures and highlight the correlation between proactive safety processes and accident prevention. Safety, despite its undeniable importance, still struggles to secure a primary seat at the corporate table.
Flipping the Safety Paradigm
Traditionally, safety considerations come into play towards the end of the innovation and implementation processes. This reactive approach leaves organizations vulnerable to inherent risks that could have been mitigated with a proactive stance. By integrating safety considerations at the onset of discussions, companies can ensure that their processes are not only innovative and efficient but also safe from the outset.
This article originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.