Workplace safety is not a simple achievement. It requires establishing a sound health and safety policy which in turn develops a health and safety culture. However, developing a sound health and safety policy and ensuring its effective implementation is easier said than done.
Two factors: pre-employment medicals and effective risk assessments can contribute to a sound HSE policy. In this guide, we will cover the importance of these two policies on the health and safety of any organization.
Importance of Pre-Employment Medicals
Many companies conduct pre-employment medicals as a routine in their hiring process. However, its significance can be understood when you know what benefits it offers to the organization’s overall health and safety:
· Risk Mitigation
Pre-employment medicals are a screening that allows the employer to identify potential health risks with the employee. This includes making sure that the employee can handle the tasks on the job and that their health condition is not aggravated because of the work environment.
· Legal Compliance
In many safety-sensitive roles, pre-employment medicals are a legal requirement to make sure that the employee can perform on the job without risking their own or others’ health and wellbeing.
· Minimising Lost Hours
Pre-employment medicals also ensure that the employee wouldn’t take a lot of sick days, increasing company costs on lost work hours and disrupted operations.
· Improved Safety Culture
While pre-employment medicals are a way to hire individuals who can work safely, they are also necessary for the organization to make necessary adjustments to the work environment to accommodate these employees.
These medical tests can also help people identify hidden health problems that they might have and push them to adjust to a healthier lifestyle. This in turn fosters a culture of health and well-being in the organization, which is also important for workplace safety.
Importance of Effective Risk Assessment
While pre-employment medicals are important to make sure that the employees that are recruited can perform well on their job (medically), risk assessments are necessary to make sure that the workplace is safe for everyone. Therefore, akin to pre-employment medicals, effective risk assessments also contribute to a healthier and safer work environment.
· Improved Awareness
Risk assessments help uncover a lot of potential risks and hazards in the workplace that are not otherwise evident. These assessments make sure that the employees in the workplace are aware of risks and keep following protocols and SOPs to stay away from risks that cannot be mitigated.
· Determine Risk Mitigation Procedures
An effective risk assessment includes identifying risk mitigation actions and procedures. It also helps prioritize risks and cater to them based on their risk level.
· Reduced Incidents
The most important benefit of conducting risk assessments in the workplace is reduced incidents. The awareness of risks and the actions to take to mitigate these risks can help formulate an action plan and reduce the number of incidents over time.
Conclusion
Both risk assessments and pre-employment medicals contribute to enhanced workplace safety. This guide details how these two factors are beneficial and why companies should carry out these in-house or hire third parties or health consultants to help them.
