Why is HSE important?
Basically, there are 3 practical reasons:
- Legal – whether we like it or not, laws are everywhere for us to observe. There are laws in HSE as well. Here in my country Malaysia for instance, we have Occupational safety and Health Act and Regulations 1994, Environmental Quality Act 1974 and Factory and Machinery Act 1967. As we know, these laws and regulations are there to keep workers from hurting themselves. These regulations may be put in place before an incident based upon anticipated threats or after an accident to prevent a re-occurrence of an accident.
- Economic – efficient HSE and OSHs management will eventually increase productivity, prevent loss time injury, avoid work delay because of accident, eliminate post accident cost like medical expenses, repair of damages and training for replacement of new workers.
- Moral – It is morally right to safeguard a worker from any kind of harm. It is the duty of a company to provide best care to their employees. Families are expecting their loved ones come back home safely from their workplace. A company will be as well morally respected by public if HSE or OSH is in the company’s policy and practice.
13 Reasons why workplace safety is very important
I believe there is no one who does not appreciate the word SAFETY; even with very little understanding about it.
Safety as its rightly defined is – A condition of being protected from anything or situation which could likely cause danger, risk, or injury.
Just with this understanding, everyone will be happy to imbibe safety; even if not practiced, but as a religion.
However, from this definition of safety, we can equally draw out one reason safety is important; that is:
Help protect against danger, risk and injury.
Though safety is deeper than it is defined above as is explained in one of my previous articles – What is safety (Read); we have still been able to draw out something from the literary definition of safety.
At this point, let me highlight the reasons why safety is important in three (3) broad categories:
These categories constitute Why we practice safety?
Why is safety important?
Safety is important for moral reasons: Morally speaking, no one want to get hurt, and no one is happy that someone else gets hurt.
Safety is important for economic reasons: When you are involved in accident, you spend money. Thus may be detrimental to your business.
Safety is important for legal reasons: Since safety is a law, non-compliance will attract punishment in terms of fines, imprisonment or your business may be shut-down by regulatory bodies.