Occupational Health & Safety In The Workplace

Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) is of concern in all workplaces, including office environments. The belief that workers in an office environment are less susceptible to risk is a myth. One often argues that a physical job is often more dangerous than a mental job, though the risks are often quite equal, they are uniquely different risks to be aware. The two most common and largest risks to any workplace are:

Workplace violence, and
Stress.

What Is Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)?

OHS means, "ensuring the health and well-being of employees through attending to aspects of their working environment. It is concerned with protecting people from physical and mental danger and/or risks to their health."

The management and promotion of OHS within a workplace is important for many reasons, some are:

It protects people from injury, ill heath and even death, and the emotional and economic hardships caused to them and their families,
It improves productivity because people take fewer sick days,
It reduces compensation costs because fewer claims are made,
It improves moral because employees know they are working in a healthy and safe environment,
It minimises the costs associated with replacing sick or injured staff, such as training other staff to replace them,
It reinforces a positive company image,
It reinforces trust between employees and management, and
It makes the organisation a more appealing place to work within.