Four Key Points to Consider for Workplace Safety

Safety relates to the experiences from both failures and successes and depends on systems designed to operate under the effects of various factors and deal with different issues.

Co-editor of the recently published book Safety Insights: Success and Failure Stories of Practitioners, Associate Professor Nektarios Karanikas, has analysed the experiences of safety practitioners from around the world. He found that the most frequently occurring references were (in ascending order) management, risk, work, system, reporting and staff.

Interestingly, the analysis of sentiments revealed that the themes of risk, work, and reporting were linked to more negative views than positive ones. On the other hand, the themes of management, system, and staff attracted more positive sentiments. Someone could interpret this as ‘A well-functioning system, based on manager and staff engagement, is necessary to control the work risks reported.‘.

Four key themes that practitioners and managers need to consider to ensure workplace safety

On further analysis, the data suggests expert agreement that Management needs to:

consider the reported and possible risk and incidents,
design work systems with the engagement of those involved,
provide communication opportunities, adequate time and specific information, and
adopt an organisational approach which supports staff and contemplates their feelings and responses to changes when executing projects.

Have you given enough thought to safety in your workplace?

QUTex offers a weekly online course (over 13 weeks) that expands upon these important safety considerations in the Australian context. To tap the knowledge of experts such as Associate Professor Karanikas and others and find out more, go to OHS management. The course also offers optional assessment for advanced standing in related postgraduate study at QUT in the area of OH&S Management.