Safety and Technology One of the Easiest

Safety and Technology

One of the easiest ways to ensure that the work environment is productive and profitable is through safety. Safety measures improve performance, job satisfaction, and trust between management and employees. Reduction of accidents and hazards also mean fewer costs associated with State Labor Industries, insurance and disability claims, and absenteeism. In certain industries, manufacturing, etc., it is sometimes difficult to ensure 100% safety. However, if companies take preventative steps, inform stakeholders, and have policies in place, safety issues are much easier to manage. In most developed countries, there is a governmental agency that is cross-disciplinary and concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of workers. The goals of these agencies are similar to the goals of the business -- put programs in place to ensure a safe and healthy work environment (Workplace Safety and Health, 2012).

Accidents in the workplace are costly and can have a serious impact upon the day-to-day activities as well as productivity and profit. Workplace accidents happen for a variety of reasons -- lack of training, equipment malfunction, human error due to fatigue, etc., or simply distraction and carlessness (hurried pace without adequate controls, etc.). Often, deadlines approach and employees feel pushed, so safety issue as simple as wearing eye protection are often forgotten. At times, employees feel overconfident when running machinery or tasks that they have repeated hundreds of times, and may forget safety protocols. At other times, equipment may or may not be in the best repair, and even if regularly maintained, it may break down, malfunction, or seize up ( Stuhlmacher and Cellar, 2001).

Many risk managers believe that workplace safety equals no accidents or incidents. If organizations prepare for contingencies and accidents, all parts of the equation are covered. Too, because of the complexities of healthcare, occupational safety is becoming even more of an issue. Technology plays a very important part in modern workplace safety -- from occupational training (how to lift, bend, avoid injuries), to tracking of data and maintenance on machines, to technological aids that allow workers to perform their job duties more efficiently and with less risk. Technology can reduce errors by preventing them, by facilitating a more rapid reponse if an even happens, and by tracking and providing feedback and help for future prevention. This is usually focused on information technology management, but is also useful when engineers desgin new systems or put together new procedures or task protocols (Bates and Gawande, 2003).