Case 4

Safety and Health Management Helps Reduce Accident and Improve Efficiency

A chain store company introduced Chinese-style fast food in recent years. It adopted the new management concepts to improve the quality of service as well as safety and health at work. For example, all their staff were provided with safety training and the workplaces were subjected to regular safety inspection. Also, the food was mostly produced by automatic machines and transferred by mechanical means. This had greatly reduced work injuries arising from mechanical hazards and manual handling of materials.

The improvement in safety and health performance could be attributed to:

·         top management commitment and support

·         safe system of work

·         safety training of staff

Safety and Health Management

19. Pleasant working conditions and a safe and healthy working environment help improve efficiency, reduce accidents, prevent impairment to health and promote good labour management relations. Effective safety and health management help companies discharge their legal duties for ensuring safety and health at work and also keep their safety and health risks under control. To this end, employers should develop :

·         a safety policy to define employers’ commitments to safety;

·         a safety organisation to ensure that each person’s role and responsibilities are understood, to promote a ‘health and safety culture’ which secures the motivation and involvement of all staff to execute the safety policy;

·         safety training programmes to equip all staff with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to perform their duties in a safe manner;

·         a safety plan and a set of standards to identify the actual and potential hazards and to assess risks to each individual, with the aim of controlling workplace risks; and

·         monitoring and review systems to measure the safety and health performance.

Occupational Safety Charter

20. The Occupational Safety Charter sets out clearly the rights of employees to enjoy a safe working environment and the responsibility of employers to prevent workplace accidents and promote occupational health. It also emphasizes the responsibility of employees to co-operate with their employers to comply with safety measures and report potential workplace hazards. By subscribing to it, employers show their commitment to improving safety standards in their workplaces.