Developing Resilient OSH Systems to Deal with Emerging Workplace Risks

Article Submitted by Nanis Kanana, Project EHS, QSS Kenya. 

With the ever-emerging situations in today’s world, the workplace has an important role to play in protecting the safety and health of its workers. The responsibility to achieve this objective has been met by constant changes in the world of work which have given way to new risks and challenges to workers’ safety and health. Some of the shifts include; the introduction of new technologies, the emergence of new disease outbreaks, new substances and work processes, changes in the structure of the workforce, new forms of employment and work organization. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a demand for a robust OSH system that can tackle current risks and emerging threats to ensure safe and healthy workplaces in the future.

World Safety and Health day (2021) reminds every organization to review its OSH systems and strengthen structures to better anticipate emerging risks, tackle the challenges head-on, provide resiliency to the world of work, and indirectly positively affecting public health. Therefore, a resilient OSH system should effectively address emerging risks and establish innovation prevention measures in a changing world of work.

The new challenge for EHS professionals is establishing resilient OSH systems that must maintain foresight of the possible effects of new technologies, new ways of working and societal change on workers’ safety and health. It is imperative to keep abreast with developments in public health, technology, changes in work organization, sustainable development and OSH legislation. This will help in identifying new risks as they emerge, but also anticipate changes that could affect workplace safety and health.

#worldWHSday2021 #SafeDay2021