Firstly, an average worker spends between 6 – 12 hours carrying out job duties daily. Most of our adult life is spent doing work. This aspect of life poses both merits and demerits in varying degrees, depending on the nature of work – physically tasking; mentally demanding; exposure to noise, heat, and/or radiation; working in confined space, and the list goes on!
While some are lucky to work in different postures, others work in sedentary positions or relatively risky environments such as highly elevated places/platforms, within confined spaces, and handling hazardous substances and materials (chemicals, electrical parts, radiation, etc.).
The downsides include poor health, injury, or fatality includes lost man-hour, lost productivity, increased healthcare cost, penalties to businesses, reputational damage in extreme cases, permanent disabilities, or deaths in some cases.
Please note that this piece is more applicable to desktop work and if otherwise, you can still learn a few valuable tips. I also assume we all use one form of electronic device or the other for communication, either for personal or/and work duties. Now let us get started by laying some foundation and providing some context before elaborating further.
The first definition, workplace, means any premises or part of premises that are made available to any person as a place of work. It does not cover domestic premises. Fortunately, sometimes work is done at home and last year’s public health issue forced a majority of the global workforce to adapt to remote work mode. Interestingly, many forms of workplace health and safety concerns require effective management measures; either you work in a business or commercial facility, or field and outposts, or at home.
Secondly, health has to do with our complete well-being: physical, mental, and psychosocial wellness, while safety is about safe acts (conduct of work) and safe work conditions(set-up). Simply put, the idea is to x-ray what happens to you while working and the aftermath of work routine(s). Ideally, your employer is legally responsible for communicating details of these issues, including providing management measures by putting safe systems of work in place. Of course, some people work freelance, or from home (especially now that remote working is the new norm due to Covid-19 restrictions); therefore, the onus lies on you.
Similarly, an employee also must take reasonable care of their safety and others who might be affected by complying with instructions and procedures, reporting hazardous situations, work-related accidents, or ill-health..
For effective interaction, I will briefly highlight how you can assess your job safety issues (Job safety analysis – JSA) and evaluate if measures implemented effectively eliminate or minimize potential risks. Lastly, how do you do your bit to work safely and enjoy good health?
Generally, JSA steps are:
- List your work-related task activities
- Identify related safety (& health) risks – potential hazards and how severe the effect can be if incidents occur (to you, properties, and/or the environment)
- Develop and implement suitable preventative measures
- Document and communicate to concerned parties
- Get help if needed
- Review periodically.
When assessing your job demands, the following are the basic considerations: the job, the organization and the individual. Firstly, the way you carry out your duties (task), workload, environment (lighting, ventilation, the ambient temperature of the room, serenity, seclusion, etc.), displays and controls, and procedures. For example, repetitive work such as desktop work, handling of tools, machinery operations, lone work, or transient work means you work at different locations as a marketer or technician.
Ergonomics is a crucial aspect of ensuring healthy work practices. It considers the interaction between people, the tools/equipment/machinery, and the workplace environment. In context, do you use the right seat and viewing angle when you use a screen? How often do you take breaks during long hours of work? Try taking a 20-minute break every 6 hours(I will share more tips shortly.)
Secondly, organisational factors include safety culture, policies and procedures, management commitment and leadership. Others are consultation and communication with workers, training, and work patterns.
Lastly, individual/personal factors include attitude, competence, motivation, and perception of risk. After reviewing your key activities, the context of your operations and how you can optimize as an individual comes next.
What’s your level of awareness? Does your organization provide a support structure that enhances your performance? Are there safe work systems in place? Have protective measures such as engineering controls and personal protective equipment been implemented? Is there a mechanism for feedback and systematic evaluation? Are there psychosocial considerations of work effects on the employees, such as stress/work demands, violence and bullying, and clarity on assigned duties and responsibilities?
In summary, Health and Safety management entails a holistic integration of a management system (policy, roles and responsibilities, planning and implementation) that ensures a controlled (safe and healthy) work that keeps improving.
Can we delve into issues you can influence and within your control? Let us discuss the everyday application of these insights:
- Imbibe a healthy lifestyle (resulting in mental and physical fitness), eat well, and exercise.
- Exercise daily and stretch your body at intervals while at work. Check mobile Apps for simple exercises and get professional recommendations on how far you should go. Listen to your body. For example, endeavour to observe your lunch break outside your work station and possibly walk outside the premises. Similarly, it would help if you explore opportunities to walk around during work hours. Go to a colleague’s desk/office instead of putting a call through; use a printer far from your desk such that you take a walk to pick up the printed documents.
- Ensure your desk workstation is comfortable and suitable. Request for or purchase an ergonomic chair; this ensures you sit in line with the spine shape. Get a table that elevates your screen display and use suitable peripherals like a keyboard, mouse, mousepad, and feet pads.
- Understand your energy cycle; work in cycles. Take a break every 2 – 3 hours.
- Discover and pursue other interests and venture outside your work network. Ensure you take a break and reward yourself with other pursuits, especially on weekends. This helps ensure you return to work refreshed.
- Rest. Take a few days off or go on a (mini) vacation especially after completing a challenging work season or project.
- Have a support structure and be accountable. Speak up when you have health issues, particularly psychosocial experiences such as mental stress, depression or anxiety.
- Ensure priority health and safety issues are proactively managed at/in your workplace. Learn more and challenge yourself to do better. Seek opportunities to improve existing systems. Read manuals, policies, industry journals, professional publications, legislation and case studies related to your work duties to stay up-to-date and proactive.
In conclusion, I would like to quote Josh Billings who said, “health is like money; we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it”. You owe yourself and your loved ones a lasting and healthy lifestyle so you can prosper on all fronts – career, family and other interests.
Here are some quotes for Reflection:
“Safety isn’t expensive, it is priceless.” – Author unknown“If you feel ‘burnout’ setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.” – Dalai Lama
