How do you think about Health and Safety?

How Do You Think About Health and Safety?

Thinking about health and safety effectively means adopting holistic thinking rather than addressing hazards one at a time. In this last week of Safe Work Month, we look at hazards across the whole spectrum, including indoor and outdoor work. We revisited the National Safe Work Month theme for inspiration and determined that managing health and safety most effectively might depend on broader, more connected thinking.

This year's theme for National Safe Work Month is 'think safe', 'work safe', 'be safe'.

Most people recognise that different environments carry different hazards, some higher risk than others. Identifying risk factors for injury and illness one at a time in the workplace helps reduce workplace injuries, but this narrow approach may limit our ability to keep producing reductions over time. Focusing on being safe at all times, regardless of the environment, represents a mindset shift we should all embrace.

Changing Health and Safety Themes

When most people think of health and safety, they probably picture hard hats, hi-vis vests and steel cap boots on high-risk worksites, but that image keeps changing.

The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, brought rapid change to work practices and, with it, shifted how we approach occupational health and safety (OHS). More employees now work from home, facing attendant health risks alongside psychosocial hazards such as bullying from partners, isolation, fatigue and other pressures.

Longer term thinking now also focuses more on the health side of health and safety. For example, office and home-based workers may face greater risk of lower vitamin D levels (vitamin D supports healthy bones and muscles) due to limited time outdoors.

So although many employees do not work on high-risk worksites involving hazardous materials or specialised equipment, that does not mean they face lower risk of harm overall. Their health may still carry real risks stemming purely from everyday work conditions.

How to 'Think Safe'?

Our goal should be learning enough about operations, whether at home, in the field or the office, to understand conditions and pressures affecting every worker's safety.

The question is not simply what dashboards and risk assessments reveal about performance outcomes, but rather what workers themselves can tell you about conditions at any given time, and how well you listen to their community of experience on the ground.

How to 'Work Safe'?

Consider human factors carefully. An important step in applying human factors involves gaining thorough understanding of the work or operation required. Undertaking a work-task analysis, observing work being done and simply talking with the people doing the work are good ways of understanding necessary processes.

Then put in place the best health and safety measures possible to avoid workplace incidents. Remember that safety procedures and instructions should always be designed around human capabilities, factoring in fatigue, training gaps and equipment limitations as key contributing factors.

Managing electrical hazards is one clear example. Faulty electrical equipment, damaged leads or poor housekeeping around electrical systems remain common causes of workplace incidents. Regular inspection of electrical equipment, combined with proper testing and tagging, helps reduce electrical risks significantly. Anyone working near electrical infrastructure should have access to appropriate resources, including clear guidance on isolating electrical equipment safely before maintenance begins.

And Finally, How to 'Be Safe'?

Being safe extends beyond identifying risks and developing strategies to eliminate them — it also means monitoring and managing risks continuously to reduce the likelihood of future incidents across your company or facility. For further reading, our article on health and safety risk management strategies covers this approach in more depth. Stay safe!

How Can We Help?

SafetyDocs by SafetyCulture offers a comprehensive range of policies, plans, procedures, checklists and forms designed to keep workers healthy and safe from harm. Our Work Health and Safety Manual (WHSM) and Occupational Health and Safety Manual (OHSM) provide practical resources for organisations wanting structured, reliable documentation.

In support of the campaign run by Safe Work Australia, for this last week, we are offering 10% off storewide. That's right, every product we have! No matter your industry, whether you undertake high-risk or low-risk activities involving hazardous equipment, or focus purely on considerations of physical or mental health, we are confident we have you covered. You can also explore our Workplace Health and Safety Show for further insight into current safety practices.

The offer begins Wednesday 27th October 2021 and ends Wednesday 3rd November 2021. Enter coupon code SAFE2021 during checkout for the discount to apply. This discount does not include SWMS Value Packs due to their heavily discounted price.