Health and Safety at Work

 

Module 2 Introduction to the Topic or Study

 

            Concern for the safety of the workers in the work environment came as early as 1833 when the Factories Act was promulgated.  At that time, it was still common for children to be working in factories, so it was the job of the inspectors to help prevent injuries among them and to check for overworking. Those early days served as the foundation for today’s more structured health and safety format that is already de rigueur for all industries.  Fast forward more than 100 years later, in 1974, the Health and Safety at Work was formed, leading to the establishment of the Health and Safety Commission as well as the Health and Safety Executive, which is, until now, a major authority in enforcing health and safety rules (Cant, D., 2012).

            In the field of employment, health, and safety (EHS), the analysis and the utilization of the data related to it, specifically the identification and the monitoring of the leading and lagging indicators and how they work together could help them improve and understand the programs they are implementing.  For this study, the focus will only be on the lagging indicator which is defined as a measurable factor, statistic, or datum, that demonstrates facts about events that have already happened. It is a reactive way of indicating the safety efforts of the company and evaluates the past performance of the company. Unfortunately, this indicator does not help identify the catalyst of the incident that happened in the workplace. However, it is a good EHS metric because it is  easy to collect and measure, it can easily show if there was positive progress or a need for improvement, and most importantly, it can provide proper support for decision-making for the key stakeholders.

            Since it is a reactive variable, it is important to point out them out before they happen, and this can be done through education and training.  This study will measure how such education and training can help reduce the incidences of lagging indicators.  This will be done through the experimental method where the incidence of lagging indicators will be measured on two groups of employees where one gets education and training, while the other, does not.

 

References:

Cant, D. (2012). How did Health and Safety Start? Available at < https://www.veritas-consulting.co.uk/blog/a-brief-history-of-health-and-safety-in-the-workplace/>. Accessed [04.03.21].

 

Dakota Software (2020). Leading and Lagging Indicators: Complementary Parts of EHS Metrics Success. Available at <ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com>. Accessed [04.03.21].