Whereas some organisations in Malta can be very proactive when it comes to protecting their employees’ health and safety, other organisations can view this as an unwelcome cost. This is unfortunate, and misguided.
Organisations should protect their employees’ health and safety not only due to legal requirements, but also for moral reasons and because it makes financial sense. In fact, one recent study determined that each euro invested in health and safety generates a return of over two euros.
Ignoring health and safety can be a costly business. Workplace deaths, injuries and diseases can have obvious legal and financial ramifications, as can fines for non-compliance with health and safety regulations.
The organisational costs of poor health and safety however, can run a lot deeper than this. Unhealthy and unsafe work environments result in issues such as back pain, mental health issues and lung diseases, causing sickness absence rates to rise; an unwelcome cost for businesses.
Not only do absent employees continue to be paid during this period, but their absence may lead to additional costs, such as bringing in replacement staff, overtime costs, and administrative costs, to name a few.
More frequently, however, sick and injured workers continue to attend work anyway. This may please some organisations which attempt to clamp down on absenteeism, but this can be more costly to an organisation than absenteeism.
Sick workers, be it with a cold, a backache, or a mental issue, are unlikely to be able to perform to the required standard. This can result in missed deadlines, costly errors, work of lower quality, and a demotivated workforce. This can be very costly in today’s world where reputations are built over years and potentially destroyed with the click of a button.
The number of factors that need to be considered can leave employers confused and overwhelmed
Is a mechanic struggling with back pain likely to work as fast and efficiently than when he was healthier? Is a nurse struggling with anxiety from overwhelming deadlines more likely to make a mistake? Working under these conditions will also inhibit recovery and will damage future health and performance.
Workers displeased with an unhealthy working environment are also more likely to seek alternative employment. This is costly for organisations which will lose valuable experience, and face all the costs associated with recruitment. Furthermore, new inexperienced employees require more training and make more errors.
In the current labour market, faced with a shortage of workers and an ageing workforce, a healthier and safer environment can aid retention and make it easier for employees to continue working in older age. It can also aid in attracting and retaining new employees, including foreign individuals who may be accustomed to higher levels of workplace health and safety in their home countries.
Obviously, poor levels of health and safety are costly for the workers themselves, who may face medical costs, possibly live with a short-term or long-term disability, and may have their own earning power curbed due to missed overtime, cancelled part-time jobs, etc.
The situation is also costly for the country. Poor levels of health at work put a strain on our public healthcare system and should workers faced with unsurmountable health problems drop out of the labour market, the country’s tax revenues drop, while social payments increase. Essentially, everybody loses out when occupational health and safety levels are substandard.
Fortunately, occupational accidents and workplace diseases can be largely prevented. However, the number of factors that need to be considered can leave employers confused and overwhelmed. Identifying somebody competent enough to assist them can also be challenging.
The Centre for Labour Studies at the University of Malta has been running a part-time diploma course in occupational health and safety since 1997 and has recently introduced a Bachelors course on the same subject, due to open again this October.
Our graduates are educated in Maltese health and safety law, occupational safety, occupational health, psychology, toxicology, and ergonomics, among others. The curriculum provides students with the necessary knowledge and skills to work in the capacity of an occupational health and safety professional.
I would thus encourage employers to make use of our graduates’ services when necessary.
Luke Fiorini is a lecturer, Centre for Labour Studies, University of Malta and coursecoordinator, Bachelor in Occupational Health and Safety.