There is a determined effort by companies and governments worldwide to eliminate or minimise accidents and health hazards at workplaces. This is happening despite the reckless nature of a significant section of the individuals who make decisions that influence politics and business.
The almost universal method used by governments and international organisations to make the workplace safer and healthier is by encouraging or mandating enterprises to establish management systems to improve workplace safety and health and declaring these enterprises certified if their management systems meet certain criteria. A couple of examples of internationally recognised certifications are the OHSAS 18001 standard and the SS506 standard. The Workplace Safety and Health Council (WHS Council) in Singapore has established the bizSAFE certification, a five level programme, to assist and recognise organisations as they make progress toward achieving the SS506 standard.
The benefits of these certifications to the organisations obtaining the certifications are obvious.
Firstly, certifications, on account of the excellent reputations of the organisations issuing them, guarantee the effectiveness and the efficiency of the safety and health management system in an enterprise. This improves the brand image of the company among customers, clients and other stakeholders.
Anybody who is aware of how the business world operates will understand the importance of improving a company’s brand image. Most large corporations invest colossal amounts of money in advertising and public relations to establish, improve and maintain a positive brand image. A Safety and Health Certification from an internationally recognised organisation advertises the effectiveness and efficiency of an enterprise in reducing accidents and health hazards in the workplace much better than any amount of creative advertising could.
Some examples of the stakeholders who are impressed by international certifications obtained by companies for their health and safety management systems are:
The Public value international certifications for health and safety management obtained by industries where accidents could cause serious damages to the health of the people living in the vicinity of the accident site. The Chernobyl Disaster and the Bhopal Gas Tragedy are two excellent examples of disasters that had a disastrous impact on public health.
A company that obtains an international certification for its safety and health management system proves its organisational proficiency to its clients. Moreover, the client is assured that accidents are monitored and minimised thus saving valuable resources.