Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an interdisciplinary activity related to the prevention of occupational risks inherent in each work. According to the International Labor Organization, occupational health and safety cover the social, physical, and mental well-being of employees as a whole.
Occupational Health and Safety, therefore, requires a broad approach that requires interaction with scientific fields such as occupational medicine, public health, industrial engineering, ergonomics, chemistry, and psychology.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
World Occupational Health and Safety Day is celebrated every year on 28 April. Started by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2003, the initiative is an international campaign promoting safe, healthy and decent work around the world.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 focuses on strategies to strengthen national and international occupational health and safety (OHS) systems, encouraging all relevant parties to act together to create a positive health and safety culture.
Creating a Holistic Occupational Health and Safety Culture
Management commitments, effective leadership, employee participation in the OHS culture, periodic identification and assesment of risks and hazards, training, accident investigation and development of preventive programs are the main features of a positive occupational health and safety culture.
Health and safety culture is examined in three main categories:
Organizational – safety and health-related policies, procedures and systems
Psychological – individual perceptions, attitudes and values
Behavioral – what people do, health and safety behaviors
The Importance of Psychological and Social Dimensions
The health and safety culture is a reflection of the values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and behaviors of employees. Management systems that include activities against conditions of health deterioration that may have an adverse effect not only on the physical but also on the mental or cognitive state of a person; It is known that it plays an important role in creating a positive occupational health and safety culture.
Including psychological health and safety criteria in the Occupational Health and Safety culture ensures that the OHS culture has a holistic perspective.
Act Together
We support holistic and continuous improvement-based approaches in which all relevant parties act together to create a positive OHS culture. As N_HumaN, we continue to develop collaborative projects with our stakeholders and provide psychological health and safety services to industries since 2018, in order to improve occupational health and safety cultures!
PDF: Creating a Holistic Occupational Health and Safety Culture