Health and Safety
Health and safety at work: does it feel good to work for you?
Implementing prevention policies in every business saves lives and money. Physical, mental risks are inherent to some activities and business models, and organisations can ensure that the maximum is done to prevent people working for them, directly or indirectly, being harmed in the course of their work. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than two million people die around the world due to work-related accidents or diseases, every year. This hampers not only the economic viability of companies concerned, but it climbs up, impacting along the chain up to the core clients, their ethics and reputation. As conditions tend to be worse deeper in the supply chain, these issues are of high importance at these levels as well.
What is the risk in the supply chain?
Suppliers and buyers should provide a safe and healthy working environment, including for any company provided living quarters.
- Health refers to diseases acquired in the course of work. The principal factors of work-related diseases are exposure to biological agents and hazardous substances, noise, heavy loads, stress or mental illnesses, poor sanitation, and dirty drinking water.
- Safety is related to accidents prevention (e.g. safe machinery, use of personal protective equipments -PPE). National regulatory frameworks establish compulsory measures to ensure OHS.
- The incidence of work-related diseases and accidents varies according to the type of industries, the type of work and the geographic location of the activities. In developing countries, violent physical accidents and pandemics are still great risks, because of a lack of a preventive health and safety culture, poor management systems, poor supervision or lack of enforcement by the governments. In developed countries, ergonomics, mental illnesses, musculo-skelettic trouble are more frequent.
- Some suppliers by-pass elementary measures or investments. Certain contractual conditions induce health and safety shortcomings in the suppliers and subcontractors premises. These aspects must be taken into account when passing/accepting orders that could put working conditions at risk.
- A lack of investment in health and safety equipment may result in more compensation claims, insurance premiums, lower attendance, lower motivation and hence lower productivity
What can I do to improve Health & Safety in the supply chain?
The following 4 aspects should be covered by a H&S programme: worker protection, process safety, emergency preparedness and response, hazard information. To address these:
- Adopt adequate measures: realise a risk mapping (in factories and dormitories), tackle first the global working environments, then consider the choice and state of machines and equipment, and finally see if workers need training for their job and personal protection equipment.
- Monitor key health and safety indicators: frequency and gravity of accidents, level and cause of absenteeism, turnover, etc.
- Check whether workers have access to a health care system for their basic needs; see if your company can improve it if necessary and possible (vaccination, prevention).
- Provide EHS trainings are often an excellent idea to induce and ensure good practice. It allows not only to work safely but also to ensure compliance with legal regulations and international standards.
- Require suppliers’ compliance with international health and safety standards: it is a first step to behave responsibly and to promote a responsible supply chain. International standards are practical recommendations, not legally binding, but strongly recommended.
- Audit suppliers’ facilities: it contributes to ensuring compliance and facilitates the implementation of corrective measures when and where needed.
