Introduction
Employment law refers to regulations, managerial rulings and standards that address the legal privileges and restraints on workers and their organizations. It connects many aspects of association between employers and their employees. Employment law comprises of a wide range of issues that may occur from relationships between the employer and the employee. Examples of these issues include discrimination, Wage- Hour law, Income safety, collective bargaining and worker health and safety.
This paper will discuss worker health and safety as an employment law issue. Worker health and safety deals with protecting the security, health and welfare of workers. It may entail relations among many fields such as medicine, sanitation, safety and communal health. It has developed so much when compared to its beginning in the business industry. The basis for selecting this issue is the fact that worker health and safety has not been given enough attention in the business industry.
Impact on the Work Place
Worker health and safety creates a safe environment for workers. It protects co-workers, clients, merchants, relatives, managers and neighboring communities. It has an effect on every employee in every work environment. Those held responsible for health and safety management now have more duties added to their collection.
Worker health and safety enhances and maintains physical, psychological and social heath of workers in all jobs to the highest degree. It protects workers from departures as a result of health risks in their working environments. It also protects employees in their employment from dangers resulting from adverse health factors. It places and maintains the employee in an occupational surrounding adapted to his physical and mental needs.
How the employer manages Worker Health and Safety
The employer enhances health and safety practices in an organization. He identifies hazards and determines the health and safety risks involved. He sets appropriate safety controls and gives advices on how to avoid accidents to the employees. The employer also offers training on health and safety.
This minimizes the number of harms and deaths. It also reduces property destruction, legal liability, sicknesses, workers compensation alleges and absenteeism. Classes of security teaching assist in the establishment of a security culture in which employees help in developing appropriate safety procedures in the workplace. The employer should ensure that new employees are properly trained. He should embrace the significance of work place safety to prevent seasoned employees from adversely influencing new employees.
The employer should also systematically assess the working environment. He should endorse measures that reduce sicknesses in the work place. Medical examinations should be regularly done on the employees.
The employer should establish processes, systems, techniques, requirements and ways to achieve the best possible administration of the risks that cause harm to the workers and destroy property or the surrounding. He should evaluate services, effects, equipment, procedures and work stations by using both qualitative and quantitative techniques to identify the hazards and measure the risks associated.
He should supply his employees with picture identification cards. Visitors should not be allowed access to the workplace facilities. The manager should employ security guards and fix security cameras in the work place.
Current and future trends
Today’s business workplace environment is going through rapid changes. The economy is expanding. New industries and employments are rising and workforce composition is shifting. There is also increased knowledge concerning worker safety and heath. Worker heath and safety are thus evolving.
A better worker and safety health programme is likely to be built in the future which involves all parties such as the employees, employers, managers, unions and the government. It is thus clear that, by the year 2020, there will be large improvements in worker health and safety. All nations at this time will be expected to demonstrate a progressive development of employee health services. This will be irrespective of the company size, employment mode, economic sector or occupation (Reese, 2008).
Reference
Reese, D.C. (2008). Occupational health and safety management: A practical approach. Boca Raton: CRC Press.