The Psychology of Workplace Safety: It Is A Cognitive Disposition

When it comes to safety in the workplace, the state of mind of employees can go a long way towards ensuring a safe and healthy work environment.

No matter what industry we work in, it is our legal right to function in a physically and psychologically healthy environment. Despite installing hardware and safety management systems, accidents and injuries in the workplace can still occur at any given time.

Any employer may have the best, well-trained, motivated, and fit professionals for their assigned tasks, but this does not eliminate any chances of human error resulting in workplace mishaps.

Such incidents are either a product of negligence, incompetence, or mere happenstance. It is easy to ignore safety procedures, especially when they take time and you are confident in your work. This negligence is, unfortunately, a breeding ground for employee injury. It’s an understatement to say that workplace safety is an important issue. It is so important that entire government agencies have been developed just to regulate workplace safety.

Australian Standard AS 3745:2010 Planning for Emergencies in Facilities lays out a detailed framework that provides the best practice for dealing with emergencies within a facility. The standard acts as a guide to ensure all facilities meet the requirements of the Health and Safety Act.

While an employer is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe workplace, there are many things an employee can do to be safe at work. Many companies tend to skip on safety training or just don’t have a rigorous enough emergency plan to begin with.

Employees should not rely on the fact that something probably won’t happen. Instead, be proactive. There is no harm in asking what emergency procedures are in place. A false sense of security is the result of poor training and following bad practices, which leads to injuries in the workplace.

Accidents are inevitable, it is essential for any employer to dedicate the time and resources for safety training and emergency management in order to mitigate these accidents as much as possible.

Workplace hazards are a serious concern for employers and employees, often resulting in physical injury and eventually psychological trauma. Depending on the industry, workplace hazards and the impact of workplace incidents can vary significantly.

Appropriate training, safe equipment procedures and fail-safe emergency planning is the best formula to keep everybody away from harm and promote a positive frame of mind.

By investing, developing, and consistently promoting a space where staff feel safe to be themselves while executing their duties, they are very well placed in a mindset to be at their best.

Workplace Emergency Management assists businesses to promote safe workspaces by providing Emergency Plans, Diagrams, and regular training for your staff. Our team of highly qualified consultants for have experience across all kinds of industries. When providing training, our consultants know how to keep your team engaged during our interactive and entertaining training sessions.

If you require training or guidance around Emergency Management at your facility, give our friendly team a call on 1300 831 694.