Most organizations previously took the safety of their employees casually because the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials only inspected places of work with no consequences for those with poor working environment conditions. Certainly, increasing financial penalties is an effective way of lowering injuries at workplaces. The Institute for Work & Health (2015) suggests that employers devise measures to prevent work-related injuries to employees when they become aware of the consequences. The Institute for Work & Health subsequently notes, “The key to making general deterrence more effective may lie in increasing employer awareness about the financial implications of non-compliance or making information public about employers that don’t comply”. In this case, financial penalties work as a control measure or a way of conditioning employers to comply with safety standards, failure to which leads to unpleasant consequences. The best option to employers becomes making the workplace safe for the employees. Therefore, to a large extent, financial penalties increase awareness and consequently, better safety measures at the workplace.
Most of the injury prevention and control measures in my house, neighborhood and place of work are signage. For instance, containers of insecticides have warning signs and information cautioning against possible contamination with food, as well as possible respiratory problems. In fact, they advise that windows need to be open when using them. Around the neighborhood, places with sewers and ditches have signs cautioning people. Regarding my workplace, there are signs cautioning people of slippery floors, and in case repairs are being made, signage is used to make people aware of falling debris or harmful paint. In my car, the driving manual warns about over-speeding and emphasizes on the use of safety belts all the time while driving (Training Manual, n.d). All these control and prevention measures have to a significant degree reduced injuries.
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References
Institute for Work and Health. (2015). Inspections with penalties linked to lower injuries: IWH review. https://www.iwh.on.ca/newsletters/at-work/81/inspections-with-penalties-linked-to-lower-injuries-iwh-review
Training Manual. (n.d). Implementing specific interventions to prevent road traffic injuries. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_traffic/activities/roadsafety_training_manual_unit_4.pdf
