subject: 3 Key Reasons For Health And Safety [print this page] . It is something that now permeates every aspect of our lives - in particular work. In this article we'll examine some issues surrounding health and safety and what has made it such an important aspect of modern life.
A hundred years ago, there was very little in the way of health and safety, with factories using very dangerous practices and doing little to safeguard the health and well being of their worker force. Today, mercifully, it is different. Now, we have a whole raft of measures in place that are aimed at keeping us safe.
There are three key reasons that health and safety has become so important to all levels of society. The first of these is moral - there is simply a moral obligation for governmental and commercial organizations to ensure citizens and workers are kept as safe as reasonably possible - so that perilous situations are kept to an absolute minimum. This moral idea has been taken onboard by all developed nations, and many developing nations are also moving towards this way of thinking - mainly because the developed world is also doing this.
The second main reason is financial. When people are hurt, it costs money - sometimes lots of money. For example, say a man in Birmingham loses an arm in a car manufacturing plant. Apart from the terrible situation itself, you have to think about how a stream of money is suddenly halted or reduced. The man cannot work, and the money he provides to his family is no longer coming through or is minimized. This means that a family may have to rely on government hand outs to pay for housing and living costs. This is obviously expensive - sometime very expensive. Governments know it is expensive and therefore do their best to keep injuries to a minimum by way of legislation.
The third reason is legal; if someone is hurt in a workplace, for example, then the company may well be liable in some way. They do not want this risk - which might up their premiums or even cost them dearly if they are not covered.
Health and safety remains very important to all sections of society and while it may seem something ofa chore to some, it actually makes everyone's life much more enriched.
