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Development
  • Employers across all industries ought to identify hazards in the workplace,
  • Develop workplace health and safety rules and procedures on the basis of their findings,
  • Maintain proper records on the state of health and safety in the organization.
  • The development of workplace safety rules and procedures assists employers to mitigate employee exposure to harmful conditions.
  • It also limits their liability in the event of workplace injuries and fatalities because employers who have established safety rules and procedures cannot be held to have been negligent in the protection of their workers.

Communication Industrial safety rules and procedures date back to the 19th century when the United States enacted its first legislation to regulate the conditions of work in factories. Currently, the Department of Labour regulates industrial safety.There are four distinct aspects of workplace safety rules and procedures:

  • Development
  • Communication
  • Enforcement
  • Benefits
  • In keeping with best practice, employers across all industries ought to communicate workplace safety rules and procedures to employees in a clear and formal manner, and also train them on how they can meet the stated requirements.
  • The development of safety rules and procedures is ineffective if there is no corresponding employee awareness and understanding.
  • Under workplace health and safety acts, it is a legal requirement for employers to inform employees about existing workplace hazards, train them on how to avoid such hazards/risks,also orient them on how they can report violations or represent any grievances that may arise in the course of their work.

Enforcement
  • The Department of Labour, through the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS), work to ensure the safety of workers across all industries.
  • As a result, employers have a general duty to keep their workplaces free of recognized hazards.
  • They also have an obligation to comply with the acts/standards that the Department of Labour establishes and any other relevant regulations that relate to their industry.

Benefits
  • Numerous benefits exist to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment and adhering to workplace safety rules and procedures.
  • The main advantage is that it safeguards human resources as the greatest organizational assets.
  • Workplace safety rules make workplaces a safe place to work, which in turn contributes to the attractiveness, growth and success of industries across the country.
  • The safety rules help to minimize organizational costs because in the absence of proper safety rules, there would be higher rates of workplace injuries and fatalities, necessitating compensation, as was the case before the development of workplace safety laws.

By Yvonne Kwamboka, Safety Officer and enthusiast