The health and safety of employees always has top priority. Occupational safety is part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which is why every organization has to take preventive measures to protect its employees against accidents and to promote good health. In an interview, Thomas, occupational safety specialist at SCIO, tells us why this is such an important topic.
"Many people don't see occupational safety directly and only become aware of it once something has happened. Then it is unfortunately already too late. The goal is always to avoid accidents in the first place, but also to deal with them when something has happened. It is therefore important to learn from so-called “near-accidents” in order to ensure safety for all employees at all times.
Thomas has a clear answer to the question of what the main task of an occupational safety specialist is: "Occupational safety is a broad and wide-ranging topic. Often, however, the difficulty is not in introducing occupational safety policies in the company, but in raising awareness among employees. Many accidents are the result of routine work. Therefore, the main task is to get the idea of occupational safety into people's minds and to remind them of it and train them on it regularly".
Even in small companies like SCIO, occupational safety specialists must pay attention to many things: "First of all, it is important that all employees have the necessary resources and protective equipment to implement the occupational safety measures. Without the equipment, the best instructions and safety measures don't work. In addition, regular checks are necessary to assure that employees are using the protective equipment correctly".
For Thomas, the work as an occupational safety specialist is an affair of the heart: "I think occupational safety is important and at the same time it is an exciting subject. At SCIO, this also includes the correct storage and handling of Li-ion batteries". He has a final appeal to everyone: "Nobody wants to suffer an accident at work. Therefore, everyone bears responsibility for themselves and also for their co-workers. The protection of colleagues is a very important point".
We at SCIO want all employees and colleagues to have a positive feeling when they arrive at their safe workplace. Because health and safety has utmost importance.