Since the spring of 2020, workplace safety has taken on a new significance. Workers must now be aware of not only the formerly “regular” hazards in their employment but also the ongoing safety problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following evolving industry trends and implementing new techniques is a constant issue for occupational safety and health professionals. In this post, we’ll go over four workplace safety trends to look out for in 2022.
Employee happiness and mental health
Employers will continue to place a greater emphasis on employee well-being and mental health in 2022. COVID-19 has focused on the many ways a pandemic could hurt the mental health of employees as a safety issue in the workplace.
The good news is that companies are taking proactive steps to address concerns that are affecting their employees’ health and fitness, both as a result of the pandemic and beyond.
Global knowledge and learning sharing
Occupational safety and health professionals from around the world are collaborating to improve their efforts to protect workers. To do so, we may all benefit by sharing ideas, knowledge, skills, and solutions with the larger community of industry professionals.
OSHA’s emergency temporary standard
OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19 immunization and testing will be keenly followed by safety professionals, particularly those working for private employers. Private firms with at least 100 employees are required by the ETS to develop policies requiring their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
While several groups around the country are pursuing legal challenges to the ETS, private-sector safety experts are likely to be actively involved in how their companies respond to the ETS and choices about policy and procedure adjustments.
Employee resilience and redundancy
Another key workplace trend for 2022 is staffing for redundancy, with employee safety and health playing a big role. Employers have traditionally employed a limited number of employees to reduce expenses and boost productivity, but the pandemic has changed many people’s thinking.
Adding redundancy and resiliency to a team can assist in providing continuous coverage in the event of an emergency while also lowering employee stress levels. This isn’t true for every company, because some can’t afford to keep employees who are no longer needed. However, many more companies are now putting more emphasis on employee health than they did before the pandemic.
Occupational health and safety training
Following industry developments is important, but satisfying education standards is also important in the safety industry. Employers often require individuals with a bachelor’s degree and related safety certifications for senior roles in occupational safety and health.