OSHA benefits cannot be measured in dollars
THE EDITOR: Although the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2004 may not be perfect, in essence, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the objectives of the Act. The main objective of the Act is simply to provide protection to the employers’ most important asset, ie, the employees. Is the Act therefore at fault for protecting employees from recalcitrant employers? Some employers are of the opinion that the Act will increase their operating costs, yes, this is likely to happen, but the benefits to be achieved cannot be measured in monetary terms. As an example, consider the costs associated with an accident at work, these are: •time lost by the injured worker •time lost by other employees who chose to or must of necessity stop work at the time of the accident •time lost by supervision, management and technical staff following the accident. •the cost of employing first aid, medical staff, or the cost of providing overseas medical treatment; •Funeral costs; •the cost of disruptions to operations at work; •the cost of any damage to equipment or any cost associated with the subsequent modification of equipment; •the cost of any compensation payments or fines resulting from legal action; •the costs associated with increased insurance premiums; •reduced output from the injured employee on return to work; •the cost of possible reduced morale, increased absenteeism, and increased labour turnover •the cost of recruiting and training a replacement for the injured worker It is quite obvious from the above costs that the benefits of compliance with the law will go a long way in reducing any additional costs likely to be incurred through compliance with the act. Mr Honourable Minister of Labour please submit the Act for Proclamation now. KEN ALEXANDER Occupational Safety Consultant Port-of-Spain
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"OSHA benefits cannot be measured in dollars"