Health and safety ignored in aussie workplaces

As if getting to work in the morning was not stressful enough, the workplace, it turns out, is a dangerous place with nearly one-in-three (27%) having an obvious occupational health and safety issue that has not been addressed according to a survey by Talent2, Australias leading human resources and recruitment firm.

51% of these issues have been there for more than one year, according to the 1,960 respondents to the survey. 13% have been there for between six months and one year, 13% between one month and six months and 7% between 1 week and one month.

The offices of engineers and manufacturers are the most hazardous to work in with 35% reporting an OH and S issue that has not been addressed, followed by legal offices (34%), Computer/IT (29%), Sales and Marketing (29%), construction (26%), government (26%), banking/finance (26%), HR (25%) and property (23%).

Nicholas Tuckfield of Talent says that OH & S issues cost Australian employers $990 million a year, workers $14.95 billion a year and society $18.33 billion a year according to the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission.

"89% of people told us that there was an Occupational Health and Safety policy in place at their office, yet there are still obvious breaches of these policies occurring, and in large numbers."

"A formal process for rectifying OH&S issues is essential in the modern workplace. Implementing an Occupational Health and Safety committee is one such step that a company can take to ensure that issues are dealt with swiftly and effectively."

"It is not enough to protect just employees from OH&S issues. According to the Federal Government, even if a business is a sole-trader, every business has a responsibility to ensure that the business doesnt create health and safety problems for customers and the general public."