Health & safety in services

Providing healthy and safe working environments

Discover how standards support the implementation of health and safety best practices in the provision of services

Article

What are the health and safety standards in the service industry?

The most successful organizations recognize that a healthy workplace is a happy and productive one. Governments are starting to recognize that employers and managers have a leading role in preventing ill health and promoting good health. Individuals also recognize how important their health is; older workers need to stay fit and healthy to keep working and enjoy their later years; younger generations are more informed on health and they expect their employers to actively provide healthy workplaces, not ones that merely give them a pay packet. Physical and mental occupational disease and illness can be prevented. There is no excuse for workers to lose their health – for example, suffer hearing damage, develop asthma or die from cancer from uncontrolled exposures at work. Working conditions should not create environments that increase the likelihood of physical or mental ill-health, such as those associated with occupational stress. In order to comply with national health and safety regulations, a wide range of practices are adopted by service organizations to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. Their purpose is two-fold; they aim to reduce accidents and injuries and they aim to change individual behaviours to encourage safer working practices. The importance of prioritizing people Prioritizing your people ensures the well-being of your workforce, inspires trust and ensures your organization is future-ready. Achieving sustainable resilience relies on a robust approach to health, safety, and well-being to drive trust and foster a culture of care that skilfully balances the needs of people, purpose, and profit. ‘Health’ is now a global public policy issue with an increased focus on disease prevention and reducing ‘avoidable’ mortality. As a result, health risks and health promotion within the workplace are receiving a renewed focus and being considered within the global context of public health policy. Service businesses are also focused on corporate responsibility and sustainability and their ‘ethical’ footprint. The rise of ‘glocal’ economies and social media means that businesses are being held to account for their actions in a way that was not the case a generation ago. Effective health, safety, and well-being programs demonstrate an organization’s commitment to ensuring decent work conditions, health, well-being, and equality practices, as well as other aspects of sustainability. For organizations seeking to enhance their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) profile, positive and proactive health, safety and well-being culture send a powerful message to shareholders and stakeholders, including workers, that they truly care for their people. All of our health, safety, and well-being standards support service organizations on their SDG journey. To learn more about achieving sustainability in the service organization, click here. The global management system standard on occupational health and safety BS EN ISO 45001 the global management system standard on occupational health and safety has put the health - physical, mental, and cognitive at its core, while continuing to drive high safety standards. The standard reflects that occupational ill-health can and should be prevented and that in doing so, it will bring measurable benefits to workers and the organization. BS EN ISO 45001 explicitly requires that health hazards are identified and controlled, including those classed as ‘psychosocial’ (workload, work hours, bullying, etc), as well as those arising from other hazards such as chemical or biological. BS EN ISO 45001 also reflects the principles seen in the WHO’s healthy workplace model – that for the occupational health and safety management system to be effective it needs: Leadership commitment Involvement of workers Compliance with legal and other requirements Comprehensive processes focussed on continual improvement Integration with the overall strategic direction of the business Reflecting that the focus of an organization’s occupational health and safety system should be on preventing work-related injury and ill-health and providing a safe and healthy workplace, workplace wellbeing is not a requirement of BS EN ISO 45001. However, it does recognize that the best organizations take a holistic approach and therefore good occupational health and safety management can be integrated with worker wellbeing initiatives. BS EN ISO 45001, therefore, provides an effective global framework for managing occupational health and occupational safety. As a global standard, it enables a consistent approach across countries. With its focus on culture and worker participation, it also provides organizations with a best practice model for developing an effective psychological contract. Seeking accredited certification provides independent and impartial recognition of an organization's people-centred approach. This builds trust within the organization and provides external assurance to customers, shareholders, and the wider community. Other Key Standards Supporting Health & Safety Other health and safety standards for the service industry include: BS ISO 45003 Supporting mental health within your organization has never been more important. BS ISO 45003 is the first global standard giving practical guidance on managing psychological health in the workplace. It provides guidance on the management of psychosocial risk, as part of an occupational health and safety management system. It includes information on how to recognize the psychosocial hazards that can affect workers, such as those that arise from home working. It also offers examples of effective – often simple - actions that can be taken to manage these and improve employee wellbeing. As well as helping you to build a positive working environment, a framework for managing psychological health and safety can help to improve your organizational resilience and enhance performance and productivity. PD ISO/PAS 45005 COVID-19 has fundamentally shifted the way people live and work. As organizations start to rebuild, capturing the lessons learned as the phases of the pandemic progress is crucial. Whilst economic considerations are important, the fundamental principle of protecting human life underpins all economic recovery. Organizations must adapt quickly, adopt new working practices and meet new regulations as they embark on a revised course for their "next normal". PD ISO/PAS 45005 gives guidance on embedding best practices and will help to manage the risks arising from COVID-19 with reference to work-related health, safety, and wellbeing. Ensure your service organization is working to health and safety best practices by adding these standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Get everyone in your service business involved in embedding a culture of health and safety. A BSI Knowledge subscription gives you instant access to the resources you need to improve your health and safety processes. The flexibility and visibility it provides of the best practices guidance enable you to get the most from your standards. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM07 Occupational & Personal Safety module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.