Learn about the meaning of occupational health

Work accidents and occupational diseases are among the factors that interfere with the normal development of business activity, negatively affecting its productivity and thus threatening the strength and continuity of business activity in the market; they also have serious consequences in the fields of work, family and society.

Taking into account the above, the management and organization of each company must bear its responsibility in seeking to implement the necessary measures that contribute to maintaining and improving efficiency levels in the company’s operations and providing safe working conditions for its employees.

To achieve this, in accordance with the provisions of the International Labour Organization and the laws applicable in the country, and in accordance with the occupational hazards system, an occupational health program must be prepared to maintain, preserve, and improve the individual and collective health of workers. This program should be developed in a multidisciplinary manner, ensuring that workers are well-prepared for their respective jobs.

Occupational Health Program

What does an occupational health program consist of?

It consists of planning, organizing, implementing, controlling, and evaluating all those activities that aim to maintain, preserve, and improve the individual and collective health of workers in order to avoid work accidents and occupational diseases.

The main objective of the occupational health program is to provide safety, protection, and care for employees in the performance of their work.

The increase in workplace accidents, some more serious than others, due to, among other things, technological changes or poor employee training, handling of materials with delicate uses, inadequate infrastructure and to some extent human error, makes it essential for every company to have a manual that serves as a guide to reduce these risks and sets out the protocol to be followed in the event of accidents.

An occupational health program should contain the essential elements to achieve these goals, which include general information on accident prevention, medical assessment of employees, investigation of accidents that do occur, a training program, and the dissemination of rules to avoid them.

Occupational Health Policy

As a starting point for the program, all companies must formally announce their guidelines through a policy reflecting their commitment to safe job performance and occupational health. The following responsibilities will be defined at all levels of the company for implementing the program and complying with all applicable regulations.

Occupational health policy includes the following:

Compliance with all current legal regulations in Colombia regarding occupational health and overall safety.
Maintaining the highest level of physical and mental well-being for all workers, and minimizing the generation of workplace accidents and hazards at their source.
Maintaining good operating conditions in material and economic resources, achieving improvement in their use and minimizing any kind of losses.
Ensuring that waste management and conditions do not pollute the environment and comply with current regulations.
It is the responsibility of all levels of management to provide a healthy and safe working environment, through appropriate equipment, procedures and programs.
All workers are responsible for their own safety, the safety of those under their responsibility, and the safety of the company.
Integrate risk control into every task.

This policy will be published and circulated to all employees, in order to gain their cooperation and participation, similar to the example set and proven by senior management.

Levels of participation

Everyone must share responsibility for the success of the occupational health program, and it is very important that all parties, staff and management do their best in this regard.

An occupational health program begins with managing its effective development and will progress to the point where its importance is clearly understood at all organizational levels. For this reason, the following levels of engagement have been proposed.

What the employer or management partner should do:

The organization where one works must provide safety equipment that ensures suitable working conditions. In this way, management or the employer will effectively lead the occupational health program and be directly involved by carrying out a series of tasks such as:

Motivating employees on occupational health through talks, letters of recognition, and attendance at formal meetings, among other things.
Prioritize occupational health when a decision has to be made where it is at stake.
Monitoring results, knowledge of the development of sub-programs and the operation of the Medical, Health and Safety Committee through accident statistics, committee minutes, adherence to applicable records, and pronouncement on the matter.

Regardless of the fact that working in various types of companies inherently involves risks, an employee cannot be held liable for accidents caused by managerial negligence. This concept is further reinforced when considering the cost of employee medical care, disability, and other related expenses, as well as the damage to the company's reputation in terms of safety.

Worker participation

Although the employee is the ultimate reason for the occupational health program and the greatest beneficiary of its development, it is essential to emphasize that they bear the greatest responsibility. The employee's duty is:

Strict adherence to safety standards is essential to ensure safe working conditions.
Compliance with the occupational health standards and procedures established by the company.
Reporting to their supervisors or occupational health coordinator any substandard conditions and/or actions in the workplace, or any circumstance that could cause an accident, and submitting suggestions for consideration through participation in the development of safe work standards and procedures.
Participate actively in the occupational health talks and training sessions to which you were invited.

The safety of the employee depends first and foremost on his own conduct, which is conditional on the voluntary work of the worker for education and motivation.

These concepts gain even greater meaning when we consider that most work in companies involves teamwork and that employee failures can affect colleagues and the organization's assets. In short, safe working conditions for everyone will benefit everyone.

Joint Committee on Occupational Health (COPASO)

It involves organizing participation, implementation, and support for all aspects of the company's occupational health program. Along with the occupational health coordinator and the emergency response team, COPASO members are responsible for carrying out all planned activities to develop the occupational health program.

It must be formed at the company's facilities in a meeting attended by the legal representative and its workers, in compliance with Resolution 2013 of 1986 and Decree 1295 of 1994 in its Article 63 and the requirements of the Occupational Health Department of the Ministry of Labor.

The term of office for members of the committee is two years, and the employer is obligated to provide at least four hours per week during the regular working day for one of the members for the work of the committee.

Occupational Health Program Coordinator

The occupational health coordinator is the first line of defense in this program, as they are the person in direct contact with employees and the direct link to management on safety matters. Our responsibilities include:

The program's direction involves providing advice to management on formulating administrative rules, procedures, objectives, and problem-solving in preventive medicine, work, hygiene, and industrial safety.
Report to management on occupational health activities and situations.
Supervision of compliance with the policy, by all members of their occupational health responsibility.
Analyzing and disseminating information on each sub-program and the experiences gained through injuries, damages, or losses in order to take relevant prevention and control measures.
Maintaining an educational and promotional program for occupational health for workers.
Establishing assessment mechanisms to verify compliance with occupational health activities.
Interpreting laws, directives, and decrees of official bodies related to occupational health.
Conducting incentive campaigns and disseminating standards and technical knowledge with the aim of maintaining active interest in occupational health among all employees.
Actively participate in meetings where occupational health issues are discussed.
Investigating occupational health problems
Integrating preventive medicine, occupational medicine, hygiene, industrial safety, and ultimate control of injuries, damages, or losses.
Maintaining continuous contact with advisory bodies on this subject and actively participating in activities planned by the aforementioned organizations.

Overview of risk factors

It is a technique used to describe the working conditions and environment in which the company's workers find themselves, where the main objective is to conduct a diagnostic assessment of the company's condition by identifying the risk factors present and their location.