Martin Lloyd Sanders is a true American her. As CAPT Martin Lloyd Sanders, he protects his countrymen and his services, but he goes above and beyond that as well. He is also an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and he is the Director of the Environmental Health Services Division for Occupational Health. He is brave and valiant in all walks of life, and his aim is to ensure people are safe at all times. This is also why he has made a push towards increasing workers’ health and safety (H&S), something for which he feels exists a real need.
Martin Lloyd Sanders on Why H&S Matters
Ever year, over 200 people die as a result of workplace accidents, and hundreds of thousands are injured. Between 2009/10, around businesses and organizations lost 23.4 million working days because of injuries and illnesses related to work. Falls and vehicular accidents are the greatest killers and slips and trips the greatest injurers.
Clearly, H&S must be managed effectively. For Martin Lloyd Sanders, this starts by having risk assessments in place. Not all risks can be eliminated, but they can be properly managed. When a risk assessment is performed, an organization knows what the risk is and how likely it is to happen. It identifies the hazards, and who can be affected by them.
This isn’t just an ethical consideration either. By law, an organization with more than five employees must keep risk assessment records. These should show the hazards, who is at risk from them, and how safety can be improved. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t know how to do this properly.
Countries across the world have legal regulations that are often updated as well. The main law in this country is the OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) Act. This act shows the duty of care employers have towards their staff, contractors, and other people. Meanwhile, the Mine Safety and Health Act 1977 is responsible for the health and safety of those working in mines, a particularly dangerous occupation. Additionally, there is the Fair Labor Standards Act, the SHARE Initiative, and the Workers’ Compensation Program.
Action to Be Taken
For Martin Lloyd Sanders, these various acts, rules, and regulations being in place is just the starting point. They are vital to ensure and maintain the safety of people at work, but they do not provide enough guidance in terms of how this can be implemented. Large organizations in particular often struggle with implementing the rules in such a way that they actually increase safety, rather than just play lip service to the various acts.
Many actions need to be taken above and beyond making risk assessments and ensuring the various acts are adhered to. One of the things CAPT Martin Lloyd Sanders feels is of particular importance is that businesses and organizations learn to discuss safety matters with their workers, so that they are able to raise their own concerns as well. Being inclusive in these matters is a great way for larger organizations in particular to spot the things they may have overlooked.
