“این یک تصویر است”

“This is an image.”
Samuel Bakhtiari

In industrial environments, despite the presence of machinery and equipment, workers are often exposed to various hazards. With the advancement of technology and the increasing use of machines in production, the risks and likelihood of accidents in these environments also increase. Safety is a science that strives to prevent accidents in the workplace and always takes steps towards protecting and safeguarding the workforce and capital. Safety has now found its true place in the world, especially in industrialized countries, and plays an essential role as a necessary matter.

Nowadays, industry managers have realized that the only significant and important way to improve productivity and even to transfer and develop technology is to pay attention to safety. Many managers in advanced countries see safety as a profitable investment, both economically and humanly, and they deal with it accordingly. This is because accidents are very costly, including damages to equipment and products, unemployment during changes, investigation time, training costs for replacements, and so on. That is why factory managers are thinking of creating safety programs and systems in their factories to prevent capital loss.

The benefits of safety compliance include; increased morale, reduced work pressure, decreased accidents, reduced injuries, increased level of well-being and health, improved product quality and productivity, reduced medical expenses, and increased efficiency.

Considering the cost of accidents and the benefits of safety compliance, the development and strengthening of occupational health institutions and the implementation of supply measures to prevent workplace hazards are necessary to determine standards and conduct research and education in occupational health.

Professional health alongside safety is one of the guiding systems that has helped us achieve the concept of a healthy work environment and the preservation and improvement of occupational health. Today, with the importance of workforce health in all countries, there is a widespread need to achieve integrated methods to improve working conditions. Recent studies have shown an epidemic of injuries and occupational diseases in contemporary societies. It is estimated that 120 million cases of occupational injuries result in 220,000 deaths worldwide each year.

Determining the range of work-related illnesses is a challenge due to lack of access to sufficient information. However, estimates show that 40% of the 157 million annual cases result in chronic diseases, 35% in permanent disability, and 25% in death. The economic burden this places on countries is significant and in some cases, it exceeds the total budget of the national healthcare system. Protecting workers from the negative effects of exposure to hazardous agents requires preventative interventions in the workplace. These interventions fall under the scope of occupational health activities.

For example, based on studies conducted in the petroleum refining industries and the annual results published by reputable global institutions and organizations, it is evident that the rate of fatal accidents and mortality per person per year, as well as the rate of incidents (near-misses and accidents) in this sector, is low. The results of these studies indicate that although the mortality rate in these industries is lower than other industrial and non-industrial activities, the financial damages and losses incurred by companies due to accidents in these industries and factories are much higher and more destructive than other industries, and their consequences can even affect social and normal living environments of people. It is obvious that if a fire or toxic gas leak occurs in these facilities, not only the employees but also the residents in the surrounding areas will become victims, as seen in the Bhopal disaster in India where the residents of a city next to a chemical plant were wiped out, or the Chernobyl disaster which resulted in the complete evacuation of a city and

Another case is construction, which is one of the most prominent industries in the country. This wide range and diversity of work in the construction sector have caused an average of more than 35% of work-related accidents. Studies show that the main cause of these accidents in construction is due to the lack of awareness and familiarity of owners, employers, contractors, and supervising engineers with regulations and guidelines related to safety in construction workshops. Therefore, effective safety training in construction workshops can play a significant role in promoting a safety culture and consequently reducing accidents and controlling losses and damages in construction workshops. Accidents in construction workshops occur due to various factors, including unsafe working conditions at heights, collisions with objects, falling materials, conflicts with machinery, collapse of debris and trenches, and hazards related to material transportation with elevators. Considering the percentage of accidents caused by hazardous factors, it can be seen that accidents caused by falling objects and people from a height of more than 120 centimeters have the highest number of casualties

The examination of the two mentioned examples clearly illustrates the similarities in the incidents that have occurred for workers in two different work fields. Naturally, similar problems also have similar solutions.

Today, with the increase in production in manufacturing industries and the expansion of services in organizations and the physical role of humans, even with advanced equipment, it is necessary to pay attention to safety and health issues of humans and prevent environmental vulnerability and all elements present in it, which ultimately affects the quality of human life. Failure to comply with safety issues in organizations has so far led to unfortunate incidents that have caused irreparable financial and human losses. Failure to comply with health and safety issues has caused serious short-term and long-term damage and ultimately, from an environmental perspective, has had negative effects on the health and well-being of humans. Perhaps you have encountered people who worked in industries related to chemicals and today, after several years and on retirement days, have respiratory and lung problems.

Professional training for workers, familiarizing them with labor laws and trade union rights, systematic planning for workplace safety, and attention to the health of workers and the use of modern equipment can greatly prevent accidents during work. This is because recent statistics show that due to not following safety precautions, work-related accidents resulting in death from occupational diseases are approximately 12 times more common than physical accidents.

In advanced countries, the necessity of using these standards is well understood and by implementing these systems, they have been able to effectively control and manage the quality of products/services and adhere to safety and health principles. Furthermore, by following safety, health, and environmental principles, they have been able to prevent many accidents, environmental problems, and health issues, ultimately leading to profitability and efficiency for the organization, society, and all stakeholders. This is a mission that has been placed on the shoulders of all actors in the field of work and industry, so that we are no longer witnesses to unstable and unfortunate events.