Ethics of Safety

Statement of Value

The basic concept of responsibility is the duty, liability and obligation to perform a function. Responsibility and accountability may be imposed or implied by laws, regulations and agreements. Safety is being healthy and uninjured, it is returning home from work in the same condition one was in before leaving for work. Safety in the work place should be about more than just legislation and what is required. Companies should be held responsible for the safety of their employees.

The principle here is how far a company should go to keep its employees safe. Companies should not only meet what is required of them by law, they should go above and beyond and pursue what is considered right and good. In Canada, safety in the workplace is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Highlights of this act govern an employees right to be aware of the hazards involved in their equipment, materials, substances, and working conditions and processes. As well, they have the right to participate in the formation of safety practices in the workplace. While these are legal guidelines, too often safety in the workplace is regarded as a hassle to companies. Some companies ridicule and intimidate employees when they bring up concerns or get injured, as they cause the company to have to file reports, pay for injuries, or tarnish their records by having to go through workers compensation. As a result, employees slowly stop reporting incidents because they are too intimidated by their employer, which leads to more frequent injuries, as employees feel obligated to disregard the rules. Compliance with laws is in fact a good thing. But compliance only does not guarantee a safe workplace. By focusing on laws and regulations, you are focusing only on boundaries, many of which organizations push and cross without getting caught. Ethical principles of safety in the workplace are not based only on what is legal, but also what is considered good,...