Environmental, Social and Governance
Historically, Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) has been a set of standards used to measure an organisation’s impact on the environment and society. Over time, a broader understanding of ESG has emerged, and includes the concept of total worker safety and wellness. And as worker health is brought into the ESG fold, safety professionals are playing a more meaningful role in how organisations approach their ESG strategy.
In this article, we’ll review how worker health is tied to an organisation’s impact on society. We’ll also explore the ways in which safety professionals can help create a workplace that supports more socially responsible ways of working.
A Robust Strategy to Support Worker Wellbeing
Worker health and safety directly affects an organisation’s wider impact on society, including workers themselves, their families and friends, local communities, and supplier, partner, and distribution channels, to name a few. Generally speaking, the “S” in ESG represents social factors (such as the individuals and groups described above), and also societal factors, including human rights, employee engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Taken together, these factors contribute to the overall wellbeing of an organisation’s workforce.
Whether and to what extent a business prioritises the wellbeing of its workers - in part, by taking these factors into account - has clear implications for the sustainability of its workforce, as well as organisational success and productivity. Said otherwise: when workers are physically and psychologically safe at work, organisational performance stands to increase.
For this reason and others, it’s becoming increasingly common - and encouraged - for safety professionals to consider the principles of an effective ESG strategy when building their approach to workplace risk management.
Approaching ESG With Health & Safety in Mind: Three Key Areas to Consider
As the role of health and safety professionals evolves and ESG principles are increasingly incorporated into risk management initiatives, there are a few key ways in which companies can approach ESG with health and safety in mind.
Adopt a more holistic approach to worker health and safety:Worker health and safety is about more than preventing injury or occupational disease. Ensuring that all employees feel physically and psychologically safe, supported, included, and engaged is critical for job satisfaction and staff retention, which play a significant role in whether a company meets ESG standards.
Embrace solutions that monitor and mitigate risk in the workplace:
Finding the most effective ways to create long-term sustainability within your workforce and organisation is critical to a strong ESG strategy. By adopting purpose-built solutions for workplace risk management, such as Reactec, organisations gain access to the data and insights they need to build a healthier, safer workplace.
Facilitate collaboration among ESG and HSE professionals at your workplace:
Infusing ESG considerations across your health and safety strategy requires that your ESG and safety professionals work together. Providing these teams with clear objectives and ample resources is fundamental to the success of a joint effort in this area.
Taking Steps Towards Long Term Sustainability and Success
A 360-degree view of your workplace risk environment includes both ESG and HSE principles.
When you evolve your approach to workplace risk management so that it contemplates the total wellbeing of your employees, you take steps to build a working environment that’s not just safer, but more productive, more efficient, and more sustainable. And ultimately, the highest goal of corporate governance is to establish processes, systems, programmes, initiatives, and ways of working that support long-term sustainability, and success.
To learn more about how your organisation can infuse sustainability throughout its operations, you can view this article.
