Green Health and Safety Management System

Introduction

Businesses as well as individuals’ activities are threatening and degrading many of the life-sustaining systems such as the purification of atmosphere, building and equipping the hospitals and many more (Atiku, 2019; Fields & Atiku, 2017). Energy production and distribution, food production, land development and chemicals must be re-imagined if human being is to survive and build individual and communities resilient to new and emerging health threats. The above activities are indispensable for human survival and prosperity. However, the impact they bring to the society and ecological system is unprecedented.

A sustainable health and care system is achieved by delivering high quality care and improved public health without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage. Coincidently, it is ascertained that the health sector is uniquely positioned to achieve this sustainability. However, a partnership with other economic actors (see Figure 1 below) to lead the transformation of the society, individuals and communities is now required than ever before.

Figure 1.

Partners of sustainable health care

Source: Sustainable development unit (2020. P. 1).

This chapter, as part of the book concentrated on “Human Resource Management Practices for Promoting Sustainability”, discusses both the concepts of green health and safety management at work place, by highlighting the paramount importance of both concepts towards the adoption of best practices in human resources management as well as the adoption of green practices by the organization. Section one focuses on green health since its beginning in 1800s, the major stages it went through, its current drivers as well as its future orientation. The second part of this chapter discusses safety management at workplace. The essence of safety and in relation to an organization will be discussed, followed by the elements of effective safety management system.

International Electrotechnical Commission (2015) defines safety as freedom from unacceptable risk of physical injury or of damage to the health of people, either directly or indirectly, because of damage to property or to the environment. Accidents free environment is the dream of each and every employee, and management has a crucial role in the establishment of such conditions. Safety management is also a concern of employees who have to be trained in accident prevention, accident response, emergency preparedness and the use of protective clothing and equipment. It can however, be argued that despite having safety management policies, accidents can still occur because of the unsafe work conditions that employees are sometimes forced to work in. This opinion is shared by Dejoy (2005) who articulated that a company might have well-managed safety management and all the policies regarding safety, however, there are quite a few accidents that may occur.

An equal important concept of discussion in this chapter is the concept of green building. As a number of businesses’ stakeholders spend some of their times at the shopping malls, it is imperative that organizations become environment friendly by adopting green building practices thereby improving the safety of all stakeholders. According to US Green Building Council (USGBC, 2009), green buildings have become one of the main practices to save the costs of the resources. Those practices around the building include but not limited to site conditions, energy consumption, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, material uses, innovation and design and regional characteristics (USGBC, 2009).

Green Health