Stronger, modern work safety approach needed as workforce becomes more diverse: Report
Outdated workplace safety protocols are failing to keep pace with a rapidly evolving and diversifying labor market and new risks driven by technological advancements and globalization, according to a new report released Wednesday from the Social and Economic Council (SER) of the Netherlands. The council warns that ignoring unique health impacts on various demographic groups, such as women and younger workers, could have detrimental consequences, and that a more inclusive and forward-thinking strategy is crucial.
The SER spoke with experts and people in the field and found that many employers still underestimate the additional effects of diversity. The workfloor looks a lot different than it did a few decades ago, with more women, elderly people, and people from outside the Netherlands in the workplace. “Not everything is equally safe for them,” SER chairman Kim Putters told NOS. Employers need to take these different groups into account when making risk assessments and drawing up measures.
For example, women are more sensitive to certain substances than men, older workers may develop other conditions now that they work for longer, and the language barrier could mean that migrant workers, for example, don’t understand the Dutch health and safety regulations. Employers need to respond more to these kinds of things.
“It is not happening everywhere yet, because those risks are not visible everywhere,” Putters said. According to the SER, a third of companies do not have a good overview of the additional effects of diversity. Alarmingly, sectors that use hazardous substances are doing particularly badly on this front.
The SER advised companies to revise their standards to ensure the health of all employees. “Current standards may also be outdated and no longer correspond to recent scientific insights.”
The SER also urged employers to take the growing role of technology, like artificial intelligence, into account. These technologies can reduce the workload for employees, but also come with risks, such as monotonous work that can lead to mental fatigue.
“A solid policy for healthy and safe work is necessary, but not easy. We are dealing with new (scientific) insights and the rapidly changing work environment,” Putters said. “We live in a time of radical transitions, such as technological development, globalisation, ageing, flexibilisation, and climate change. This has a direct impact on the nature and organization of work.”
The SER advocated for the development of an infrastructure for the early detection of the risks involved in this changing landscape, in order to intervene in time. The government has an important role to play here.
The SER stressed that work ultimately contributes to people’s health and satisfaction. Around 5 percent of illnesses are due to unfavorable working conditions, according to the SER. That involves around 1.6 billion euros in healthcare expenses.
