KATHMANDU: Workplace safety is one of the most important issues all organisations must take seriously to ensure the wellbeing of their employees. When people are doing their jobs, they require a safe and comfort-able environment, so that they can be productive. It is the moral duty of all employers to provide their employees with a healthy and safe working experience and environment. But all workplaces have some or the other risk and hazard which can prove to be very harmful for the people working there. So, health should be one of the biggest concerns of employers, as it is very natural for employees to fall ill or meet with an accident during work hours.

Bharat Joshi, resident manager at Hotel Yak & Yeti, says, “We’re constantly working to provide a safe working environment for our staffs. As employee health is a top priority for us, we’ve provided first aid trainings to all the staffs, besides putting together a first aid kit.” According to Joshi, they even have an in-house doctor who reaches the employees or customers within 10 minutes in case of serious health issues.

Stating that providing a friendly and safe environment at the workplace will improve employee performance and contribute to overall success of the company, Joshi says, “We’re aware of the probable accidents that can occur during working hours. Therefore, we follow strict maintenance schedules and other safety measures to ensure safe environment for both our staffs and clients.”

To avoid indoor accidents, the company has invested in non-slippery floors, emergency sirens, lift lighting, staircase railings, fire fighting system, et cetera. Besides, they also maintain a checklist to follow while working with machines, and have a fixed method of monitoring proper maintenance of wires and machines. Joshi says, “Even after such extreme caution, if some untoward incident takes place, our security manager and duty manager take over. They are well trained to handle such situations.” He claims that they have adopted 75 per cent of recommended safety measures in their hotel.

For outdoor workers, adverse work conditions could result in greater chances of employees suffering fatal or permanent health damages and thus, providing them with safety suits, helmets, masks or other safety wear is of the utmost importance. Ramesh Sharma, managing director of Sharma and Company Pvt Ltd, maintains, “As we are a construction company, our workers face an element of risk while working. So, insurance of workers is topmost on our minds. We have Group Personal Accident (GPA) insurance for every worker for a minimum amount of Rs 500,000 to Rs 700,000, whereas senior staff are provided with insurance from Rs one to two million.” Informing that safety helmets and safety shoes are compulsory on site, he says, “We have appointed safety officers who check belts, helmets, shoes and other

measures before staffs begin their work.” Additionally, the company also conducts an hour-long weekly training to remind staffs about safety measures and health checkups. They have a first-aid kit on site and a standby vehicle as a preventive measure.

The company allocates 2.5 per cent budget of the project to ascertain employee safety.