Every industry has its trends, but when it comes to workplace safety, multiple fields coalesce to acknowledge and overcome concerns, problems, and risks. In our two-part blog series, we'll explore these trends and what they mean for your workplace.
Today, we're covering part one: the risks your workers are likely most worried about in 2022 (and what they'll look like going forward).
Top 4 Workplace Safety Concerns
Some workplace safety trends never go out of style--like training courses to help workers protect themselves and one another. However, other trends--like the new risks and concerns introduced by COVID-19--grow and change as time goes on.
Here are four topics likely on your workers' minds:
COVID-19
No list of workplace trends would be complete without touching on the COVID-19 pandemic. While many industries were able to shift into hybrid or remote models, others--like construction and agriculture--had no choice but to find solutions for in-person work. While many of these solutions were reliable, they were new and, often, the result of speculation and uncertainty.
Now, as the impacts of the pandemic continue to shift, workers are facing entirely new concerns from this particular variable. As such, one of the top workplace safety trends for 2022 and beyond is COVID-19--how it impacts expectations, how workers can protect themselves, what personal protective equipment can and can't be offered, and more.
Mental well-being
Mental health has been a hot topic in recent years, but it was placed in an entirely new spotlight thanks to COVID-19 quarantines. Although many of those restrictions have been lifted, workers are left with a new appreciation for their mental well-being--and higher expectations for how employers should support them mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
Changing regulations
Although it's not your workers' job to worry about the process behind changing OSHA or other safety-related regulations, they do need to know how those changes impact their day-to-day tasks. When employers don't provide a constant stream of information or reliable updates, employees are left wondering if they're using all the proper workplace safety techniques, making this another trend for 2022 and beyond.
See our online workplace safety training courses here
Security concerns
Workplace safety often refers to machines, tasks, and environmental conditions--but these days, workers are increasingly worried about security. Various threats, from civil unrest to threatening activity, can impact work sites; this, in turn, can make employees wonder how they'll stay safe while at work.
Conclusion
Although there are plenty of workplace safety trends to be aware of, the most important are certainly the risks your workers face every day. We expect topics like COVID-19, mental health, changing regulations, and security concerns to be on employees' minds throughout 2022 and well into the future.
Keep an eye on our blog for part 2 of this series, where we'll explore trends evolving in response to these topics (and how you can use them in your own workplace). In the meantime, don't forget to contact us for all your workplace safety needs.