Importance of safety in school and at workplace

A meaningful life does not only require shelter, food, and clothes but security and safety too. Ensuring safety has always been of utmost importance in all ages and during all situations. The importance of safety is such that it is required for businesses, educational institutions, government offices, hospitals, and each and every other institution existing in the state.

One cannot deny the importance of safety because it helps people avoid danger and other life-threatening situations. On the other hand, safety can also allow people to take a certain level of risk, in certain situations. Safety accounts for living a healthy life safely. The term ‘safety’ refers to the precautions taken by people with the aim to prevent accidents, dangers, harm, damage, and loss. Safety also plays a key role in improving conditions in any atmosphere e.g. it improves working conditions at workplaces.

Importance of safety in school

The importance of safety requires equal attention when it comes to school. ‘School safety’ aims to provide safety to students and teachers along with other staff at the school from various natural and man-made disasters including floods, earthquakes, fire, violence, harassment, and substance use. The purpose to ensure safety at schools is to protect future generations from the negative impact of such mishaps.

One can find a number of incidents in the history of Pakistan where thousands of young children lost their precious lives in schools in incidents that could have been prevented. The earthquake of 2005 is one such example that claimed almost 18,000 innocent lives of students who were at school. It highlights the vulnerability of students and other staff at school including teachers which are the builders of any nation and hence stresses the need to focus on the importance of safety.

Similarly, ensuring safety at schools also provides children with an environment that is more encouraging and promotes learning. Children, seeing their basic needs being fulfilled, feel more comfortable in the space of the school. It also provides an opportunity for students to explore, learn and grow. Nevertheless, in any other situation, children would feel discouraged and may avoid going to school or participating in various curricular or extra-curricular activities.

A safe and secure environment is vital for students of all ages. It is so because it helps them develop and maintain their focus towards studies. In case of violence or threat, students would not be able to pay attention to their studies. Students are the future of a nation, but a threatening environment will severely impact the academic performance of these rising stars. Research studies prove that students who feel unsafe at school are more likely to show the worst performance in their academic life. Therefore, the importance of safety is also significant when it comes to the grades of students.

All decision-making bodies understand the importance of safety. This is why, ensuring safety at schools and other educational institutions is a primary concern at all levels including government, local and federal levels. School boards arrange meetings with teachers and parents to listen to their concerns and devise solutions with mutual consent. People are now aware of this issue and its importance and hence, government and relevant bodies are also taking decent steps to address this issue.

Importance of safety at workplace

The importance of safety is equally significant when it comes to the workplace. It is the major responsibility of the employer to provide employees with a safe environment that is free from all sorts of danger. Both government and employers are responsible to provide a safe environment. Employers should treat their team as a family and human being. They should consider the fact that the employee also has a life, family, and friends who desire his well-being and life.

It is rightly said that a safe workplace is an efficient workplace. The employer should be sensitized about the importance of security as well as capable enough to assess the workplace and hazards pertaining to it. On the basis of this information, he should be able to take safety measures including facilities like equipment for personal safety, implementation of safeguards, and providing training, etc. These measures will also result in employee satisfaction. The staff of the workplace will feel more productive knowing that their employer is concerned about their safety and security and resultantly, would definitely ensure improved performance.

No doubt, work-related injuries, and mishaps will cost everyone even the importance of safety during the worst circumstances. It is, certainly, not only the employee who would suffer. On one hand, it will result in financial loss, however, on the other hand, it will also adversely impact the personal life of employees and the reputation of the employer and his company.

In the case of workers, illness or injuries may result in

• Death of employee
• Discomfort and suffering
• Financial crisis
• Challenging times for relationships
• Losing job or downfall in career
• Increased medical expenses
• Lack of confidence and will-power of employee
• Dependency
• Mental challenges

On the other hand, employers may also suffer in multiple ways. If an employee undergoes any injury etc., the employer will have to deal with his absence in the office which will, in turn, affect the turnover of the business. Therefore, protecting the workers is the best thing to do for the employer which further stresses the importance of safety & security. Lack of security for workers can harm the employers on various grounds some of them are discussed below:

• Decreased production of goods
• Wages in the form of paid leave
• The increased cost of compensation by insurance companies
• Damage to kit or equipment
• Inducting and providing training to new employees
• Decreased quality of product and low confidence of worker

It is much convenient to avoid an injury as compared to getting its treatment done. A safe and healthy workspace is more likely to retain its employees and attract new people. Safe and healthy workspaces tend to have more gratified and hardworking employees who:

• Produce products and provide services with better quality
• Resume work more swiftly after recovering from illness
• Prove to be faithful to the organization
  

Conclusion

The platforms can change but the importance of safety remains the same. The absence of a sense of security and safety will paralyze the nation at the individual as well as national level. That’s is why it is mandatory for all the authorities, be it government bodies or private groups, to ensure security in the domains that fall under their supervision. Nonetheless, in the absence of this sense of responsibility, the nation as well as an image of the country will suffer badly.