Reducing the incidence and severity of staff manual handling injuries through continuous improvement

Occupational Health & Safety (O.H.&S.) is currently legislated federally and within each state. Workplace injuries and diseases extract a significant human and financial cost per annum, with these costs continuing to escalate. There Is substantial evidence that effective safety programs designed to meet the needs of each workplace decrease the incidence and severity of workplace injuries and diseases which in turn result in financial and human benefits. Some organisations view safety management as an integral component of Total Quality Management (TQM) and are implementing TQM strategies to achieve improvements. The role of management is seen as crucial in implementing effective safety programs.