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Obiorah Cynthia Amaka has said that Environmental, Social and Governance, ESG, is critical in building a sustainable safety culture within an organization.
Obiorah made the disclosure at the 11th Nigeria Safety and Security (NSAS) Awards/Lecture held recently in Lagos.
According to her, ESG is integral to enhancing OSH culture in an organisation by addressing workplace hazards, promoting employee engagement and well-being, and ensuring effective governance and risk management.
She argued that integrating ESG into OSH practices, organizations can create a safer, healthier, and more sustainable work environment for all stakeholders.
Referencing Barbosa et al., 2021, Obiorah noted that the integration of the ESG criteria has become an instrument responsible for defining, planning, operationalizing and executing the actions of corporations directed at environmental prevention and preservation, in addition to social responsibility and the quality performance of their activities.
She explained that ESG factors are closely linked to OSH outcomes and organizational sustainability.
According to her, incorporating ESG principles will enhance risk management, improves reputation, and drive long-term value creation.
Obiorah added that a holistic approach to ESG fosters a culture of responsibility, innovation, and resilience within an organization
The expert said that implementing environmentally sustainable practices would reduce workplace hazards and health risks.
“Examples include reducing chemical usage, implementing renewable energy sources, and proper waste management.
“Environmental stewardship not only protects the planet but also enhances employee well-being and productivity,” she said.
She said that prioritizing social factors promotes employee health, safety, and well-being, adding that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace fosters a culture of respect and collaboration.
“Investing in employee training, wellness programmes and work-life balance initiatives enhances OSH outcomes and employee engagement,” she said.
Obiorah also stated that integrating ESG principles into OSH culture within an organization involves a strategic and systematic approach.
She outlined the steps to guide the integration process as follows:
“Leadership Commitment: Obtain commitment from top management to integrate ESG into the organization’s OSH culture. Leadership support is crucial for driving change and allocating resources.
“Assessment of Current OSH Practices: Evaluate the existing OSH policies, procedures, and practices within the organization. Identify strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and areas for improvement related to ESG considerations.
“Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including employees, management, suppliers, customers, investors, and communities to understand their perspectives on integrating ESG into OSH culture. Their insights can inform the development of relevant strategies.
“ESG Integration Strategy: Develop a comprehensive strategy for integrating ESG principles into the organization’s OSH culture. This strategy should align with the company’s overall mission, values, and business objectives.
Obiorah explained further the embodiment of each component of ESG as follows:
“The environmental dimension involves assessing the corporation’s carbon footprint, natural resource usage (energy consumption and efficiency), recycling policies, waste management and efforts to minimize environmental impacts (Rajesh, 2020) Materiality plays a pivotal role in navigating ESG effectively.
“The social dimension encompasses the company’s relationships with employees, suppliers, partners, clients and communities. It includes promoting diversity, non-discrimination, gender pay equality, equal opportunities, employee education, and community protection (Li and Wu, 2020)
“The governance dimension focuses on leadership, internal controls, executive compensation, audits, shareholder rights, anti-corruption policies, and transparency and accountability practices (Cek and Eyupoglu, 2020)”
Realnews reports that different categories of persons, who distinguished themselves in the areas of safety and security, received various awards at the event.
F.A
May 26, 2024
