Keysight Celebrates World Day for Safety and Health at Work, With Principles That Are More Relevant Than Ever Before
by Claire McCarthy, Global Director of Sustainability, Security and Safety
On April 28 of 2003, the International Labour Organization (ILO) introduced World Day for Safety and Health at Work to raise awareness on occupational health and safety in the workplace. In honor of this day, Keysight celebrates our own commitment to supporting the personal safety, mental health, and overall well-being for all our employees globally. While always key tenets of employee policies and benefits, the challenges of the last two years showed us how vital they are. In this blog I reflect on the importance of worker health and safety and share the principles of our health and safety programs, which are more relevant today than ever.
Key Employee Health & Safety Principles
Ensuring the personal safety of employees drives Keysight health and safety policies. We provide a safe and respectful work environment for all employees through the following guiding principles:
- Implementing a safe and compliant work environment through recognition and control of workplace hazards as well as safety reviews.
- Utilizing reporting, tracking and management of employee injuries and illnesses allowing for workplace risk reduction or hazard elimination.
- Maintaining a global travel health program which provides international travel assistance, insurance, and peace of mind to our employees on business travel.
- Promoting work life balance and employee well-being programs including on-site and virtual amenities such as fitness classes and programs, sports facilities, and access to counseling and mental health resources.
Health & Safety Focus Areas
Health and safety are evident in every facet of Keysight – from our policies to our solutions and services, to the actions of every employee. Keysight provides a safe and compliant work environment through recognition and control of workplace hazards. We provide opportunities to promote a productive and healthy work/life balance and ensure our employees are prepared for emergencies by having robust emergency and disaster recovery programs in place. Keysight demonstrates its commitment to health and safety through the following focus areas:
- Health & Safety Policies - We promote a productive and healthy work/life balance, including continuous employee training and development on these policies.
- Workplace Health - An internal Keysight resource called our Thrive Guide helps employees stay engaged and productive long term. This includes resources such as IT equipment and support, workspace solutions, office equipment, staying healthy (e.g., ergonomic training, stress management, fitness & wellness resources) and other health guides.
- Workplace Safety - Programs are in place to assist employees in anticipating, recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace environmental factors that may cause injury to employees or risks to Keysight operations. Keysight has established a robust Crisis Management Structure to address disruptive and unexpected events that may threaten businesses or harm the organization, its employees, or its stakeholders across the countries where we operate. This team structure allows for local, regional, and global crisis management depending on the event. In addition, the management of chemicals at Keysight is inclusive of new chemical review, handling procedures, storage, labeling, , the use of personal protective equipment, transporting, disposal and containment systems. The intent is to minimize the hazard conditions associated with handling chemicals on site.
- Training & Awareness - As part of the Keysight Leadership Model’s Employee Growth component, learning at Keysight aligns directly with Keysight’s business strategy. Learning drives professional growth and continuous improvement, ensures a strong leadership pipeline and promotes company-wide development with a focus on customer insight. Keysight requires all workers to complete an initial Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Orientation and Awareness to identify risks associated with their job function. Processes are also in place to identify specific training needs for workers based on job function, site risks, and local regulatory requirements. Keysight requires managers and supervisors to complete Manager and Supervisor Responsibilities for EHS and Security training to identify and prioritize EHS and Security programs for their operations. Quarterly communications are also disseminated to promote safety culture along with prescribed actions, evacuation drills and Crisis Management Team training. In addition, Keysight strives to hire contractors who demonstrate exemplary effort in the compliance of all applicable laws and regulations that pertain to environmental, health and safety standards. Expectations are set that the contractor will provide appropriate training to their workers while working for Keysight or at the company’s locations.
- Customer Site Health & Safety - Keysight recognizes that our employees have the potential to work in hazardous environments at customer locations. Guidelines have been set to decrease risks to Keysight employees under such conditions. Other controls include reviewing work practices and engineering controls, provision of personal protective equipment to reduce exposure, hazardous communication training, and health surveillance to mitigate any potential risks to our employees. Processes are in place to identify specific training needs for employees based on employee’s job function, site risks and local regulatory requirements.
With these efforts in place, Keysight is holding true to our commitment to support the personal safety, mental health, and overall well-being for all our employees globally. I challenge all organizations to consider their EHS polices and processes as we celebrate World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
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