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Impact classes of the superclass S3 - Employees

SI 3.1 Employee wellbeing:

Employee well-being refers to the state of employees' health, happiness, and/or prosperity.

SI 3.1.1. Workforce health and safety:

Workforce Health and Safety is generally defined as the science of the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and control of hazards arising in or from the workplace that could impair the health and well-being of the workforce (Benjamin, 2001). By ensuring HSE protocols, strategies, policies, and programs are established, updated, and enforced, infrastructure companies can reduce the exposure of employees to workplace risks, having a positive impact on their well-being. This is especially true in high-risk industries such as ports where employees work with heavy machinery, dangerous goods, chemical agents, etc. (TFT, 2019).

SI 3.1.2 Working conditions:

The International Labor Organization (ILO) describes working conditions to encompass a broad range of topics and issues, from working time (hours of work, rest periods, and work schedules), as well as the physical conditions and mental demands that exist in the workplace (ILO, 2022). Infrastructure companies can ensure that working conditions adhere to international best practices to reduce the negative impacts associated with workplace demands on the well-being of employees. For example, port companies can schedule workers in shifts to avoid fatigue in workers (TFT, 2019).

SI 3.1.3 Benefits:

Non-wage compensation is provided to employees. The most common benefits are medical, disability, and life insurance; retirement benefits; paid time off; and fringe benefits (BLS, 2020). Better benefits generally lead to happier, more productive, and loyal employees.

SI 3.1.4 Labour rights:

The ILO declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work requires infrastructure companies to commit to upholding both legal rights (such as meeting minimum wage and eliminating discrimination at work) and human rights (for example, eradicating the use of child and forced labour in construction and operations of assets) of the labour force (ILO, 1998). In general, these rights influence working conditions, the most prominent of which is the right to freedom of association. Infrastructure companies by allowing unions and giving labour the collective bargaining power.


Benjamin, O. (2001). Fundamental principles of occupational health and safety. ILO, 13(2), 1-59.

ILO (1998). ILO declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work and follow-up. International Labour Organization.

ILO (2022). Working conditions. International Labour Organization.

TFT Pneumatic (2021). Port and dock workers: Top five challenging conditions. Accessed on 12 July 2022.

BLS(2020). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Information Services Information. Glossary. Available at: http://www.bls.gov/bls/glossary.htm (Accessed on 15 January 2021).

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