By Leasa Hachey
There is nothing worse for a hardworking individual than to have their livelihood threatened by some simple, innocuous and easily preventable workplace incident. Yet every day in B.C. workers are injured, made ill or killed on the job.
Nobody thinks it will happen to them or their workplace. Employers of injured workers didn't wake up in the morning thinking someone was going to get hurt that day. Protecting the health, safety, and general welfare of all employees is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.
Profits are Important
With every company trying to find as many ways as they can to reduce the amount of money they are spending annually, many overlook the dollar value of investing in solid workplace safety programs. But neglecting safety and cutting corners where safety is concerned will ultimately result in high costs to the business by way of injuries or fatalities.
For instance, take a driver that hasn't been trained or reminded about using the 3 points-of-contact system to get out of his truck safely. Instead, he jumps down from the top step and twists his ankle when he hits the pavement. His ankle is sprained and he has to spend a day or two off his feet. The cost to the employer for this type of injury is estimated at $2530. That doesn't even include any surcharges, fines, penalties or levies that also may be applied against the company. At a 7% profit margin, you'd have to do $36,143 worth of business to recover your direct costs of this minor injury, and we haven't even calculated the indirect costs. All of those costs could have been avoided through simple worker education, training and reminder signage.
The Business of People
The secret behind any great company is great people. Studies show that workers who feel their employer takes a genuine interest in their safety become committed to their workplace, while the absence of comfort and safety is often cited as the number one reason employees become disengaged and leave their job. By lowering employee turnover and creating a stable workforce where people are not leaving unexpectedly, your employees experience higher workplace morale. People get to know each other well, they're comfortable with each other and they work well together. They build stronger relationships that are powerful when schedules are tight or problems pop up. People are more likely to pitch in to help when they know each other and believe in mutual support. Operations run more efficiently, confidence is higher and productivity soars.
Increasing Profits Through Reputation
Companies work hard to build a positive and respected image for their business and everyone knows a good reputation will increase sales, generate new customers, and attract stronger employees. A company’s approach towards health and safety plays a very important role in supporting the reputation of the organization. A well-managed health and safety policy results in enhanced employee loyalty and attitude. This contributes to a positive reputation with your customers, suppliers and local community and proves the company’s commitment to being a good citizen.
Health and safety matter because human lives matter.
Ultimately, health and safety matter because human lives matter. You have an important contribution to make towards keeping your employees safe. Make saving lives and keeping workers free from injury and illness a part of your business plan. Protect your investment by protecting your workers.
