The Importance of Workplace Safety and How to Keep Employees Safe
When any company formation comes to the topic of workforce safety and overall job safety, they all want maximum results with as minimum investment as possible. The real world and job safety function a bit differently than those wishes, and the important aspect is to change how companies view workplace safety. Instead of direct investment, they can look at how much funds the workplace saves by lowering employee leave, sick days and potential lawsuits from un-adequate safety. Employees tend to do their best work when they don’t have to look over their shoulders and worry about what can fall on their heads. Without further ado, let’s see how best to increase workplace safety.
1. Employee retention
Would you work somewhere where you don’t feel safe? We agree, and many workers share your view on this topic. Investing in employees, training productivity, investing in courses, conferences, etc. only for them to leave because the company is cutting corners on job safety highlights how important it is to make them feel safe. The workplace should be their second home, and they have to feel as safe as they are at home. Employees who feel safe at work are also more loyal to their employers and stay longer within their organizations. Loyalty, retention, and productivity can be quantified and vastly outweigh any investment made in workplace safety. All the more reason to not skim and invest in it.
2. Companies’ profit margin
We brushed up a bit on this topic before, but it’s important to highlight it separately. Companies exist to make a profit, and anything that interferes on that road needs to be removed. For every dollar that a company invests, they get around four back. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) is a strict legal contract that can heavily find all those who would like to cut corners on workplace safety. Complying with the law saves thousands in potential legal and financial losses. Because there are mountains of information to go thru, consulting with a professional and experienced Zokal Safety Australia will save you the headache and get the ball rolling on improving the safety of your company.
3. Lower operational costs
When any of your workers leave, it creates discord in the overall company processes. Each of them plays a vital role in the grand picture and makes your company a well-oiled machine. Naturally, when one of them gets injured and/or sick due to workplace safety negligence, it’s literally like throwing a wrench into a machine. Operations slow down, mistakes are happening, other workers need to take over the workload, and it’s a downward spiral from there.
Think of such a situation as a cascade of bad events. One injury leads to one absence. His leave causes costs and potential legal costs. Others have to pick up the workload, and overworked employees tend to perform worse and are more accident-prone. Also, when your employee eventually returns, there is a re-integration period until he gets back to his full potential. Investing in workers’ health with exercises, safety features, signals, equipment, and training does cost, but those costs fade in comparison to what we listed above.
4. The overall image of the company
Workplace accidents produce physical injuries to workers, mechanical defects in machines and equipment, and social damage to the company’s image. People talk, and when workplace accidents pile up those stories spread fast. A company that has one accident per year is nothing to talk about, but a company that has one every week, some with serious or life-threatening injuries, is less likely to retain and find new workers. Their reputation is on the line here, and business associates also tend to not work or do business formation with such companies. All of this is understandable, because, in the business world, your company’s image can make or break the profit margin. Looking at a wider picture and treating every aspect of your business endeavor with equal attention prevents such unnecessary headaches.
Safety first, as the saying is there for a reason. From keeping employees to maximizing profits and making your business operate smoothly, can all be traced back to work safety. Everyone wants to go in, do their work, and get back home safe and sound. Accomplishing such a feat is no small task, but it’s worth the praise! We wish you all the best in your future efforts to increase your workplace safety.
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