What do workplace safety and a robust health & benefits plan have in common? They both can help enhance your company’s productivity and profitability, lower costs, and show employees that you're invested in their well-being.
Consider this statistic from the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health: At $170 billion each year, the direct and indirect costs of workplace injuries and illnesses in the U.S. equal those of cancer. Workers and employers alike benefit from a safer workplace. So it’s no surprise that businesses are constantly seeking new ways to enhance on-the-job safety.
A safe and healthy workplace not only protects workers from injury and illness. It can also help lower the cost of medical claims and premiums, reduce absenteeism and turnover, and raise employee morale. Think about the direct and indirect costs of an on-the-job injury to an employee. Depending on your type of business, they can include:
- Production losses
- Increased insurance costs, including group health and workers’ compensation premiums
- Damage to equipment or machinery
- Hiring and/or training new employees
- Decline in product quality and worker morale
- High turnover
Safety pays for everyone
Interested in launching your own workplace safety program? According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), an effective program consists of four elements:
#1: Management, leadership & employee commitment
Involvement at all levels is key to success — every employee must play an active role in planning, communicating and monitoring workplace safety. Involve all employees in the creation of a safety policy, and post it in a prominent place.
#2: Worksite analysis
Analyze workplace conditions to identify and eliminate existing or potential hazards. These might include:
- Slippery floors and walkways
- Tripping hazards, such as hose links, piping or extension cords
- Missing or broken entrance and exit signs
- Poorly lighted stairs
- Loose handrails or guard rails
- Dangerously piled supplies or equipment
- Blocked access to electrical panels, aisles, fire doors or fire extinguishers
- Leaks of steam, water, oil or other liquids
- Evidence of smoking in non-smoking areas
Create and post a procedure for reporting any hazards, and review incident causes and inspection results on a regular basis to help identify trends.
#3: Hazard prevention & control
Keep your safety program strong with regular review and inspection for hazards. Have a written plan in place for maintenance of all equipment and vehicles, and make sure that employees know how to use and maintain any required personal protective equipment. As part of your safety initiative, be sure to monitor for air quality, heat stress, noise, ergonomics and other job hazards.
#4: Ongoing safety training/education
Supervisors and managers must be trained to recognize unsafe conditions or behaviors and understand their responsibilities in controlling them. Provide everyone with guidelines for reporting and correcting safety violations, and train employees in the proper procedures for handling specific situations. Be sure to pay close attention to employees who are learning new operations to make sure they have the proper job skills and awareness of the hazards involved.
Finally, think about how you will measure the success of your program. Increased workplace safety can generate positive results like these:
- Reduction in frequency of lost-time injury or medical treatment
- Reduction in number of sick days used
- Lower workers’ compensation and medical benefits costs
When you make abiding by all safety rules a condition of employment, you can help employees understand your commitment to a safer workplace — and that success depends on safety being everyone’s business.
Did you know that a workplace safety program may help you control your workers’ compensation insurance costs? For more information on workers’ compensation coverage from ADPIA, call our Property and Casualty Team at (800) 524-7024, option 4.
