Have you ever been unfortunate enough to have been injured at work? Could the incident have been avoided? How much emphasis do you feel your company places on workplace safety, and why is it so important? For starters – and these two is pretty much self-explanatory – it prevents injury and death. That in itself should be enough to ensure that workplace safety becomes a priority.
But just in case you needed a little bit more convincing, we’ve compiled a few more reasons why it should be.
Financial loss: The first aim of a business is to make a profit. A company that is not profitable will not survive. Death and/or injury will always have a financial impact on a company, therefore it is in a company’s best interest (for both employers and employees) to make sure risks to life are minimised.
Property damage: Lenient safety regulations in a workplace can lead to property damage. For example, if an unskilled person is doing a job or task he was not trained for. The person can risk damaging the equipment, in addition to risking injury to themselves.
Worker productivity and Service/Quality improvement: Establishing good safety practices, including training and education, shows the employer’s commitment to safety. It is a company’s way of putting their employees first thus making them feel appreciated and in so doing raising productivity.
Improvement in Corporate image/public relations: Would you be willing to give your business to an organisation you knew was risking their employees’ safety, and the quality of their products and services just to increase the bottom line? In fact, most well-established businesses will not associate with any enterprise that undertakes dodgy practices or does shoddy work just to cut cost.
By implementing workplace safety, you are showing your employees that they are not just numbers (labour) on a balance sheet. It shows that you are passionate about your business because you care about your employees. The bottom line is, workplace safety benefits both the company and the workers by transforming a company and its employees into a team of people with a common goal. Everybody wins.
To learn more about Employers Liability Insurance, call us on 429 5114 or send an email to info@sacos.sc.
