The Safety of It All

Every company has safety rules and regulations because being unsafe is counterproductive and costs the company time and money, plus it’s the law to maintain a safe work environment.

According to a document released by OSHA from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Of the nearly 3.0 million nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2014, 2.8 million (95.1 percent) were injuries. Among injuries, nearly 2.1 million (75.0 percent) occurred in service-providing industries, which employed 82.4 percent of the private industry workforce. The remaining nearly 0.7 million injuries (25.0 percent) occurred in goods-producing industries, which accounted for 17.6 percent of private industry employment.

Out of those 2.8 million injuries, all of them could have been avoided. Accidents happen when people stop paying attention and get comfortable in their routine. Two of the most common types of injuries are related to improper lifting and improper cutting techniques. Make sure that your team is following the rules, and know the benefits and risks of proper and improper practices.

Remember, all accidents can be avoided.

How long does a safety sign have to hang in the office before people stop noticing it and it becomes part of the background? What safety protocols and recurrent trainings does your company provide for your employees? Does your team put safety first?

According to TV’s Mike Rowe, safety should be put third; not first. Why? Because the message gets oversaturated and we no longer pay attention. In a video he created, Mike talks about putting safety third and that no one cares more about your life than you do.

You can see the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0RrhkMk2zY

Now comes the big question; do you have the same safety standards for both your customers and your employees? There are a number of businesses that we have seen that make it a priority to keep their customer’s shopping experience safe and sound, but the backroom/warehouse is a hectic mess of multiple accidents waiting to happen.

Fix the issue before it becomes the problem. Still not convinced? According to OSHA:

It has been estimated that employers pay almost $1 billion per week for direct workers' compensation costs alone. The costs of workplace injuries and illnesses include direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include workers' compensation payments, medical expenses, and costs for legal services. Examples of indirect costs include training replacement employees, accident investigation and implementation of corrective measures, lost productivity, repairs of damaged equipment and property, and costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism.

Almost $1 billion per week and that does not include the indirect costs associated with workplace related accidents. It doesn’t pay to be unsafe. Create and maintain as safe work-life environment for all of your employees, because not doing so will cost more in the end; plus nobody likes to get hurt. So keep safety first, or third, but make it part of your team’s daily life.

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April Salsbury, MBA is a strategist, an analyst, an operational guru, a recognized leader and C-suite global healthcare executive with drive and focus for competitive markets. Co-host of The Business Forum Show and regular contributor to various business journals, she possess multi-functional and multi-national competencies with more than 15 years experience in business and healthcare. Her expertise is in invigorating revenue growth and infusing value of lean practices in growing companies through improvements to cash flow and operations management.

Fueling revenue, growth and profit, Salsbury & Co. is a consultancy firm focused on helping businesses and healthcare organizations achieve excellency. Our specialists have executive experience combined with deep functional expertise to provide our clients with services that drive real impact and results.

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