Business owners often neglect health and safety and believe that if they tick the boxes and get the policies produced they are covered. However, there are plenty of benefits of looking after the health and wellbeing of your employees and making an effort to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. If you would like to succeed in business, you need to take responsibility for your staff, your environment, and compliance. Below you will find a couple of reasons why health and safety should be one of your business priorities.
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Everyone on the Same Page
If you have health and safety policies in place, your employees and managers will know what you are expecting of them and they all comply with the same rules. This means that everyone will take responsibility for their own workplace, health, safety, and maintenance. Even if your workers are in the office all the time, they will need to make sure that they can spot potential hazards, such as a loose wire or a box in the corridor. You will have to take responsibility to get everyone on the same page.
Reduced Absenteeism
If you look after your employees and carry out workspace assessments, you will prevent injuries and lower back pain. You can save money by not having to pay sick pay and making sure that your employees are happy with their desk, their lighting, and their chairs are comfortable. If your workers know that you care about their health and wellbeing, they will be more likely to stay healthy and less likely to stay at home with a slight cold or a sore throat for weeks.
Less Downtime
If your employees learn how to look after their own workstation and equipment and look out for hazards, you can avoid downtime and loss of productivity. It is likely that you will need to carry out a workspace assessment to help your workers stay healthy and safe and prevent breakdowns, accidents, and injuries. If you have an accident and repair diary, as well as clear policies on who is responsible for the safety assessments and who needs to fill out reports, you can make sure that your employees take responsibility for their equipment and their own safety.
Lower Maintenance Costs
If your equipment is regularly checked and your workers tidy up their machines, carry out the maintenance tasks, you can reduce the cost of maintaining and repairing your equipment. That means that you can pay your employees more and show your appreciation. You will also be able to get better and upgraded equipment if you don’t have to pay that much for repairs and maintenance.
Improved Employee Retention
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If you keep your employees healthy, you can keep them happy. They will be more loyal to you and happy to stay with your company. Happy employees are more connected with your core values and organizational mission. You can communicate the company mission and culture and engage with your workers. Motivate them and show your respect and appreciation to them by looking after their health and safety. Offer incentives for training, taking on a role of health and safety officer, or being active.
Avoiding Legal Challenges
One of the main reasons companies take health and safety seriously is that they can avoid legal challenges and fines. If you fail to look out for the safety and health of your employees, and you can’t demonstrate that you are doing everything to prevent accidents and injuries, you will get into legal trouble. Keeping records of health and safety assessments, checks, or training, you will be able to prove your point, but if not, you will have to pay a compensation for workers’ injuries and accidents damages caused to the public. If you can provide training for some workers to get a cpr certification, you can make everyone feel safer in the workplace.
Not Getting Fined By Authorities
Another consequence of not looking after the health and safety of your employees and visitors is that you can be fined by the regulatory body or – in the worst case – get your business shut down. If you lose your operational license, you will not be able to make a profit and lose money until you fix the issues the regulators have found.
Happier Employees
When your employees are happier at work and feel safe, they will be more committed to productivity and quality. You will have a better chance of connecting with them on a personal level and align your company value with their own interest. If you are able to demonstrate care and good practice, you will get your workers to engage with your brand and each other. This will improve the communication in your company, and people will be more likely to look out for each other.
Improved Productivity
When your employees feel safe at work, they will be more productive, too. A good atmosphere at work starts with health and safety. If your employees don’t have to worry about the hazards and health issues, they will be more likely to focus on the job at hand. Once you have managed to improve the productivity, you can increase your profits and put more money back in your business.
Improved Profits
Increased productivity, reduced absence and maintenance costs, along with less downtime will help you achieve a higher level of productivity in your business. If you can improve your profits, you will get a huge return on the money you invested in your health and safety training and policies. With more engaged employees, you will be able to retain talent and maintain your organizational assets at the same time.
Managing Your Reputation
An important reason why taking care of health and safety makes sense is that it allows you to look out for the greatest asset of your organization; your reputation. The best way to manage your reputation is by making sure that you are doing the right thing all the time. Taking responsibility for the health and well-being of your employees and the safety of the public and your visitors, you will show your market that you are a trustworthy and ethical leader of an honest company.
Public Perception
Apart from the market reputation, you will also have to take care of the public perception of the brand you are managing. If your company is publicly trading, or you are looking to engage with your community, you will have to make sure that you are clearly communicating your mission, vision, and standards with the public, as well as your potential customers. A company’s public perception counts when it comes to engaging with the public, companies, government organizations, and training companies. You can increase your brand value and justify higher prices, which means that there will be more money left in your pocket.
Reduced Insurance Costs
If you are maintaining and solid foundation of health and safety and reduce the number of accidents and injuries in the workplace, you can lower your health insurance and liability insurance cost for many years to come. It is important that you pay attention to the details and keep accurate records to show insurance companies that you are doing everything you can to look after the health and safety of your workers. Likewise, if you have policies in place to protect communities in the neighborhood and the public, you can save money on legal cover, too. By reducing your regular expenses, you can free up profits to go towards your training, improvements, and innovation projects.
Better Service Quality
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If you keep your employees healthy and happy, as well as safe, they will provide a better service for your customers. With fewer downtime days, you can improve your customer service and engagement, and better your reputation. If you can beat your competition on service quality and consistent standards, you will have the chance of increasing both your market share and your overall profits. You can keep your existing employees happy and spend less on marketing, too.
Winning More Tenders with Solid Safety Records
If you are looking to win government tenders or large industry investment bids, it is important that you maintain your safety records. In fact, this is what companies and government agencies are going to ask for first. If you can demonstrate that you have the correct procedures in place to protect the reputation of the company employing you as a subcontractor, you have almost won. While your financial stability and reputation will be taken into consideration, as well as your expertise, your health and safety record can help you win tenders.
For some managers, having health and safety regulations and policies is nothing more than ticking the boxes. Others recognize the importance of keeping employees happy and connected with the brand, reducing maintenance costs, and protecting the brand’s reputation. If there’s one investment that will deliver results in every aspect of your business, it is health and safety. It helps you retain customers, talent, and profits, while making your employees feel valued and respected.