Health & safety- everybody’s business
The health and safety of today’s workforce is a vital part of every business’s strategy. With skill shortages, insurance costs, increase in prosecutions, and the need to demonstrate corporate social responsibility (CSR), it is essential to have a policy and a set of standards, clearly laid down for all to see.
Recent figures from the US prove the value of a good health & safety management system:
- Workplaces that establish safety and health management systems reduce their injury and illness costs by 20 to 40 percent.
- Businesses spend $171 billion a year on costs associated with occupational injuries and illness, expenditures that come straight out of company profits and can comprise as much as 5 percent of a company’s total costs.
- Preventing injuries and illnesses decreases workers’ compensation and retraining costs, absenteeism and faulty product.
- Preventing injuries and illnesses increases productivity, morale and ultimately, profits
(Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration )
Now businesses can adopt a pro-active approach, by developing their risk assessment and risk management systems to conform to comprehensive Health & Safety standards such as the international standard, OHSAS 18001.
OHSAS 18001 works on the same principle as the ISO standards, ISO9001:2000 (Quality management) and ISO14001 (environment). It follows the successful Plan- Do-Check-Act model. If a business already has ISO9001:2000 in place, achieving OHSAS 18001 becomes much simpler. Companies which hold the OHSAS 18001 Standard are proclaiming that they have taken all reasonable measures to minimize risks and prevent accidents.
Implementing OHSAS18001 provides your organization with preventative measures to protect your employees. In a world competing for skilled staff, this makes your business a more attractive choice. Businesses with a good health and safety reputation attract and retain better employees.
As each organization is different, so each will have different health and safety issues which need to be addressed. Existing systems are incorporated.
Further direct savings can be made on insurance. Insurance companies recognize the Standard as a means of reducing risk, and hence premiums. Insurers will want to assess the measures you've put in place to minimize the risks of an incident occurring. This may involve an audit of your premises. If they aren't happy with your approach to health, safety and the environment, your premiums will go up. At worst you might not be able to find an insurer prepared to cover you, making it impossible for you to continue trading.
Where production or service needs to be continuous, the costs of disruptions and delays in processing, or unplanned downtime, can make the difference between profit and loss. Good health & safety planning enables you to reduce, and even eliminate the likelihood of minor incidents. Long term disability is distressing for the employee, and can amount to another major cost for the employer. Preventing today’s workers developing tomorrow’s illnesses makes good business sense. Being able to demonstrate that a policy and systems were in place significantly reduces the likelihood of such events, and provides a framework for legal responsibilities.
Reputation is one of a business’s most valuable assets, and in competitive markets, prospective customers prefer to do business with companies which have a good health & safety reputation. It’s not just the immediate customers; the whole supply chain requires proof that a business is taking its responsibilities seriously. In an equal market, conforming to independent health & safety standards can be perceived as a valuable differentiating measure.
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