Many business owners who are looking into their company’s health and safety policy are overly concerned with the compliance aspect of health and safety. Many end up spending time filling in risk assessments and health and safety policies that never get looked at more than once. Whilst these are important, they are not concerning the improvement of health and safety practices within an organisation.
However, emergency response mechanisms like CPR training can be of paramount importance if employees are well-educated in these aspects. Additionally, for businesses involved in hazardous chemical testing, the installation of biological safety cabinets and walk in fume hood systems can provide essential protection for the workers. Taking such measures to improve the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) practices can actually benefit your business. Keep reading to know these advantages.
David Rowland, Head of Marketing at Engage EHS, knows the importance of safety in the business. He claims that “the role of safety in business is vitally important. It is imperative that we are proactive in developing a positive safety culture in our businesses. What we need is a genuine cultural shift, and this can have a profound impact on not just our workers, but also other KPIs such as consumer confidence and reputation.”
Decreased recruitment costs through better staff retention
One of the key areas where many businesses could save money is through recruitment. Research suggests that employees are much more willing to stay at a company if they feel safe in the workplace. This incorporates all aspect of health and safety, ranging from the physical environment to the safeguards surrounding the mental health of the employees.
For instance, appointing a CDM (Construction Design and Management) Coordinator in your manufacturing process can ensure that health and safety measures are being taken care of, thus creating a safer and more secure work environment. This role can be helpful in industries where the risks are higher. To understand more about why you need a coordinator, consider reading this guide on cdm health and safety by ST&L. By having a dedicated professional overseeing health and safety, businesses can improve employee retention and reduce the costs associated with higher turnover rate.
If you increase employee retention with more internal promotions you lose the drop in productivity inevitable with getting new members of staff up to speed. You also save on the cost of ads
Increased productivity for the business
In many organisations with poor management of health and safety employees spend a lot of time making sure their work is safe from a personal point of view rather than performing the actual work. This reduces the productivity of your company. Providing your employees with a safe workplace has proven to increase morale and a more productive workforce. For example, if you were to operate the business from higher floors and ask the employees to take the stairs every day, it can feel taxing to them. While once in a while it is okay to them, they might not entertain the idea of climbing stairs every time. So, as a business owner what would your role entail? Well, for starters you can fix the elevator if it is repaired or not functioning. As there is a variety of elevator components and companies that specialize in this domain, it might be a better decision to get in touch with the earliest. And, if there is no one already in place, hire professionals who can fix it for you. Your employees might appreciate the small steps that you do for them.
Reduction in the insurance costs of your organisation
Accidents in the workplace are bad for your business both from a PR and financial standpoint. Investing in good HSE practices is not only good for your employees but also the long term stability of your company. Maintaining a good level of health and safety management within an organisation may help to reduce your insurance premiums which will increase the cash in your company.
The business benefits of improving health and safety are plain to see however many businesses do not go beyond the compliance aspect of the subject. To find out more about some actionable ways to improve health and safety including better human performance and increased technological innovation visit the HSE Network.