The Importance of Health and Safety Training in the Workplace

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Although many organizations now take steps to boost the safety of their employees at work, the fact remains that approximately 2.2 million people are killed on the job or as a result of incidents that took place at work each year. It’s important that companies continue to take a proactive approach to this issue. That often means making modifications or additions to current workplace safety programs.

If a current program does not include occupational health and safety training for all employees, it should. It’s not enough for management alone to understand effective safety procedures. Ensuring that every single member of the team has received the proper training pays off in substantial ways.

When your whole team is compliant with safety procedures, you can increase productivity, employee retention, and protect your bottom line. If you have to pay workers compensation to an injured party, you risk losing all of these benefits.

As one workers compensation attorney in Philadelphia explains, your company will be responsible for almost any injury that occurs due to a condition on your work site. Having safe conditions and employees that understand how to operate within the space will help everything go smoothly.

Compliance

Applicable OHS laws require businesses to maintain safe working conditions for all employees. This is difficult to accomplish if only a select few have been trained to address safety issues that may arise.

Quite simply, when every employee has the opportunity to learn about effective safety protocols, the odds of successfully maintaining an accident-free workplace increase significantly. This makes it much easier to remain in compliance with applicable OHS laws and regulations.

Productivity Boosts

Companies that take steps to boost the overall safety of the working environment enjoy many key benefits, but a boost in productivity may be the most significant. A survey of various Chief Financial Officers indicates that productivity gains are seen as the number-one benefit a safe workplace yields.

Obviously, when workers are safe on the job, they are less likely to miss work due to a job-related  illness or injury. Additionally, employees tend to be more engaged with their work when they don’t have to constantly worry about safety issues.

Saving Money

Studies indicate that the average cost to businesses of a workplace injury is $38,000. Aside from the direct costs, like medical expenses an employer may have to cover, the indirect costs of lost productivity when an experienced worker is injured can be substantial.

That’s a major financial reason to invest in workplace safety training for all employees. The cost-to-benefit ratio clearly favors the business in this instance. While it will likely cost some time and money to initially implement an effective training program, the return on investment will more than offset the expense.

These programs also allow managers to turn more of their attention to other topics and tasks. When every employee knows what they can personally do to keep the workplace safe, the responsibility is evenly distributed throughout the entire company. That benefits everyone.