10 Reasons Why Workplace Health and Safety is Important

Ensuring the health and safety of every employee on a day-to-day basis is, and should be a top priority to every company. Despite its importance, it can be difficult to implement among the workforce and even amongst management at times.

1. For greater job satisfaction

Workers who feel protected are more motivated, more satisfied and ultimately more productive at work. A preventive culture should always be a basic pillar for every organisation. Health and Safety policies and risk management plans encourage workers commitment to safety and they have a positive impact on their attitudes towards work in general. A safe working environment results in happier employees.

2. Associated costs are avoided

Assessing the human and financial cost of accidents in the workplace is often the job of a Health and Safety professional. It’s their job to determine how accidents can be avoided and to calculate their impact on a company. Every accident can have a different cost depending on a number of factors:

- The individuals involved in the accident.

- Those who assisted the injured party.

- The severity of the injuries.

- The implications the accident had on productivity.

These are not the only important costs, there are also associated costs to health and well-being, among others. As you can see, they can be very extensive and differ from situation to situation.

3. Absenteeism rate decreases

Absenteeism is a key priority for organisations and it is considered a complex issue that can cause significant business problems and naturally many companies seek to reduce their current absence rates.

Absenteeism is the frequent or habitual failure to work as scheduled. This can be due to a wide range of reasons, for example, due to personal problems, workplace bullying, stress and mental health issues as well as illness or injury.

The implications can be seen across the whole workplace and can affect the employee, their families, productivity, customer service standards and other colleagues who may be forced to carry out two people’s job.

In the UK absenteeism costs employers around £21 billion each year. Creating a safe working environment with a preventative culture that positively impacts an employee’s health and well-being is an important way to minimise absenteeism.

4. Attracting and retaining talent

Thankfully, organisations that promote a “Safety First” attitude that foster collaborative, trusting and safe working environments are becoming more and more common. Companies with an increased concern for workplace health and safety can benefit from a number of advantages.

Firstly, it attracts talent because it makes people want to work for the company, every single person wants to work for an employer that cares about their wellbeing! It also results in higher acceptance rates to job offers.

Secondly, it can also lead to higher employee retention. People who feel protected and cared for at work are more likely to stay with their current employer.

5. Attracting and retaining partnerships

In relation to the last point, a thorough occupational health and safety protocol for managing risks and preventing hazards will also help build and retain positive relationships between business partners and affiliates.

A safe environment is a quality environment that is under control with assured results – That's good for everyone!

6. Better brand image overall

The focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increased in recent years and brands are continuously becoming more socially accountable for their impact and role in society.

Of course, there are many actions a brand can take to create a good brand image, and even more so if they have a positive impact and are helpful to society in general.

7. Penalties for not complying with health and safety regulations are avoided

Did you know that both a company and its employees can be penalised for breaching health and safety regulations in the workplace? Breaching said regulations are considered a criminal offence.

Penalties can be financial (fines, compensation for damages, etc.), organisational (suspension of work, closure of centres, etc.) or criminal (imprisonment).

8. Higher quality standards

While there are some companies who only comply with the most basic safety regulations, it’s much more common for companies to gradually increase safety criteria and standards overtime, and therefore increasing overall quality standards.

Improving procedures, processes, workflows and work methodologies leads to business excellence.

9. To arrive home healthy and well

This doesn’t need much elaboration. Without question, the main reason why workplace health and safety exists is to protect people at work.

It's about helping them work in a safe manner, so they can go home and spend time with their friends, family and loved ones, ensuring they can continue to enjoy their lives as normal. That is the ultimate goal of all types of safety.

10. Forms a positive cycle

Workplace health and safety is cycle of positive actions that feeds back into itself, providing a multitude of beneficial results.

This includes those benefits closest to the employee (their health and well-being, family, friends, colleagues, etc.), as well as benefits on a larger scale, for example, to companies and towards building a society that is committed to health and safety.

Workplace health and safety ensures that what is most valuable is protected – people… There are nothing but benefits when it comes to making the workplace safer!

Safeguru | Delivering a Safer Future