It might be shocking, but 17% of small business employees never get any workplace safety training.
The importance of safety in the workplace can’t be overstated, but it seems that some people skip out on it.
Maybe the purpose is to save costs, but an employee having an accident can end up costing a company a whole lot more.
Some people might think, “if we work in an office, why do we need training?”
Or even in a high-risk environment, maybe they think common sense will prevail over all else! But why take the risk? It becomes the responsibility of the employer to give safety training to all the employees. And in case if some machine has turned faulty and there is a risk in operating it, it is his responsibilty to use Lockout Tagout locks to caution the employees not to use it.
An accident can cost the company money, can bring serious scrutiny down on it, and could seriously harm an employee. It doesn’t matter where you work, safety training is important for every employee, and here’s why. It would also be beneficial if your employees will get first aid and CPR in London training. With proper training, all of your employees will learn how to handle a medical emergency the right way.
1. You Want Your Employees to Focus on Their Work and Provide Awesome Results
Any business wants its employees to be working at optimal performance.
But if they don’t know how to avoid hazards, is this even possible?
They might spend time worrying about accidents. Even worse, they might have an accident because they weren’t trained on safety.
When they return to work, their performance will undoubtedly go down. They’ll become demotivated by a workplace that didn’t protect them.
That’s if they can return to work any time soon. Many accidents can take months or even years of recovery.
The point is that you want to create a productive environment, and you can’t do this without workplace safety.
2. You Want the People You Employ to Be Happy With Their Jobs
Need proof that a productive environment is necessary for good results? A study revealed that organizations with happy, engaged employees achieve twice the annual net income on average.
If an employee doesn’t feel safe in their environment or protected, then they aren’t going to be motivated to give their all to the organization.
They may not even need to have an accident themselves to become demotivated. What if they witness a co-worker having an accident, and realize they’re just as unprotected?
This is what leads to people becoming unhappy with their environment, and finding another job. It’s far too easy to lose valuable employees.
Many people think health and safety training is an unnecessary boring drag. It’s not.
It’s there to help and protect the business, as well as to keep the employees safe.
3. Safety In The Workplace Will Save Money
Speaking of protecting the business — the goal of any organization is to make money. There’s no shame in that.
But the goal is going to be seriously compromised if there are constant insurance claims because of accidents in the workplace.
It’s not just insurance that will cost you if your safety training isn’t up to scratch though. You can also be fined for health and safety violations.
This is particularly important on construction sites and other business areas where the risks of accidents are significantly higher. Lone workers in these areas are at even great risk.
But even in offices, there are risks for light-duty workers. These safety training topics can keep people safe you weren’t even aware were at risk.
Don’t want to spend the money on training?
Between insurance payouts and fines, we told you. You’ll find yourself spending more later.
4. The Company Should Protect Its Reputation, Because It Will Matter
The reputation of an organization is important in a world where it’s so easy to find information online.
Public relations are essential. A company wants to be able to reach out and liaise with others when services are needed.
Positive relationships can also be beneficial for the sake of advertising and referrals.
When a business is hiring, a good reputation also becomes key to finding the type of worker they want.
Employees who will benefit the organization are likely to search for reviews on Google. There are many sites where employees can leave reviews about a company to be read in these exact instances.
A bad reputation means that the workplace will have fewer skilled applicants in their inbox when a vacancy is being advertised.
After all, would you apply to a workplace that had multiple reviews citing a seriously unsafe environment?
Make sure that your current employees have nothing but praise for their workplace. When you’re advertising for new workers, you want them to have a great first impression.
5. It Could Actually Save Lives
There’s something more important than great first impressions or productiveness.
It might sound unlikely or even melodramatic, but workplace accidents — especially in high-risk areas — can cause more damage than high turnover and financial loss.
In 2018, over 5000 people died in the workplace across the United States. That’s far from an anomaly. The statistics have been similar every year, and it’s a horrible amount of preventable deaths.
Anyone would agree: loss of life is a consequence far worse than losing money or employees who decided to leave.
Such deaths could be avoided if people knew how to navigate the area they work in, handle the equipment, and knew what not to do.
Are You Convinced of the Importance of Safety in the Workplace?
Keep your employees happy, your turnover relatively low, and most importantly, keep everyone safe.
It’s not arguable. A good training program and company-wide awareness of the hazards in your workplace will prove invaluable, in so many ways other than just a financial sense:
• Your employees will be safe and satisfied, making them productive
• Your company will have a low turnover and a great reputation
• The results they provide will really shine if they know they’ve been taken care of
Don’t try to skip the costs of training. It’s not worth the many bad results that can come from unaware, unprotected employees.
