A strategic, well-defined safety program is powerful but difficult to do on your own. Here are a few reasons why it makes sense to hire outside help for your safety program development.
Why Develop a Safety Program?
Safety programs help organizations create a safe worksite while improving productivity and passing OSHA inspections with flying colors. However, many companies fail to provide adequate safety measures in the workplace, putting their employees’ health and lives in danger.
5 Reasons To Hire A Safety Professional
In addition to reducing the number of accidents and injuries, third-party safety experts can provide five key benefits.
1. Improved Productivity
A safe and healthy work environment not only protects employees but also increases company productivity and quality. Unsafe operations are likely poorly managed. Organizational efficiency and quality and will suffer when employees are unsatisfied or challenged by working conditions. For example, if a worker hasn’t been adequately trained to handle specific equipment safely, efficiency will decrease. The employee may waste time unnecessarily due to lack of preparation. Or worse, improper use may result in an accident, pausing operations and putting everyone behind schedule.
On the other hand, when operations are safe, it’s easier for workers to focus on their performance. In addition, the safer your workplace is, the fewer disruptions your team will experience. This ultimately boosts productivity and results in higher output.
2. Financial Savings
When you employ an in-house safety specialist, you are required to pay a salary and benefits, adding to company expenses. However, when you hire a third-party safety specialist, you only make a one-time payment. So say goodbye to overhead expenses!
In addition, implementing a safety program review will help prevent costly accidents. Losing a worker to an injury can compromise your operations. Plus, the average workers’ compensation claim is just over $40,000. It’s also common for job sites to be shut down temporarily for OSHA accident investigations in these situations. Not to mention, lawsuits, hefty fines, and insurance premiums will also cost your company a lot of money.
Implementing an injury and illness prevention program will help cut costs by reducing work-related injuries and illnesses.
3. Regulatory Compliance
Regardless of company size or industry, all businesses must adhere to the required laws and regulations as part of operations. Regulatory compliance involves following a set of guidelines put forth by the government. In addition, OSHA has specific rules designed to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for all organizations and their employees.
In fact, OSHA can charge companies with criminal penalties in cases of gross negligence. OSHA fines can be extremely costly for employers, depending on the severity of the violation. High-gravity (serious) OSHA violations can reach up to $13,653. Willful or Repeated violations have a maximum penalty of $136,532. Learn more about OSHA citations.
However, these fines are entirely preventable! Ensure your organization follows applicable OSHA regulations by hiring a workplace risk assessment consultant. These experts will perform safety audits and inspections specifically designed to reduce the risk of violations and prevent accidents in the workplace. Learn more about the benefits of OSHA training.
4. Higher Employee Satisfaction
Implementing a program that focuses on health and safety shows employees that their employer cares about their well-being and is on their side. However, the benefits of high employee satisfaction go far beyond that.
- Reduced employee absenteeism
- Stronger employee referral programs and recruitment
- Boost in company productivity
- Higher employee retention rates
- Increased bottom line profits
- Reduced HR costs
5. Reduced Workplace Stress
Did you know that implementing a proper health and safety program review can reduce work-related stress? Workplace stress goes hand-in-hand with employee satisfaction. Just like physical workplace injuries, employees’ psychological issues should be taken just as seriously. Workplace stress can lead to:
- Missed workdays
- Poor performance and productivity
- Difficulty concentrating
- More mistakes being made
- Higher chance of accidents
- Depression and other mental health issues
- Long term health problems
- Substance abuse
- Low employee morale
- Higher turnover rates
- Increased employee complaints
It’s up to employers to promote a safe work environment. This means having safety professionals on board to reinforce your commitment to safety. Safety consulting companies like Safety By Design know the proper steps to take to prevent workplace stress. Examples include giving employees regular breaks, proper office ergonomics training, flexible schedules, and more.
Partnering with Safety By Design for Your Safety Program Development
Regardless of your industry, every company needs some sort of a program to prevent employee injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Even if you follow OSHA’s guidelines to a tee, you’re still not off the hook. Job sites are filled with people, and people make mistakes. However, professional safety program review services will help ensure the safety and health of your organization’s employees.
If you are interested in learning more about professional health and safety consultant services in Houston, Texas, please reach out to us at Safety By Design.
We have a team of expert safety specialists that provide various services for safety training and education, hazard identification and risk assessment, site safety audits, and more. Contact us today for more information!
Tags: safety consultant, safety program, safety training, workplace injuries, workplace safety
