Why Invest in Health and Safety Training?

Did you know that Great Britain has one of the best health and safety records in the world?

• 1.3 million working-people suffered from work-related illness.
• 621,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labor Force Survey.
• 144 workers were killed at work.
• 30.4 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.

If Great Britain alone shows such alarming statistics, you can well imagine the statistics for the rest of the world.

Owing to scarcity of resources and lack of awareness, managements of many small and medium-sized businesses ignore health and safety training. As a training or L&D professional, you can elucidate to stakeholders, the following benefits of implementing health and safety training in your company.

Designs a Safe Workplace

According to a study by European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, in Europe, small and medium-scale companies account for 67% of employment, but they also account for 82% of occupational injuries.

Even if you are part of a small company, you may have workers who need to climb ladders, lift packages, or handle chemicals, and each one of these tasks represent potential accident situations.

Every company should be able to provide a safe workplace for its employees. In order to do so, investing in a health and safety training that is customized to your employees’ work environment is essential.

Boosts Employee Productivity

Businesses rely on employees, and any health problems or injuries to employees affects workplace productivity.

A survey of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, revealed that almost 40% of CFOs cited productivity as the top benefit of an effective workplace safety program.

A study, by Lockheed Martin of their Paducah Plant, found that by following safety procedures, they were able to increase employee productivity by 24% and reduce factory costs by 20%.

Successful companies understand the importance of investing in health and safety training programs. With safety measures in place, employees can concentrate on their jobs instead of worrying about workplace hazards.

Maintains Compliance Requirements

In the best interests of the workforce, most countries have made it mandatory to adhere to health and safety laws. In Canada, safety and health is a territorial responsibility. For example, in Ontario, a regulation introduced by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) requires employers to ensure that a worker completes a basic health and safety awareness training program. Supervisors too are required to go through the course.

Employers are required to maintain a record of the health and safety training conducted in the company.

Health and Safety laws in UK emphasize that all workers have a right to work in places where their health and safety is assured.

Failing to meet safety guidelines makes organizations vulnerable to lawsuits filed by employees who are injured on the job.

According to the safety and health magazine, in Canada, it’s not just the employers, but also the employees who can be held for occupational health and safety violations. In Alberta, employee fines can go up to $500 and administrative penalties can go up to $10,000. So watch out, because the next time you forget to use a machine-guard or do not wear a hard-hat when required, you could be fined.

If a company has a well-defined strategy to roll out health and safety training, it would help reinforce health and safety guidelines to each employee.

Enhances the Organization’s Image

It is apparent for skilled workers to choose an organization that cares about having good health and safety measures in place. It also enhances the credibility of the company. When you follow a regular health and safety training, your company’s brand value increases. A happy and protected workforce does wonders to boost business and retain clients.

According to a report from HSE, in Britain, between 2013 and 2016, an average of 622,000 workers were injured in workplace accidents and 528,000 workers suffered from ill-health due to a hazardous work environment. The total cost to organizations was estimated to be £2.8 billion, while the cost to individuals was £8.2 billion.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), indirect costs for injuries in the construction industry can be as much as 17 times more than direct costs. Indirect costs include loss of productivity, worker replacement, increased insurance premiums and attorney fees.

For every dollar spent on health and safety training, you could end up saving $5 in future. Sometimes spending money upfront on training programs, can become harder to justify when trying to convince the management. But, if you could calculate the direct, as well as the indirect costs to an organization, that can arise due to workplace injury or health issues, you will be able to arrive at an average expense and show the return on investment.

Investing in health and safety training reminds me of the proverb, “Prevention is always better than cure”. You only have to connect with the right e-learning vendor who can customize the training to your requirements and make your investment worthwhile.

Have you rolled out health and safety training programs in your organization? If no, it’s time to act now!