5 Reasons Why You Should Roll Out a Safety Program for 2017

5 Reasons Why You Should Roll Out a Safety Program for 2017

If you have thought about having a safety program within your business, 2017 is a great year to get it started. While it may seem expensive or time-consuming, there are plenty of reasons why it should be done. Once you see all of the benefits, it will be easier to spend the money and take the time to set it up.

Keep Your Employees Safe

You should always try to keep your employees safe. If they get injured, it not only means your employees have been hurt, but it also ruins your reputation within the community – especially if it’s really bad.

A safety program will keep your employees safer. This is because they will be better trained and you will be more aware of the environment they work in so you can prevent accidents from happening.

Reduce Employee Time Off

Employees who have been hurt need time off. They may have to visit a doctor, get surgery, and even have days or weeks to recuperate. It’s important to let your employees heal. However, it’s more important for you to work to keep employees from being injured in the first place so you don’t have to worry about giving them extra time off. It increases productivity dramatically.

Increase Morale

If employees work in an environment where they are always getting hurt, it can reduce morale dramatically. Everyone will be wondering when it will be their time to get hurt, and this is no way to run your business. A safety program increases morale because it shows that you care about them. You care enough to train them, buy PPE, and get their input during monthly safety meetings.

Reduce Cost of workers’ compensation

Workers’ compensation is based upon the number of employees you have and the level of risk for employees. Some industries are more dangerous than others. If you have a lot of accidents per year, it’s going to cost you more in workers’ compensation. As such, if you can reduce the number of accidents that occur, you can reduce the cost of workers’ compensation insurance. This can have a positive impact on your bottom line, making the safety program that much more worth it.

Avoid OSHA Fines

OSHA gets involved when there are major accidents. You may be in violation because you didn’t supply your employees with PPE, a harness, or didn’t repair facilities to OSHA standards. The fines you could be charged with are often extensive. However, if you have a safety program in place, you will perform more inspections and be more involved. You’ll be less likely to deal with OSHA fines because even if you don’t catch an issue, one of your employees will.

Building a safety program is easy and there are various third parties who will build it for you. You can even contact an agent to help you find a good workers’ compensation policy and work with the insurance company about how to build a good program.