According to the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), workplace injuries cost American businesses a hefty price. Employers pay out nearly $1 billion every week for direct workers' compensation costs. That does not include the additional costs incurred from medical expenses or legal services. Indirect costs add to the total: training replacement employees, accident investigations, utilizing corrective measures, a loss in productivity, repairs to damaged equipment and property, and costs associated with lower employee morale and absenteeism all cost even more
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Failure to Provide a Safe Working Environment Costs More than Just Money
The National Safety Council reports that worker fatalities began increasing in 2014 for the first time since 2010. 4,821 American workers lost their lives while doing their jobs (the highest number since 2008). Of these workers:
- 4,454 were men and 367 were women
- The majority were between the ages of 45 and 64
- The industries most affected were construction (899 deaths), transportation and warehousing (766), agriculture (584), government (435), professional and business services (425) and manufacturing (349)
Transportation accidents took the most lives (1,984) followed by:
- Slips, trips and falls: 818
- Injuries by people or animals: 765 (409 of these were homicides)
- Contact with objects and equipment: 715
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments: 390
- Other events or exposures: 149
All 4,821 deaths were as preventable as they were costly.
What Can You Do to Avoid Workplace Injuries & Fatalities?
In addition to following the basics of workplace safety, like removing fire hazards and maintaining clutter-free work zones, it’s essential that companies put a comprehensive safety awareness program in place. Policies should be written, regularly reviewed and adhered to by both management and staff.
Utilizing an excellent safety awareness program not only shows employees that their employers consider them to be their most valuable asset, it also improves engagement and workplace morale, increases worker productivity, lowers overall costs and leads to fewer injuries and deaths.
This is why C.A. Short Company developed the concept of Safegagement™. Safegagement occurs when engaged employees are safer at work and make better decisions because they care about those they work with, the company they work for, and the overall accomplishments of the organization. This concept promotes and rewards safe practices at work which will reduce injuries, eliminate fatalities and increase your bottom line.
The size of the company or the workforce employed does not matter. Each and every worker deserves a safe working environment!
C.A. Short Company partners with companies to manage, drive and facilitate increased employee engagement to increase financial performance, productivity, quality, and core performance outcomes. Our process and research-based platform enables executives and managers to engage their teams to increase the bottom line, motivate staff, and incentivize positive behavior. To request a Complimentary Consultation, please click here.