Benefits of Health and Safety Best Practices
Larger profits aren’t the only benefits!
In recent years, the link between profit and safety has been thoroughly proven. Yet, the benefits of safety don’t just end with profits. There are innumerable advantages to aggressively pursuing a culture of safety within your organization.
Each of the following benefits can be easily realized through a directed culture of health and safety.
Benefit #1
Morale enhancer: Every company envisions having happy and motivated employees; it's not just financial compensation that will help achieve this end. Having a health and safety strategy that takes the well-being of employees to heart will help increase their productivity (a highly desirable business result of health and safety).
Action Example: If you really want to increase your employee morale through safety, give your employees an opportunity to actively engage in health and safety issues. This year, PowerStream (an Ontario utility company) had 90 of their employees actively engaged in our MySafeWork high school presentations throughout the year. “This has been a huge morale booster to our team,” said John Muzos, PowerStream's health and safety manager.
Benefit #2
Innovation: Everyone these days knows the critical importance of innovation in all aspects of business - from product design and manufacturing through to technology implementation, sales and marketing, etc. When employees' primary needs are taken care of, they're able to think about new ways of doing things. Setting a culture of safety in place will set the stage for innovations to emerge and for your company to build its legacy.
Action Example: After implementing a stringent health and safety program, Woodbridge Group, an auto parts manufacturer based in Kansas City, decided to challenge their employees to come up with an innovative way to get rid of forklifts in their plant (which were causing a lot of accidents). Not long after the challenge was issued, individuals in management and in the union collectively came up with a magnetic track system that has replaced the forklift and has transformed the way Woodbridge does business.
Benefit #3
Teamwork: Implementing a good health and safety policy is not a static action - to be effective, it must be tweaked and changed as industry and innovation changes. Having a group of people involved in this process will benefit to your health and safety department, and create a sense of accomplishment that can only come through teamwork.
Action Example: At Shell Oil teamwork is the name of the game when it comes to developing a culture of health and safety. Through their mentoring program, employees with experience are paired with younger workers, where they are commissioned to learn from one another. This teamwork approach has been very effective at reducing and preventing accidents in this industry, and has created an environment where teamwork and camaraderie are encouraged.
Benefit #4
Employee Retention: In a day and age where the average employee changes his/her job every two and half years, it is important that employers have a strategy in place to retain workers. According to a recent study, “employee mistrust will be the leading cause of employee turnover as the job market gains momentum." Creating a health and safety culture where employees feel respected and believe that the company treats them with respect can treat some of this mistrust and can help to actively engage employees in their jobs which is critical to retaining them over the long haul.
Action Example: One of the most important ways Hydro One Networks, in partnership with the Power Workers' Union, have been able to retain workers is through the high standards of safety they have set for their industry. Unlike many companies, Hydro One is able to retain workers for years and, in many cases, for life. (Check out some Hydro One safety success stories.)
Benefit #5
Employee Attraction (Talent War): Finding outstanding talent in any industry is increasingly difficult. In an age where the birthrate of most developed nations continues to decline, finding a strategy to attract workers must be put in place immediately. Today’s employee is looking for an environment in which he/she feels respected as well as a good compensation package. By developing a health and safety culture, you'll promote this benefit to potential workers and make your company stand out from your competitors also seeking talent.
Action Example: Through their innovative health and safety program, the steel manufacturer Dofasco has become a leader in employee attraction. Providing a world-class recreation centre, innovative safety symposiums, and high safety standards has helped Dofasco attract some of the top leaders in their industry.
