Implementing an occupational health and safety management system seems inevitable since accidents at work and work-related illnesses are a significant burden on society, companies, and individual workers. According to the health and safety executive, in 2016, only in Great Britain, every workplace fatal accident case costs about £1,417,000 to individuals, £99,700 to employers, and £100,200 to the government.
On the other hand, ILO estimates that poor occupational health and safety cause around 6,000 deaths every day worldwide. The job accidents and job-related illnesses make about 1.25 thousand billion US dollars annual loss on the global economy.
Besides economic benefits, Occupational Health and Safety management systems could improve efficiency, and there are other reasons to consider an OHS management system.
The following reasons show you why every enterprise should implement an occupational Health and Safety management system.
1- Your business efficiency will improve effectively.
The occupational health and safety management system’s primary purpose is to reduce workplace accidents and job-related illnesses.
Since it reduces employees’ sick leave for job-related injury or illness, employers don’t need to hire more temporary workers or train new ones. On the other hand, a safe and healthy workplace motivates employees to stay in your company, then the retention rate will increase.
Robust OHS management systems mitigate accidents, so repair or replace equipment costs will be minimized. It will significantly reduce safety and health loss costs.
In conclusion, the occupational health and safety management system reduces risks of your capital, labor, and materials and considerably improve your business efficiency.
2- Health and safety performance in your organization will improve.
The main factor affecting health and safety performance is how employees deal with it. The significant health and safety performance requires that every worker understands how to handle their activities based on OHS standards.
Adopting a specific system to manage occupational health and safety in your organization, industry, or business helps all employees to follow the same safety protocol. Besides, You will have a clear outline of every OHS-related activity that occurs in your workplace.
3- You can avoid compensation payments and legal costs.
Every safety and health accident and illness at works could cause prosecution and legal costs. Since workplace accidents are avoidable in most cases, there are several safety rules in different countries to protect workers from job-related injuries and illnesses. Every year, so many employers are subject to a sentence that can include a monetary penalty called a fine or administrative penalty.
For instance, in the UK, on 18 June 2017, one employee of Leadec Limited was killed while using high-pressure water jetting equipment to clean paint residue from pipes. Investigators found that although the company recognized the risk of such a process, They had not implemented or enforced proper control measures. Therefore, the company was fined £2,000,000.
It is then apparent that implementing an occupational health and safety management system in your organization will help you save your employees’ lives and avoid prosecution.
4- You don't require to hire new workers or buy new equipment.
If you have not considered an occupational health and safety management system in your enterprise, soon it will be a costly mistake!
Every workplace accident could make you hire and train a new employee or repair and replace equipment or reconstruct buildings and facilities. All of these mentioned items are costly, labor-intensive, and time-consuming process.
5- Your employees' morale will improve.
Employees’ morale affects business goals. Workers’ attitudes and opinions about the workplace and their jobs could impact your organization’s success.
A safer workplace satisfies employers and makes them happy. Their frequent absenteeism reduces, and their work quality improves.
Considering the OHS system in your company causes employees to work at ease. They feel that you care about them and protect them from accidents and job-related illnesses.
6- Your public image and public relations (PR) will improve.
Nowadays, every accident in the workplace becomes hot news as soon as it occurs, and job-related incidents and illnesses could damage your organization’s public image hugely.
One business with poor occupational safety and health management can’t have a beneficial influence on the public.
Briefly, If you want to have an effective PR strategy, you must implement an occupational health and safety management system.
7- You can reduce insurance premiums.
Although insurance premiums are mandatory, insurers determine a premium price based on risks on your business.
As soon as you implement the OHS management system in your company, occupational safety and health risks will reduce. Therefore, the insurer will offer lower insurance premiums, and your cost of insurance will decrease.
8- You can improve access to finance and get money.
Taking a loan from a bank or finding an investor is not easy. You must prove that your organization is well-managed.
A practical occupational health and safety management system that implements appropriately can be strong evidence of a well-managed company.
A clear safety plan and fewer workplace accidents will help you increase the chance of winning investments that you otherwise couldn’t gain.
9- You can reach regulatory compliance efficiently.
Many companies say that one of the vital challenges for them is ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Although it could be a concern, it helps business efficiency improves.
If you don’t consider the occupational health and safety management system in your company, human errors or negligence will increase the chance of accidentally committing an offense.
By implementing the OHS management, all your workers will become aware of legal requirements, and reaching regulatory compliance will be more comfortable.
10- you can improve corporate social responsibility.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just a simple regulation. It is a kind of business self-regulation with the primary goal of being socially responsible.
What the public thinks about your business could be critical for its success. Since everyone feels that employers are responsible for protecting workers from workplace hazards, practicing occupational health and safety management systems shows that your company practices corporate social responsibility.
