The Link Between Health and Safety and Operational Efficiency
by James P. Outreach & PR ExecutiveIn workplaces throughout many different
industries, there has long been a myth that productivity must be sacrificed for
the sake of health and safety. The idea that health and safety is something
that gets in the way of swift operational management is dangerous and, in
reality, unfounded. In fact, high levels of health and safety are vital to
operational efficiency, whatever sector you work in.
Read on as we get take this myth apart piece
by piece and delve into the reasons why health and safety is absolutely
necessary for operational efficiency.
A global perspective
If there's one clear way to see the link
between health and safety and operational efficiency, it's by comparing
different countries’ attitudes towards these factors.
The world's most productive countries according
to the Expert Market, including Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland, all
have aspirational levels of health and safety. Studies have also shown a
correlation between workplace health and safety standards and a country's
competitiveness within the global economy. Countries including Finland, the
United States and Denmark all come out
on top in both areas, with countries including Indonesia and Brazil on the
other end of the scale.
The cost of accidents
It goes without saying that as well as
endangering workers, accidents cost money. When accidents occur, employers have
to account for multiple costs, such as:
·
Workers' compensation payments
·
Medical expenses
·
Noncompliance fines
·
Litigation expenses
·
Property losses
Not only do these things cost money – which is sure to have a direct impact on
productivity as costs will have to be cut in other areas of the business – but
accidents in the workplace due to poor health and safety will cost your business
time.
According to Health and Safety England, 38.8 million working days were lost
over 2019/20 due to work-related illness and workplace injury. Improved health
and safety measures in your organisation will help to prevent these injuries.
In doing so, you will save days upon days of efficient operational time.
Operational downtime
Machine downtime is another factor to
consider. Poor health and safety measures could include poorly-maintained
machinery or people who are not feeling fit to operate heavy equipment. As well
as this, the indirect costs of substandard health and safety include project
delays, abrupt losses of skilled workers, and losing out on business deals.
If your company relies on heavy machinery,
it should all be checked regularly as part of your health and safety review.
Factors such as poor joint
integrity, misaligned tighteners, worn parts and poor electrical
connections can all create a safety risk which could be dangerous for your
employees and cause serious setbacks in your processes.
Worker morale
High levels of health and safety are known
to boost worker morale. After all, when an employee feels comfortable and safe
in their workplace, and they trust their employers to consider their needs,
they are likely to work harder and be much happier in their jobs.
It has been found that happy employees are 12 per cent
more productive, and unhappy employees are ten per cent less productive –
so it's always worth considering your employees' happiness, both for the sake
of both overall worker morale, and greater productivity.
You must always keep in mind that safety
and morale should be your priorities. Productivity should follow as a natural
result. Studies have found that one in three
workers believe that their employer values productivity more than safety,
and if you think this might be the belief in your workplace, you need to work
hard to remedy it. To ensure that your employees feel both safe and valued, you
should update your health and safety procedures regularly, ask for regular
feedback from your employees and listen to their views and opinions. You should
also communicate clearly any regulations you have put in place to make the
workplace safer.
Efficiency, productivity, health and
safety, and worker morale should all form the backbone of your business. Any
business owner who plans to skip ahead to the efficiency stage, allowing health
and safety to fall by the wayside, is destined to fail. Put your workers’ needs
first and watch how your business becomes more efficient than ever – happy
workers are productive workers after all.
Sources
https://www.fastcompany.com/3048751/happy-employees-are-12-more-productive-at-work
https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/
https://www.expertmarket.co.uk/crm-systems/the-ultimate-guide-to-work-place-productivity
Sponsor Ads
Created on Jan 5th 2021 10:05. Viewed 439 times.