For many people, health and safety is linked to business success in the form of health and safely often being seen as detrimental to a business. A common view is that it causes too much ‘red tape’ and it decreases efficiency by putting stumbling blocks in the way of production.
Does health and safety make a business more successful?
Health and Safety is a vital part of any business, and similarly, creating a positive health and safety culture is something that should be commended rather than criticised.
So is health and safety really linked to business performance and success?
Increased Productivity and Maximised Efficiency
Rather than being damaging to productivity, health and safety can actually contribute to better business results.
Improved working conditions, fewer accidents, and a positive health and safety environment results in a happier workforce that will produce a higher output. As fewer days are missed due to accidents and equipment is kept in good condition it means that a business will enjoy greater productivity than one that doesn’t take employee welfare seriously.
Health and safety is something that most major businesses place emphasis on and actively promote within their organisation for these very reasons.
Boosting The Brand
A soft ROI of investing and maintaining health and safety in the workplace is what it does for that business’ brand image.
With marketing and social awareness being so important in the 21st-century market, there is an onus on businesses to promote a positive image of themselves. A company that is concerned with the welfare of its employees, disposes of waste accordingly, and demonstrates its social responsibility will fare better than one that does not.
The ethos of health and safety is about the employees and how a business conducts itself, but it also has a powerful PR message too and can work wonders for brand promotion.
Reducing Avoidable Costs
The third biggest advantage that a positive health and safety culture has for any business is the reduction in avoidable costs.
This includes a reduction of compensation claims if an accident happens as well as production decreases due to staff missing work. These costs can be avoidable if a proper system of health and safety is practised.
Dealing with sick pay, absenteeism, staff discontent and replacing cheap Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) can all be avoided as well if health and safety is taken seriously and adhered to in the workplace.
Health And Safety: A Positive Impact On Business Performance
Following proper health and safety policies will not make a business succeed on its own, but it will go a long way to help.
The fundamentals of any company should be based on staff happiness, production output, avoiding unnecessary expenses and promoting a positive image to the public. Health and safety is intrinsically linked to all 4 of these performance measures and are a vital cog in the running of an organisation. If we haven’t quite convinced you, then have a read of the HSE’s Business Benefits articles. These outline several advantages of health and safety good practice and gives tools to help you get started.
Instead of looking at health and safety as a roadblock to success, you should see it as something that is essential for a 21st-century business to prosper.