Preconceived assumptions or misconceptions regarding workplace safety can have a substantial impact on practically every part of your business. From employee retention and public perception to financial gains and losses, you’ll want to avoid the most frequent workplace safety fallacies that are preventing your company from thriving.
Myth: It is too expensive to invest in workplace health and safety training
While certain upfront fees are required for workplace safety and health training, these costs pale in comparison to the costs your company will have to pay once a catastrophic accident or injury happens.
Out-of-pocket charges include repairing damaged products; training and compensating substitute workers; OSHA fines; administrative costs; and so on.
Completing extensive safety training and establishing safety practices in your organization will undoubtedly save you money, time, and important resources. OSHA Training Online is a powerful tool for ensuring that all of your employees receive in-depth training with personalized attention.
Accidents will occur
Let’s be honest: this harmful thinking removes workers from the driver’s seat and removes our ability to hold ourselves accountable. Safety does not happen by itself, without any thought, effort, or activity. In fact, the opposite is true.
Creating a secure atmosphere necessitates ongoing alertness, attention to detail, and forward-thinking. Safety is something we do every day of our lives rather than something we observe.
Accidents can occur when we are rushing or simply not paying attention. This article explains how to be mindful at work so that we can pay attention to the decisions we make during the day. While we are all human, being mindful allows us to concentrate on the task at hand and operate more safely.
Myth: Without formal training, my employees know how to protect themselves and operate safely
Let’s be sure: we should never make assumptions about what someone knows or does not know. What appears clear to one person may be utterly missed by another.
Assuming your employees know everything is a formula for catastrophe that might jeopardize lives and cost you money. Let’s be honest: although each work environment has various degrees of danger and exposure to possible dangers, accidents, injuries, and diseases can occur in any workplace, including offices.
Indeed, one may argue that sedentary work conditions provide particularly severe health and safety hazards, as inactivity can lead to a variety of major health issues. Knowing the safety dangers in your workplace allows you to build a better and safer workday for your staff. Healthy employees mean fewer health insurance claims, fewer missed workdays, and, eventually, fewer preventable accidents.
Myth: Workplace safety affects only one part of our company
Let’s be honest: this misperception can be extremely destructive for your business since it fails to see the wider, long-term picture. It is critical to keep things in perspective and realize that employees, like everyone else, have lives and loved ones outside of work.
Beyond that, it’s critical to remember that your customers, partners, investors, affiliates, and the general public are all paying close attention to your company. Investing in your employees’ and their safety sends a powerful message that you care about their well-being, and it has a favorable impact on how you are seen by the major people with whom you do business. When you invest in your employees, people will notice, and your reputation will benefit as a result.
Consider whether your company falls victim to any of these myths and cultivate a team that is safer, healthier, and happier to come to work every day. Over time, your company will witness gains in customer service, morale, production, retention, reputation, and bottom line—all of which are critical to the growth and survival of your company.