For Employers

A safe and healthy workplace not only protects workers from injury and illness, it can also lower injury/illness costs, reduce absenteeism and turnover, increase productivity and quality, and raise employee morale. In other words, safety is good for business. Plus, protecting workers is the right thing to do.

Employers can save $4.00 to $6.00 for every dollar spent on a safety and health program. Workplaces with successful safety and health management systems reduce injury and illness costs 20-40%, according to OSHA.

For a small business, one injury can mean financial disaster. Costs to a business include:

• Production losses
• Wages for work not performed
• Increased workers' compensation insurance costs
• Damage to equipment or machinery
• Hiring and/or training new employees
• Decline in product quality and worker morale
• Decline in worker morale
• High turnover and lost work time

The cost of workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths is much greater than the cost of workers' compensation insurance alone. Insurance is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these costs.

73% of Maine business people surveyed in 2003 believe a comprehensive safety and health program reduces workers' compensation insurance rates and improves the work environment. Over 80% believe it reduces overall injury expenses.

Fonte: http://www.safetyworksmaine.com/safe_workplace/safety_pays.html

Glossário: 

injury: ferimento

illness: doença

absenteeism: absenteísmo

employee: empregado

business: empresas

costs: custos

losses: perda

Decline: declínio

Thalis Paschoal