4 Reasons Why Health and Safety are Important at Work

4 Reasons Why Health and Safety are Important at Work

You might hear the words ‘health and safety’ and immediately think of dangerous working environments such as building sites or factories. However, danger can lurk in any workplace, and health and safety aren’t just about the major, most obvious issues – it’s about everything from working practices to mental health and comfort. This is why a good employer will take health and safety seriously no matter what line of work they happen to be in.

One question that many ask is why is health and safety so important? It’s a good question, and once you have the answer – or answers, as there are many – you’ll better understand exactly why learning more about health and safety and implementing the right measures will benefit you, your employees, and your business in general. Read on to find out more.

It’s Morally Right

To begin with, it’s morally right to give your workers a safe place to work. You are responsible for their safety, and you are the one who needs to ensure all measures are in place so that they can come to work, do their job, and go home again unscathed at the end of the day. Even if none of the other reasons on this list make sense to you, the fact that you can ensure someone’s safety by following some important rules and making sure they have what they need is crucial.

Better Productivity

When your workers know you are looking out for them because you have invested in an IOSH health and safety course and made sure that their workplace is safe, they will work harder. They will feel a certain level of loyalty to you, and their gratitude that they have a safe place to be every day will manifest in the quality of the work they do.

If an employer felt as though their safety was at risk and as though their boss did not care about them at all, they would be much less productive, only doing the bare minimum because they didn’t want to get hurt or because they didn’t care about the business.

Saves Money

Although you might need to pay out for some health and safety measures to be implemented (things like a new break room, healthy snacks, and safer equipment, including PPE, for example), overall, having a good health and safety process in place should save your business money.

This is because your employees are less likely to be hurt or become sick, lessening the downtime when they are away from work. Plus, because they will have a greater level of loyalty, as mentioned above, they are less likely to take time off anyway. Not only that, but since there can be some hefty fines levied at those who don’t put good health and safety strategies in place, you’ll potentially be saving money there too.

Attract Investors

Sometimes the only way for a business to grow after a certain point is to find investors and partners. This can be crucial if you want to see your ultimate goals fulfilled and your business be the success you always planned it to be.

Attracting investors should be much easier if you have a good health and safety record and are doing everything you should be. Investors will be wary of putting their money into any business that has poor accident records or that doesn’t take care of its employees, because they won’t want to run the risk of having their name associated with any potential issues that might arise. Plus, if you are taking health and safety seriously, it’s a good sign that you care about your business and will work hard at it, another sign to an investor that this could be a good choice for them.